James Bowie alumni gain new center
Marvin and Aileen Poer recently gave a most thoughtful donation, and the members of the James Bowie Alumni Association are ever so grateful.
They now have their very own clubhouse, so to speak. And it’s perfect.
“We appreciate this so very much,” Decker May, alumna of the school, said. “It’s God’s gift.”
The Poers owned a fairly large, single-story building within walking distance of the school in Simms. It was most-recently used as a daycare center, so it has all the amenities the members need. And now it belongs to the alumni association, a place to call home.
When the association was formed in 2006, talk began of having a place of their own— somewhere they could meet, collect their mementos and display their memories of this historic school.
They thought they might find an unused room at the school or a building in the community. Or perhaps build their own museum. For years, they batted around their ideas.
Last year, Alumni President Dwight Byrd decided to test the waters. The members created a fundraising campaign, accepting monetary pledges just to see how interested the community and members of the association were in finding a home for their treasures.
“We received promising results very quickly,” alumni board member Jimmy May said. “One of the early responders was a generous pledge from Mr. and Mrs. Poer.”
A few days later, May received a call from Marvin Poer.
“He left a message on my answering machine stating that he appreciated our efforts to find a place to serve as an alumni center,” May said. “Then he dropped the bombshell.
“He wondered if we would be interested in accepting the daycare center for use as our alumni center.”
Poer’s message also stated that he was leaving to go on vacation and would return in a couple of weeks. He would contact the association at that time to discuss what he had in mind.
Jimmy May immediately called the association’s president, Dwight Byrd, and together they met with the school’s superintendent Rex Burks.
“As usual, he (Burks) was very supportive,” May said.
Three weeks later, May and Byrd, who also has a seat on the Simms Independent School District Board, met with the Poers at their family’s country home in the Old Union community. Arrangements were made.
The alumni association took possession of its new alumni center in January; just three days prior to record low temperatures in this small Northeast Texas town.
“As it turned out, the temperature dropped to about 17 degrees that weekend and a water line in the ceiling of one of the back rooms burst, flooding the entire building,” May said.
It was not discovered until the following Monday. The inside of the building had stood in several inches of water. The carpet, sheetrock, floors and walls were ruined.
Consequently the members are thankful for the conscientious efforts of Jana Brown, Simms Independent School District’s business manager, for activating an insurance plan on the building the day the transfer was made.
On Feb. 7, the alumni board held its first meeting in the new center and began making plans for the dedication ceremony, which was held last Saturday.
The Poers, who live in Dallas, came home for the ceremony, along with several members of their family and many members of the alumni association.
Marvin Poer, class of 1946, is among the many success stories to come from this small school. In 2008, he was named Distinguished Alumna in recognition of his success in the field of property tax evaluation for businesses.
After graduating from James Bowie High School, Poer joined the United States Army and was in the 1st Cavalry stationed in Japan.
After leaving the Army, he attended East Texas State University, now known as Texas A&M University-Commerce.
“I was in college when the Korean War started,” Poer said. “I had joined the Marine Reserves. So I was called in to service with the Marine Corps. … When the war was over and I was discharged, I went back to school … finished then went to work at Noble Oil Company in their property tax department. That’s where I learned my lifelong profession.”
The appreciation Poer and his wife, Aileen, received at the ceremony was heartfelt. Every alumni member in attendance made a point to personally thank them for their contribution.
“I was inspired to do something,” Poer said. “Harvey Simms (founder of the school who arranged for it to be built in 1936 with the help of the Works Progress Administration) was my great-uncle. So consequently, we grew up knowing that side of the family had a deep interest in the school.”
During the dedication ceremony, Jimmy May read the list of key events to those attending, followed by Russell Meadows, school board president, who read the resolution on acceptance of the building and officially naming it the James Bowie Marvin and Aileen Poer Alumni Center.
When Burks and Byrd revealed the new sign for the building, it drew applause and attention.
Burks capped the ceremony by saying, “I just want to thank everyone for being here for this dedication. I want to thank the Poers and their family for this generous donation to the alumni center.”
Special guests included Marvin Poer’s sisters Katy Jo and Buddy Carlile; Francis Fox; Bill, Johnny and Stephanie Carlile; and Tommy and Debbie Caraway; Simms Independent School District School Board members Russell Meadows, president; Denise McDaniel, vice-president; Brad Adams, secretary; Randy Box; Keith Minter; and Corky Wilkerson.
James Bowie Alumni Board members who also attended were Carla Pettit, Jana Brown, Pat Dyke, Sharon Ford, Ben Grimes, Decker May, Ann McIntyre, Juanita McMillon, Leasa Roach, Gaylon Tidwell and Wayne Warren.