Gladewater Daily Mirror (Gladewater, Tex.), Vol. 5, No. 162, Ed. 1 Sunday, January 31, 1954 Page: 20 of 24
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gladewater Dally Mirror
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Oi5
Beginning Of Local Public Schools
There were r»o public schools In | most important school law, This
the colonic* during Mexican role.
The colonist* asked for n ayatem
of schools, but the country waa
poor and there waa little favorable
act act aside $2,000,000 of the
money received from the United
States as u permanent school fund.
Texas, as you know, received $10,-
aentiment among Mexican leaders 1000,000 for the settlement of her
toward popular education. In the | boundary cluims. This was the bc-
firat convention ever held by the
people of Texas, that of 1832, a
delegate froth San Felipe present-
ed a petition, to be sent to Mexico,
••king for a donation of land for
a public school system.
One of the causes given for a
declaration of independence from
Mexico was the failure of that
country to establish a system of
education in Texas. In the con-
stitution of the Republic of Texas,
which was written in 1836 while
Santa's army was besieging the
Alamo, a clause, reading: “It shall
be the duty of Congress, as soon
as circumstances will permit, to
provide by law a general system
of education,” was included.
When Lamar was president
(1838-1841), he urged Congress to
do something for the schools. He
was so earnest in his recommenda-
tions that he has become known
as the patron saint of the Texas
educational system. In 1838, Con-
gress passed a bill providing that
every county should have three
leagues (13,281 acres) of, land set
aside for the purpose of establish-
ing schoois. But the counties were
slow in surveying the land and
it was not until after the War
between the States that Texas
really began to organize and im-
prove its school system.
In 1854, during Pease’s adminis-
tration, the legislature passed a
The enrollment hud grown to
81 In 1887. T. A. Coleman, father
of Grady Coleman, succeeded
Smith as head of Gladewater
School, which hud now a total of
two teachers. Miss Minnie Foshee,
later Mrs. Minnie Barker, was the
ginning of our present permanent other teacher. These two taught
school fund which has now grown in a frame school house in the
to over $100,000,000. block now enclosed by Dean.
One public school for each coun- Quitman, Ferry, and Upshur
ty seems an humbie provision, but streets,
it was a beginning, and after a
hundred years, we are still trying
to improve our school system.
In 1865 a man named Jarret
Dean and his family left Alabama
in search of good farm lands. They
traveled through Mississippi, Lou-
isiana, and into East Texas where
they found the land that they
wanted. It was fertile, and well
supplied with water from a near-
by crock.
Other families moved near the
Deans, and soon a community was
formed. The new settlers, and the
Texas & Pacific Railway Com-
pany. in about 1872, jointly named
the new community “Gladewater.”
There was established a station
near Glade Creek, from which
spring water was used to fill a
water tower serving locomotives.
Gladewater grew and prospered
as an agriculture center, and in
time schools and churches were
built.
In 1894, J. Henry Smith taught
a one-teachet school in a frame
building. He served as superinten-
dent, principal, and classroom
teacher for less than 50 pupils.
Smith later became County Super-
intendent in Gregg County.
L. L Jeter, T W Lee, A II. Phil-
lips, T. T, Sturdivant, S. D. Todd,
Crawford Vernon and Robert
Wood, secretary.
8. V, Perrtttu served the Glade-
water Schools in 1933 34. Follow,
ing Perrltte was D. T. Smith, 1034-
30.
In 1035, the main building of the
elementary school was built. Also
the junior high part, the boys'
gymnasium, and the tower were
added to the high school building.
The tower now stands visible from
miles away on every approach to
“ the city, and people who survived
An expanded enrollment made the boom davs and lefusod to *et-
it necessary to provide more ade- " ts ' '
In
GHS Business Education Department
Celebrates 20th Birthday This Year
LUTHER KENDALL moved to Gladewater in 1931 and served
the school board for several years beginning in 1937. He and his
wife reside at 823 N. Main and he is retired from the Magnolia
Oil Company, having served with this company for 31 years. He
now runs a small gun shop, mainly as a hobby. The Kendalls
have reared two sons who botli attended the Gladewater schools
W?'
quate room. In 1902 the towns-
people bought the land where the
elementary school now stands and
built a two-story building which
had four classrooms downstairs
and a single large room upstairs.
September 20, 1920, the presi-
dent of the school board, A. D.
Palmer, reported that the hoard
had hired four teachers. The
names and salaries agreed upon
were as follows: Louis F. Benson
of Mi. Pleasant, as principal, at
a salary of $166.65 per month;
Mrs. Louis F. Benson, primary
teacher, $85.00 per month; Miss
Lola Jackson for first intermediate
grades at a salary of $100.00 per
month; and Miss Margaret Monroe
of Longview, for second high in-
termediate grades at a salary of
$100 per month. Three colored
teachers were also employed.
In November of 1920, the crowd-
ed conditions of the school made
it obligatory that all children un-
der school age withdraw from
school. This year children were
transferred from Point Pleasant
community to the Gladewater
School.
On May 19, 1921, the school
board voted to call an election
for floating bonds to build a brick
building. v The voters went to the
polls and east their votes for the
bonds. As the results of the elec-
tion, a pretty red brick school
house at the elementary school
site was Completed in 1922. A. J.
Sanders was superintendent from
1921-24, and Charles A. Shelbv
served from 1924-25. With W. H.
Lewis, superintendent from 1926-
31.
The Gladewater Independent
School District wag incorporated
May 8, 1920, and established Au-
gust 3, 1920. In 1923 the Glade-
water County Line Independent
School District became the name
of the local school district.
The magic touch of oil put
Gladewater on the map. At the
time oil was discovered near the
town in 1930, slightly more than
500 people lived in the then unin-
corporated town. It was dependent
upon timber and agriculture. Then
oil came—almost overnight the
town’s population jumped and the
boom was on. Board sidewalks
and muddy streets were busy
places. As the huge East Texas
field developed, civic-minded citi
zens banded together to build a
city. It was 1936 before Gladewa-
ter settled down and from that
time until the present day U has
continued to build for permanence.
By September, 1931, the red
brick could not house all the school
children. It was inadequate, for
the educational task. Single wall
frame class rooms soon covered
every available space of the cam
pus. While waiting for some of
the first buildings, classes were
held in busses. Some classes were
held in two shifts with children
attending only a half day.
In 1932 the school had grown
to the extent that commencement
exercises had to be held out-of-
doors.
From 1933 forward have been
golden years of the school in
Gladewater. In that year the pres-
ent high school building was com-
pleted in time for the commence-
ment to be in the new auditprium.
Mr. J. W. O'Banion was superin-
tendent in 1931-33. The school
board members in 1933 were: J.
W. Dickson, G. C. Dunaway, J.
A. Godfrey, J. E. Hawkins, J. C.
Jackson, Fred Jeter, L. A. Jeter,
Twenty year* ago, September,
1934, the Business Education De-
partment came into being in the
then new building of the Glade-
water High School. Miss Elizabeth
Benson of Galveston, armed with
a Bachelor and a Master of Busi-
ness Administration Degree from
the University of Texas, and J. D.
Bryant, witn a Bachelor of
Science in Commerce from North
Texas State Teachers College,
were the first teachers in this new
department. Miss Benson is better
known in Gladewater at the pres-
ent time as Mrs .Harold Victory,
404 Live Oak. Miss Benson and
Bryant laid a foundation
in launching this new department
and how wisely they built it is
still very evident 20 years later.
They set up and followed a stand-
ard of work of such- high quality
tie back into obscurity. The Agri-
culture building was added to the
high school, and the kindergarten
primary annex was added to the
elementary building.
Gladewater Public Schools' "Al-
ma Mater” words and music by
Cothbum Madison O’Neal, who
was band director in 1835 and
1936, was given us. It was pub-
lished in the 1936 annual.
F. C. McConnell in 1939-42
(Mrs. McConnel finished out Mc-
Connell’s last term. He went into
the service*; J. J. Traughber in > I
1942-45; Nat Williams in 1945-47; L ... . .
K D “* m7-M 1 lostoHed At High School la 1939
that the courses tn shorthand, typ-
ing, bookkeeping and salesmanship
quickly received accreditation
from the State Department of Ed-
ucation. In the school year 1935
36 secretarial training was added,
ns was business law, and these
two courses were given accredita-
tion. This meant that the work
done by the students, under the
supervision of these teachers was
of such quality that It would be
accepted by colleges throughout
the country for college entrance.
Miss Benson taught in the Glade-
water Business Education Depart-
ment from 1934 through May, 1938.
Bryant was here from 1934 to
May, 1941. ,
Miss Emily Ferguson, with a
Bachelor's Degree from East Tex-
as State, joined the department in
1937 and remained until 1941. On
1938, Miss Woodle Mae Anderson,
from the University of Texas, was
added to the staff, having a tenure
of only on# year. In 1941 Robert
W. Chambers, from North Texas
State, joined the stuff ns tenchcr
of Journalism II, Business English,
.md Commercial Law. Chambers
was on the faculty only that one
year. William Garland Button,
from East Texas State came into
the department In 1941 as teacher
of bookkeeping and typing. Button
was a member of the faculty from
1941 to 1943. Mias Kathleen Nich-
ols was added to the staff in 1941
and remained untfl 1944. Miss
Kathryn Cummings replaced Miss
Nichols in 1944, severing her con-
nection with the school in 1948.
In 1948, E. C. Pennington, from
Sunday, January 31, laiU
East Texas State, took over the
Business Education IN’ufntiiient
and is on the staff ut (Be pr.■ „
time.
In I960 a new field ji business
education was added,»fu„iwn
distributive education, <k'iih
Faulkner us instructor Aftei twu
years, Faulkner resignert*fyih w#|
replaced by John Blevinftl who
at present the instructor plat
field of work and who.alsoleiuhcs
bookkeeping.
All of these courses in the Busi-
ness Education Department are
taught strictly from tftVr Vocation-
al standpoint. The work is of such
nature that the students who come
through the department are able
to make use of It in gaining a live-
lihood after leaving $«|lbol
Printing.. Photography Departments
the schools as superintendents.
Dana Williams came to the pub-
lic schools of Gladewater as super-
intendent in 1950.
The courses of study and the co-
curi icular activities offered by the
Gladewater Schools are among the
best offered by any public school
of the State of Texas. "Its summer
program for both adult* and child-
ren Is excellent.
The administrative staff and the
faculty are well prepared for their
work and strive at all times to be
of service to the school, the
church, and the community of
which they are a part. Included in
the present administrative stair
are Dana Williams, superintend-
ent, J. A. Jones, administrative
assistant, George Lipscomb, prin-
cipal of the junior-senior high
school,.J. K. Kearns, director of
student activities, and Calvin
Brannen, principal of the elemen-
tary school.
Work is under way for a new
elementary school building, a new
gymnasium for the high school,
and a new school building, and
swimming pool for the colored
people.
Local Libraries
Adequately Filled
The Gladewater Public Schools
have been exceedingly fortunate
in having library-minded adminis-
trators who have made possible
adequate library facilities in all
the system. Throughout the state
of Texas there are many schools
which do not have the library
services that are necessary to en-
rich the sehool curriculum and to
furnish the recreational reading
needs of their students. Tbc main-
tenance of high standards in up-
to-date libraries and the employ-
ment of well-trained librarians
have gained for the Gladewater
school system a very high rating
by the Southern Association of
Schols and Colleges.
From a few books placed in
classroom* the libraries of the
Gladewater schools have grown to'
four well-organized, well-adminis-
tered book collections.
In 1939 Superintendent E. C.
McConnell with the school board
setting out to enlarge the voca-
tional field, installed in the high
school two additional departments,
the printing department and pho-
tography department. The purpose
was designed to teach the latest
tyf)c of printing and give the stu-
dents practical experience in
printing the school paper and
yearbook through the offset me-
thod and printing school forms by
the letter press method.
The first teachers in the depart-
ments were printing instructor A.
F. Campbell and photography in-
structor C. L. York. They printed
the 1939-40 yearbook in the school
shop. At that time there was one
printing, one photography, and
one annual class. The paper was
written and edited by English
classes taught by Miss Maude Hall.
In 1940-41 the departments grew
to include York, who taught one
class of journalism (school annual)
and two classes in photography.
Robert Chambers taught one or
two classes in journalism, which
consisted in the writing and mak-
ing up the Bear Facts, the school
paper.
The paper, football program,
yearbook, and most office and
school district printing was done
1 by the N. Y. A. and T. & I. classes
1 with the two high school printing
classes under the direction of
Charles E. Woodson who came
from Denton, where he had been
a printer pressman for T. S. C. W.
Twenty students attended
classes half a day in the N. Y. A.
and T. Si I. classes. The printing
classes grew from one class of ten
students to two classes of 14.
When war was declared in De-
cember, 1941, six months later,
these departments saw another
great change. Having lost all three
instructors, they had to start out
reorganizing the classes and
courses. A. Bryant then took Wood-
son’s and York’s classes and cut
them to one class of photography,
one of printing, and one of annual
work. He taught from the fall of
1942 to September 1944, when
Woodson was again employed.
The end of the war saw another
change In which the printing, pho-
tography, and journalism (annual)
classes grew from one to two
classes each. Woodson taught up
until mid-semester of 1949 J. T.
Cruse filled out that year and
taught until spring of 1950. R. I.
Washburn was then employed and
the printing department went
through another change. The art
work and layout of the school an-
nual was given to the Art De-
partment under the direction of
Bill Neale. The printing and pic-
ture taking and developing re-
mained in the printing, photo-
graphy, and annual classes.
Old and worn out equipment
was replaced under the supervis-
ion of Supcrinthident Dana Wil-
liams and Principal George Lips-
comb present administration
heads. They have also overseen
the installation of a plant unex-
celled in the state as means of off-
set printing. The offset press that
was purchased In 1947 was com-
pletely rebuilt, and new photo-
graphy equipment purchased to
help give a more complete course.
J. L. Rowe, a former student of
C. E. Woodson, is now teaching
the printing and photogruphy
classes.
AMNESIA VICTIM
LISBON, Portugal. <U.R>— Man-
uel Ketuiques, 30, was cleared of
charges of murdering his wife
when she was found alive but suf-
fering from loss of memory, in a
Lisbon hospital. Henrtques bad
been arrested in his country home
and imprisoned for more than a
month on suspicion of murder aft-
er his wife had wandered off and
he was unable to account for her
whereabouts.
OLD BETHEL CHURCH. This picture was taken in 189$* ft shows
a teacher and some of her pupils who went to school In tisr Old
Bethel Church. The teechcr, on (he far left. Is Mrs. J. J. Jeter.
Included arc Otis Norton, Grumer Biucc, R. M. Wood? .Augusta
Johnston Todd, Bell Brazzil Brown, standing, sitting, row.
Eval Stovall Burnett, Bennie Wood (these two were vtjhtag that
day); one the top row, standing left to right, Ulu Allison Hukabv.
Maude Watkins Wood and Anne Shepperd Started. The boy stand-
ing with a hat on is Oscar Victory, The building wiuijislite old
when this picture was made, but had b«eo the replacement of
another building which had been made of logs. The same building
was used for church services. This picture is the property of
R. M Wood and he acquired his information concerning H’frorn
W H. (Dump) Victory, She died at about 98 years of age. (Repro-
duction of this picture whs difficult dui* to its uge and state.'
ANY WAY YOU WANT TO FIGURE IT
PRECOCIOUS PERCUSSIONIST
WHEELING, W. Va. (U.PJ—The
youngest member of the Wheeling
Symphony Orchestra will not be
shaving for several years. Donald
Morehead, 13, was taken into the
regular orchestra as a drummer as
soon as he tried out for the train-
ing orchestra. He has played with
the Benwood Union High School
band for three years,-.plthough he
did not enter the school until this
year.
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biHldbi^WA|TER iS i^e^tk^ch ™™)crn high scho°* gymnasium will be located Just east of, and across the street from, the agriculture
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WeVe Proud
-i'1'
OF OUR
GLADEWATER
SCHOOLS!
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We Are Proud Of The
Gladewated School System Because
Of its outstanding educational program.
Of its modern and up to date facilities.
Of its highly Trained and efficient faculty.
IHHI m 1111 H
FIRST STATE BANK
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Belk, Jeanne. Gladewater Daily Mirror (Gladewater, Tex.), Vol. 5, No. 162, Ed. 1 Sunday, January 31, 1954, newspaper, January 31, 1954; Gladewater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1021314/m1/20/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Lee Public Library.