Leadership San Marcos Flips the Switch on New Lighted LBJ Museum Sign

The Leadership San Marcos class of 2013 chose to engage Jay Gordon of Blackout Signs and Metal Works to design and build a new lighted sign for the LBJ Museum of San Marcos as their community project.
 
The mission of Leadership San Marcos (LSM) is to identify, inform, educate, and motivate individuals to participate in programs and activities that will improve the San Marcos community. Leadership San Marcos accomplishes this by providing a continuing education program for our members in order to foster an awareness of current issues facing the community, and to inspire personal growth and ongoing training in leadership skills; providing a means of networking to exchange ideas and introduce opportunities for community involvement for our members; and establishing and maintaining our identity as a willing and capable pool of leadership talent, interested and ready to serve the community.
 
Sunday, January 12th, Leadership San Marcos held a “Flip the Switch” event in front of the LBJ Museum of San Marcos, located at 131 South Guadalupe Street to light their newly created sign. The master of ceremony for the event was Melissa Nicewarner-Daly, LSM. Speakers included Dr. Ed Mihalkanin, President of the museum, Samantha Armbruster, Main Street Coordinator, Matthew Lewis, Director of Planning for the City of San Marcos, Clay DeStefano from the Arts Commission, Mark A. Newton, President of LSM and Jay Gordon of Blackout Signs & Metal Works. Dr. Mihalkanin and other Board members extended their thanks to Leadership San Marcos for selecting the sign as their community project as well as Blackout Signs & Metal Works, Frost National Bank, Roadhouse, Main Street San Marcos, Arts Commission, Central Texas Medical Center, Wells Fargo Bank, Texas State University, and Lone Star Orthopedics for their donations to underwrite the cost of the sign and Pennington’s Cakes, SkinMagic MedSpa, Jason’s Deli, Starbuck’s Coffee, Sean Patrick’s, Rhea’s Ice Cream, Panera Catering, Stellar Café, Aztec Events & Tents, Chick fil A, Sam’s Club, Don Anders Photography, PakMail of San Marcos and Texas Roadhouse for their in kind donations at the dedication ceremony. Each of the speakers highlighted how well the sign fit into the downtown area motif and how it would bring welcome recognition to the museum both during the day and at night. At the conclusion of the ceremony Jay Gordon flipped the switch to light the sign and then everyone gathered for a group photo before enjoying catered refreshments inside the museum where a video of the construction of the sign played.
 
The back lighted sign highlighted by neon lights created and designed by Mr. Gordon has special significance because he and Dr. Mihalkanin secured the cooperation of Russ Whitlock, the Superintendent of the LBJ Historic National Park at Johnson City and Stonewall, to acquire pieces of old metal from the LBJ Ranch’s graveyard to incorporate into the sign thereby giving it a historical tie to President Lyndon B. Johnson’s legacy. Metal stays from the LBJ Ranch were used to help form the foundation of the sign and teeth from an old farm plow on the ranch were used as highlights on the side of the sign.
 
The LBJ Museum of San Marcos acknowledged Superintendent Whitlock and the LBJ National Historic Park for helping add a historic flair to the sign. The museum also announced that Superintendent Whitlock had arranged to provide the museum with a new Lady Bird exhibit that has been at the LBJ Ranch at Stonewall for the past year. The exhibit will be unveiled on the second floor of the museum during February.
 
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