Donors and loaners of historical Southeast Texas high school sports and spirit items have responded to the Museum of the Gulf Coast’s plans for an exhibit to begin Jan. 19.

But museum curator Sarah Bellian said many of the articles are “almost exclusively” from Thomas Jefferson High School, adding she’s also received a trophy from Lincoln High and a basketball letter jacket from Beaumont French High. Bellian also expects to receive a Lincoln jersey on loan.

Among the specific items Bellian is asking for:

• Items and photos from former Beaumont schools Hebert and Charlton-Pollard, including those from the rivals’ Soul Bowl games. “I’d like this particularly because several of our Hall of Fame inductees — Bubba Smith, Tody Smith — relate directly to this rivalry as [the Smiths’ father Willie Ray] was the coach,” Bellian said;
• “Keys to the city” given to Beaumont NFL stars; Beaumont was once dubbed “the pro football capital of the world” after Hebert graduate Jerry LeVias, the Southwest Conference’s first black scholarship player who starred at SMU, said as much about the city on “The Tonight Show” then hosted by Johnny Carson;
• A crowd photo from Lincoln’s “Beehive,” the Bumblebees’ basketball gymnasium;
• Items from Bishop Byrne, the former Catholic high school in Port Arthur, and Stephen F. Austin High.

Items from other Southeast Texas high schools are still welcome.

Bellian is organizing a giant timeline to be displayed with the exhibit highlighting championship moments from each high school through today.

To donate, call Bellian at 999-6283.

— I.C. Murrell