The “Bones” hooks are honored with a historical marker in the park of the same name

Mathew “Bones” Hooks, a famous civic leader and one of the first African-Americans to settle in the city of Amarillo, was honored on Juneteenth in the city’s namesake park with a historical marker commemorating his impact and importance to the local community in a ceremony. in Bones Hooks Park.

The event was hosted by the Potter County Historical Commission (PCHC) and the North Heights Advisory Association (NHAA).

Hooks is considered one of the most famous cowboys in Amarillo, Panhandle and national history. He was instrumental in establishing the North Heights community, where he established a general store. Hooks also started the Dogie Club in 1932 as a mentoring program for young black males in response to the segregation of the Maverick Club. With the Dogie Club, Hooks mentored the boys in camping, sports, planting trees and being good citizens. One of Hooks’ signature acts was bringing white flowers to the funerals of Panhandle pioneers and other dignitaries.

Many years after he died in 1951, Hooks was inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2021 and was a charter member of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society.

Lance Garza, marker chair for PCHC, talked about the journey to get the historic marker approved.

“This has been about three years in the making. I originally applied for the marker through the Texas Historical Commission and it was denied, but that same year, I reapplied for a regular historical marker,” Garza said. “I spent a lot of time working and researching this.”

He said more than 10 pages of research were submitted, all with quotes, most of which came from the Amarillo Globe-News archives. In order to obtain a historical marker, there must be extensive evidence and papers citing the achievements placed on it.

“They used to be one of the few publications that reported quite a bit about his civic duties and the development of North Heights,” he said. “It was such an incredible amount of work that he did for the community.”

Garza said finally getting to that point gives him great satisfaction.

“I am extremely proud to see this long overdue marker standing in the very community it founded,” he said. “I would like to see more recognition of Bones Hooks and others in the Black community, as well as other contributors from other communities in the city. This is a small first step, and knowing history is powerful. Instill a sense of pride in knowing who came before you and who did the work.”

Also at the ceremony, Mattie Sue McClendon was honored for her community service. Her son Ray Nash accepted the award on her behalf.

“For her to be associated with something as important as this is special,” he said. “There are many people who pay their dues and become unsung heroes. Mom is an unsung hero, as are many people in the community. Even my mother being mentioned as part of this ceremony is just wonderful.”

NHAA President Melodie Graves spoke about Hooks’ impact and the importance of this recognition for a pioneer of the North Heights community.

“Bones Hooks was a significant figure in the Amarillo community,” Graves said. “This marker is a tribute to his lasting legacy. This event not only commemorates Juneteenth, a pivotal moment in American history, but also celebrates our rich cultural heritage. the local Bones Hooks community is the founder of the North Heights community and today we must pay tribute to it.”

Graves said Hooks was instrumental in creating change in his community and was a pioneer as a black cowboy.

“It was important to be able to see people who look like me and others in professions that typically didn’t have representation of color,” she said. “He gave the visualization and the achievement to young kids to know that they can do anything if they put their heart and mind to it.”

Graves said Hooks’ long-overdue recognition resulted from NHAA and PCHC working diligently to make it happen. When asked how he felt Hooks would feel about the state of North Heights if he were alive today, Graves said he would be disappointed in the state of his community.

“I think he would be upset that we haven’t progressed more than we have as a community,” she said. “I think he would be upset about the lack of unity and infrastructure in a community that he fought to establish. We live in a forgotten territory that is often overlooked and not included. We live on some of the richest land in the city, but when you don’t have the right infrastructure or housing, the community starts to erode.”

With this celebration of Hooks’ legacy, Graves feels it’s important to be recognized and honored with more work to do.

“It’s an amazing feeling to know that he fought to better the black community and make it better,” Graves said. “We should be inspired to keep fighting to be better as a community like he did. That’s the spark we need to keep pushing for equality in the city in the community she stood for.”