Early registration April 7 DEZIRAE BURNETT Assistant Editor Early registration for current students opens Monday, April 7. Transfer student early registration opens Monday, April 14. Registration will be for Summer I and II minimesters as well as the Fall Semester. Students interested in early registration need to contact a faculty adviser or counselor
to discuss scheduling. Students who wish to enroll at the Kilgore campus can contact the counseling center at 903-983-8206. If a student is taking at least one class at the Longview campus, he or she must call an adviser on that campus at 903-753-2642. Certificate students and Associate of Applied Science students need to schedule advising appointments with their respective
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program advisers. Students who have been approved for spring graduation should be checking their Ranger email accounts for further graduation instructions, and to make sure they are still on track for graduation. Graduation caps and gowns may be purchased from the KC bookstore for students who are participating in the graduation ceremony on Friday, May 9.
The Flare
The Flare
Friday, March 28, 2014 Vol. 77 No. 18 Serving Kilgore College since 1936
EAST TEXAS OIL MUSEUM
Amanda Lattery / THE FLARE ARCHIVE
Photos by Maegan Mitchell / THE FLARE
Left and bottom right show two of the museum’s popular exhibits. Top right, Joe White has been director of the East Texas Oil Museum since its inception.
KC’s hidden treasure East Texas Oil Museum, Director Joe White, have been together since the beginning
T
MAEGAN MITCHELL • Senior Writer
he East Texas Oil Museum may be considered one of KC’s hidden treasures, although it does not attract many students. One man has been with the museum since the idea was formed 36 years ago, treasuring every bit of it. Museum Director Joe White said he has devoted half of his lifetime to what he calls his baby. White, 71, has been director since its inception in 1980. He grew up in Henderson and attended KC from 1961-63. “I chose to attend Kilgore College because it was affordable, close to home and had a strong faculty like it does today,” White said. After teaching at Blinn College, as well as a few other East Texas colleges, he returned to KC in 1971 to teach history and government. “I was looking to relocate. The day my wife, Ann, and I got the call to come to KC, I accepted it,” White said. “The next day, we got a call for an opening in Dallas and the next day a call from Galveston. God had his plan in the times and sequence he wanted me in Kilgore.” In 1977, Dr. Stewart McLauren, the KC president at the time, interviewed White for the director position
three times, totaling five hours. “No one knew what this was going to be… I knew if I took this job and gave up my classes and this didn’t pan out, there might not be a place for me [at KC],” White said. “I wanted to retain my teaching position, but it turned out I didn’t have time for both.” The museum was funded by the Placid Oil Company, owned by Haroldson Lafayette “H.L.” Hunt, Jr., who the museum is in honor of, along with the many oil producers and wildcatters. Today, the museum is funded through donations, grants and admission fees. White played a huge role in the finding and gathering of most artifacts in the museum. “I did the historical research and… ferreting out people that had things as well as persuading them to donate them. Some people wanted to sell their items, but we just didn’t have the budget for it,” White said. “Basically, Placid Oil put up the money to build [the museum] and the people of East Texas filled the museum.” Hyman Laufer, retired chairman of the biology department, and White became the “white version of Sanford and Son.” They went out and emptied out old buildings and barns and personally hauled items in White’s old truck. The Barber Shop exhibit contains some of the few items that were purchased by the museum. White went out to an old barber’s home and dismantled the items and hauled them back to its new home. White knows the story behind virtually every item, big or small. “The old bench in front of the Barber Shop was hand-hewn oak, done by a man over 100 years ago,” White said. “I can still remember as a teenager riding my bike and seeing old men sitting on that bench in front of Gordon Brown’s
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My wife didn’t want me to take this job because she was afraid it would become my mistress... and in a way it did.” — Joe White Museum Director
Store on North Marshall whittling and chewing tobacco.” As vital as the donated items and money have been, the donated time from the volunteers has been even more important. “We couldn’t keep this place open without their loyalty and help,” White said. “The museum doesn’t make enough money to have an extensive staff [considering] operating costs per day are around $800 to $900.” As White approaches retirement, he hopes to be able to come back and work on a part-time basis. “It has been a fun ride. My wife didn’t want me to take this job because she was afraid it would become my mistress… and in a way, it did,” White said. See MUSEUM on Page 3
VISIT THE OIL MUSEUM LOCATION Hwy. 259 at Ross St. Kilgore, Texas 75662 HOURS Monday, closed Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday, 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. April – Sept. museum closes at 5 p.m. Closed Easter & Thanksgiving ADMISSION Under 3 – free Ages 3-11 – $5 Ages 12+ – $8 Guided tours by reservation only. A nominal fee is charged. CONTACT 903-983-8295 phone 903-983-8600 fax info@easttexasoil museum.com