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A newspaper article dated January 9, 1925 announced the formation of a
new Collegeport organization, the Bonehead Club. It was a men's social
club and the first officers were E. A. Holsworth, Most Magnificent
Bonehead; Judge Corse and John Evans. The office titles for the latter
two were not mentioned. Pictured above is a later group of "Boneheads." |
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Two community organizations of social and civic nature have been organized. The Bonehead Club is a men's social club. The Cane Growers' Association is an agricultural organization. Homer F. Goff is president, H. P. Janes, secretary. Officers of the Bonehead Club are E. A. Holsworth, Judge Corse and John Evans. Delayed by the bad weather Santa Claus did not fill his contract Christmas Eve to bring a treat to every child in this section, as E. A. Holsworth, Most Magnificent Bonehead, of the Bonehead Club, had previously announced. However, with a bag full of toys and candy he did appear on New Year’s to the delight of more than a hundred children who had been disappointed at this failure to appear earlier.
Matagorda |
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“Well, I’ve lived here over 40 years and I have never been to anything as grand as this in Collegeport,” said one of our pioneer women after attending the supper at the Mopac Monday night, June 10. This supper has a story behind it. The first of the year the Sunday School classes of the Presbyterian Church entered into an attendance contest. The losing class was to prepare and serve a supper to the winning class. In the meantime, the Men’s Adult Class organized a Bonehead Club which meets the first Monday night of each month. This organization was not limited to the men of the church. When the men realized that they had the lowest attendance percentage they started planning the supper. It was at the Bonehead Club meetings that committees were appointed to plan, prepare and serve the meal. Monday afternoon 18 Boneheads met at the Mopac to prepare the supper which will never be forgotten by those who were present. The old saying “That too many cooks spoil the broth” was not true in this case. At eight o’clock over a hundred people were seated in the large hall at beautifully arranged tables. The classes were seated at tables which had their attendance percentage written above the. In just minutes it seemed, the men had brought in over a hundred plates without a collision. It was interesting to see the expressions on the women’s faces and to hear the “oh’s” and “ah’s” when they were served their plates on which were a one-half barbecued chicken, a huge serving of potato salad, peas, olives, pickles and stuffed celery. Coffee and ice-tea were poured without a mishap. While the men were clearing the tables everyone joined in singing. Then came another surprise—dessert. The men brought huge servings of ice cream. The women, while they had no part in planning or serving, worried a great deal about the meal because they could not find out what the menu was and how it was to be prepared. They had no opportunity to give any advice. You Collegeport men may have lost your attendance contest but we want you to know that you have won our esteem because this was positively the grandest supper ever given in our town.--One of your guests
Palacios Beacon,
June 21, 1951 |
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Club met at Mopac House. Meeting called to order by President R. L. Corporon. Minutes of last meeting were read and approved. Telephone Committee promised a report later. Fire Committee reported and discussed various phases in connection with fire protection for the community. Duane Corporon was instructed with the assistance of his Committee to secure further dates and also authorized to secure donations of equipment and cash also solicit throughout the trade territory that the necessary protection might be forthcoming at as early date as possible. Treasurers Report $22.73 on hand. Moved and seconded Rev. Fitzgerald be appointed a committee of one to be known as the Publicity Committee in order that the Activities of the Bonehead Club be better known to the surrounding territory as well as our own Community. Attention of the members was called to the sickness and death of Mr. Percival's Father. Alexander Franzen appointed a Committee of one to take care of signs and notices. Cemetery Committee reports they are awaiting suitable weather before taking action and necessary steps for cleaning and generally beautifying cemetery grounds. Program Committee takes over for the purpose of Clifford Franzen showing a number of Motion pictures taken throughout the Rice fields and the Davis Mountains. Secretary authorized to purchase a suitable Minute Book. Before meeting convened refreshments were served. Meeting adjourned.
Ben R. Mowery, Secretary |
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Collegeport’s Bonehead Club is proving itself to be anything but that—members already have acquired a 500-gallon water tank, chassis, hose and other equipment and have ordered a pressure pump and other fire-fighting material that will be installed and ready for use as soon as it is delivered. Duane Corporon is chairman of the fire fighting committee. These developments were announced following the regular monthly meeting of the club Monday night. The Boneheads reorganized a little more than a year ago. It was first established many years ago and was active as a service club for several years. In addition to the fire-fighting project, the Boneheads have an active committee, seeking to procure telephone service for the community. All telephone lines and equipment were destroyed by a hurricane some years ago Collegeport has been without service since then. Billy Halfen, Carl Ackerman, and A. G. Fitzgerald composed the telephone committee. R. L. Corporon is president, Ben R. Mowery, secretary, and Percy Corporon, treasurer. The club meets the first Monday night of each month at the Mo-Pac House with an attendance of 25 to 30 men. Refreshments are always served and recently a fish supper was enjoyed. There are no restrictions as to membership in the club—every man in the community is assumed to be qualified for membership is the way the club puts it.
Palacios Beacon,
March 6, 1952 |
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Club met at Mopac House. Meeting called to order by Pres. R. L. Corporon. Minutes of last meeting read and approved. Carl Ackerman of Telephone Committee turns in Petition for telephone and same lacks about 25 of being sufficient. Reports on number needed and progress made. Committee continued. Duane Corporon, Fire Committee reported making some progress. Committee continued. Complimented Rev. Fitzgerald on Publicity. Thanks of Mr. Percival to Club for assistance. Meeting adjourned.
Ben. R. Mowery, Secretary |
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Club met at Mopac House. Meeting called to order by Pres. R. L Corporon. Minutes of previous meeting read and approved. Telephone Committee Chairman Mr. Ackerman requested to see if assistance of Palacios could not be secured. Committee now has 30 applicants for Phones. Committee continued. Treasurer's Report. $15.45 on hand. Collegeport Day arrangements talked over. Suggested Rev. Fitzgerald of Publicity Committee give public plenty of notice. Arrangements for meat were made. Will be furnished by P. V. and R. L. Corporon. Mrs. Kubela agrees to furnish paint for interior of Mopac House. Bill Halfen, W. L. Ellis, R. L. Corporon volunteered to point inside. Paint furnished by Mrs. Kubela. Suggested Evening of May 7th as get together to arrange for painting. Carl Ackerman will look after repairs on roof. M. S. Holsworth will get Barbecue pit in shape. M. S. Holsworth, Chairman of Committee to secure material and erect roof over Pit. No other business. Meeting adjourned.
Ben R. Mowery, Secretary |
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“Collegeport Day” has been set for May 24 to observe the 43rd anniversary of the founding of the town, A. G. Fitzgerald reports. Barbecued beef and all the trimmings will be served to all the residents of the community and to a lot of old-timers expected to return for the celebration, as has been the custom since 1909. More than 200 have attended the annual event in the past, Mr. Fitzgerald said. In preparation for the anniversary, the Bonehead Club of Collegeport was to meet Wednesday to redecorate the Mo-Pac House with a thorough cleaning and paint job inside and out, repair the barbecue pit, and build a permanent shed over the pit. They also planned a thorough clean-up around the community center grounds. The club met Monday night at the center to discuss several important matters. A good representation of the men of the community heard Billy Halfen, telephone committee chairman, report that every effort is still being made to obtain service for the community, although not much progress has yet been made. Some of the rice farmers in the area are having to replant, but most of the crop is up and looks promising. Cotton farmers are busy cultivating and chopping said Mr. Fitzgerald.
Palacios Beacon,
May 8, 1952 |
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Bonehead Club met at Mopac House. Meeting called to order by Pres. R. L. Corporon. Minutes of Previous meeting read and approved. Telephone Committee reports. Notified by Mr. Burns of Telephone Company will Engineer the line as soon as possible. Palacios will assist in getting Phones to Collegeport. Fire Committee reports. Continued. Cemetery Committee. Reports and suggests a time be set to clean up Cemetery. Finance. Treasurer reports. $12.60 on hand. Publicity Committee Reports about 350 people at Collegeport Day dinner. Committee congratulated on work done. Committee appointed to locate a dumping ground for trash. Nominated on vote. John Carrick, Dean Merck, Elected. On Committee W. L. Ellis, Percy Corporon, Gus Franzen Jr. No further business. Meeting adjourned.
Ben R. Mowery, Secretary |
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The Collegeport Bonehead Club met Monday night in regular monthly session, with 17 men present. Coffee, hard rolls, wieners and cold drinks were served. The club reviewed the recent Collegeport Day anniversary celebration and expressed pleasure at the large attendance, generally estimated at around three hundred. Dick and Percy Corporon furnished the calf and rabbits for the barbecue and the women furnished vegetables, pies and cakes, and everybody had all they could eat and a large assortment of all foods were left over. Many of the old timers present had not attended the annual event in many years and they all enjoyed meeting their old friends and talking over old times. The Mo-Pac community center building had been repaired, repainted inside and new screens and doors were added, the barbecue pit was repaired and a permanent shed was built over it. Plans for the next annual event are already being discussed, and it is hoped that even a larger crowd will be present next year. Several, among them Dr. Wilcox of Palacios, have offered to furnish calf for the barbecue. The telephone committee reported progress on its project to secure service for the community. The Southwestern Associated Telephone company has agreed to engineer the project as soon as an engineer is available for the work. The cemetery committee discussed plans for giving the yard a thorough clean-up and this work will likely be done before next meeting date. A committee composed of Dean Merck, W. L. Ellis, Percy Corporon and Gustavos Franzen was appointed by President Dick Corporon to secure a dumping ground for the disposal of trash for the community. It was the general opinion that an excavation should be made at some convenient place and that the refuse be kept covered with dirt as the trash accumulated. Quite a number of our rice farmers are finding it necessary to replant some of their crop, owing to the flushing operation followed by the heavy rain of last week. All other crops are in fine shape.—A. G. Fitzgerald
Palacios Beacon, June 5, 1952 |
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Club met in Mopac House. Meeting called to order by Pres. R. L. Corporon. Minutes of previous meeting read and approved. Telephone Committee reports Telephone Company will probably engineer line within a year. Cemetery Committee reports they have done some spraying to kill grass and other work at Cemetery. Discuss further work. Committee continued. July 10 set as another day to work. 1 P. M. Finance Committee. Treas. reports $3.52 on Hand. Fire Committee reports still at work and is continued. Garbage Committee reports Mrs. Scarborough will allow dumping on her land at Red Bluff Road. No further business. Meeting adjourned.
Ben R. Mowery, Secretary |
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Club met in regular session at Mopac House. Meeting called to order by Pres. R. L. Corporon. Minutes of previous meeting read and approved. Telephone Committee reports they are still in contact with telephone company. Continued. Cemetery Committee reports considerable progress. Will try later to lower markers and improve conditions. Suggest trying to map cemetery. Set Aug. 7, 1952, 2 P. M. Finance Report. Treas. $13.86 on hand. Fire Committee. Still trying to locate equipment. Committee authorized to buy equipment. Garbage Committee reports dumping being done at new location. No further business. Meeting adjourned.
Ben R. Mowery, Secretary |
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Club met in Regular Session at Mopac House. Meeting called to order by Pres. R. L. Corporon. Minutes of previous meeting read and approved. Fire Committee reports still working on equipment. Cemetery Committee reports they are making map and getting location of some of the graves. Map complete except some of graves. Still making check and will continue. Telephone Committee still at work. No further business. Meeting adjourned.
Ben R. Mowery, Secretary |
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Palacios Beacon, October 9, 1952 |
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Bonehead Club met in regular Session Mopac House. Meeting called to order by Pres. R. L. Corporon. Minutes of previous meeting read and approved. Fire Committee reports they are making progress. Would like some help the next week. Mr. McMillan taken in as new member. Telephone Committee read a letter from the Telephone Company. A Telephone Official requested to come to Collegeport. Cemetery Committee Reports Mr. Ackerman has the Cemetery map made. Various matters concerning Cemetery were discussed. No further business. Meeting adjourned
Ben R. Mowery, Secretary |
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The Collegeport Bonehead Club met in regular monthly session Monday night at 8 o’clock. Coffee, cold drinks, do-nuts, and coffeecake were served to about 25 men. One new member was initiated. The cemetery committee reported that a survey of the grounds had been made, the lots blocked off and numbered and some graves located and marked. Original plans and records have been lost and there are a number of older graves which were not marked, have not been catalogued, and there is no way of discovering to whom the lots belong, or who was buried on the lots. Any old residents who may have any information which will enable the committee in completing the blueprint are requested to contact the committee, Clyde Ware, chairman. The sanitary committee urged all local householders to dump their refuse on the Tres Palacios River road at the bridge timber bulkhead, where the high tide is threatening the road, between the last stockgap and the short bridge over the slough, going toward the Palacios road. This is the only designated place for dumping in the community and permission has been granted by the land owner to use it. The fire fighting equipment committee, Duane Corporon, chairman, reported that with some volunteer help the equipment was ready to be put in operation. A five-hundred gallon tank has been secured and other materials assembled and it is ready now to be put in service, with a few hours work, which will be done next week.
Palacios Beacon, November 6, 1952 |
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Bonehead Club met in regular session Mopac House. Meeting called to order by Pres. R. L. Corporon. Minutes of previous meeting read and approved. Discussion of Election of Officers for 1953. Committee on Nominations was appointed. Ben R. Mowery, Chairman, Jack Percival, Gerald Wells. The purpose to nominate and present same to the next regular meeting for the following officers: President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Telephone Committee reports. Read a letter. Cemetery Committee work still pending. Fire Committee. Still at work. Finance. Treas. Bal. $2.68 on hand. No further business. Meeting adjourned.
Ben R. Mowery, Secretary |
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Bonehead Club met in regular Session at Mopac House. Meeting called to order by Pres. R. L. Corporon. Minutes of previous meeting read and approved. Treasurer P. V. Corporon reports: Bal. Dec. 31, 1952 $9.52. Complete report as read was approved. Telephone Committee Reports a favorable letter from Mr. Burns. Indicating early erection of line. Phone Committee give vote of thank. Fire Committee. Still at work. Work supplies on hand. Moved that any member who can go to Matagorda with Duane Corporon on Friday. Cemetery Committee. Nothing further to report. Nominating Committee. Plead the following before the members.
President - Gerald Wells Upon the unanimous vote of the membership they were declared duly elected for te following year. No further business. Meeting adjourned.
Ben R. Mowery, Secretary, approved |
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Collegeport, May 6—(Spl)—At the regular monthly meeting of the Bonehead Club last night at the Mo-Pac Community Center several matters of general interest were presented. The community is considerably disturbed by the rumor that school officials plan to discontinue our school here at the close of the present term. A committee was appointed to draft a petition to be circulated here and presented to the school board as soon as possible expressing the deep concern of the entire community in this matter. The point was emphasized that the closing of the school would necessitate a long bus ride for seven and eight year-old pupils each morning, starting at an early hour each morning. The following committee has this matter in hand: Billy Halfen, chairman, R. L. Corporon, C. J. Williams and Rev. A. G. Fitzgerald. The telephone committee reported that recent information from the company was to the effect that materials for the construction of the line were being received and that it was hoped to have the work under way within the next ten days. A marine cable will be laid across Tres Palacios Bay, terminating near the Mowery residence. Preliminary provisions were set up for the observing of Collegeport Day, May 25th. Dr. L. A. Wilcox of Palacios will furnish the animal for the barbecue and Leo Duffy will superintend the barbecuing. This even is celebrated each year on this date and there are usually several hundred people present. A committee was appointed to see what could be done about shelling the cemetery road and to secure a new dumping ground for the community.
The Daily Tribune, Thursday, May 7, 1953 |
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The Bonehead Club has appointed a committee to draft a petition to be circulated at Collegeport and presented to the school board as a rumor has it school officials plan to discontinue the Collegeport school at the close of the present term. The point was emphasized that the closing of the school would necessitate a long bus ride for seven and eight year-old pupils each morning. The committee will be composed of Billy Halfen, chairman, R. L. Corporon, C. J. Williams, and Rev. A. G. Fitzgerald. The meeting was held Monday night. The telephone committee reported that recent information from the company was to the effect that materials for the construction of the line were being received and that it was hoped to have the work under way within the next ten days. A marine cable will be laid across Tres Palacios Bay, terminating near the Mowery residence. Preliminary provisions were set up for the observing of Collegeport Day, May 25th. Dr. L. A. Wilcox of Palacios will furnish the animal for the barbecue and Leo Duffy will superintend the barbecuing. This even is celebrated each year on this date and there are usually several hundred people present. A committee was appointed to see what could be done about shelling the cemetery road and to secure a new dumping ground for the community.
Palacios Beacon, May 7, 1953 |
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The Collegeport Bonehead Club met Monday night in the Community Center building, with 19 members present, President Gerald Wells presiding. Carl Ackerman served the club with a fish fry with all the accessories, including coffee and cold drinks. A volunteer fire department was organized, with all members of the club enrolled as members and the officers of the club as officers of the fire department, with the addition of Duane Corporon, fire chief; Dean Merck, Gilvey Holloway, Billy Halfen and Carl Ackerman, assistant chiefs. The club will meet Thursday morning to put the finishing touches on the firefighting equipment. The School Committee, Billy Halfen, chairman, R. L. Corporon, C. J. Williams, reported that efforts to keep our elementary school operating here are going forward. A census has been completed and the committee will meet with the school board Monday. The Telephone committee reported progress on the local telephone project; that all lines were up and that the company had let the contract for the laying of the submarine cable across the bay. The club voted to honor the telephone committee, and their wives with a barbecue, with all the trimmings, on the night of July 21st. Representatives of the telephone company will also be invited to attend. The committee, which has been working on the telephone project for about three years, are: Billy Halfen, chairman, Carl Ackerman and Rev. A. G. Fitzgerald. At the first meeting of the club in May it was voted to have two meetings of the club each month, on first and third Tuesdays each month, the second meeting to be a “family night” meeting.—A. G. Fitzgerald, Secretary.
Palacios Beacon, July 9, 1953 |
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Last Thursday 39 new telephone subscribers at Collegeport saw a dream come true as they were connected with the outside world with the mere twist of a cable. Workmen for General Telephone Company made it possible at 4 p. m. for a Collegeport resident to call Palacios or anywhere else he or she wanted to. It was an answer to a prayer to the Collegeport Bonehead Club which has taken the lead over the numerous years to secure telephone service for the community. Palacios Beacon, January 21, 1954 |
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The Bonehead Club held its regular business meeting at the Mopac Tuesday night with Carl Ackerman, president, presiding. The club voted to sponsor a local softball club and the Boy Scouts. W. L. Ellis was appointed institutional representative for the scout organization with R. L. Corporon, W. B. Williams, and V. L. Bowers as members of his committee. R. L. Corporon reported that $133.25 was solicited for the Boy Scout movement in Collegeport. Dean Merck was elected secretary to replace Rev. A. G. Fitzgerald who had moved to Houston. After the business meeting, Forty-two and refreshments were enjoyed by the following members: Carl Ackerman, V. L. Bowers, D. V. Corporon, R. L. Corporon, Leo Duffy, Billy Halfen, G. L. Holloway, Gust Franzen, Dean Merck, John Merck Jr., Jack Perciville, Gerald Wells, C. J. Williams, Earl Lee Williams and W. B. Williams.
Palacios Beacon,
March 4, 1954 |
