Dora's 'new' gymnasium turning 50

How old must something be before it is no longer called "new?" 

In the case of the Guy Luscombe Gymnasium at Dora Consolidated Schools, it must be more than 50 years. 

That iconic blond brick building, which has hosted countless basketball games, tournaments, science fairs, graduations, and even a few funerals, turns 50 this year. 

For many of us - including those my age who remember watching it be built, as well as the current students and staff at Dora, I'm told - it is still "the new gym." 

The school plans to celebrate the anniversary of that gymnasium, as well as its almost-94-year-old namesake, Guy Luscombe, at its homecoming scheduled for Friday, according to Dora Superintendent Brandon Hays. 

Dora has scheduled four basketball games with Floyd, with junior high action beginning at 3 p.m. that day. The school plans a special commemoration of the gymnasium following the varsity boys' game, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.  

(Spoiler alert: Recognizing that plans can change because of ... well, you know ... Hays promises to update news of any cancellations or postponements to the school's Facebook page promptly. You can find that at https://www.facebook.com/doraschools/.) 

Guy Luscombe - still a fine storyteller and owner of one of the keenest memories around - spent an hour and a half last week regaling me with stories about this gymnasium and the saga of its construction. 

He was hired at Dora as principal in 1962. By the 1965-66 academic year, he had been named superintendent, a position he would hold until his retirement in 1990. 

"I've been out now longer than I was in," he said with a chuckle. 

The gymnasium - somewhat of an architectural feat for its time, and still a gem - has anchored the rural school campus for a solid half century now, since its completion in the fall of 1972.  

It was officially named for Luscombe in 1986, thanks to the efforts of the DHS Student Council, and with full support of many former students, faculty members, fellow administrators, and colleagues from schools across the region. 

"It's hard to believe it's been 50 years," Luscombe told me. "We had a lot of help in that building. It's still as good as any gym in the country." 

How this gymnasium came to be is a story that includes a state championship basketball team and stock trailers and cheerleaders and theater seats and a visit to the Astrodome and a seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time rubber floor. 

I'll be telling the rest of the story of Dora's "new gym" in the Sunday edition of The Eastern New Mexico News. I hope you'll come along for the read. 

Betty Williamson loves a good story, especially when it involves Guy Luscombe. Reach her at:

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