University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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Extravagant Austin excitement salutes Texas Sesquicentennial by Amy Sailer Ann had moved a generous five feet on Mopac southbound in a span of 45 minutes on her way to Auditorium Shores for the free con- cert in celebration of Texas In- dependence Day. The air was muggy and unseasonably warm for March 2, reaching 90 degrees in midafternoon. Of course, her roommate ' s car didn ' t have an air conditioner, and a breeze was unlikely as traffic stood frozen in all lanes. Ann was irritated and cranky at be- ing dragged along in this mess. Her roommate Jeanne was too excited to mind the unpleasant conditions. She was an avid Joe Ely fan and had been talking about his coming to Austin ever since it had been announced in the paper in conjunction with other events listed to join the Ses- quicentennial celebration. Earlier that day, Jeanne had dragged Ann to the Independence Day Parade along Congress Avenue, and Ann had to admit it was im- pressive. The hundreds of people who turned out for the procession were so excited and pleasant, despite the stifling weather, Ann had actually enjoyed the whole extravaganza. The floats were the most colorful she had seen and the marching bands even had her clapping her hands to their lively music. Ann asked a little boy jumping up and down, spilling juice all over her feet, what he was so ex- cited about. He answered her quite assuredly, Texas is a thousand years old! Well, almost. Okay, Ann thought. The parade was great, but the traffic is getting to be a little too much. At least she could hear the music from the free concert from the car. A fellow hung his head out of the passenger side of a car to their left and informed Jeanne that Joe Ely had already performed. Oh God, Ann thought, Here comes the war song! But Jeanne totally threw Ann off guard by suggesting they hit the fireworks. It could be a long night. They made it to Auditorium Shores in time to shove their way between picnic baskets and sleeping children before the show began. Ann was expecting maybe a step above a few bottle rockets popping off in the sky. But music bellowed out in stereo from unknown sources located around the shores as brilliant displays of lights exploded in perfect syn- chronization in the sky. Ann was speechless as the fireworks con- tinued for almost half an hour as popular music scores rang out in unison with the activity in the sky. After the grand finale, hordes of people gravitated toward their park- ing spaces as Ann made a dash for the car with Jeanne panting at her heels. She wasn ' t about to spend the rest of the evening sweating against the vinyl of a car seat. But what usually would have been a 15-minute trip home turned into an hour jaunt. As Ann tumbled into their apart- ment, heading for the refrigerator door and a cold drink, she thanked God for the invention of ice. She sunk down on the couch, anticipating sleep while watching Jeanne walk toward her with a determined look on her face. Set your alarm clock for 6 a.m. We ' re going to the Coca Cola Balloon Races in the morning. Texas pride runs deep. even in the hearts of children. Helen Mlddleton. a sixth generation Texmn, u aoes the Texm flag during the Sesquicentennlal Parade down Congress Aoenue. The parade u 1 js part of the March 2 celebration. [.... ... . Sesquicentennisl 23

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T7ie Texas Sesquicentennia set the theme of balloons in the Coca-Cola Sesquicentennial Balloon Race March 8-9. The colorful transports could be seen over Austin throughout the weekend. 22 Sesquicentennial

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Naive Texan Gifts ranging from cards to gold-nugget buckles filled the Sesqulcentennlal Store at 206 E. Sixth Street set up by the Austin Sesqulcentenntal Commission. by Amy Sailer The winter of my senior year in high school was probably the worst Nebraska had ever seen. I can remember being able to jump out of my second-story bedroom window onto a blanket of snow that lay only two feet below. I was applying for colleges then. I figured the University of Texas was far enough south. So I went where the weather was warm and the opportunities were hot. I certainly wasn ' t disappointed. In fact, I had a suntan late into Oc- tober, a foreign concept in the Midwest. But it wasn ' t my bathing suit lines I was so impressed with it was the whole atmosphere. In my freshman year alone, I was lucky enough to visit Dallas, Houston and Corpus Christi. I even got to Lub- bock. I never dreamed a single state could look like a whole country by itself. Texas was exciting and I was satisfied. My sophomore year added a new twist. Texas as an entity separate from Mexico was 150 years old, and people were starting to make a big fuss over the birthday celebration. I didn ' t really think much of it. Big deal, I thought, Nebraska never has birthday parties. I didn ' t give it another thought until Christmas. While I was home for break, Dad bought me Texas, a novel by James A. Michener. So I sat down to read it, and I just couldn ' t believe what I was reading. There was so much history, so many different cultures involved in this state. I mean, Nebraska was a nice place to raise a family, but Texas! Texas rang with vibrancy in every sense of the word. I couldn ' t put the book down. I was absorbed into the richness, the excitement, the risk of Texas. As an outsider, I actually felt cheated. Here was a state that grew from the vision of men such as Sam Houston, whom many in cultured society called a Magnificent Bar- barian. This state was roughness, a callous to the more refined observers. But Houston, who said, Texas is the finest portion of the globe that has ever blessed my vision, knew that Texas had a rare quality, a promise of great things. These visions allowed Texas to mature and become the nation ' s 28th state. Take it from an outsider. I don ' t even know the state flower of Nebraska. To go into detail about the history of this immense state would take, for example, the Barker Texas History Center in itself. History classes traced the development of America from the Pilgrims of 1620, but Texas had settlers from Spain, France and other European countries from as far back as 1519. A state that takes almost three days to drive through promised a wealth of diverse settings. Oil fields, sunny coastal beaches, flat deserts, rich woodlands and booming cities made Texas a Southwest Utopia. Its beginnings were wild and its future uncertain, but Texas was built by people willing to take a chance. And on March 2, that Magnificent Barbarian ' s 43rd birthday, Texas declared its independence from Mex- ico. Then, on April 21, 1836, Mexican Gen. Santa Anna and his well-trained army of 4,500 was defeated at San Jacinto. And to think. A year ago, I would have said, Big deal, it ' s just another |i birthday. Peter Rene 24 Sesquicentennial