"SPARKY" - THE SOUTH PARK MASCOT IS ALIVE AND WELL!!!  HE IS STORED IN THE BEAUMONT
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT STORAGE BARN, AND HAS JUST RECENTLY BEEN REFURBISHED.

    SPEAR HEADED BY THE GRADUATING CLASS OF 1963 (UNDER THE PERSISTENCE OF LIZ JOHNSON) THE SOUTH PARK MASCOT BECAME A REALITY. THE IDEA BEGAN IN 1960-61 AND TOOK SEVERAL YEARS OF PLANNING AND WORK.

    THERE WAS MUCH DISCUSSION ABOUT THE GREENIE'S NEEDING A MASCOT, AND THIS CLASS DECIDED THEY WOULD BE THE ONES TO UNDERTAKE THE PROJECT. WITH THE BLESSING OF HENRY COMPTON, SPONSOR OF THE STUDENT COUNCIL, THE CLASS BEGAN IT'S WORK.

    FIRST WAS THE SELECTION OF A COMMITTEE TO WORK ON THE PROJECT AND FIND WAYS TO RAISE THE MONEY.

    THE NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS WAS THE DECISION FOR THE TYPE OF MASCOT NEEDED. SOMETHING TO SHOW THE FIGHTING SPIRIT OF THE SOUTH PARK GREENIES AND THE DESIRE, DETERMINATION AND DEDICATION - AND A LITTLE LUCK THROWN IN. THEY ALL KNEW THEY WANTED A BIG "LITTLE GREENIE". MISS SIMPKINS, THE BIOLOGY TEACHER, SUGGESTED TO THE CLASS THAT DURING THE WAR, MANY FIGHTER PILOTS CARRIED IN THE COCKPIT OF THEIR PLANES AS A MASCOT A 'GREMLIN - WHICH WAS THOUGHT TO BRING "GOOD LUCK." IT DIDN'T TAKE LONG FOR THE CLASS TO CHOOSE THE GREMLIN AS THEIR MASCOT.

    THEN CAME THE COMPOSITE OF THE" GREMLIN." DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE BEGAN TO SKETCH SEPARATE PARTS OF THE BODY - EYES, EARS, NOSE, FACE - WHICH WERE SUBMITTED TO THE COMMIlTEE AND AGREED UPON.

    WITH THE HELP OF HERMAN HUGG, ART INSTRUCTOR, AND LIZ JOHNSON, THE BODY OF THE SOUTH PARK "GREMLIN" TOOK FORM - AND IT WAS BIG -7' IN HEIGHT.     THE STORY IS TOLD THAT A NOW FAMOUS NEW YORK ARTIST, JOHN ALEXANDER, HAD ENTERED SOUTH PARK HIGH SCHOOL HIS SENIOR YEAR, AND WANTED TO BE THE ONE TO SKETCH THE "GREMLIN", BUT LITTLE LIZ JOHNSON GAVE A DEFINITE "NO".

    NOW THE SOUTH PARK "GREMLINS" NEEDED A NAME, AND THE COMMITTEE DECIDED TO SPONSOR A CONTEST AND LET THE STUDENTS SUBMIT NAMES AND VOTE ON THE NAME OF THE SCHOOL MASCOT. SOUTH PARK'S HEAD FOOTBALL COACH WAS JOHN "SPARKY" ADAMS - AND HE HAD LED HIS GREENIE FOOTBALL TEAMS TO MANY VICTORIES. THE NAME "SPARKY", IN HONOR OF COACH ADAMS WAS ONE OF THE NAMES SUBMITTED BY THE STUDENTS - AND THIS WAS THE NAME THE STUDENTS FAVORED UPON VOTE.

    THE COST OF THE MASCOT WOULD BE $500.00, AND THE CLASS CONDUCTED MANY FUND RAISING PROJECTS, AND FINALLY HAD THE MONEY TO MAKE "SPARKY" A REALITY.     A FIRM OUT OF HOUSTON HAD BEEN SELECTED AND THE COMPOSITE DRAWING SENT TO THE HOUSTON FIRM. IT WAS TO BE A LARGE MASCOT, STANDING 7' TALL,WITH A BIG IMPISH SMILE - CONSTRUCTED OF FIBERGLASS.

    WHEN "SPARKY" WAS FINISHED, A GENERAL ASSEMBLY WAS HELD ON MARCH 3, 1963 AND THE
MASCOT "SPARKY" WAS UNVEILED AND PRESENTED TO "SPARKY" ADAMS AND THE STUDENTS. THE GREMLIN "SPARKY" WAS THE FIRST MASCOT FOR SOUTH PARK HIGH SCHOOL

    AFTER THE UNVEILING OF "SPARKY" THE INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, UNDER
THE SUPERVISION OF MR. NEVILLE, WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SUPERVISION AND GUARDING  OF "SPARKY" AT ALL EVENTS. THEY EVEN HAD SPECIAL UNIFORMS FOR THIS HONOR.

    "SPARKY" ATTENDED ALL ATHLETIC EVENTS INVOLVING SOUTH PARK FOR MANY YEARS AND BECAME A PART OF THE SOUTH PARK TRADITION. HOWEVER, IN SEPTEMBER OF 1971, HE WAS BEING ESCORTED TO A FOOTBALL GAME IN PASADENA WHEN A DRUNK DRIVER HIT THE VEHICLE HEAD ON, CAUSING SEVERE DAMAGE TO "SPARKY" - AND WHILE BEING TRANSPORTED BACK TO SOUTH PARK, "SPARKY" FELL OFF THE TRUCK AND WAS DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR.

    THE INSURANCE COMPANY AGREEDTO HAVE A NEW "SPARKY "BUILT, AND A COMMITTEE WAS ELECTED BY THE STUDENT BODY TO REVISE "SPARKY" INTO A MACHO MAN. AGAIN THE STUDENTS DREW UP SKETCHES OF THE WAY THEY WANTED "SPARKY" TO LOOK, AND THE STUDENTS THEN VOTED ON THEIR FAVORITE.

    THUS THE SECOND MASCOT "SPARKY" CAME INTO EXISTENCE AND AGAIN WAS A PART OF ALL OF SOUTH PARK'S ATHLETIC EVENTS.

    BUT, ALAS, WHEN SOUTH PARK HIGH SCHOOL WAS CLOSED BY THE BEAUMONT INDEPENDENT
SCHOOL DISTRICT, "SPARKY" WAS SENT TO STORAGE IN THE MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT WAREHOUSE - WHERE HE NOW RESIDES.RECENTLY PAT GILBERT MADE A TRIP TO THE WAREHOUSE TO CHECK ON SPARKY AND FOUND HE HAD JUST RECENTLY BEEN REFURBISHED AND WAS LOOKING GREAT !

    PAT WAS ADVISED THAT SPARKY" WAS AVAILABLE FOR CLASS REUNIONS AND OTHER SOUTH PARK EVENTS, AND JUST RECENTLY MADE AN APPEARANCE AT GARY CHRISTOPHER'S HOME FOR A CLASS REUNION.

    THANKS "SPARKY" FOR BEING A PART OF OUR WONDERFUL MEMORIES OF OUR DAYS AT SOUTH PARK HIGH SCHOOL.