Remember When?

1975: Demons Texas Champs After 6-2 Triumph

August 1-5, 1975

The La Grange Demons, who saved their best for the big one, won the 1975 National Baseball Championship of Texas by knocking off the Corpus Christi Taylor Bros. 6-2 in 10 innings in the state tournament finals at Fair Park in La Grange. The Demons, only 2-2 in the South Texas zone tournament the week before, entered the state playoff by virtue of being host team. When the chips were down, they suddenly couldn’t lose for winning. In the big game, Neal Miller’s six and two-thirds stint was a big factor in the victory. Miller gave up only four safeties, including a home run to Tom Sutton, and allowed only two runs, fanning eight and walking four. La Grange opened the scoring in the top of the second when singles by Ricky Blume and Gary Dippel produced a lone run. The Demons hiked to 2-0 in the fifth without a hit, taking advantage of three walks.

Hanging in a hackberry tree at the home of Mrs. Anita Vanek on N. Franklin in La Grange was a giant beehive measuring approximately three feet tall and 18 inches wide. Mrs. Vanek said a local law official had promised to come and take it down but had not shown up yet.

Hackberry Hill, the restored 19th-century farm east of Round Top, was sold to Mr. and Mrs. John Schuhmacher Sr. of Houston and Fayette County after the Schuhmachers lost a large part of their Sandy Creek Farm near Fayetteville to the Fayette Power Plant. The realtor involved in the transaction said the Schuhmachers planned to rename the Hackberry Hill farm to Hugelheim, meaning Hill Home in German. The 87acre farm was part of the land grant issued to John Shaw in 1831. On the property were two buildings dating to 1850 joined by a large porch. Other structures included a one-room log house built in 1838, a log cabin barn built around 1840-45 and an 1850 double log house converted into a barn.

A Fayette County Court Commission awarded Gilbert and Kermit Baca of Houston $164,333.75 for 134.15 acres of their land acquired for the Fayette Power Plant project.

Funeral services were held for: Fritz Ruckert, 69, of La Grange; Joe Kudlacek, 75, of La Grange; George E. Kana Sr., 68, of Hostyn;Albert J. Havran, 70, a native of Fayetteville; Irwin Hardcastle of Park; Miss Frances V. Polcak, 74, of Industry; and Mrs. Laura Plueckhahn Hinze, 84, of Carmine.

Founder-director James Dick announced the International Festival Institute would soon have a place of its own at Round Top on Hwy. 237 just east of Round Top. The Festival Institute had acquired property that included an old schoolhouse, which would be used as a dormitory, classroom and storage. A La Grange house dating from 1870 was to be transported to the new site to serve as a faculty-artist house. The Mary Moody Northen Pavilion stage, which had served the Festival on Henkel Square for several years, would also be moved. Festival Hill would eventually be on both sides of the highway, with a permanent pavilion built across from the schoolhouse. A search was underway to find a large restored building to haul to the site for an indoor concert hall.

Sacred Heart CYO of La Grange was honored at the Austin Diocesan Convention in Georgetown when Gary Recek was chosen as Outstanding CYO Boy. Three sports trophies were also presented: girls’ championship in softball and boys’ second place in basketball and softball. Jill Stueber was elected to the executive board ofAustin Diocesan CYO as the 1976 parliamentarian.

The Texas Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association honored Schulenburg High School vocational agriculture teachers Carl L. Wendler and Kent Ohnheiser with a distinguished service award for newspaper and magazine public relations. The scrapbook that the local teachers entered in the competition took first place among Area III’s 104 schools in 26 counties.

Sue Ann Gunn, a 1965 La Grange High School graduate, had a leading role in a Tennessee Williams play called The Lady of Larkspur Lotion in London, England’s Carnaby Street Theatre. Miss Gunn had been in London since May when she completed her work for a Master of FineArts degree at Dallas Theater Center, an affiliate of Trinity University.

John F. Luecke of La Grange, the long-time manager of Fayette Electric Cooperative who retired at the end of 1974, was one of six veteran Texas electric cooperative managers being honored during the 35th annual Association of Texas Electric Cooperatives in Amarillo.

William A. Faison of Swarthmore, Penn., one of the heirs of the Faison home in La Grange, sent $650 to the La Grange Garden Club. He had been doing so every year since the Garden Club had owned the home and opened it to the public.

Erwin Francke of La Grange was presented with a distinguished service award at a noon meeting of the La Grange Rotary Club.

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