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THE PIONEER Rockne, Texas
4065 FM 535 • Rockne, Texas OPEN SATURDAYS 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. & Special Occasions Anytime by Appointment, Call 512-303-3179 Early Settlers ExhibitThe Rockne museum will welcome a new exhibit at the end of August which will help people to better visualize how our community was settled. Museum docent Adeline Fast came up with the idea to take the "Rockne" book by Father Alois Goertz and make a visual representation of how each early settler came to the area by decade of arrival, spanning the dates from 1846-1902. Being a former teacher, Fast thought the display would be especially helpful for children who visit the museum."I thought this would be an excellent tool to reinforce the history that Father Alois has written," Fast said, "and the more I worked with this project, the more I appreciate how brave each and every one of these settlers were." The display will include the name of the male settler, his arrival date, where he came from, who he married and then the pages to reference in the "Rockne" book for the family tree. Adeline and her husband Bill did some additional research where needed and their daughter, Allison Fuller, helped with in putting the information and getting the computer files ready to send to the printer. They were also inspired by Michael Friske's clearly laid-out family exhibit and found him very helpful in this process. The Early Settlers Exhibit, which will be on display beginning August 23, is donated in the memory of Louis and Elizabeth Bartsch. Veterans DisplayThe Rockne Museum has always honored local veterans with a display, a tradition started by museum curator Minnie Barsch. This year, Marian Nelson will extend on this display and include a large, standing album with veterans grouped by the wars in which they served, from the Civil War to the present. Contact Marian Nelson at (512)750-1622 for more information or to include your family's veterans. The deadline to add to this display is September 1.Families Giving Hope to Others Despite TragedyHendrix Memorial Fund
Gene Harris received $5,400 from the Kacey Hendrix Memorial Fund to help pay for the heart pump he needs. From left, Harris and hos son, Cody, accept a check from Kacey's parents and brother, Bryan, Chad and Sandy.
The Kacey Hendrix Memorial Fund was created to honor the late Kacey James Hendrix, age 12, of Rockne, who passed away after a tragic drowning accident on May 15, 2011, just north of Packery Channel in Corpus Christi. His parents, Chad and Sandy Hendrix, have asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to this fund which would benefit Relay for Life and other worthy causes. In June, the Hendrix family presented a check for $5,400 from the Kacey Hendrix Memorial Fund to Gene Harris, a local man who was in critical need of a heart pump. In addition, on August 20, the First Annual Kacey James Hendrix Kingfish Tournament was held in Corpus Christi. The proceeds from this year's tournament will be donated in honor of Kacey to the Corpus Christi Coast Guard. Visit www.kaceyjameshendrix.com for more information or to make donations to this fund. Park Named in Honor of NorrisOn August 2, the city of Buda, Texas memorialized the life of 15-year-old Jackson Norris by naming a future skate park after him. Norris was the son of Anthony and Rebecca Norris of Buda and the grandson of Laverne and Wayne Norris of Rockne. He died a day after he was hit by a commercial truck while trying to cross Hwy 183 in Lockhart. Jackson loved skateboarding and the skate park, which will be built next year, will be called the Jackson Tyler Memorial Skate Park.Jackson's parent's also consented to having his organs donated and they were told by medical staff that his bone, tissue and blood could potentially help give 150 other people hope. "And just as Jackson's humor and personality were larger than life, his selfless decision about organ donation was larger than our community's spirit, which is so great," said family friend Tammy Schroeder in a local newspaper. In his memory, his family's church, Hays Hill Baptist Church in Buda, has set up a youth ministry scholarship fund. So far, they have raised $5,000 to help local high school students attend mission trips. Former Rockne Teacher and County Treasurer will be Missed
Lemma lived in Rockne with her husband, Jeff Osborn, whom she married in 1933. After only two years of marriage, she was thrust into the role of family breadwinner when, without warning, Jeff was paralyzed after having the measles. With only an elementary education, Lemma applied to Southwest Texas Teachers College and was accepted on a probationary status. She began her teaching career in Pettytown, teaching in one-room country schools, taught in String Prairie, and later moved back to Rockne with her husband and four children to teach at Sacred Heart. Jeff slowly regained mobility over the years, but was never to fully recover. During the summer months, Lemma worked as a bookkeeper and in 1953, was urged by Johnny and Agnes McWhorter to run for the office of County Treasurer. After vigorous campaigning, she won the election and held the office for 28 years, never having another opponent. She did her job meticulously, never wanting to leave any room for doubt about her caring for county funds. Lemma touched the lives of so many, not just her family and friends but her former students and all in the community who knew her and were inspired by her. She will be greatly missed. Vacation Bible School Visit
Car Club to Visit MuseumOn Wednesday, September 28, over 80 Model T Fords (1908-1927) will be driving from Bastrop to the Rosanky car museum and stopping by the Rockne museum along the way. The Space City Ts of Houston is a car club which is part of the national Model T Ford club. They are hosting their 34th annual tour called the Texas T Party and this year it will be based in the Bastrop area. RHA members and docents are delighted that they will be stopping by the museum. Please join us in welcoming them. For more information, contact Marian Nelson at (512) 750-1622.
Board Members:Gerri Martinez, PresidentOvon Goertz, Secretary & Treasurer Minie Bartsch, Curator Melvin Driskill Joy Goertz Marian Nelson Clara White Lea Ann Goertz Lee
Name___________________________________________ Please make check payable to: RHA
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As a former teacher at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Rockne, Lemma Osborn Wilhelm always had strong ties to our community. She was born Lemma Alice Lee on August 20, 1913 in Watterson and passed away on July 18, 2011 at the ageof 97. 
The children attending Sacred Heart's Vacation Bible School got to step back in time for a couple of hours when they visited the Rockne Museum on July 14. Besides taking in all of the historical exhibits inside the museum, docents lead them on a guided tour of the surrounding grounds and cabins.
As a special activity, Cecil Martinez and Harry Wilhelm demonstrated to students how they used to grind corn as a child. Then each child got to try his or her hand at grinding corn. They had a fun and educational afternoon.
A grant of $1,000 was demonstrated to the Rockne Historical Association by the Mark Lee Insurance Agency in June. The Allstate Good Hands in the Community Grant is for Allstate agents to give back to the community in which they live and volunteer. Pictured is Mark Lee with RHA President, Gerri Martinez.
Last month, eight paintings by the late Joe M. Boer, Jr. were donated to the Rockne Museum y his daughter, Norma Jean Boehm and her son, Bryan Boehm of San Antonio. Boer was a Rockne artist whose oil paintings, many of them of area landmarks and Texas scenery, are highly sought-after by local collectors. One of these paintings will be auctioned off at the RHA Fundraiser on February 12, 2011. The rest will be displayed in the museum and auctioned off at future fundraisers. RHA and museum docents are very thankful to the family for this generous donation.
Michael Fiske used his genealogy research and photos from travels to Poland and Germany to put together impressive display boards for the Anton Friske family exhibit. The display was the most recent in a rotating exhibit which focuses on a different family from the area for a few months at a time.
This summer, the museum began hosting crafting days on Thursday afternoons with docents Eva Friske and Joyce Peavy on hand to teach crochet and embroidery. Plans are in the works for more craft days and lessons next summer, so watch the website and calendar for details. Pictured are Karla Nichols, Eva Friske and Lea Ann Lee working on crochet projects.