50th Reunion Brings New Friends, Golden Memories
When Edgar Dennis (photo left) came to Hardin-Simmons University in the 1950's, it was on a football scholarship. Oddly enough, Dennis never played a single game of football. Instead, he played a trumpet in the Cowboy Band. Dennis says it just seemed like that would be a lot of fun, so he gave up the football scholarship.
When Pete Hart (center) arrived on campus, it was as a football team walk-on for him. It was a bit of a long shot for Hart, but he made it and became a star player on the team coached by legendary Sammy Baugh.
Even though they were both on campus at the same time, it took 50-years for them to actually meet. About fifty 1959 HSU graduates are on the campus this week for their Golden 50th Reunion.
Edgar Dennis, a rancher from Dimmitt, was clearly pleased when the former football star he remembered arrived for the tour of the White Horse facilities. Director Debra Jones showed them the dressing rooms for the riders and the tack room for the horses. As usual, the single miniature horse, Mini Me, a.k.a. Titan (his real name is Vanilla Fever), managed to steal the show and the hearts of the exes.
Pete Hart and Dennis reminisced on how students from the campus got around Abilene in the 50's. Hart recalls, "We used to wait on a bench in front of HSU on Hickory. People would stop and give us a ride downtown. Then to get back, we would wait on a bench just outside of Mac Eplens Restaurant across from First Baptist Church. Again, people would stop and bring us back to the campus."
Edgar Dennis and wife, Leta, still make a 4-hour trip from Dimmitt, north of Lubbock, to come to the Western Heritage Classic in Abilene each May. They say, however, spring classes at HSU are out by then and they never have been back during a school year.
Dennis may have not gotten the football scholarship but he did get a Cowboy Band scholarship and even managed to go on a USO world tour with the Cowboy Band. One of his favorite stories about that trip, he says, "There were only four trumpets that could go on the tour and I sat fifth chair. So to get to go, instead of getting better on the trumpet, I practiced on a whip, instead. As the only whip artist, Prof McClure, the director, had to take me!"
Hart still lives in Abilene and teaches at both the Middleton and the Robertson prison units.
Photo: Edgar Dennis; Pete Hart; Phil McFadden (marimba player in Cowboy Band) of Virginia
Photo: Gay Crensaw Pangle and Bobby Pangle, of Katy, TX, get to know Vanilla Fever.
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