When the Permian Panthers lost to El Paso Pebble Hills a few weeks ago, Elizabeth Faught was there.
When Lloyd Hill and Permian defeated Aldine to become state champions in 1989, she was probably there, too.
She saw Roy Williams break the school’s single season receiving record nine years later.
In fact, you can pretty much bet Faught has been to just about every Panther football game, home and away, since 1972.
Not impressed yet?
Faught has also spent nearly every single school day at Permian High School for the last 50 years.
Ms. Mojo
At 87, Faught knows everything there is to know about the schools traditions, old and new, said Allen Jones.
When Jones met Faught in 1994, Faught had already spent more than two decades in the high school’s registrar’s office. The teen leadership teacher was helping a friend out with the cheerleading squad and Permian made it as far as the state’s semi-finals that year.
“I was always in our office asking her what do we do during playoffs? Why we do this? You know, every tradition, every spirit day, every everything, I wouldn’t know why we did it or how long we’ve been doing it,” Jones said.
When Jones helped open the Panther Den in 1996, he asked for Faught’s input on merchandise and when he created the flag crew in 2000, he went to her again for advice.
Faught helped him design one of his first Permian bumper stickers and she designed one of the best selling window stickers, he said.
“They call me the Permian historian, but everything I’ve learned is either because she taught me or she said, ‘Here’s who you need to ask,’” Jones said. “Me having that title is only because I’ve tapped into her knowledge base.”
One of his favorite stories is how Faught’s late husband, Ector County Sheriff Elton Faught, asked her to create the Mojo, 7th Flag Over Texas flag. She stayed up all night one day to accommodate him.
The original flag hangs in a memorabilia room near the Permian entrance. When the folks who made the film “Friday Night Lights” asked to borrow it, they were refused because Faught didn’t want to risk such an important piece of history. They made a replica instead.
“She’s a walking history book of all the things that happened at Permian,” Jones said. “She remembers so many people, every kid that she ever had as a registrar. She remembers their names, their families, what they did, if they ever got into trouble and now she can tell them ‘I knew your granddad when he was here.’ She is that person that makes everyone feel like they’re important when she’s talking to them.”
To put it simply, Jones said, “She is a Permian treasure and all of us are richer for having her cross our paths.”
Sharon Gaines, widow of the legendary Permian football coach Gary Gaines, remembers meeting Faught in 1986. She doesn’t recall exactly where, but suspects it was probably a booster club meeting.
“Permian’s banquets, to me, were so elegant and so classy and it was all because of her,” Gaines said. “There were just none like it.”
She recalled with amazement Faught’s work ethic and organizational skills and remains in awe of her today.
“She knew every kid and probably still does,” Gaines said. “She was always so helpful with everything going on with those kids. I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t love her, the kids, the players, the other faculty. She just stands for so much. When I look at her, my heart just wells up.”
Faught is loved and respected because she has given so much to the high school and the kids, Gaines said.
“I think that’s just her. She loves Permian and everyone loves her. There’s no way not to love her,” she said.
Buddy Hale is known as Mr. Mojo, but she considers Faught Ms. Mojo, Gaines said.
Going strong
At 87, Jones said he makes sure Faught is kept out of the rain at games and given foot and hand warmers when needed.
“But don’t let her age fool you, she’s as tough as a boot,” Jones said.
She’s also legendary for speaking her mind, Jones said.
“She’s one of those people that will always say exactly what she thinks.That’s one of the things I admire about her most, you never have to guess what she thinks. She’s true blue,” Jones said.
Her frankness also extends to the kids, he said.
“She holds them accountable and she pushes them to do the right thing, but it’s in a very loving, yet demanding way. ‘You’re not gonna talk back to Ms. Faught, you’re gonna do it,’ because she’s wanting you to do the right thing and be the best that you can be,” Jones said.
How it started
Faught moved to Odessa as a 10-year-old when her mother was transferred by Greyhound Bus from Abilene.
Back then, there were two schools serving students K-12. She went to Austin. The black children attended Blackshear.
She remembers taking her dog and wearing roller skates to the grocery store.
Odessa High School was built in 1949 and 10 years later, Permian came along.
She received her associate’s degree from Odessa College and became a home service advisor for Texas Electric. She said she’d make things in their fully-equipped kitchen so when customers complained they’d smell something good cooking.
She married Elton in ‘57 and together they raised three daughters, Cyndy, Doty and Ginger.
In ‘72-‘73, Faught said she began substitute teaching at Permian and she did that for a couple of years until she was asked to become a registrar.
Every year, Faught would track the same cohort of students as they moved up through the grades. She’d register them for classes, withdraw them, track their grade point averages. She was also there. For tutoring sessions, for dances, for prom, senior night, graduation.
And, of course, for football games.
The Faughts’ daughter, Cyndy, played in Permian’s band. Doty was a Peppette and Ginger, a cheerleader.
Elton even got involved.
“He escorted the band. They’d take about five buses then. They didn’t have the interstate so we had to stop in Abilene. Stop in Stanton. Stop, you know, everywhere,” Faught said. “He’d hold traffic while the buses went through town.”
Long after her children graduated, Faught continued to volunteer.
When she wasn’t fulfilling her registrar duties, Faught said she’d often help out in other ways.
“When the attendance clerk was busy or she was on the phone, I got to pick up so we really interacted. We laughed. We had more fun. The kiddos that I remember went on and were famous. Oh, golly,” she said.
She remembers when girls weren’t allowed to wear pants to school. She also remembers the bust in the ’80s.
“That was very tragic to me, to see the kids so sad and their families losing businesses,” Faught said.
She recalls the ’90s as being fun.
Substituting
Between her job, her children and her volunteerism there weren’t too many families she didn’t know.
“I got to know the families and oh my dear, that was a problem for those kids,” Faught said with a laugh. “I knew personal things about them. I loved that part.”
She loved it so much, after she retired in June 1997, she turned right around and began substitute teaching that fall.
“It’s a much easier life on me to just substitute in the classroom. I don’t have to call parents and I don’t have to give grades,” Faught said.
While she doesn’t get to know nearly as many kids and families as she used to, Faught said the students really haven’t changed much over the years.
She thinks it’s because she hasn’t changed.
“I think that if I treat them with respect and kindness, they will do the same in return,” Faught said.
“I always introduce myself, but I also like to talk to them. ‘What do you think?’ I also always say ‘I don’t care if you’re driving or up here at school, you follow the rules. Life will be easier on you if you’ll follow the rules.’”
She recalls one time a student brushed past her rudely one day after getting upset during a lesson. She learned an hour later a football player “beat the living daylights” out of the rude boy.
“I went straight to his football coach, Gary Gaines, and said ‘This is what happened,’” Faught said. “They gave him in-school-suspension for the rest of the afternoon. He had to have some punishment for being involved.”
She just refuses to accept nonsense, Faught said.
Faught said she often tells students, “Permian people, Permian kids need to act with class.”
There is just something special about Permian, she said.
“Yes, I’ve seen the magic. Yes. Yes. Yes,” Faught said. “There’s a man who is a security officer here and he told me one day last week, he said, ‘There is a feeling of pride. There’s a feeling of spirit here at this school.”
It’s why, Faught continues to sew all of the football players’ names onto their jerseys at the end of the season.
Faught, now a great-grandmother, said she just loves teenagers.
“I have said to many of them ‘If I see you out in the store and you don’t speak to me because you think I don’t know you, you’re in trouble,” Faught said.
She has no current plans to retire.
Why?
“Just the love of it. I still just love being around young people, the kids. They laugh,” she said.
