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 AGREED TO 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.