Tyler Morning Telegraph
Saturday, September 11, 19933

Billboard-Sized Murals Bringing New Life
To Old Menard Theater

   MENARD (AP) – Two billboard-size murals recently affixed to the old Mission Theater in Menard burst with color and historical wonder, yet they also hold a bit of mystery. They depict Native Americans, Spanish priests and conquistadors at the Presidio de San Saba and the Mission Santa Cruz de San Saba Menard County’s earliest European settlements which were occupied during the mid-1700s.
   The murals are the work of Ingram artist Jack Feagan who copied them from two watercolors by Warren Hunter a renowned San Antonio Painter and instructor. Hunter, who died last spring at age 87 in San Antonio flood, painted the watercolors in 1938 at the request of Henry Reeve, owner and operator of Menard’s Mission Theater from the 1920s until his death in 1959. His daughters were the popular Reeve Sisters, who performed throughout West Texas in the 1940s.
   Last week, Margaretta Reeve Bolding of Houston, nicknamed “Betto” and Catherine “Cappy” Reeve Rickard of Burbank, California, described how they have marveled at the two paintings for more than 30 years. But they have also remained unsure about what their father planned to do with them.
   “When our father died suddenly in 1959, we were cleaning out his office at the theater, and back under the stair case, I found these two treasures,” Cappy said. “Exactly where he planned to put them, we don’t know. The only clue was a vague notation that the Hunter paintings were to be converted into large murals. The sisters, however, do know that their father and Hunter shared a deep fascination for local history. The theater, after all, was named after the legendary mission, the exact location of which along the San Saba River has yet to be discovered. “And Warren Hunter had loving connections with Menard,” Cappy said. “His father was once an editor for the San Angelo Standard-Times and then he edited a paper here in Menard.” In fact, the artist’s father, J. Marvin Hunter, operated numerous publications in Texas before settling in Bandera late in life to run a museum of western memorabilia and publish the still-popular magazine, “Frontier Times.”
   Cappy kept her father’s watercolors in safekeeping, but over the years, the Mission Theater became vacant and fell into disrepair. Subsequently, the sisters decided two years ago to donate the downtown landmark to the Menard Industrial Development Board, an organization committed to preserving the community’s historical structures.
   The sisters, who try to visit Menard each year, said they are pleased with the renovation of the cherished theater. After all, they noted, had it not been for their father and the Mission Theater, they may not have entered show business. “This is where our interests grew,” Betto said. “Since the time we could walk, our interests, naturally, were with drama.”
   As the Reeve Sisters, Cappy was a singer, while Betto performed as a “monologist” one who offers monologues. “It’s not just stand-up comedy,” Betto explained, “but it gives the same effect. People are supposed to laugh.” Later, the Reeve sisters branched out by themselves.
   Cappy appeared on Broadway with Ray Bolger in the 1948-1949 production of “Where’s Charlie.” Bolger, also known as the Scarecrow in the “Wizard of Oz,” introduced her to a relative, a television executive named James Richard, whom she married. The sisters still perform in their adoptive cities, but they never forget their Menard roots.
   The legacy began in the 1920s when Reeve rolled into Menard on his way to California where he planned to become a motion picture star. But he fell in love with the little Hill Country town, and also Sophie Luckenbach. Together, they would raise a family, become quite active in community events, and operate the Mission Theater for 35 years. “It was one of the most outstanding show places in the area,” Betto recalled. “All of our lives we saw free movies, but we also worked there.Mother sold tickets and played the piano during the silent films.” “And,” noted Cappy “it had a big stage for beautiful plays. It was known to have the finest dressing rooms around. “But it also was a place for school graduations, cooking schools, Christmas programs and dance recitals. During the war, a lot of war bonds were sold out of that building.”
   Reeve immersed himself in Menard’s civic activities. He helped establish the Pioneer Museum Association and served as president for various organizations, including the Rotary Club, the Chamber of Commerce and even the Texas Theater Owners Association. Cappy said he also enjoyed announcing at Yellow Jacket football games and local rodeos. On April 16, 1953, the Standard-Times reported that while receiving the Rotary Club’s Top Citizen award, Reeve asked his wife, whom he called a person far worthier of the award than he, to be ‘custodian of the award’ adding that “without her, I surely would not have been able to do whatever has been done during my life here.”
   Mrs. Reeve died in 1975. But according to the sisters, their father never regretted not becoming a movie star, although one of his East Coast nephews, Christopher Reeve, is now a famous actor, perhaps best known for his film portrayal of the comic book character “Superman.”  “We always thought that this nephew of his becoming famous was kind of interesting, because that is what he wanted to do, “Betto said.
   The building, which has been ravaged by floods, severe storms and time, is receiving extensive renovation to its front section and Cappy has paid to have that area and back part re-roofed.Meanwhile, the mid-section, where audiences once sat, is roofless lending the appearance of an outdoor amphitheater. Birds swoop in and out of the open space, as weeds poke their ways through the weather-beaten planks of the former hard wood floor. The stage is covered but seems as rickety as the floor.
   Leesa Blau, a member of the Menard Industrial Development Board, said the organization is preparing the theater’s front rooms to be rented out as office space; the resulting revenue will help make payments on the renovation’s financing. The group hopes to repair the rest of the building later. But Betto and Cappy decided to make an extra tribute to their father by completing his mysterious plans for the Hunter watercolors. “We decided the most logical and most wonderful place for them would be on the outside of the building,” Cappy said. “That got our family all excited.”
   The sisters lauded their nephew, John Winslow, Jr., son to their late older sister, Mamie, for his efforts to complete the project. Winslow, a TWA pilot who resides in Kerrville, asked Feagan last year to reproduce the Hunter’s work on large mural boards. The murals will be officially dedicated during Menard’s annual Jim Bowie Days, Sept. 25 and 26. Cappy said the event is expected to be attended by Hunter’s widow and other family members who donated generously to the project.
Please note: the dates in the text above are from 1993 – this article is for information only.