My mom gifted me a book for Christmas called Twelve Mighty Orphans by Jim Dent. It is about a group of boys from the 1930s that competed at a very high level in Texas high school football. What makes the story so compelling is that the ballclub was made up of orphans from the Masonic Home orphanage in Fort Worth.
Having grown up in Arlington and very familiar with all the cities that are highlighted throughout the book, it was a pleasure to go through this book. The history that is detailed for the local residents was extremely interesting and I could visualize exactly what was happening as it was explained because I've been to all of these places before. I've driven past the Masonic Home and the stadium where the Mighty Mites played their games so many times and didn't realize how much that team during the Great Depression meant to the residents of this metroplex and the state.
The story of how good the team was able to be, considering they only had 12 kids each season, no funding, and were smaller than nearly every other player on the field, is an unbelievable tale. If you have any interest in sports, I would recommend the read. And if you are a resident of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, it would be an even more fulfilling study.
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