La Bowie

La Bowie is the name of a high school, here in El Paso.  Now the school itself was turned into an elementary, and a new building was built.  The old school is now Guillen and is more of a grade school.

Now Bowie Bears are always bragging about the old school and feel proud....very proud.  I dont know why ..... because most of us today feel that the only kind of education that school delivered was substandard.

Just this last week, I was in attendance at a gathering and the two Bowie Bears there just kept bragging about the old school.  Both of them spoke English, which surprised me.   So on the way out I thought I would hackle them.  So when the greeter was speaking to them she stumbled, so I took the opportunity to throw in a zinger.  I said, "you went to Bowie", she fell insulted and denied it, she even got away from me.   The other lady also stumbled and I repeated the zinger.  Her response was a classic, she said, "I would rather get a GED, then go to Bowie"!   

I know from her age that she didnt go to the old Bowie and I knew from her demeanor that she was not a victim of a substandard education.  But somehow she knew the dark side of the Bowie Bears.  

I was born across the street from this institution but somebody upstairs liked me.   Now the Bowie alumni still wont let the old school get demolished, so it will likely become dust.

To you foreigners, Bowie, was named after Jim Bowie.   He is a hero of the Texas war for independence, he was killed by the forces of Santa Ann along with about 120 men.  The entire battle at the Alamo in San Antone lasted about 20 minutes.  

Antecedent to this, Bowie wrote some letters, he was the commander of the Alamo forces, a frontiersman, but he could write.  He became ill, and was bedridden when the attack occurred, this mexican, may have fallen to Santa Ann but he didnt fall to the press.  All the force at the Alamo was exterminated, so anything about how he fought is speculation, and probably a lie.

For his alleged part in the Texas Revolution, he was given citizenship by Texas posthumously. Many a school in Texas is named after the Mexican Bowie.   Oh he did invent the Bowie Knife, so most of the people at Bowie, HS are pretty good with a knife even if not so good at writing.