Page 9 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2024 - Online Magazine

History of
LUBBOCK

The West Texas

WALK OF FAME

by Jonny Verbeten Buddy Holly Statue

quick drive off Exit 3 on I-27 West Texas has produced an
leads to the Cast Iron Grill, astounding number of commercially
A the Buddy Holly Center, and successful artists and musicians
one of the unique gems in Lubbock, including Roy Orbison, Tanya
Texas: The West Texas Walk of Tucker, Joe Ely, Terry Allen, Glenna
Fame. A stroll from the Buddy Holly Goodacre, Natalie Maines, Dirk
Center across Crickets Avenue leads Fowler, and so many more. By the
to a semi-circle filled with names October 2024 induction ceremony,
on plaques and a larger-than-life there will be a total of ninety-five
statue of Buddy Holly with his inductees. Buddy’s statue and the
iconic Stratocaster. The statue was Walk of Fame plaques currently Stubb's BBQ Statue
christened in 1979, the same year reside in the Buddy and
Buddy became the first inductee into Maria Elena Plaza, in
the West Texas Walk of Fame. the heart of the Depot
District, but that was
Buddy’s statue was the result of a not always the case.
long campaign in the 1970s by his Residents of a certain
friend, bandmate, and original Texas age will likely remember
country outlaw, Waylon Jennings, a time when the plaza
who was inducted a year later in was occupied by a large
1980. Jennings teamed up with venue called the Depot
two popular disc jockeys, Larry Warehouse and that
Corbin and Jerry Coleman, and many performers who
they eventually commissioned the eventually wound up Stubb's BBQ Original Location
sculptor, Grant Speed, to build the with their own names on
statue. In 1983, the Civic Lubbock, Walk of Fame plaques performed necessarily internationally known;
Inc. board was asked to take over the on that stage. The original location this led to the creation of a West
management of the Walk of Fame, was closer to the Civic Center on Texas Terrace. When the location
including formalizing criteria for Avenue O. In 1996, there was a was moved to the plaza in 2011,
induction, and they have continued push to recognize individuals who the Walk of Fame and the West
this management ever since. had devoted much of their work to Texas Terrace rejoined, which has
the Lubbock region but were not remained the current model.

Lubbock Senior Link 9