Erika Fickle, a retired educator and current Blanco American Legion Post 352 Auxiliary member, has a love for education, history and patriotism. You may recognize the name of Erika's late husband, Robert Eugene Fickle, from the annual scholarships awarded by the American Legion Post to Blanco ISD High School seniors who are direct line descendants of veterans. Robert was the first in his family to go to college, thanks to the GI Bill, and his family is committed to honoring his memory by helping further the education of others.
Erika made Blanco County her home about 20 years ago. Recently, Erika has been researching the history of the American Legion Post and the Veterans Vocational Agriculture School. Her digging has uncovered some very interesting results; for instance, veterans from all corners of Blanco County came together to form that first class, with Gerald Fuchs of Blanco as the first graduate.
While Erika has become somewhat of an expert at microfilm, her excitement grew when she was informed by Librarian Crystal Spybuck that Blanco County News and Johnson City Record Courier microfilms are in the process of being digitized. With this newest research source for Blanco County history buffs, Erika says "research will be like passing a hot knife through butter!" Erika's research has even taken her to the Texas State Archives in Austin where she was joined by fellow Legion and Auxiliary members Bruce and Christina Huguelet. There, they discovered information that provided insight to the historical significance of the Blanco American Legion Post building in educating war veterans. According to Bruce," This is a fascinating chapter of history that is in danger of being lost forever. " If you have old documents or photos related to graduates of the Blanco Veterans Vocational Agriculture School, let Erika know at txlegionpost352@yahoo.com. This is a part of Blanco County history that should be preserved.
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