A L L A B O U T US ...
NAPA History
In 1980 Roland Williams has a vision to contact some key people in Port Arthur and various cities to organize a Port Arthur national reunion. Several people were contacted. Such as George Lacey, Johnetta Londow, Ellis Wise, Alfred McElroy, Mamie Comeaux, Dorothy McNeal, Willie Brent, Dorothy Ingram, McZeal Joiner, Amos Evans, Arthur Guidry, and Anderson Harrison.
The first meeting (1980 unknown date) was held at J. B. Matthews Community Center. Ten people were in attendance, Mamie Comeaux, Hosea Gabriel, Celia M. Gabriel, Rosa Lee Harris, Furbia Jacobs, Thomas C. Hannah, Juanita Norbert Jacobs, Gloria Freeman Robinson, Hamilton Joseph, and Dorothy Ingram, came together to organize a local Port Arthur group.
The group became very enthusiastic and held another meeting on May 26th, 1980. At that meeting they provided some strategies to organize as a group in Port Arthur with intentions to invite Port Arthurans to come home for the reunion. At this meeting, Johnny and Marguerite Ingram of San Francisco were in attendance offering encouraging remarks.
In another meeting on June 26th, 1980, Port Arthur’s local chapter elected officers. The records state that 22 persons were present and the following officers were elected:
George Lacey, Chairman
Hamilton Joseph, Vice Chairman
Gloria Freeman Robinson, Treasurer
Robert Lee, Financial Secretary
Leroy Polk, Chaplain
Dorothy Ingram, Secretary
Celia M. Gabriel, Asst. Secretary
Myrtle Williams, Corresponding Secretary
Willie Brent, Business Manager
Hosea Gabriel, Parliamentarian
In the meantime, Roland Williams was very busy in Washington, DC gathering a directory of Port Arthurans across the country. Since Los Angeles and San Francisco were already organized, everyone seemed to look to them for directions on how to bring the national group together. Although the national register was gather with names and addresses of Port Arthurans elsewhere by Roland Williams he began to invite Port Arthurans to attend the homecoming reunion in Port Arthur that was organized by the local Port Arthur group for a 1981 reunion.
At the July 1981, “Homecoming Reunion,” in Port Arthur, there were over 1200 people attending which gave birth to a new beginning. Roland Williams invited the group to Washington, DC for the next reunion to be held in 1983. Roland Williams was president of Washington, DC chapter. This reunion was well organized by the Washington chapter.
In 1985 Roland Williams presented to the Port Arthur group a gavel from the desk of Representative Sam Rayburn who was the longest serving Speaker of the House in history of the United States. This gavel was made from wood from Sam Rayburn’s ranch. It was given to Roland Williams by the architect in the Capital after Sam Rayburn had retired and the office was cleared.
On July 9th, 1987, Jack Brooks stood on the floor in the House of Representatives in Washington DC to recognize Port Arthur National group as a unique group of people who had shown a desire to maintain memories of our common origin. He spoke that we had organized as a Port Arthur reunion group on the national level, recognizing Port Arthurans from across the country to come together every 2 years. We continue to maintain a strong sense of identity with our fellow Port Arthurans no matter where we are. In essence, we have “unity.” We are from the best little home town in Texas.
We officially and legally became a national group in March 2006 under the leadership of James Lyons, President. The purpose of our organization is to foster a spirit of loyalty, brotherhood, and friendship.