This is a blog for old timers, plus their friends and families, who are linked by memories of Sugar Land and its schools or have an avid interest in the history of Sugar Land.
Many of you know that Billy Cason died last month. I didn't know till recently he won the first Kempner Scholarship awarded in the spring of 1954. I've posted an abbreviated newspaper article from an unknown paper. I've also posted scans of a more detailed Texas Coaster article. I thought the account of the ceremony and Mr. Louviere's speech was impressive.
My thanks to the H. L. Jenkins family for copies of these articles, and of course my condolences to the Cason family.
My thanks to Ella Jenkins Patterson (M.R. Wood '65) for providing me with the following 5 pictures of Mayfield Park history. Any pictures relating to M. R. Wood School are very hard to find. I know the Sugar Land Heritage Society would like to have copies for their collection. I'll be happy to arrange contacts if anyone has pictures or memorabilia to donate.
1. Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church Choir:Top row: Deacon H. L. Smith, Deacon Leon Weams, Brother Chester Harris, Brother Connie Upson, Brother Heywood Davis. Bottom row: Sister Lillian Matthews, Sister Essie Smith, Sister Doris Scott (pianist), Sister Ella B. Jenkins, Rev. Eddie Thomas (Pastor) , Sister Mae Esther Thomas (Pastor's wife) Sister L. W. Williams.
2. Rev. Eddie Thomas pastor's anniversary - 1980's. Note: September 2010 was Pastor Thomas' 49th year at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church. People listed:Rev. C. G. Wilkins (speaker), Sister Ella B. Jenkins, Rev. Eddie Thomas (pastor), Sister Mae Esther Thomas (pastor's wife), Rev. Jewell Jenkins Sr. and Brenda Robinson (pianist). Note: Rev. & Mrs. Jewell Jenkins escorted the pastor and wife into the Church for the anniversary ceremony.
3. Class listing 1965 - the last class to graduate from the old M. R. Wood High School.
4. Two pages - May 1965 graduation program - noting Attorney Barbara Jordan as the Speaker.
5. M. R. Wood School in the 1940's, maybe. The lady on the top row behind the boys with the bats in their hands was Miss Annie Scott. She was the principal at that time. Note: M. R. Wood was grades 1 through 12 even in 1965.
My thanks to Irene Cantu Amaro (DHS '71) who sent me this copy of the Imperial Crown. You'll see on page 5 that her father, Carlos Cantu, had just retired. Unfortunately, he died shortly afterward. These company newspapers are very interesting if you come from an 'Imperial family.' I recognize a lot of names and people in these photos.
Marsh Krause Smith (DHS '68) sent me a note a few weeks ago saying one of our Dulles classmates, Priscilla Coleman Harden, was a contestant on the Food Network's program, "America's Worst Cooks." (There's a link to the newspaper article below.) I thought this was a hoot because Priscilla sat right behind me in Mrs. McGinnis's home room for two years. I presume Bytherd Varnau would have a fit if she knew one of her girls was on a show like this.
I don't have cable television, so I haven't kept up with the competition. If you watch the Food Network and tune in to the show, vote early and often for Priscilla. (The bottom link will take you to the show's Web site.)
(Update) I got a note from Robert Brandon, also in the Class of '68, saying Priscilla was eliminated a few weeks ago. I guess you can view that as good bad news or good news.
I found this article about Mr. Edward Earnest in Dot Hightower's files. (My thanks to her & Scotty for letting me scan it.) I don't know the date. The paper was obviously the FBISD in-house bulletin.
A few months ago I posted a brief history the Earnest children wrote about their parents. If you haven't read it yet, you may want to. It contains some interesting details about two educators who were very important to this area.
Here's an article from the Fort Bend Mirror published on October 21, 1970. The City of Sugar Land had recently announced the creation of two city parks, one just west of the Wood Street bridge on the north bank of Cleveland Lake and the other north of Kempner Stadium.
Both parks still exist. The park on 7th Street north of Kempner Stadium is a beehive of activity to this day with its athletic fields and swimming pool in virtually year-round use. (Not the pool, of course. No polar bears here in Sugar Land.)
I posted an earlier version of this several months ago. This has a few more pictures, plus images of a 1960 class ring and a charm. I'd never seen these before. In fact, I'd never seen a Dulles ring with a red stone. As I recall, the Class of '68 had two options: a blue stone or an onyx one. Everyone got a blue stone because the company rep said, "You don't want an onyx stone. It'll chip."
Thanks to B.J. Binford Pitts (DHS '61) for creating the album. I guess the Class of '60 needed a youngster to help them with this new technology.
