AHS Head Football Coach Appeals to Alumnae

Austin High School's head football coach, Ruben Batista, has sent a letter to all alumnus of AHS appealing for donations for letters to be sewn into the end zones of McKee Stadium. To put the words "Austin" and "Panthers" into the new artificial turf will cost $1,000 per letter or $14,000 in all. Here is his letter to fellow Austin alumnae:

Fellow Alumnus,

My name is Ruben Batista. I am the Head Football Coach / Athletic Coordinator for Austin High School here in El Paso. It is with great honor that I am writing to you to announce that our school district, with the help of an advisory board, to include myself and other fellow alumnus, have worked to improve our facilities here at Austin High School. One of our projects will include a new state of the art artificial turf at our football stadium. Our turf will have brown end zones and the school logo of a panther head in the center of the field.

This project is funded by the El Paso Independent School District bond allocation. The project will include the green turf, the yard markers, the numbers, the logo in the middle of the field, and NFL style gold posts. Excluded from the initial bid will be the brown colored end zones and the end zone lettering. The cost of the brown colored end zones will be $1,000 per end zone. This cost will be encumbered by our football booster club along with Austin School. In order for us to have the names “Austin” and “Panthers” professionally sewn onto our turf at each end zone, the cost will be $1,000.00 per letter or $14,000.00. This price is too costly for our school to cover. Other schools in our district have had their letters sponsored by ex alumni and businessmen. For this reason, I am writing to you and asking if you would be interested in giving back to your alma mater and sponsor a letter. I would like to see this beautiful 79 year old school get what she deserves. Our deadline to raise the money will be June 1, 2009. The finished project with the letters will be an accomplishment that you, as well as, the entire student body and community can always be proud of. I plan on advertising the donors in our football program for years to come. I will also have a special coin toss ceremony at our first football game to honor all the donors who have made the letters possible. These fields are projected to last up to fifteen years and the memory of your donation will endure during this
time.

If you have any questions pertaining to this project, you can contact me at (915) 562-0402 or (915) 587-2502. Any donation will be greatly appreciated. Checks should be made out to the Austin Football Boosters and tagged turf lettering and mailed to 3500 Memphis Ave, El Paso, Texas, 79930, Attn: Ruben Batista/Turf Lettering. Thank you again for your tax deductable donation.

Ruben Batista
Austin Head Football Coach
Austin
Graduate 1976