Lobos? Loboes? How should we spell the name of our school mascot? As first year Sandstorm staff members, we encountered this problem when writing sports stories. We wanted to be correct with the spelling so we initiated a research program which proved inconclusive. It seems not all sources agree as to the correct spelling of this popular word. For example in the "Football '81" section of the October 30 edition of the Odessa American, our mascot's name is spelled lobos and loboes on the same page.
J. Frank Dobie, the renowned western writer, spells the word in singular for LOBO. But what about the plural form?
We consulted a grammar book which states these rules: "A noun ending in "o" precedes by a consonant forms its plural by adding "s" or "es" to the singular.
Finding no satisfaction with the book, we asked Mrs. Jane Winborn, freshmen English teacher, if she could help us. She told us that in the late 40's, the principal of MHS, Mr. Leirede Meadows, wanted the spelling changed to LOBOES because of a cheer done with six cheerleaders which corresponded with the six letters in LOBOES, therefore, the original spelling of the Mascot's name must have been LOBOS.
So, after seeing it spelled one way or the other and sometimes both ways in the same article, we decided that there is no definite correct spelling for the mascot's name. Therefore, for the sake of our readers, since it is easier to use with cheers, and since it has an even number of letters, we will continue to spell this controversial word LOBOE and LOBOES.