Harlingen High School installs new sign with fresh motto

HARLINGEN — The school with the red brick in the north of the city possesses a power and a vitality which never dies.

Perhaps this is why the new sign over the entrances — which has welcomed generations of students and teachers — declares now “Cardinal Spirit Never Dies.”

The letters black and shining over the entrances at Harlingen High School at 1201 Marshall Ave. reflect well the sun and the freshness of the Cardinal experience.

The sign with the black letters is a new addition with a legendary declaration, and its arrival on campus is the result of the spirit of the HHS Class of 1961.

When the Class of 61 had its 60th reunion online in 2021, alumni, including long-time Harlingen school board member Gerry Fleuriet (retired), realized they had extra funds and decided after some discussion amongst themselves and administrators to have the sign installed.

“We decided that we wanted to do something that would speak to all of our students and staff past present and future,” Fleuriet said. “The new principal said he envisioned something large and significant at the entrance. So, our committee decided that was a really good idea.”

Students of the Class of 2025 — and 26, and 27 — are enjoying the sign.

“To me it represents the type of people that we are,” said Luis Rodriguez, 17, a senior.

“We are people who are passionate about what we are doing,” he said. “Now it gives me a chance to leave my mark on the community. I am going to be guided by the Lord.”

If the stone and the brick of the entrances and the hallways could talk, they would tell deeper stories of individual lives spreading away from the school over generations.

“Ours was an outstanding class with multiple talents, which became even more evident as we read bios while preparing for our 60th Reunion in 2021,” Fleuriet said recently. “Attorneys, doctors and nurses, professors and teachers; engineers, scientists and researchers; artists, businessmen and women; ministers, to name just a few of our professions.”

There were of course also the soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen and women then and now. One of the more recent and noteworthy of successes is Irene Tyler, a 2018 graduate of HHS who is now a naval officer serving in Japan.

Being a student at Harlingen High School means being a part of decades of traditions and events both stellar and tragic. Not long ago a popular basketball player was senselessly killed. Meanwhile the Cardinal Band is getting its show ready for another great football season.

And the Lady Cardinals have hit the basketball courts, all ensuring the “Cardinal Spirit Never Dies.”

“I really like the sign,” said Lola Tamez, 16, a junior on the girls’ basketball team.

“I think the motto ‘Cardinal Spirit Never Dies’ really emphasizes the pride and the spirit of the school,” Lola said. “We are always Cardinals, we are always loyal to the Cardinals.”

Fleuriet’s fellow 1961 alumnus Dr. Peggy O’Neill pointed out there is more to Cardinal spirit than cheering the football team.

“It’s also all of the other lasting memories we have — the wonderful teachers, clubs and activities, and most of all the friendships that developed there and have continued for over 70 years,” said O’Neill. “It is a spirit of mutual respect and caring that lasts a lifetime.”