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  • Naomi Murdock Trotman poses for the camera. The young beauty was named Lon Morris College’s last “Football Sweetheart” in 1940. Courtesy of the Cherokee County Historical Commission

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September 4, 2010

LMC’s last football sweetheart

By Deborah Burkett, Cherokee County Historical Commission

Special to the Progress Jacksonville Daily Progress

JACKSONVILLE — Naomi Murdock Trotman is the epitome of the phrase “beauty and brains”.

Born on a farm near Palestine and reared in Rusk, this small town east Texas girl touched everyone with her winsome smile and endearing personality.  

While attending Rusk High School in 1938, Naomi was selected as a Jacksonville Tomato Festival Princess and later after graduation she entered Stephen F. Austin as a freshman.  

There she was named, along with three other girls, Freshman Beauty.  

Transferring to Lon Morris College, Naomi really blossomed.  

At the time, Zula Holcomb Pearson was drama teacher and Zula’s husband, Arch Pearson was a coach.  

Inspired by Zula, Naomi became a drama and speech major and soon starred in a one act play entitled “Sound and the Fury”.  

She and other members of the drama department traveled East Texas and under Zula’s direction the play was a hit everywhere it was staged.   

Naomi has the distinction of being the Last Football Sweetheart at Lon Morris.  

She was selected for the honor in 1940, which became the last season for the sport until this year.

Beneath her yearbook photograph, the staff printed funny and illuminating phases to describe this transfer — sophisticate…glamour ‘goil’…looks like pink ice cream…a blonde Hedy Lamar…camera shy…

After Lon Morris, Naomi continued her education and ultimately received a Master’s Degree in Education from SMU and taught in the Garland school system for more than 30 years with an additional five years spent as a Master Teacher.  

Naomi married Josh Trotman and together they had two sons.  

Naomi’s second cousin, Marvin Troublefield of Rusk shares, “Naomi is a wonderful mother and wife, good cousin too … One of her sons, we call him ‘Little Josh’ was a Marine in Vietnam.  He was a member of the helicopter crew who evacuated the personnel from the US Embassy during the fall of Saigon … Naomi’s other son, Jim is a very accomplished professional photographer in North Carolina; Naomi has many grandchildren …”  

On the phone from her phone in Dallas, Naomi remembers her days at Lon Morris College.

“Lon Morris was a wonderful institution in the 1940s; still is,” she said. “So glad to see it growing and I believe students who attend the college will be blessed — I know I was …”

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