Texas' Sesquicentennial Celebration
Grayson County's year-long celebration ended when the Sesquicentennial Committee members, headed by Dr. Ann Thomas,  and a large crowd gathered on a Saturday in 1986 to bury a time capsule.  The capsule with its momento objects rests ten feet below a marker in the southeast corner of the courthouse lawn in Sherman.
Included in the items placed in the capsule are newspapers, minutes of the Sesquicentennial Committee, poem, a scrapbook put together of all the events that occurred during the year as well as a video, microfilm, photographs contributed by Grayson County residents, a birthday scroll with 3,000 signatures, church histories, family photographs and histories, plus many more items.
Retired District Judge R.C. Vaughan presided at this, the last official function; Judge Lloyd Perkins delivered the invocation; Dr. Thomas of Preston Point, retired profession of law at Southern Methodist University Dallas, chaired the capsule program.  Dr. Thomas commended Texas Instruments for providing the capsule, J-M Corporation for providing the case, Midway Mall for displaying the contents to be placed in the time capsule, Reedrill Texoma for digging the hole in which to place the time capsule, Carl Thompson and crew for covering the hole once the time capsule was placed in the ground, and the Sherman Kiwanis for placing the marker over the time capsule.
As the ceremony was being documented by photographers, Dr. Thomas asked that all youngster in the crowd pose for pictures.
The 1,500 lb. capsule was dedicated to Dr. Thomas by Lt. Col. Elkins in his poem "Farewell Sesquicentennial Year".
Suity Cureton of Whitewright and Lt. Col. (Ret.) John Elkins of Leulla read poetry pertaining to the time capsule upon which Lt. Col. Elkins presented Dr. Thomas with a framed copy.
The Sesquicentennial Committee was composed of:
Dr. Ann Thomas, Chairperson
Lt. Col. Elkins, engineer for capsule burying
Dorothy Banfield (Whitesboro)
Kay Bryant (Whitewright)
Mrs. Cureton (Whitewright)
Joe Dornstadter (Denison)
Robert E.B. Fielder (Van Alstyne)
Vicky Garrett (Howe)
V.R. Goodwater (Sherman)
Vernon Holland (Sherman)
Jon Karau (Pottsboro)
Judge Perkins (Sherman)
Niva Pinkston (Whitewright)
John Ramsey (Bells)
Betty Ward (Gordonville)
Trudy Wheeler (Sherman)
Sharon & Herb Wilson (Pottsboro)
Lee Sanford (Preston Point)

Betty Ward and other members of the Sesquicentennial Committee tossed the ceremonial handsful of dirt atop the capsule while Herb Wilson, who wrote Grayson County's official sesquicentennial song "Texas", sang a number written specifically for the offiical closing of the celebration in Grayson County.

Source : Donna Hunt.  "Capsule Burial Ends Celebration".  The Herald Democrat.  1986

Sherman History
Susan Hawkins
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