DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Matinee Musical Club over in Milam County. Now, picture a front porch in January of 1909. Could've been cold, could've been mild — this is Texas, after all — but whatever the weather, a woman named Mary Ann Coffield Perry had something on her mind.
She gathered folks together right there at her home, on that very porch, and she organized what would come to be known as the Matinee Musical Club. Right from the start, the club had a president: Pearl Cauthon stepped into that role first, and the members got down to the serious, joyful business of studying and performing music. They met regularly.
They kept yearbooks. And those yearbooks tell a story all their own. Annual themes wound their way through the years — classical music, Texas women, American composers.
The kind of subjects that remind you culture doesn't just happen to a place. Someone has to tend it. Now, here's the detail that'll make you smile.
The 1916 yearbook lists the club mascot. Not a song. Not a symbol.
A person — George Sessions Perry, who went on to become a noted Texas writer. The Matinee Musical Club had a noted Texas writer as its mascot. You just can't make that up, and the marker doesn't have to.
The club didn't stay local, either. They worked within both the Texas Federation of Music Clubs and the National Federation of Music Clubs, carrying Rockdale's name into wider circles. And here's the part that really lands — the club is still going.
Still meeting. Still bringing culture and art to its members and to Rockdale through annual programs and regular gatherings. One front porch.
One January. More than a century of music. That's not just a club.
That's a commitment.
What the marker says
In January 1909, Mary Ann (Coffield) Perry organized the Matinee Musical Club on the front porch of her home at this site. Pearl Cauthon served as the first president of the club, which met regularly to study and perform music. Yearbooks document annual themes, including classical music, and Texas women and American composers. The 1916 yearbook shows the club mascot, George Sessions Perry, who became a noted Texas writer. The group, active in both the Texas and National Federations of Music Clubs, continues to share and study musix, bringing culture and art to its members and to Rockdale through annual programs and regular meetings. (2006)