By Louis Zylka
The 830 Times
The school district reopens the historic Cody Wardlaw Gymnasium, returning the facility to its
glory days.
The San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District
renovated Cody Wadlaw Gymnasium on Monday evening. Rios said it is wonderful to see the
gym restored and open for the community again. (Photo by Louis Zylka)
(SFDR-CISD) and the city of
Del Rio invited the community to the grand re-opening of the Cody Wardlaw Gym, 216 W. Martin
St.
The gymnasium is not only a place for students and community organizations to use, but is
important in preserving the history of SFDR-CISD and Del Rio.
As mentioned in a documentary
screened at the ribbon cutting, the gym was originally built in the 40s and opened in 1951 in
memory of the late Cody Wardlaw.
School Board Vice President Joshua Overfelt was in the documentary and said the gym was
famous because of how loud the gym got inside during a game.
game played at the newly renovated Cody Wardlaw Gymnasium unveiled on Monday evening.
After the unveiling, sixth, fourth and fifth grade teams were invited to play the first games inside
the gym. San Felipe Del Rio CISD Athletic Director Frenchey McCrea said it is amazing to see
the gym open, which adds more opportunities for students to play sports. (Photo by Louis Zylka)
With the expansion of new
campuses, including the opening of the Del Rio Middle School during 2004-2005, several
facilities were boarded up and closed down, including Cody Wardlaw.
The school district had hoped to bring that same energy and spirit back to the gym. Thus, the
agreement between the city and the school district to start renovations at Cody Wardlaw began
late April 2023. Renovations started in Dec. 2024, and the gym went through final inspections
during August.
School board members, city representatives and various students attended the ribbon cutting on
Thursday evening. Relatives of the Cody Wardlaw were also in attendance to represent their
family’s legacy.
Sandra Hernandez, chief administrative officer for SFDR-CISD, said this renovation is an
example of the ongoing collaboration between the school district and the city to work on projects
to benefit students and the community.
School Board President Raymond P. Meza thanked everyone that was involved in bringing this
project to fruition. While the gym looks and feels brand new, Meza said the echoes of people
cheering inside sound the same as they did years ago.
Mayor Al Arreola was also in attendance to talk about how this two-and-a-half year project is
important for the youth of the community. He told all the students who attended to “take care of
it.”
Overfelt and Martin Wardlaw, the nephew of Cody Wardlaw, shared some words as well.
Overfelt said how it had become a “dream come true” for him to see the gym open to the public
again. Martin said his family is proud of the district and city for preserving the essence of what
makes the gym special.
“This is such a great memorial for my family,” Martin said. “I cannot thank you enough for the
way you all extended (my uncle’s) memory. I love y’all.”
School District Superintendent Dr. Carlos Rios shared the final words of the ceremony by saying
how Cody Wardlaw will be used for physical education (P.E.) and athletic courses at Garfield
Middle School, and the city could then use the gym after school hours for any other purpose.
After the unveiling, the first games were held inside. Two teams played simultaneously: The Del
Rio Hustle against the Del Rio Titans on one side, and the Del Rio Queens against the Del Rio
Mambas on the other.
The Queens and the Mambas were the first to start playing, and Paulina Esquivel, player for the
Del Rio Queens, made the first basket during the first official game held inside the newly
renovated Cody Wardlaw Gymnasium.
