The Dallas Journal, Volume 56, 2010 Page: 17
128 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Genealogical Records of Superintendents of
The Dallas Independent School District 1884 - 2010
Barbara A. Ware
By chance a school district colleague and fellow genealogist inquired about the members of the
Dallas Board of Trustees and Superintendents who might be buried at Oakland Cemetery. The
transcription of that historic cemetery is an on-going project of the Dallas Genealogical Society.
The work of transcription has spawned several additional projects and articles. Most interesting
to this author are those dealing with the public schools.
The lists of the names and terms of office of the Dallas Independent School District Board of
Education Members and Superintendents are readily available. Most notable is the compilation
found in Education in Dallas: Ninety-two Years of History 1874-1966 by Walter J.E. Schiebel,
Ed. D. published by the district in 1966. More recently, Robert L. Johnston, former teacher,
administrator and Board of Education secretary, published an updated list "Dallas School
Officials 1884-2000," on the Dallas County Texas Archives website' maintained by Jim Wheat.
The book and the list were the basis for developing this enhanced compendium of genealogical
detail about school officials. This article covers the genealogical records of the superintendents.
The board presidents will be covered in a separate article.
. Schools had been operated by itinerate teachers for years, but public
schools began in Dallas around 1875. In 1877 the city council chose
S four trustees and levied taxes to operate public schools. The first
-4 A superintendent was hired in 1884.
- Dallas schools were under the control of the Dallas City Council
until 1947. At that time Dr. W. T. White, worked through the state
legislature to amend the charter of the city of Dallas to sever the
public schools from the city thereby forming the Dallas Independent
School District free to go directly to the citizens of Dallas without
approval of its budget by the city council.
Recompense Stanbery The picture of second superintendent at the school administration
building, shown at the left, is labeled "R. Stanbery."
The superintendents who have served the Dallas schools on the average age were 51 years old
when appointed to the position. But, they have not all be late-career individuals. In 1893, the
city fathers hired 34-year old John Lawson Long, an educator who served 15 years as
superintendent. In the early years, a superintendent's tenure may have only been a few years.
Some notable exceptions were W. T. White (23 years), N. R. Crozier (16 years), J. L. Long (15
years), Justin F. Kimball (10 years), and Nolan Estes (10 years). Each of these men had a Dallas
school building named for him. When W. T. White was appointed superintendent in 1945, his
contract was for two years and his salary was $10,000 per year. He became the longest serving
superintendent.
The Dallas Journal, 2010 17
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Dallas Genealogical Society. The Dallas Journal, Volume 56, 2010, periodical, October 2010; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth186869/m1/19/?rotate=270: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Genealogical Society.