League Unveils Historical Marker
By Julianne Coyne | Tuesday, November 10, 2009 12:40 PM
Photo by Julianne Coyne
In connection with the Centennial Celebrations, the UIL unveiled a historical marker on Oct. 26 that details UIL’s history and values. The unveiling followed the annual Legislative Council meeting.
The process to get the historical marker began two years ago, when the idea came up in a Centennial Celebration planning meeting.
Brooke Keeler, a UIL assistant, started the application process with the Texas Historical Commission. The application was based on UIL the organization, as opposed to a building. Historical markers based on organizations are only granted if the subject has had a strong contribution across the state of Texas.
Once the application process had begun, Music Director Dick Floyd helped decide the content for the marker. To do this, he said he read the text of many historical markers from the Texas Historical Commission Web site.
“The goal was that someone who knew nothing about UIL at all could stop and read the marker and know the impact UIL has had on education in the state of Texas,” Floyd said.
He also said that this marker creates broad-based recognition of UIL’s 100 years and what those years mean to the state of Texas.
The process to get the marker took almost nine months, from the time the application began to its unveiling. Usually, it takes more than a year.
The marker’s “a great thing to have as an organization,” Keeler said. “It’s a lasting way to commemorate our 100th year, and it’s always going to be here.”