People, Places, and Events That Are Part of Old Port Arthur History

These scans come from a group of photos that come from a local barber, Charles Brevell,

who lived some of this history, and who graduated from TJ in 1955. 

They have been given to him by friends over the years.

They were all loose and stuffed in a pile.  I organized them, put them in a notebook,

and he allowed me to scan them and put them up on this TJ Website. 

I am putting them up in no particular order.  

If you can identify either some of the people or events, please do.  

Identification help from JK Petteway is a big help.

 

 

 

This was at 330 Austin Ave.

My Mother took me downtown often but I don't recall this place.  It was at 801 6th St.

An aerial view of down town PA but I can't make out the cars, which is how I date most photos.

Was located at 234 7th St.

 

Address was 3825 16th St.

 

Many teams played on various leagues back then.

Could this actually be THE 1st local American Legion team from this area?

Some of the local teenage "hoods" back then.

This was pretty amazing, PA guys meeting Audie Murphy.

JK Says in the back not listed is Melvin Marioneaux(56), Clyde Caughlin(55), Herbert Culp(55).

 

The same Paragon that was at 2600 Memorial Blvc.

 

These would be TJ graduates of 1954, 55, or 56.

So nice of someone to have put in the names this way.

An amazing photo.  I actually knew JP Savarino but never knew he was part of this team.

Procter Street, from the 40's as per the cars. JK says Monte's was 418 Proctor, Boyers 416, and Roos 420.  The Keyhole Club would come around there a little later.

This would be the early 50s, as per the cars.

 

I left this photo big to try and make out kids. I couldn't be in there, I was living in California at the time, the movie came out in 1952 Looking in 1952 Annual, girls appear to be:  Betty Goodwin in car, Carolyn Ford on R Fender, Jeanette Almon on L Fender.  Can't tell the guys. Was located at 1302 9th Ave.

 

 St. Mary Church appears to be in the 40s. St. Mary Hospital, has to be no later than the 40s.  I believe even then that field was called Bishop Byrne Stadium.  Aerial shots are great.

 

I recall in the 60s they had GoGo dancers up in that cubby hole.

Great job of someone putting in the names.

Five just normal Port Arthur teenagers.

Looks to be from the 40s.  I have seen these on post cards.

 The Pleasure Pier was really something back then

 

Bishop Byrne was also a great school back then.

It's my opinion that Frank Eidom was the greatest football player to ever attend TJ.

John Garner was bigger than life to us kids back then.

JK Petteway says the Drummer is Roy Ramirez, Class of 57..

He also dug up more info on this photo... down below, he had a guy tell the story. The writer didn't want his name used.

All of us were fishermen as kids.

 

Regarding your photo of the Harry Vaughn Orchestra - 


"Okay, I’ll give it a shot. First of all, that size band was unusual for Vaughn. He normally ran an 8-9 pc. group. Piano; Tommy Babin. I used him in my first club quartet at the Channel Grill and the Petro-Chem Club around 1960.  Upright bass, Robert LeBlanc. Bob ended up as the tuba prof at Ohio State. Saxes, L-R; possibly Floyd Begnaud, lead tenor,  but not sure. Spider Webb, lead alto. Third alto?? 4th tenor, George Kattawar, and can’t see what I assume is the bari sax guy. Drummer is Roy Ramirez. I don’t know the trombone player but the other trumpet guy is a young Richard Burkart of Lamar. The aforementioned Bob LeBlanc was instrumental in getting Rich to join him at Ohio State a few years later. I don’t know either vocalist. 


I never played with Harry. I didn’t particularly like him or the way he demanded his band to play. Too much Guy Lombardo sound to suit me. Trivia: Harry didn’t read a  Iick of music. He knew the tunes and played “featured” solos a la Harry James."

 

Linda’s dad (Linda Laughman is a TJ grad ) had a big band (5, 4, 4, with a 4pc. rhythm section with male and female vocalists.) prior to Harry Vaughn and regularly played the Pleasure Pier Ballroom weekly prior to and during the war. Under his booking, it was “Specs Laughman and the Melody Cruisers”. Haha, what a handle. I never tired of teasing him as did he with my early band, “The Counts”, whom he called the “No Accounts”. If his partner booked the band in Beaumont, it was “George Pegler and the Melody Cruisers”. Linda’s dad played trumpet but not out in front like Harry. Harry really thought himself the “Harry James” of Port Arthur. Another trivial fact: Linda’s dad used the Beaumont H.S. age Harry James several times in the early 1930s when he needed another trumpet. 

 

Gary Dorsey (‘58 was a very good friend and a really good guy who’d fight at the drop of a hat. ߤ?). When he was with Jerry LaCroix at the Big Oaks Club “across the River” I often sat in a tune or two with them after hours. Jerry would come by the Petro early in the evening (he was trying to learn the sax at that time) before heading to his late gig at the Big Oaks. I’d leave my gig at midnight and drive there by 1 a.m. They usually played to 2 a.m. and beyond. He loved  me playing the up blues tune, “Shortstop”. Jerry majored in music at Lamar but there was no “guitar major” so he decided to learn saxophone. Haha, and he did! I’ll tell you some interesting stories about that time in your Jr. High band director’s life sometime. Still, I stayed with my private club scene. I preferred the light jazz style sans written music with a quartet. Other than my own little quintet/sextet band in H.S. (That’s how I met Linda in ‘57), I began playing medium size bands in Beaumont with such as Boyd Como, Nick Fazio, Jim Hewitt (sp), and of course, Richard Burkart of Lamar, who also booked weekend gigs. Oh, and rodeo gigs. Now that was an experience!

 

Although I don’t really know Gene, (‘tho I mistakenly thought it was he I auditioned with when I was 15,) I’m happy for him that he’s receiving some late but well-deserved recognition again. I’m sure it’s good for his soul. You’re a good friend!"

 

And finally, a picture from TJHS late 1950s of Linda Laughman (later Linda Boone)...I think she was a Red Hussar. Whatever she was, she is a very sweet lady. Lots of cute Yellow Jackets in those days.

 

 

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YMCA .......A fire got this building in the late 50's.

The YMCA burned in April 1959.  Thanks to some detective work by our classmate, H.E. "Skip" Austin, he found these photos.

Amazing photos by PA's Frank Cricchio.  What is also amazing in the photos to me is the old City Hall and the YMCA Little League field in the background.  I remember my mother going in that place and me sitting in the car.  Plus, I played LL baseball in that field.  I once sat in that Dugout.

 

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