[Discuss] Save the Pegasus

[Ean Schuessler]

Fellow Alums, it has come to our attention that the Pegasus sculpture
has been orphaned at the Nolan Estes school facility. Nolan Estes was
the temporary home of Arts in South Dallas while the school was being
overhauled. The sculpture was moved there with assurances that it would
be returned when the project was completed. We have learned that there
is now a "budget shortfall" and that whatever resources had been
allocated for its return no longer exist. Suspiciously, the place on
the school property where the Pegasus once stood is now occupied by a
series of concrete landscaping steps, indicating that its absence is a
premeditated removal rather than a simple mistake in budget planning.

There
have been many changes at Arts Magnet and there has been a great deal
of concern for preserving the heritage of Booker T. Washington as the
first black high school in Dallas. We all support that concern but it
is also critical to preserve the heritage of the program that motivated
Booker T's reconstruction. The murals, the greenroom and many other
artifacts we knew as students are gone, replaced with a West Coast
architect's vision of who we are. We must make it clear that we have
our own identity. We are the ones who created the music, the art, the
theater and the dance that brought international recognition. We are
the reason that Dallas had faith in spending $50M to rebuild our school.

In
the shadow of the Pegasus we chewed on strange plastic pizza and made
friendships that would last the rest of our lives. It was our companion
while we learned the skills that carried some of us to fame and all of
us carry in our hearts. It is our mascot and our emblem and we should
not let it go.

The district says that they will return the
sculpture to the school for $10,000. At this year's holiday party we
netted $3,500 in one night. This is something we can do. We need to
hold charity events, we need to reach out to our networks of contacts
and friends and find the money and resources to fix the Pegasus
sculpture and return it to its home.

-- 
Ean Schuessler, CTO Brainfood.com
ean@brainfood.com - http://www.brainfood.com - 214-720-0700 x 315