Preserving History
Chamber banquet will honor Hudgins for their contribution to chronicling the county's history
By BENJAMIN C. SHARP bensharp@journal-spectator.com

Joe and Merle Hudgins will be honored at this year's Wharton Chamber of Commerce Banquet, which will be March 11 at the Wharton Civic Center.

The Wharton Chamber of Commerce will celebrate its 89th annual banquet by honoring two county residents who have helped preserve the area's history.

Joe and Merle Hudgins will be the honored recipients at the banquet, which is scheduled for Tuesday, March 11.

The Wharton County Commissioners Court is expected to pass a resolution - which will be presented during the event - naming Joe the official archeologist and Merle the official historian of the county.

Chamber Executive Director Ronald Sanders said the Hudgins have played a crucial role in preserving the area's history; and, by so doing, have helped the community become a better tourist draw.

"History, I think, is the greatest strength and selling point of our community. And that history lives today because of the efforts of people like Joe and Merle Hudgins," Sanders said. "The many interesting legends around our courthouse and the 'Sea of Mud' that stalled the retreating Mexican Army in the Texas Revolution, for example, would not be the vibrant stories they have become without these two wonderful people.

"The restoration of our county courthouse resulted in a shared recognition that our community is rich with history," Sanders added. "We preserved our past, and it has become a source of pride for our residents. And it also is a source of interest to travelers, who will ride many miles to enjoy the value of our history and historic structures, and the stories of the people who made it so."

Joe is a bi-vocational archeologist who has worked extensively to locate pre-historical and historical sites in Wharton County. Merle has written dozens of articles on the county's history - which appeared for years in the Journal-Spectator - as well as serving as editor and project director of the book, Wharton County Pictorial History 1846-1946, Our First 100 Years.

Billie Jones, one of the banquet's organizers, said the Hudgins are a "wonderful team" when it comes to anything historical.

"They have done so much to preserve the history of Wharton," Jones said.

That the banquet has been held for so long says something about the support of area residents, she said.

"Eighty-nine years says something about the longevity and strength of the community," Jones said.

During the banquet, the Business Person of the Year will also be named. Jones said. That's keeping in line with the chamber's goal of promoting area merchants.

"It's a celebration of the success of the business community in Wharton," she said.

The banquet will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 11 at the Wharton Civic Center. A dinner will be held at 7 p.m. and there will also be an auction. Tickets are $30 and are now available at the chamber, 225 N. Richmond Road.