By Karolyn Gephart
Two Friendswood couples were recently inducted into the Friendswood Schools Museum as new members of the Cesar J. Galli Above and Beyond Hall of Fame. The prestigious award is given to people who are local unsung heroes who went above and beyond to make Mustang Years for local youth the best times they could be.
Ed and Vernelle Hoskins along with Jess and Annette Williams were the couples honored. Vernell Hoskins attended the ceremony and Ed along with both Williams received the award posthumously. Family members and friends of both groups were there to congratulate the family members. The induction ceremony was October 7 at the Friendswood Schools Museum on Spreading Oaks in Friendswood.
Throughout the mid to late 1970s, Jess and Annette Williams were always finding ways to contribute to the City of Friendswood and, in particular, their beloved Mustangs. Beyond her substitute teaching duties, for several years Annette was the driving force behind fundraising “pre-game” spaghetti dinners (using her own recipe). In addition, when funds were needed to pave the gravel (mud) parking lot at the high school, Annette devised a plan to start charging for parking during the football games and other special events. Annette stood in the parking lot collecting first $1 per car and then $2 per car.
Once sufficient funds were available for paving, Jess stepped up with a borrowed machine to paint parking stripes on the newly black-topped parking lot. Jess was also the treasurer and one of the founders of the Friendswood Little League, as well as a treasurer for many years at the Friendswood Historical Society. For their parents’ many contributions, the children of Jess and Annette Williams accepted their award.
Ed and Vernelle Hoskins played an integral part in FHS Musicals from the early 1970s through the mid 1980s.
After serving in the US Air Force, Ed and his wife Vernelle Hoskins set their sights on serving Friendswood High School, the school from which their seven children would graduate. Ed teamed up with other Aggies to build life-sized replicas of the football players and build sets for many of the musicals. One of which he was especially proud was the house structure from the musical Oklahoma in 1974. This house set was used for many years.
Vernelle, like many other parents in Friendswood in the 70s and 80s, committed her extra time to making, repairing, and redesigning costumes to fit the time-periods of the each musical. She made herself available for not only her own children, but for many other students in the FHS musicals who needed help with costumes.
This is the second year the Hall of Fame has had inductees.
Cheryl Bouillon and her team coordinated the event and welcomed both the families and their many friends who attended. The event coincided with events during the Friendswood Mustangs Homecoming Week.
