FIRST ROBERT LEE SCHOOL BEGAN IN 1891 - Coke County, TX Contributed by Jo Collier 7 September 2003 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/tx/txfiles.htm ********************************************************************* FIRST ROBERT LEE SCHOOL BEGAN IN 1891 Taken from Robert Lee Observer issued Thursday, May 18, 1967 Written by Mrs. Bryan Yarbrough Robert Lee had two short-term schools in the town's first year, 1891. According to the memory of pioneer citizens, one school was taught in the back room of the two-story house (no longer in existence) which was a hotel in Hayrick and was occupied by several different families at different times after it was moved to Robert Lee. The house, stood at the corner of Austin Avenue and East 9th Street. It was at differnt times occupied by the families of John D. Walling, Dr. F. K. Turney, Dr. Eaton, Dr. J. K. Griffith, and Frank Percifull. Mrs. W. H. Wyatt remembers attending a short-term school taught in the back room of that house but she does not recall the teacher's name. That school was taught in the summer months of 1891. Another school was a short-term subscription school taught by Miss Lucy McCarty (McCarthy?) in the spring or summer of 1891. That school was taught in a residence that later was known as the Stickney residence. It was located in Block 28, one block west of the present site of Robert Lee Baptist Church. Equipment for those first schools was extremely meager. According to one student who attended, the seats consisted of planks laid across and held up by boxes. Books were scarce. There were no lunchrooms, and most of the students carried their lunches from home in tin, lard pails. It is recalled that at one of the schols, the seats would be cleared away or pushed aside, and the pupils and teacher played swing games such as "shoot the Buffalo" or "Skip-to-my-Lou" for their physical exercises. It is remembered that the girls would urge the boys to choose the teacher for a partner lest she ring the bell sooner if she did not happen to be chosen. FIRST SCHOOL BUILDING Robert Lee folk had high hopes for the town, and they desired educational opportunities for the children. A somewhat pretentious two-story building was soon provided. The building had very high walls. The lower floor consisted of a foyer, a corrridor with a long stairway, and two large classrooms. The upstairs floor consisted of a belfry and a room below the belfry (used to store lunch boxes or buckets,) a corridor and two large classrooms. The building was located on what is now the east end of the football field. At first only three teachers were employed here, but soon all four roooms were occupied by teachers with a roomful of students in each. Before many years, two large classrooms were added on the north with a corridor containing another long stairway between the new and the older parts of the building. Then the faculty grew to six. Some of the teachers may not have been too well qualified, but it is recalled that some very fine and well-qualified teachers taught here in the early days. Some who were considered excellent teachers were Mr. O.L. Gardner, W. T. Savage, Mrs. T. D. Evans, Edgar Lockhart (who later taught many years at the University of Texas and West Texas State Teacher's College at Canyon), W. H. Bodenheimer, who was a very fine Latin teacher and whose wife was a graduate of the Curry Schol of Speech in Boston, Mass., and was an exceptionally well-qualified speech teacher. Mr. L. S. Bird was considered an excellent teacher of speech and literature and primary standouts were Mary Russell and Naomi Lee Powell. The Robert Lee School, as most Texas schools, have been handicapped through most of its years from lack of adequate funds to operate the kind of school its patrons would like to have; however, the quality of equipment and the required qualifications for teachers have steadily improved. A two-story brick building was constructed in 1923, with a new wing and a gymnasium being added some years later. All of that part of the building is in need of repairs and replacements are being planned. That part of the school plant built in 1955 is in good condition. The quality of instruction is being steadily upgraded. Robert Lee had 360 students in 1965-67. The enrollment at the beginning of the 1966-67 term was 427. Present enrollment is 480, an 33-1/3 percent increase over last year. Robert Lee schools now employ 26 certified teachers, including the superintendent and two principals who do part-time teaching, five teacher aides, one librarian, one school secretary, one tax assessor-collector, five lunchroom cooks and two custodians. During school months the school operates the biggest transportation system in the county and the biggest food service in the city. The payroll rivals any payroll in the county, and with the increase in teachers salaries which is anticipated for 1967-68, the school payroll should have an increased impact on the economy of the city and county. Head teachers who have taught in Robert Lee Schools include: Miss Lucy McCarty (or McCarthy), Sam Hearrell, Frank E. Thomas, S. O. Richardson, John A. Stewart, O. L. Gardner, W. T. Savage, T. D. Evans, W. J. McFarland, F. T. St. John, W. L. Bishop, W. H. Bodenheimer, J. L. Hall, L. E. Crutcher, James (Jim) Tunnell, L. E. Crutcher, L. H. Rhodes, C. R. Wofford, L. S. Bird, J. L. Sullivan, L. E. Suumner, Roy Crouch, Wesley Edwards, L. C. Pyler, B. M. Gramling, George L. Taylor, M. G. Hannaford, B. C. Goodwin, Frank Coalson, Harvey Latham, Dorman Thomas and Jimmy Bickley. Permission granted by the Observer/Enterprise for Publication in the Coke County TXGenWeb Archives.