Shamrock in Wheeler County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Glenn Truax
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 12, 2025
1. Glenn Truax Marker
Inscription.
Glenn Truax. . Born in Cherryvale, Kansas, in 1896 to parents Abraham Lincoln and Lucretia Belle (Hart) Truax, Alvah Glenn Truax was a famed musician and creator of the Shamrock St. Patrick's Day Festival. Truax was a talented violinist from childhood. After serving in a military band during World War I, he graduated from Kansas State Teachers College and married Helen Brittain. Truax gained renown organizing school music departments and bands. During the Depression, parents often paid him with barter instead of cash. In 1935, the City of Shamrock offered Truax a salary to direct a municipal band. Upon arrival he was astonished to learn the city did not have a festival celebrating Irish heritage, despite its extremely Irish name. Truax and the booster club worked together to stage the first annual St. Patrick's Day Festival in 1938. The event's programming included a parade, boxing matches, football game, lecture on Irish history and the crowning of the first Miss Irish Rose. Twelve thousand people attended. This celebration would continue yearly, with tens of thousands attending. Later, the Texas Legislature designated the Shamrock St. Patrick's Day Festival as the official Texas celebration of the holiday. , In 1940, Glenn Truax left Shamrock to direct Perryton's Ranger Band. Later, he obtained a master's degree and served as president of the North Texas Band and Orchestra Association. Then, he served as the director of the West Texas State College band. In 1949, he attempted to retire, but love of music pulled him back each time to direct bands and music departments in Panhandle towns such as Canyon, Groom, Gruver and Morse. Truax died in 1968 in Wichita, Kansas, and is buried in Gruver (Hansford Co.).
Born in Cherryvale, Kansas, in 1896 to parents Abraham Lincoln
and Lucretia Belle (Hart) Truax, Alvah Glenn Truax was a famed
musician and creator of the Shamrock St. Patrick's Day Festival.
Truax was a talented violinist from childhood. After serving in a
military band during World War I, he graduated from Kansas State
Teachers College and married Helen Brittain. Truax gained renown
organizing school music departments and bands. During the
Depression, parents often paid him with barter instead of cash. In
1935, the City of Shamrock offered Truax a salary to direct a
municipal band. Upon arrival he was astonished to learn the city
did not have a festival celebrating Irish heritage, despite its
extremely Irish name. Truax and the booster club worked together
to stage the first annual St. Patrick's Day Festival in 1938. The event's
programming included a parade, boxing matches, football game,
lecture on Irish history and the crowning of the first Miss Irish
Rose. Twelve thousand people attended. This celebration would
continue yearly, with tens of thousands attending. Later, the Texas
Legislature designated the Shamrock St. Patrick's Day Festival as
the official Texas celebration of the holiday.
In 1940, Glenn Truax left Shamrock to direct Perryton's Ranger
Band. Later, he obtained a master's degree and served
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as president
of the North Texas Band and Orchestra Association. Then, he served
as the director of the West Texas State College band. In 1949,
he attempted to retire, but love of music pulled him back each time
to direct bands and music departments in Panhandle towns such
as Canyon, Groom, Gruver and Morse. Truax died in 1968 in Wichita,
Kansas, and is buried in Gruver (Hansford Co.).
Erected 2021 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 23286.)
Location. 35° 12.938′ N, 100° 14.94′ W. Marker is in Shamrock, Texas, in Wheeler County. It is at the intersection of North Main Street (U.S. 83) and East 2nd Street, on the right when traveling north on North Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 210 N Main St, Shamrock TX 79079, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on the Texas Panhandle. It is also on the American Great Plains and specifically on the Southern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Comancherνa, the Dust Bowl, the Republic of Texas, and one of the Confederate States of America.
Also see . . . The History of St. Patrick's in Shamrock, Texas. In 1937, a Shamrock bandmaster named Glenn Truax had a grand idea to host a Shamrock St. Patrick's Day Celebration. (Shamrock St. Patrick's Association) (Submitted on June 1, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 1, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 201 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on June 1, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
