2009: O’Boyle Stays on Sidelines
Beloved Scots fan has graduated to Mustangs
By Dan Koller | Staff Writer
Most people featured in this series were previously the subject of only one Park Cities People article. But with Patrick O’Boyle, we had options:
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April 13, 2007: O’Boyle is featured on the front page after earning Scotsman status despite having Down syndrome.
Feb. 15, 2008: The longtime manager for the Scots basketball team lands on Page One after scoring a basket on Senior Night.
Oct. 2, 2009: O’Boyle makes headlines a third time as part of a feature on Highland Park High School’s Best Buddies program.
O’Boyle, 22, left HPHS in 2010. By that time, he’d already begun helping out the SMU football team by organizing equipment and cleaning up the locker room.
“He’d go over there in the morning, and then it just kind of evolved” said his mother, Peggy. “After he left Highland Park, they asked if he would stay on at SMU. He was thrilled because he loves it over there, and they are so good to him. … He can’t wait to go to work every day.”
Of course he can’t. Managing the Mustangs must be heaven for a fan whose life is dominated by sports. When Art Barnes, his original Best Buddy from HP, is brought up, Patrick’s first comment is “He’s at A&M.” And when Peggy mentions that her youngest son, Kevin, attends TCU, creating a sportsy rivalry between the brothers, Patrick smiles and gives a knowing nod.
“I’m watching the Texas Rangers games now,” Patrick said. “And I love the New Orleans Saints, because their punter is Thomas Morstead. He played for SMU, and he got me his autographed shirt.”
Patrick couldn’t articulate how he felt when he found out he was going to play for the Scots, but he does remember the jersey number coach David Piehler assigned him (25) and the Scots’ opponent that night (Greenville). He scored two points in a 75-43 win.
“It was kind of sad this year not to have him around,” Piehler said last week. “He was such a part of us, of our program.”
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2009
On Feb. 22, Highland Park High School graduate Megan Mylan won an Oscar for best short documentary film for her movie Smile Pinki. Mylan wore a dress to the ceremony that her late grandmother had designed while studying at the Pratt Institute of Design in New York City.
On April 25, former Highland Park quarterback Matthew Stafford was selected by the Detroit Lions as the top overall pick in the NFL Draft. His parents, along with Scots head coach Randy Allen, were at Radio City Music Hall for the event.
On Sept. 28, University Park resident Cynthia Martinez, 44, was arrested and charged with prostitution. Martinez, the mother of a 15-year-old and 14-year-old, was running a massage business out of her home in the 2900 block of Fondren Drive, near SMU. The arrest was the result of a tip the University Park police received from a neighbor.
CHANGES AT THE TOP
On Feb. 15, Jim Denison performed his final Sunday service as senior pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church. Denison left the church to accept a position as senior theologian for the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
On May 21, Timothy Gunter was hired as the new Highland Park High School band director. Gunter came to Highland Park after nearly 15 years at the University of Arkansas.
On May 26, Highland Park varsity baseball coach Sam Roberson was relieved of his duties due to a “difference in philosophy,” according to athletic director Randy Allen. The termination came just two months after he got a two-year extension.
HIGHLAND PARK HIGH SCHOOL
Valedictorian: Mengxuan Tang
Salutatorian: Svetlana Rusakova
Blanket Award winners: Justin Cardenas and Laurel Pugliese
IDLEWILD DEBUTANTES
Audrey Maureen Decherd, Kathryn Myers Lake, Christina Seeger Pacetti, Hendrika Isabelle Virginia Rhoad, Allison Julian Richie, Lucy Eleanor Pomeroy Washburne
