Page 25 - Senior Link Magazine Summer 2026 - Online Magazine

LEVELLAND HISTORY

more proactive. After his election as mayor, Dr. Harrison businesses. The works depict birds, animals, and scenes
continuously promoted Levelland for its growing from the Levelland area. The planters and mosaics were
collection of large-scale public art. installed in 2024 on each side of the downtown square.

The Harrisons paid for a glass-tile mosaic for the John and Bette follow in the tradition of Don Stroud
Levelland Chamber of Commerce building around and Burl Cole, using the highest quality materials as
1972, designed by John Meigs and constructed by Frank they create their mosaics to fit a theme that highlights
Gonzales and Levelland artists. Later, Gonzales teamed the location of each mosaic. They have also researched
with Rev. Ellis Langston to create a unique circular the care and maintenance of outdoor mosaics and have
mosaic depicting racial unity for a community center learned the latest restoration techniques used in Italy.
park in North Levelland.
In 2024, the Hopes did an archival restoration to the
Burl Cole and his students created a glass-tile mosaic mosaic mounted on the wall of the Science building at
for the SPC science building in 1974, using New Mexico South Plains College in Levelland. It is the one entitled
artist Ford Ruthling’s design. It is the largest of all the "New Beginning—New Life" created by Cole and his
mosaics and features gold-leaf tile. In 1984, two glass-tile students In 1974. Large areas of the mortar substrate
mosaics depicting the history of early Hockley County became compromised over the decades and had to be
Schools, were unveiled at Hockley County Memorial removed. Restoration involved a painstaking process.
Library. It was designed and created by Cole, with the The intricate design was carefully transferred to a
help of volunteers. John and Bette Hope learned the temporary base, then reapplied once the wall was
mosaic process from Cole during the months of work on stabilized. The process took several months but secured
that project. the artwork for generations to come.

In 2001, John Hope was asked to design a mosaic for the Bette and John have also created and restored mosaics
new Student Services Building on the SPC campus. This elsewhere in Texas and New Mexico. They are currently
large mosaic, “New Morning,” graces the west working on a new mosaic for the Youth Department wall
wall. Created by John and Bette and many volunteers, it inside First Baptist Church of Levelland. Being involved
was featured, along with other mosaics, when the Hopes in preserving the Levelland mosaics and creating new
appeared on Texas Country Reporter in 2006. ones is very important to them, and their commitment
is helping secure Levelland’s reputation as “The City of
The Hopes also completed a two-panel mosaic for the Mosaics” for generations to come.
Hockley County courthouse grounds in 2012, using
the micro-mosaic technique learned when they studied
traditional mosaic methods in Ravenna, Italy in 2005.
Nicole Campbell and the Smith Ford family
commissioned the Hopes to create the mosaic, “New
Horizons,” for their Quick Lane business in 2021.
Working with “Levelland Main Street,” John and Bette
also created designs for 16 new mosaics for downtown.
These 2’x2’ mosaics were mounted on each side of four
cast concrete planters, custom-made by Restorhaus
in Lubbock and sponsored by local residents and

Lubbock Senior Link 25