It's been a whirlwind last couple of years with the re-naming of the EPISD Student Activity Center, the honoring of the Battleship Texas in March at the San Jacinto Battlegrounds as well as the passing of Former Eagle Pass Mayor Chad Foster, but the Foster Family continues to be forever united and forever in the hearts and minds of many here in as Mayor Foster would eloquently put it, "Our little Slice of Paradise."
When Shelly Foster reached out to us months ago about the preparations which were being made to organize Coach Foster's 90th Birthday Fiesta, the RSVP's must have come in droves as over thirty of his former players, coaches and friends made the trek to Eagle Pass to be there.
"Coach Foster is an exceptional person in many ways. He raised most of the kids he coached from his house. Personally he was my mentor," said one of Coach's 1966 Eagle squad, Lalo Treviño, "I remember when I was going to school. I would come to see him and everywhere I went to school, people knew him all across the State of Texas. I always had a job everywhere I went. Not only did I play for him which was a privilege for me, but he was our mentor for many many years after that, he took care of us after we had played with him."
Another proud ex-Eagle who was also on hand was the starting tailback for Foster's 1965-67 teams Oki Villaseñor, "Coach Foster was a great coach. Besides that he's a heck of a human being to be around. He's one of the reasons that I'm coaching and I've been in this business for forty years now and I attribute everything to him, because when I was playing for him or watching him coach when I was in college, I knew that's what I wanted to do, so that's what I've been coaching for the last forty years."
"Well as you know we still have five or six guys that are still here from the '55 championship team, I've known Coach ever since. He's a wonderful person that left, went elsewhere and then came back here to live and I'm real proud of him," stated Enrique "Gorilla" Ibarra Coach Foster's All-State tackle, "The people here in town Jimmy Johnson, Curtis Kirchner, Perry Cox, Luis De La Fuente, Antonio Muñoz, Jimmy Turnbow, Jerry couldn't make it, one of our 'Colegas' one of our teammates. We're really proud to be here to celebrate his 90th birthday."
The highlight of the evening had to have been the rousing version of the Eagle War Cry and some of our local cheers or 'Porras' were a delight to all.
The 'Fiesta' was glorious and was organized by his beautiful daughters Shelly, Sheila and Sherry as well as by his equally lovely granddaughter Savannah. It was wonderful to see my favorite quarterback Chad Foster again as well as all of Coach's extended family who are a tight knit bunch and a pleasure to be with.
This reporter recalls the shootout Chad had with the Southwest Dragons his senior year which ended 34-31 where he lit up the Dragon secondary, the Eagles just ran out of time as Southwest mounted a late drive that ran out the clock in one of the greatest games in Eagle Pass Eagle Football history.
"Everybody that he has touched feels the same way about him, concluded Treviño, "It's fantastic. He's that type of person that comes around every century, we love him to death and we will always be with him."