A grand patriotic vision, an enduring legacy and a lucky happenstance are the reasons behind the three flag poles erected at the new Tiger Stadium instead of the standard one.
“I like big grand flag poles,” said Lin Perry owner of Perry, Perry and Builders and a RISD school board of trustee member. “I think they’re neat and patriotic and are something that should be everywhere.”
It was this thinking that set the stage for the raising of the three flags in front of a sellout crowd on opening day of the Tiger Stadium in October. The Tigers beat the New Tech Titans 70-6 that Friday amid all the hoopla of the fi rst game in the new stadium.
Rockdale residents saved the school district $15,000 by underwriting the cost of purchasing and erecting the United States, Texas and Tiger flags and flagpoles.
Patriotic
Perry said the idea started with two flags and blossomed to three.
“I like that the Texas flag is the only flag that can fly the same height as the U.S. flag,” Perry said, about why he initially wanted two flagpoles for the stadium.
While all states may fly their flag at the same height of the U.S. flag with some stipulations, Texas’ own flag code stipulates that flags “… should be displayed on flagpoles or flagstaffs of the same height; the flags should be of approximately equal size; the flag of the United States should be, from the perspective of an observer, to the left of the state flag.”
Legacy
When Wenda Dyer, RISD school board trustee secretary, heard Perry’s idea she knew she wanted in on the deal. Dyer asked if it would be possible if her RHS Class of 1965 could sponsor one of the flagpoles.
“Each year, my class, the class of 1965, gives a $500 scholarship to a graduating senior, who joined the military,” she said. “No one applied this year.”
When the class officers met and realized their memorial military bank account had money in it and because many of her classmates were getting older they decided they wanted to use the funds for a more lasting tribute to their class.
“We wanted to sponsor the U.S. flag and flag pole as a lasting memorial to the two lives lost in the Vietnam War and those men and women who serve our country,” Dyer said.
Sgt. Tommie Joe Clark and Sgt. Howie K. “Petie” Clark, Jr. from the RHS Class of 1965 and 1964 are the two Rockdale residents, who served in the Army during the Vietnam War, who lost their lives in service to their country.
“You know the old stadium was 84 years old and we thought a new flag pole would last another 84 years,” Dyer said. “We wanted to sponsor the America flag in memory of those guys and men and women who serve our country, and now we don’t have to worry about the memorial bank account. We have a lasting memorial.”
Happenstance
While Dyer was discussing the idea of sponsoring the flag donation with Perry and her classmates John Pruett, Jerry Caywood and John Hirt at the Tiger Stadium open house, Marie Gest overheard the conversation.
Gest said, “Lin made the remark, ‘Well, we got two flags that people paid for with donations but we haven’t sold the Texas flag yet.’ I happened to be at the right place at the right time.
“I called the kids and asked them about sponsoring a flag for Billy,” she said. “I told them we’d save the school money and have a memorial to their dad. They said it would be great.”
Billy Gest, from the RHS class of 1950, was an RISD school board trustee for 10 years. Marie Gest taught second and fourth grades at Rockdale Elementary School for twenty plus years and their son, Brad Gest served on the school board as well.
“Billy and I both held education near and dear to our hearts,” she said. “We were both interested in the education system.
With the American and Texas flags sponsored and paid for Perry’s vision grew grander.
Grandiose
“I knew I wanted to two flag poles and I thought why not three. I went out and purchased three flags and poles and PPB donated the labor. I went out to Paul Luckey’s and asked him if he could make another memorial at the last minute,” Perry said. “He made it happen somehow.”
The three flagpoles, flags and memorial stones were unveiled in an opening game ceremony before the first RHS football game on the new field Oct. 5, 2018.
The Tiger flag and flagpole were donated in memory of the late Matt Lehmkuhl by his work-family at PPB. Lehmkuhl was the general superintendent for PPB for 17 years.
His memorial stone was inscribed with “Dedicated in Honor of Our Friend Matt “The Hachett” Lehmkuhl From All His PPB Family.”
“This idea came from everybody at Perry and Perry’s,” Perry laughed. “There’s no way to put it other than, Matt liked to fire people. If Matt asked you to get in his truck and ride over to the shop to look at something, we all knew he was going to terminate somebody.”
In addition to working at PPB, Lehmkuhl was a former president of the Rock-dale Tiger Athletic Booster club, a youth sports coach and pillar in the community, who passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack in August of 2017.
The flags, flagpoles and monuments will serve as a memory to these servants who gave so much to their community.
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