Westbury High School I's mascot, this community site's logo.

This section provides class members a central location for responding to the "Rebel Controversy." The original commentary by this administrator is provided in three articles that comprise the Rebel Trilogy: an Editorial and Two Short Stories." Here are the links to that commentary.

1. "The Westbury Rebel's Meaning to Me," or "The First Play from Scrimmage in the Westbury vs Bellaire 50 Year Rivalry" (short story)
2. "What Happened at the End of the 1962 Westbury vs. Austin Football Game" (short story)
3. "OPED on How Demise of the Westbury Rebel Could or Should have been Avoided" (Editorial)

As a member of this site, you are invited to place your thoughts, comments and meanings in this forum either as a "reply" to the initial story or in another "Topic" heading started by you.

I always thought of the Rebels as a person or group that went in its own direction, against the establishment when necessary. Such as the aardvark club which the establishment tried exceedingly hard to find out who was in the club and especially who was in charge of the activities. Had wonderful parties and hay rides. Drove extablichment crazy trying to find out who was in the club. I was a member and I didn't even know.  Also a little background on picking the rebel as mascot.  Whole school voted on the colors and mascot.  The teachers sort of picked which mascot they thought was best and told us which one they thought we should pick.  The one they wanted was a little overweight gray bearded and gray headed old rebel man holding the rebel flag with a caption under it saying "FORGET HELL!" This was an Ole Miss Madcot.  I liked this mascot but wanted the Forget Hell removed.

Thanks Jimmie!

Those are my understandings, too. Except that I didn't understand at that time what you explained here about the aardvarks. I thought it was just a subversive organization, except that I didn't know what "subversive" meant. And just think, going on a subversive hayride with a subversive date, everybody trying to do the opposite of what we were supposed to do.

Bet it WAS fun as you said!

Sounds to me like the class of 1962 were Westbury's first true Dead Poets Society, maybe even for Houston, too! What an honor!

Skip

You were an Aardvark?  I always wondered about them; they seemed to have more fun than the rest of us.  You had hay rides?  Where on earth was I - nobody hates to miss a party more than I.

Linda Lambright Hagerman

As sad as it is, it could be sadder. Robert E. Lee High School is no longer called by that name. It is just Lee High School, now. We are like the Egyptians, shipping away the names of former heroes from our stone monuments for something they did that offended us in hope that they will be forgotten. Do we totally dismiss Lee, who contributed so much to our nation throughout the course of his life way before and long after the War between the States, and whose illustrious ancestors put their lives on the line to give us our liberties?

There is, incredibly, one school that has escaped this modern historical purging. Jeff Davis High School is still Jefferson Davis and the football team, mostly Hispanic now, wears JD on their helmets. His bust still sits proudly in the administration office. What an oversight by the thought police!

Jimmie Sanders,

Check it out, Jimmie! The co-founder of your Aardvark Club at Westbury, the original anti-"thought control" movement, it being a developing uncord of Rebel meaning, has just checked in to this commentary on the demise of Westbury's original mascot. That writer and truist of Rebels is John Boyce! Do not miss his depiction of that club's start up all provided in a tremendous segment on Westbury High School culture. The story, which for him and Westbury alumni I temporarily entitled (because he is too humble a writer) "The Life and Times of John Boyce," starts in his profile. After running out of room in that personal section, he carried it over into Parts I and II of the discussion or newly titled Westbury Stories forum. Amazing writing. And totally fun! For your convenience and a read of Westbury's own John Updike,  here is the link to Parts I and II of his work.

Jesse Skip Collins

No one could describe the meaning any better than the writer of the first article does! 

We were rebels because we were underdogs.  I certainly never ever thought of the Rebel Flag in the way that it is denigrated today, although I do now have some understanding of why it is.  I was never a racist.  The fact that we were a white school was simply a fact, not a statement against other races.  The fact that we were rebels was a matter of pride in our school.  It was meant in a pure sense -- a rebellion against the other schools who would be clearly  "out to get us." 

Well said! Smart person.

TANA:

I AM NEW TO THIS SITE AND HAVE JUST READ YOUT POST.  I MUST SAY THAT YOUR EXPLANATION IS SO REFRESHING AND RIGHT ON TARGET.  I STRONGLY FEEL THAT WHAT US "BOOMERS" ARE EXPERIENCING IS REVERSE RACISM.  OUR MASCOT IN HIGH SCHOOL MEAN'T TO ME THAT WE WERE THE UNDERDOGS FIGHTING FOR RECOGNITION AND SURVIVAL.  HAVING NOTHING TO DO WITH RACISM.  I AM NOW RETIRED AND LIVE ON A PIECE OF PARADISE IN N.E. TEXAS.  BUT THE LAND WHERE MY WIFE AND I LIVE IS THE ONLY THING THAT IS TRULY PURE IN THIS AREA.  DON'T GET ME WRONG, THERE ARE A LOT OF WONDERFUL PEOPLE HERE, HOWEVER, I HAVE NEVER SEEN SO MUCH HATE AND RACISM IN MY LIFE.  BUT IT IS COMING FROM THE OLDER AS WELL AS THE YOUNGER GENERATION.

I PRAY TO OUR LORD GOD THAT THIS TYPE OF IGNORANCE AND HATE COME TO AN END IN OUR LIFETIME, FOR THE SAKE OF ALL MANKIND.

CHARLIE DUECKER '64

Tanya:

In a few short words, you summarized what Westbury High was.  In my reply to you, I only wish to give a personal history as to why I agree with you.

My voyage to Westbury started down in a very small town known as Donna, Texas down in the Rio Grande Valley.  I truthfully had no concept of what segregrition was because there was only one elementary school, one junior hight school, and one high school (which in Donna started in the *9th grade was high school).  Therefor, whites, blacks, hispanics, asians, jews, etc. were always in the same classes and together - we just didn't care about a skin color, religion, or anything else;  only the person.  I still think this way.

My family moved to Houston and because (at that time) 9th grade was Junior High, I ended up at Cullen Junior High  - boy what a culture shock..  We lived in what was then known as "the Jewish River Oaks".  This name was because back then Jewish families could not  buy property in River Oaks.  My family was only one of the two non-Jewish families in the neighborhood.  You know what?  It was one of the most loving and fun times of my life.  Also, back then, there were high school Jewish fraternties, and I as in one until, someone asked me what Temple I went to.  When I answered Saint John's Episcopal Church they let me know that I didn't qualify, but still inviited me to all parties.  Good People.  In fact, of that time, I still consider one of my best friends and the best man at my wedding to be  Eddie Kahn (Rabbi Robert Kahn's son).  As a side note, Eddie and I both ended up at SMU wher I was a KA (founded by Robert E.Lee) and he was a Sigma Alpha Mu (Sammie a Jewish Fraterity) - we both enjoyed each other parties.  Therefore, I don't think that I could qualify as a zionist racist.

From Cullen Junior High, I spent one semester at San Jacinto High School, but with the help of my parents I petitioned HISD and  achieved the right to attend the then considered "College Prepretory" High School" of Westbury.  I drove eighteen miles every day just to go to Westbury High School.

My nick name in high school was "Rebel"{it's in the year book because I was on the year book committee), my CB call sign was "Rebel####" and I was part of the underdogs of Westbury High.

Unlike many, I have traced my family baack to the seven brothers that emigrated from Germany to South Carolina and built a plantation.  Yes there were slaves,, but now there are many Blocker's; black,wihite, and mixed with the lands owned by them..  Not popular in history is the fact the many Afro-Americans also fought on the side of the Confederacy, for their so call "masters" that they may have.considered as their friends.  This doesn't make it right, just a fact of history.

In conclusion, I am a Westbury Rebel, and proud of it.  I am a rebel for all religions, races and people.  In our case, the Rebel Statue and Flag is for ALL.

Binks/Bill Blocker. 

Bill,

Thank you ever so much for that very interesting summary of your life and how you ended up at WHS, as well as how we both  (and many others)  feel about the  "Rebel."

This part of this website sparked an interesting thread at HAIF (http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/), a free forum about Houston.  The thread can be found in the Historic Houston section of that site.  You might be interested in the site and that particular thread.

Tana

The rebel was definitely not a racist symbol for me.  I had a black friend from the other side of Houston.  To me the rebel was  more of a symbol of rebelling against everything that I thought was wrong with the world.  In short, the rebel was cool.