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January/Feburary 2012 Today's Daughters National Treasures Class Act More Articles Upcoming Issues
Tackling a Man’s World When it comes to how she feels about football, Angela Hales says the word “fan” doesn’t fully describe it. Her parents raised her to root for the University of Alabama, a school whose football program is often ranked among the best in the nation, and she grew up in New Orleans, home of the Saints. In fact, she went to the very first game the Saints played in 1967. She and her husband, Myrt, love watching football on weekends: high school on Friday night, college on Saturday and the NFL on Sundays. It was during one of these football weekends four years ago that Mrs. Hales got an idea: “I turned to my husband and said I wanted to be the first female NFL referee,” says the member of the Boeuf River Chapter, Rayville, La. “He immediately said that it was too dangerous, but asked why didn’t I become an agent instead.” So she did. Armed with an MBA (either that or a law degree is a prerequisite), Mrs. Hales applied and was invited to take the licensing exam. Today, Mrs. Hales (or Big Mama, as her players know her) runs the Angela Hales Sports Agency in Rayville, La. She is the only female NFL agent in Louisiana, and one of 750 licensed sports agents in the country. Mrs. Hales estimates that no more than 10 percent of the agents nationwide are female. “I’ve always found myself working in a man’s world,” says Mrs. Hales, who had previously been the first female supervisor for State Farm’s Monroe, La., office. “I feel comfortable there. I like to go places that women haven’t gone before.”
As an agent, Mrs. Hales spends a lot of time on the road, attending the NFL’s annual scouting and predraft events in Indianapolis and Mobile, Ala. She attends NFL games across the country, visits training facilities and accompanies her clients to tryouts. When she’s not on the road, she’s on the phone—talking to players, coaches and team personnel. “It’s a lot of PR and marketing,” she says. And, she admits, success has a lot to do with being in the right place at the right time. “It’s extremely competitive,” she says. “Think about it. There are 750 agents, thousands of players, but only 224 spots in the draft each year.” She finds her players mostly by word of mouth, as a strict collective bargaining agreement places restrictions on when agents can contact prospective clients. Currently, she is representing 17 players, many from the South but one from as far away as British Columbia, Canada. She makes it clear that she doesn’t do it for the money—she does it for the love of the game. “I love to see these young men achieve their goals,” she says. “That’s really why I love this job—it’s about the people.” Mrs. Hales, who has been attending NFL games for more than 40 years, says she has noticed that there are more women in the stands today. “If you look around, about half of the fans are women,” she says. “Women are also talking about football more. That was never the case before.” For more Today’s Daughters, please click here. To nominate a Daughter for a future issue, e-mail a description to americanspirit@dar.org.
National Treasures These three Late Victorian valentines chosen from more than 40 in the DAR Museum collection are lavishly romantic and in pristine condition. Lacy cutouts frame all three examples: a young girl reading, another young girl with a bouquet, and Cupid perched in a bower of flowers surrounded by turtledoves. No less flowery are the verses written inside.
Inside the valentine featuring the diligent young reader is a poem titled “Undying Love.” After repeating “love” eight times, it concludes: “I love thee!
The recipient noted that this valentine, received on February 14, 1880, was her first one. Daisy E. Stickney donated it to the DAR Museum in 1935. The remaining two, dating to about 1880–1900, are from a collection of 29 valentines donated by Ruth G. Stimson in 2002. They were sent or received by various family members over a number of years.
For more National Treasures, please visit the DAR Museum's Featured Objects.
Class Act Paper wads are usually a teacher’s worst nightmare—but not for Michael Bell. A history teacher at Monacan High School in Midlothian, Va., Bell actually uses them as a teaching tool in his annual Revolutionary War demonstration. That’s the day Bell comes to school dressed in authentic uniform as his Revolutionary War ancestor, Richard Lane. He takes his students—juniors who receive college credit for taking his class—to an open field where he arranges them by rank and file. When Bell yells fire, the paper wad fight begins. Each student gets three paper wads, and they’re instructed to fire three times—once by rank, once by file and once by company. “I try to engage students in a meaningful way and communicate history in a way that’s relevant to their lives,” he says. “I try to prepare students to realize that decisions made in the past affect the future and that it’s important to learn from our past mistakes. It’s how we grow as a people and as a nation.” To instill these concepts, Bell creates visually appealing lessons that include charts, graphs, paintings and photographs. He also shares anecdotal stories about his family’s own history and incorporates hands-on learning when he can, whether it’s in the open field for the Revolutionary War demonstration or later in the year when his students create dioramas of the World War II era. Bell was recently awarded the Teaching American History grant, a five-year commitment that teaches him how to become a resource for other teachers to deepen and broaden their teaching abilities. As part of his training, he traveled to Boston, where he visited many Revolutionary War sites.
“It’s my favorite period to teach because it’s such a unique experience that the world had never seen,” he says. “The Constitution was created to protect the people from the government. We take for granted today how new of an idea this was.” Bell credits his late grandmother for inspiring his love of history. Growing up in a close-knit family in Independence, Mo., Bell recalls spending summers in the Ozarks with his grandmother, listening to stories about his ancestors and visiting nearby historical sites like the Pea Ridge National Military Park, site of a Civil War battle. His interest in history grew even more when a friend recruited him to participate in an historical re-enactment at Jamestown. Since then, Bell has participated in historical re-enactments spanning the Colonial period to World War II. It’s a hobby that he says helps in the classroom: “My experiences as a re-enactor help me explain how the style of fighting evolved from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War to World War II and what impact that had,” he says. “For example, the battlefield injuries during the Civil War were so much more severe because they had rifles that could fire 600 yards, and bayonets to stab the enemy soldiers.” For Bell, history extends even farther beyond the classroom and re-enactment battlefield—it’s also a passion he shares with his wife, Karen. Their wedding was carried out in traditional 17th-century style. They were married in St. Luke’s Church in Smithfield, Va., which dates to 1632 and is among the country’s earliest churches. While the minister read from an original 1599 Geneva Bible, 17th-century music played in the church’s balcony. Bell’s bride didn’t wear a white dress with a veil, but a brocade dress with a floral wreath in her hair. And after the ceremony, Bell’s father-in-law threw a shoe at him, a 17th-century tradition signifying the transfer of the bride from the father to the husband. “It was fun,” Bells says, “but I spent a lot of time after the ceremony giving the guests a history lesson.”
FEATURES Wit and Wisdom for 220 Years by Courtney Peter Published annually since 1792, The Old Farmer’s Almanac still dispenses valuable data and practical advice with a healthy dose of humor. The President Takes a Ride by Karen Sutherland Horse-drawn vehicles added beauty and spectacle to the inaugurations and official ceremonies attended by our earliest presidents. A Portrait of Influence by Maureen Taylor Free black Agrippa Hull served at the side of generals for the entirety of the Revolutionary War. Afterward, he became an advocate for his race. What’s This Worth by Nancy Cooper Ensure successful appraisals for your most treasured items with a few tips from experts DEPARTMENTS Spirited Adventures: Hot Springs, Arkansas by Larissa Arnault Home to Hot Springs National Park, this site in the Ouachita Mountains has been a natural gathering spot since the time of Hernando de Soto. Historic Homes: The Sibley House by Sharon McDonnell Henry Hastings Sibley, Minnesota’s first state governor, and Sarah, his preservation-minded wife, called this 1839 stone dwelling home. Our Patriots: Master Gardener of West Point by Nancy Mann Jackson When building the fortifications at West Point during the Revolution, Thaddeus Kosciuszko took the time to include a quiet place for “rest and repose.” The garden he created was recently restored by cadets and friends. Bookshelf reviews 1812: The Navy’s War by George C. Daughan Also: Whatnot, Letters to the Editor and the President General’s Message To purchase an issue of American Spirit, contact magazinesubscriptions@dar.org To subscribe to American Spirit, visit Subscribe.
To Come in March/April 2012: American Spirit’s Second Women’s History Month Issue! Sylvia Lewis Tyler, A 19th-Century Everywoman The Ursuline Nuns and the Battle of New Orleans Paulsdale: Suffragist Alice Paul’s Family Home Dining with the Washingtons |
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women who comprise today’s DAR membership.
Her son, Myrt Hales III, also is a licensed NFL agent. Together they are the only mother and son pair of agents in the history of the NFL. “There are a lot of fathers and sons, but we’re the first mother and son,” she says.
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