And now for something new
by Sean Sutcliffe on June 23rd, 2022 | 0 CommentsNew buildings - for an existing organization, business, or church they are an opportunity to attract new members or customers and generate new excitement among current members and customers. This month we look briefly at the stories of two new buildings.
Sacred Heart Catholic Church traces its roots to the early 1950s when the priest at St. Francis Catholic Church wanted to start a new church for people living in the area around the Circle. To this end, four acres of land on Bagby near 26th street were bought in 1953. Construction of the new church began in early 1957 and on June 30, 1957, 65 years ago this month, members and guests joined together to dedicate the new Sacred Heart Catholic Church at 2621 Bagby. But wait, there’s more.
By the early 1980s, the church had grown to the point that talk began of building a new, larger sanctuary. In 1986, the church started a building fund. Donations, fundraising projects, and sales of tamales (lots of them) raised more than $1 million for the new building. On Saturday, June 27, 1992, 30 years ago this month and, at the time, 35 years after the previous sanctuary was dedicated, members and guests once again gathered to dedicate a new sanctuary.
While Sacred Heart members were raising money for their new facility, a major change in Waco’s health care scene was also occurring in the 1980s. Providence Hospital, established in 1904 as Providence Sanitarium operated by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, had been providing health care for local residents at its facility between 17th and 18th streets on Colcord (originally called Vermont Street). In the early 1970s, the hospital constructed a new, modern building on the same site. Then in August 1985, hospital officials announced that the facility was considering moving to a site on Highway 6 next to DePaul Center psychiatric hospital, itself operated by Providence. More than a year later, on Wednesday, October 1, 1986, hospital president Kent Keahey confirmed that a new hospital would be built on Highway 6.
On Friday, June 26, 1987, officials broke ground on the new hospital near Highway 6 and Sanger next to the post office that opened in early 1984. After nearly two years of construction, hospital officials and others dedicated the new Providence Health Center at 6901 Medical Parkway on Sunday, April 9, 1989. Over the next week the hospital moved equipment and patients to the new facility. On Monday the 17th the hospital opened for its first full day of operation, thus completing a project that began with the turning of dirt 35 years ago this month.
References and further reading
Bulmahn, Lynn. “Providence eyes new site”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 29 Aug 1985, p. 1A
Bulmahn, Lynn. “Providence plans to relocate”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 2 Oct 1986, p. 1A
Bulmahn, Lynn. “New era begins for Providence”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 16 Apr 1989,
p. 1A
“New church is dedicated on Sunday”. Waco News-Tribune, 1 Jul 1957, p. 1
“Permanent church site bought for Sacred Heart”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 28 Apr 1963,
p. 8E
“Providence Health Center”. Vertical file.
Ryan, Terri Jo. “Sacred Heat turns 50”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 23 Jun 2007, p. 8A
“Sacred Heart Catholic Church”. Vertical file.
Watthuber, Kristie. “It’s the church that faith and tamales built”. Waco Tribune-Herald,
28 Jun 1992, p. 1C
Challenger Little League
by Sean Sutcliffe on April 1st, 2022 | 0 CommentsWhen we think of baseball or softball, we typically think of hitting a home run, catching a fly ball, sliding into or stealing a base, or making a double play, for example. We may think of great stars from the past and star players of the current season. But what about baseball for people who are unable to hit a home run or slide or have difficulty stealing a base? Challenger Little League provides the opportunity for people with disabilities to play baseball with the assistance of volunteers.
Little League began the Challenger division in 1989. In 1990, Little League in Waco asked umpire Don Deatherage to work on starting a local Challenger league. He enlisted the help of Michelle McCollum and Lupe Rosas. Even though none of them had disabled children, they enthusiastically took on the project. They began that year with 34 players on three teams.
Over the years interest in the league grew as did the number of teams. Thanks to donations of time, equipment, and materials, the league was able to build a special baseball diamond for the games at the Lake Air Little League fields on New Road. Adjustments for Challenger League include shorter distances between bases and padding on the paths from base to base to protect the players and to offer easier movement for players who use walkers or wheelchairs. The program uses “buddies”, volunteer who help players hit, catch, and move from base to base.
In 2017 the league, which serves ages 4-18, started a league for those 19-and-older to give them a chance to continue playing. Thus, Challenger League now has no age limit. Participants can play until they decide to stop.
31 years after starting, Waco’s Challenger League has grown to more than 150 players and more than 10 teams assisted by many volunteers who make the league possible.
So, when you think of the stars of baseball, think also of those who, while perhaps not able to hit, run, or walk well, still enthusiastically give it all they can. Think of those volunteers who give their time to help others have a good time, whether through organizing the league or helping the players. They are the stars of Challenger Little League.
Bibliography and further reading
In November 2018 I had the privilege of doing an oral history interview with Don Deatherage, Michelle McCollum, and Lupe Rosas. This interview is being digitized and transcribed by Baylor University’s Institute for Oral History and will eventually be available on its website, https://www.baylor.edu/library/index.php?id=974108 or https://digitalcollections-baylor.quartexcollections.com/special-libraries-collections/oral-history
Anderson, Mike. “Gotta have heart”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 10 Jun 2001, p. 1A
Copeland, Mike. “Growing Challenger”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 16 Apr 2018, p. 1A
Oates, Elizabeth. “Play ball!” Waco Today, June 2015, p. 39
Smith, Cassie L. “Challenger expands fun”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 23 Apr 2017, p. 1A
51 years of educating the community: the old Waco High School on N. 19th
by Sean Sutcliffe on March 23rd, 2022 | 0 CommentsThe Waco High School Lofts on Columbus. If you have lived in the Waco area since 2010, you may have heard of and possibly driven by them. Waco High School on N. 42nd. You may have driven by or near the school, maybe you attended school there, or perhaps you heard about it due to the recent bond election to fund the construction of a new campus. But do you know about Waco High School on N. 19th Street?
First, some history: Central High School, which was located at 4th and Webster, essentially where Hoffman Banana Co. was located for many years, served white public school students from 1887 until 1912. In 1912, a new high school, called Waco High School, opened at 815 Columbus.
Fifty-four years later, in December 1966, the Waco Independent School District board approved holding a February election to get voter approval to sell $2 million in bonds each year from 1967 through 1969 to fund, among other things, the construction of new high schools in the Jefferson Urban Renewal area and on N. 19th as well as what would eventually be called Viking Hills Elementary School. On Tuesday, February 21, 1967, a majority of Waco voters approved the bond package (and also approved a separate $17 million city of Waco bond package).
While Viking Hills was dedicated in November 1968 and construction started on the Jefferson school about mid-1969, higher interest rates in 1969 required Waco ISD to go back to voters to ask that they approve new bonds at the higher rate to fund the construction of the new North Waco high school.
As the election approached, then-Superintendent Avery Downing expressed concern that if the new bond election failed, the district would be forced to move students around as Jefferson-Moore High School was then under construction and would replace both Waco and Moore high schools. Waco ISD’s other high schools were University and Richfield. According to newspaper reports, he feared that a failed election would result in “volatile shifting” and would “set this town ablaze”. Fortunately for Waco ISD, a majority of voters approved the new bonds in the election held on November 18, 1969.
In September 1970, while the new high schools were being built, student government leaders from both Waco and Moore high schools asked the district to keep those names for the new schools. As history shows us, only Waco High students were fully successful in that quest, while the new school on Jefferson Avenue was given the name Jefferson-Moore High School.
A little more than four years after the original bond election and a year and a half after the second, on Friday, May 7, 1971, Waco High School students left the school and walked the four miles to their new school. Robert Evans led the procession, just as he did in 1912 when students walked from Central High School to the new Waco High on Columbus.
Waco ISD school consolidation plans in the early 1980s meant the end of Waco High on N. 19th after only 15 years of use. At the start of the 1986-87 school year, Waco, Jefferson-Moore, and Richfield high schools all merged into one Waco High School on the Richfield campus on N. 42nd.
In April 1986 McLennan Community College and Waco ISD officials began discussing the possibility of the college buying the school when it closed at the end of the 1985-86 school year. On Thursday, March 5, 1987, the Waco ISD board voted to sell the former Waco High School to MCC for $3 million.
After buying the facility, MCC made some renovations, moved some of its programs into the building, and paved the former football practice field to provide more parking spaces. In May 1988, MCC renamed the building the Community Services Center. Thus, 51 years after it opened, 36 years after it closed, and 35 years to the month since Waco ISD agreed to sell it to MCC, the former Waco High School on N. 19th continues to serve the community as a place of education.
Bibliography and further reading
Bonds would buy sites for school”. Waco News-Tribune, 15 Feb 1967, p. 1A
Cantrell, Roger. “School trustees plan $6 million bond issue”. Waco News-Tribune, 16 Dec 1966, p. 1
“Downing warns of student shuffle if voters fail to pass bond plan”. Waco News-Tribune, 13 Nov 1969, p. 1A
“Former high school renamed”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 25 May 1988, p. 1B
“Future of Waco High becomes point of discussion school bond issue”. Waco News-Tribune, 15 Feb 1967, p. 10A
Gines, Sandra. “MCC trustees OK preliminary parking plans”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 13 Jan 1988, p. 1B
Hoover, Carl. “MCC eyes WISD campus”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 19 Apr 1986, 1B
“Ideal high school for Waco students”. Waco Morning News, 28 Jan 1912, p. 13
McNabb, Linda. “WISD votes to sell Waco High to MCC district for $3 million”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 6 Mar 1987, p. 1A
Sadler, Bob and Roger Cantrell. “Waco voters give city, school bond issues decisive win in surprisingly big turnout”. Waco News-Tribune, 22 Feb 1967, p. 1
Shipp, Dixie. “Waco gives approval to school bond issue”. Waco News-Tribune, 19 Nov 1969, p. 1
“Trustees OK new Waco High School”. Waco News Tribune, 14 Jul 1971, p. 1A
Tweedle, Renee. “Same school names sought by students”. Waco News-Tribune, 3 Sep 1970, p. 2A
Tweedle, Renee. “Waco High students walkout…but for a stroll to new school”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 8 May 1971
Photo Gallery
The Unveiling of the Waco Convention Center, January 1972
by Sean Sutcliffe on January 18th, 2022 | 0 CommentsThe Waco Convention Center celebrates the 50th anniversary of its ribbon cutting this month. This ceremony on Saturday, January 15, 1972, completed a process that actually began in 1956. It also came nearly 11 years after the city’s major convention facility, the Roosevelt Hotel, closed in August 1961 to be converted into a retirement center.
In February 1956, the Waco City Council approved a contract with Harland Bartholomew and Associates to prepares Waco’s first master plan. One of the many suggestions to come from this major undertaking was that the city build a convention center. In May 1959, the Waco Chamber of Commerce Convention Committee appointed a sub-committee to study the needs for a convention center.
Several years passed until Tuesday, March 15, 1966 the Waco City Council approved having the Waco Urban Renewal Agency file an application for a federal grant to plan the city’s 5th project, this one stretching from 12th Street to the Brazos River between Washington and Franklin. At the same time, the agency would also file an application with HUD’s Community Facilities Division for funding to plan a convention center in the area east of 4th street. At the time of this council action the plan envisioned a hotel near the convention center and the construction of future government buildings in the area around the square.
In addition to needing land on which to build the center, money was another challenge. The city decided to fund it using bonds to be included in a $17 million bond proposal to pay for other projects and improvements in the city. On Tuesday, February 21, 1967, Waco voters approved the bond package, $2.25 million of which would be used to fund the construction of a convention center.
On Thursday September 26, 1968, the Waco Convention Center Committee expressed its support for the plans of the proposed convention center, a model of which was displayed at that year’s Heart O’ Texas Fair for the public to see pending Waco City Council approval.
Architectural plans were not the only part of preparing for the construction of the center. The Brazos Urban Renewal Project, part of Waco’s overall Urban Renewal program, had the responsibility of buying the lots on which the facility would be built, lots occupied by other buildings that needed to be demolished. More than 40 parcels of land were obtained, and this process continued well into 1969. Finally, in March 1970, the City of Waco awarded a contract for $2.598 million for the construction of the center.
The convention center hosted its first meeting, the Texas Surgical Society, in October 1971, followed by the official dedication in January.
Since then, an expansion project finished in 1988 enlarged the convention center by 20,000 square feet. Then in May 2007, a majority of Waco voters approved a bond package that included funding for a complete renovation of the center, including changes to the exterior. A formal celebration marking the end of the project was held in August 2012.
As an interesting side note, in August 1972 the Waco City Council approved the sale of land between 3rd and 4th and Washington and Austin to Aminex Development Corp. for the construction of a six-story hotel to serve the convention center. However, it would be nine years before the convention center had a convention hotel when the Hilton opened next to the center in 1981.
Congratulations to the Waco Convention Center for 50 years of hosting events from near and far.
Bibliography and further reading
“Civic center vital as business ‘lure’”. Waco News-Tribune, 14 Feb 1967, p. 1A
Copeland, Mike. “Waco building to grow”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 24 Dec 1986, p. 1A
“Council approves recommendations for land use in convention center”.
Waco News-Tribune, 20 Dec 1967, p. 1A
“Council favors downtown plan”. Waco News-Tribune, 16 Mar 1966, p. 1
Dye, Bob. “Convention center plans advanced; model will be displayed at fair”.
Waco News-Tribune, 27 Sep 1968, p. 1A
“Planning under way for convention center”. Waco News-Tribune, 7 Jun 1967, p. 6
“Ribbon cutting called his proudest by mayor”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 16 Jan 1972, p. 1A
Travis, Marion. “City’s civic center to have eye appeal for visitors”. Waco Tribune-Herald,
3 Jul 1971, p. 1A
“Waco urban plan, funds acted upon”. Waco New-Tribune, 12 Jun 1969, p. 1A
“Ward will head panel to study convention needs”. Waco News-Tribune, 15 May 1959
p. 7A
“With many changes, civic-convention center grew out of 1956 master plan”.
Waco Tribune-Herald, 16 Jan 1972, p. 2H
Celebrating Hispanic culture and helping some of our veterans, October 1946
by Sean Sutcliffe on November 15th, 2021 | 0 CommentsDia de la Raza at St. Francis Catholic Church
It’s October and that means it’s time for “Fiesta de la Raza”, sometimes also known as “Dia de la Raza”. This year, historic St. Francis Catholic Church is celebrating its 75th annual Fiesta de la Raza. The event is the celebration of Christopher Columbus arrival in this hemisphere and the start of the Hispanic race and culture through the contact and mixing of the Europeans and indigenous peoples, such as the Aztecs, who were already living in this hemisphere. Mexico first recognized the event as a national holiday in 1928, but it is also celebrated in other Latin American countries, though sometimes under different names such as “Dia de la Culturas”, “Dia de la Resistencia Indigena”, and “Dia de las Americas”.
Waco’s celebration of Fiesta de la Raza at St. Francis Catholic Church traces its beginning to 1946. According to church records, the idea for the event originated with Father Anthony Frontera, who came to the church during the Great Depression. He wanted to educate parishioners about their Hispanic and Catholic heritage and instill a sense of pride.
Since its start the fiesta has included food and games as well as presentations by music groups and folklorico dancers.
*A huge thanks to St. Francis Catholic Church Parish Business Administrator Orlando Salas for providing me with helpful information
Free cars for disabled World War II veterans, October 1946
While researching Dia de la Raza, I accidentally found an article that relates to a question a customer asked several years ago for which I could not find an answer and with which I was not familiar. Best I can remember he or she asked about World War II veterans who were physically disabled while serving receiving free cars after the war.
On August 8, 1946, President Truman signed Public Law 79-663 as passed by Congress. Part of the law provided $1,600 for disabled WWII veterans to use to buy a car, with special equipment if need be. So it was that 75 years ago this month and a little more than a year after the end of the war, the Waco Tribune-Herald reported that about 75 local veterans who lost one or both legs or lost the use of one or both legs during the war had bought cars using the $1,600. In September, Thomas White, who lost a leg during battle while serving with the 36th Division, became the first local resident to get a free car. Also among the 75 was Andrew Law Jr., the first African American veteran in Waco to receive the benefit and get a car. While serving with the 585th Engineer Co. on New Guinea in August 1942 he was injured and lost the use of his right leg. He was discharged in June 1943 with 100% disability.
References and further reading
“75 veteran who lost use of limbs obtain cars here”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 13 Oct 1946, Section II, p. 2
Administrator of Veterans Affairs. “Annual report for the fiscal year ending June 30 1946”. Washington D.C. : United States Government Print Office, 1947. https://www.va.gov/vetdata/docs/FY1946.pdf , p. 59
Buhlman, Lynn. “An accent on culture”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 13 Oct 1996, p. 1A
“Gay festival on program here for Columbus Day”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 5 Oct 1947, p. 1
“GI terminal pay measure is given Truman approval”. Waco News-Tribune, 9 Aug 1946, p. 1
“St. Francis Catholic Church”. Vertical file.
Uribe, Monica Ortiz. “A tale of 2 cultures”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 16 Oct 2006, p. 1B
Photo Gallery
La Vega ISD Shrinks, Waco ISD Grows: School Integration, July 1971
by Sean Sutcliffe on July 23rd, 2021 | 0 CommentsThe history of the integration in Waco and La Vega Independent School Districts intersected in a significant way 50 years ago this month. Or put differently, 17 years after the U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown vs. Board of Education outlawed segregation in public schools, school integration was still an ongoing controversy in those two school districts.
Any attempt to tell this story must begin on August 24, 1970 when a federal court in Austin accepted a La Vega ISD plan to close Carver High School, which had been an African American school since it opened in 1956, and merge it with La Vega High School. This decision, made only a few days before the school year began, caused a flurry of activity as plans and changes had to be made to integrate both students and faculty. Within a few weeks after the 1970-71 school year began, a large number of African American students at La Vega High School walked out of class and stayed out of school for a week. The boycott was in response to several grievances, not the least of which was the closing of Carver and the busing of more black students out of their neighborhood as compared to the busing in of many fewer white students.
As a result, La Vega ISD returned to federal court with a motion on June 4, 1971 asking for a modification of the August 1970 court order. On July 22, 1971, district officials made the case for their motion. In response, Judge Jack Roberts decided on Wednesday, July 28, to change the boundaries of both La Vega and Waco school districts by moving part of La Vega into Waco ISD, including both students and property. An estimated 1,400 or so students, the majority of them African American, and $17 million in property, including General Tire, Texas Concrete Works, Pure Milk Co., and H&B Packing, were transferred to Waco ISD. The change also included the former Carver High School, Dripping Springs School, and J. Newton Jenkins Elementary School. This change left about 2,100 students in La Vega, 407 of whom were black. For its part, Waco ISD was ordered to “educate the children involved in schools with a predominance of white students”, among those Richfield High School, Lake Air Junior High School, and Viking Hills and Parkdale elementary schools. This would require more busing. While this is only a basic summary of how La Vega and Waco ISDs crossed paths on their long road to school desegregation, more controversy was yet to come.
In a very related development, MALDEF (Mexican-American Legal and Defense Educational Fund), representing Waco resident Pete Arvizu as well as 24 black and Hispanic plaintiffs, filed a lawsuit against Waco ISD on August 10, 1971 arguing that the district had not truly integrated and too many schools were racially identifiable. In June 1973, Waco ISD released a school integration plan which Judge Jack Roberts approved in July of that year. Thirteen years later, in December 1986, Waco ISD asked that a federal court dismiss the 1971 lawsuit and declare the district a unitary system. In December 1989, Judge Walter Smith Jr. approved that request, declared the district unitary, and dismissed the lawsuit.
Bibliography and Further Reading
History of Waco public schools. Waco, Tex. : Waco Independent School District, 1976?.
“Judge OKs school board plan”. Waco News-Tribune, 31 Jul 1973, p. 1A
“La Vega board reveals plans for desegregation”. Waco News-Tribune, 29 May 1969, p. 2A
“La Vega may take troubles to court”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 19 Sep 1970, p. 1A
“La Vega plans school opening”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 26 Aug 1970, p. 1A
“La Vega requests restudy of district”. Waco News-Tribune, 5 Jun 1971, p. 1A
“La Vega revamped”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 25 Aug 1970, p. 1A
“Lawsuit challenges neighborhood concept”. Waco News-Tribune, 13 Aug 1971, p. 1A
“Ruling slashes La Vega district”. Waco News-Tribune, 29 Jul 1971, p. 1A
“School integration”. Vertical file.
Skylar Ray, “Arvizu v. Waco Independent School District,” Waco History, accessed June 19, 2021, https://wacohistory.org/items/show/191.
“Text of Judge Roberts’ school district decision”. Waco News-Tribune, 29 Jul 1971, p. 6A
Tweedle, Renee. “Downing, East Waco pupils, parents discuss problems”. Waco News-Tribune, 3 Aug 1971, p. 1A
Photo Gallery
Paul Quinn College Leaves Waco
by Sean Sutcliffe on June 30th, 2021 | 0 CommentsDo you remember Paul Quinn College? Depending on how long you have lived in the Waco-area you may be intimately familiar, very familiar, somewhat familiar, or complete unfamiliar with Paul Quinn. It is Texas’ oldest historically black college and spent 113 of its currently 149 years of existence in Waco. Its decision 31 years ago this month to move to Dallas was a major loss for Waco in general and East Waco in particular.
Originally called the Connectional School for the Education of Negro Youth and later renamed for African Methodist Episcopal missionary and bishop William Paul Quinn, Paul Quinn College was founded in Austin in 1872. It moved to Waco in 1877 and first occupied a one-story building at 8th and Mary. In 1881 the college moved to a site on the old Garrison Plantation. A major period of growth during the early 1950s saw the construction of new buildings. It endured financial challenges during the 1980s but the debt to assets ratio had improved by the start of the 1990s. By the spring of 1990, Paul Quinn had more than 140 employees and more than 500 students on a 22-acre campus on Elm Avenue.
On April 25, 1990, the college’s board met to discuss moving to the former Bishop College, whose campus in South Dallas had been vacant since Bishop declared bankruptcy and closed in 1988. School officials said they would make a decision within three months. Two months later, on Friday June 22, 1990, Paul Quinn trustees decided to move to Dallas by the end of the year. While there was some discussion that the college might still be able to use the Waco campus, as the end of the 1990s neared the campus continued to be unused. That, however, would change.
In June 1998, the Paul Quinn College board voted to turn over the campus to the new Quinn Campus group, which had plans to develop the site. That change of hands was officially completed on Tuesday August 3, 1999 after Quinn Campus paid off the college’s debt to the U.S. Department of Education. But the redevelopment would still take time.
In February 2002, the Waco City Council agreed to create a community center on Quinn Campus, a concept that had been discussed for seven years. What was not decided at the time was whether or not to remodel the George B. Young Auditorium or build a new facility. Nine months later, on Tuesday, November 19, 2002, the city council approved a 99-year lease of the George B. Young auditorium, which would be renovated for use as a multipurpose center.
Also in February 2002, the Rapoport Academy charter school, which opened in 1998 in East Waco, announced that it would add grades 5 and 6 (with plans to eventually add up to 9th grade) in the Moody building on the former Paul Quinn campus beginning in Fall 2003. By 2008 the charter school had expanded to include a high school that moved into the former Math and Science Building on campus.
Additionally, in April 2002 the Doris Miller YMCA board announced plans to sell its facility on E. Live Oak and renovate the former Kultgen-Jackson Gym on the Paul Quinn campus to serve as its new home. The Doris Miller YMCA reopened in May 2005.
The move of Paul Quinn College to Dallas and the closure of the Waco campus after 109 years was a significant educational, social, economic, and cultural loss at the time. Thankfully, 31 years after Paul Quinn officials made the decision to move, the campus is active again with educational, cultural, and recreational activities. While the college’s move was a major loss, the redevelopment of the campus is truly a success story.
Bibliography and Further Reading
Brandice Nelson. “Paul Quinn College.” Waco History, accessed May 18, 2021. https://wacohistory.org/items/show/79
Embry, Jason. “Rapoport Academy to expand”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 2 Feb 2002, p. 1A
Hillen, Michelle. “City council votes to rent Paul Quinn auditorium”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 20 Nov 2002, p. 1B
Nelson, Alan and Douglas Wong. “City leaders bemoan loss of school”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 23 Jun 1990, p. 1A
O’Mara, Dan. “1990 may be brightest year in Paul Quinn’s history”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 1 Jul 1990, p. 12A
O’Mara, Dan. “PQC students told move just ‘business’”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 3 Jul 1990, p. 1A
O’Mara, Dan. “PQC trustees delay move decision”. Waco Tribune Herald, 26 Apr 1990, p. 1A
O’Mara, Dan. “Paul Quinn College to relocate in Dallas”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 23 Jun 1990, p. 1A
O’Mara, Dan. “What’s in store after PQC leaves?” Waco Tribune-Herald, 1 Jul 1990, p. 1A
Sansbury, Jen. “Sorting out the PQC jumble”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 11 Jan 1998, p. 1A
Smith, J.B. “Quinn Campus center gets OK”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 20 Feb 2002, p. 1B
Smith, J.B. “Expansion continues at Rapoport Academy”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 18 Jul 2008, p. 6A
Smith, LaMarriol and Alan Nelson. “Locals discuss loss of school, Waco impact”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 26 Apr 1990, p. 1A
Photo Gallery
Waco’s October 1981 Tornado
by Sean Sutcliffe on May 12th, 2021 | 0 CommentsWhat were you doing on October 13, 1981? I was in Jana Lilly’s third grade class at St. Alban’s Episcopal School. As best I remember (subject to the passage of 40 years), it was raining…a lot, or so it seemed to an 8-year-old. The powers that be at school decided to have a tornado drill…except there was an actual tornado in Waco that day.
Springtime in Central Texas is considered our “normal” tornado season. Indeed, the May 11, 1953 tornado is the best-known tornado in Waco-area history and rightly so considering its impact in lives lost and damage, as well as the way in which it changed downtown specifically and Waco generally for years to come. But other tornadoes have dropped in on the area over the years before and since. Climatological history also reminds us that tornadoes can happen any time of the year given the right combination of ingredients.
So it was that on Tuesday, October 13, 1981, the right combination of conditions conspired to cause what would eventually be classified as an F2 tornado to touch down in part of West Waco in the area around Cobbs, Bosque, and N. Valley Mills. It was reported that ground clutter on the radar at the Waco National Weather Service office (which closed in 1993) at Madison Cooper Airport (now Waco Regional Airport) prevented meteorologists there from “seeing” the tornado. One must remember that this was before the widespread adoption of Doppler radar.
Thankfully, the tornado killed no one, though it injured four people. In addition to damaging several homes, it caused damage to Skaggs Alpha Beta grocery (later Albertson’s and now Harmony Science Academy) and the old Diamond Point Movie Theater at Valley Mills and Cobbs, and Lakewood Christian Church (now Renew Church) and First Assembly of God, both at Cobbs and Bosque. Rev. Edward Willis, pastor of First Assembly, had been in Wichita Falls during the destructive 1979 tornado. Because he knew a tornado was approaching, he took cover and avoided serious injury as the church received significant damage.
In recent years I understand that it is very possible that the teachers and principal knew we were not practicing for a possible tornado, but rather taking shelter due to an actual tornado warning. I am sure they simply wanted to avoid causing panic among us students. Forty years later I can still very much remember the heavy rain and dark skies of that day as we got down on the floor and took cover.
Bibliography and further reading
Burchett, Chet. “Onslaught scatters Wacoans”. Waco Tribune Herald, 14 Oct 1981, p. 1A.
Copeland, Mike. “Tornado aftermath”. Waco Tribune Herald, 15 Oct 1981, p. 1A.
Moore, Bill. “Twister hits Waco store, 2 churches”. Waco Tribune Herald, 14 Oct 1981, p. 1A
KXAS-TV (Television station : Fort Worth, Tex.). [News Clip: Waco tornado], video, October 13, 1981, 6:00 p.m.; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1234851/m1/: accessed May 1, 2021), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.
https://books.google.com/books?id=YWXVNEH8MWQC&lpg=RA9-PA17&ots=z0r0iaW6NH&dq=october%201981%20waco%20tornado&pg=RA9-PA17#v=onepage&q&f=false
Celebrating Some of Waco’s Women of the Past
by Sean Sutcliffe on March 29th, 2021 | 0 CommentsCelebrating Some of Waco’s Women of the Past
Emma Louise Harrison was born in Mexia in 1908. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Huston Tillotson College, where she later taught. She also earned a master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Southern California. She taught 4th-grade and health and PE in Waco schools, and she also served as dean of women and chair of the Health and Physical Education department at Paul Quinn College. In 1976, she became the first African-American elected to the Waco Independent School District board where she served until 1988. She died in 2004 at age 95.
Cayetana Navarro was born in Mexico but spent most of her life in Waco. She owned Navarro’s Tortilla & Tamale Shop for more than 60 years. For many years it was located at 401 N. 3rd but later moved to 225 N. 25th and in 1970 to 2420 Grim. During World War II she supplied tortillas to James Connally Air Force Base. In 1985 she was chosen Cen-Tex Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Businesswoman of the Year. In 1995 she retired. She died in April 1997 at age 90.
Estella Maxey was a popular African-American musician in Waco in the first half of the 20th century. Born in Waco, she lived here her entire life. She had her own orchestra, Estella and Her Boys, but also performed alone. She played piano for public and private events but also was said to have a great soprano voice. She played for both black and white audiences all over Waco. Unfortunately, she died of leukemia in November 1948 at the young age of 44.
Lucille Moreno Flores was born in Waco in 1923. She graduated from Waco High School in 1941. In 1944 she entered the U.S. Army where she served with the Women’s Army Corp in the 555th Army Air Force Base Unit. She was awarded the WWII Victory Medal, American War Campaign Medal, and Good Conduct Medal. After the war she worked as a nurse at Hillcrest Hospital and the Waco Veterans Hospital. She died in 2009 at age 85.
Lucy Hill Brewer was born in 1901 in Washington-on-the-Brazos but moved to Waco as a child. She worked in the children’s department at the Waco Public Library for 47 years, retiring as head children’s librarian in 1966. She then worked as librarian at the Methodist Home for four years. She died in 1985 at age 83.
Dr. Mae Jackson Huddleston was born in September 1941 and grew up in Teague. She graduated valedictorian of her class at age 16. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Texas Southern University, her master’s degree from Our Lady of the Lake University, and a doctorate from UT-Arlington. For more than 25 years she was a social worker. In 2000 she was elected to the Waco City Council to represent District 1. Then in 2004 she decided to run for mayor and in April became the first African-American and the first African-American woman to be elected Waco mayor. Unfortunately, she died suddenly in February 2005 while still in office.
Bibliography and further reading
Elmore, Barbara. “Meet Mayor Mae”. Waco Today, July 2004, p. 11-15.
Liscano, Miguel. “Jackson elected mayor”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 16 May 2004, p. 1A.
“Lucille Flores obituary”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 4 Jan 2009, p. 2C.
“Lucy Hill Brewer : a friend remembered”. Discover Waco, July 1991, p. 4.
Radford Sr, Garry H. African American Heritage in Waco, Texas. Austin, Tex. : Eakin
Press, 2000.
Smith, J.B. “Waco mayor dies at 63”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 12 Feb 2005, p. 1A.
Waco biography H-J. Vertical file.
Waco-McLennan County Library. Vertical file.
Zimmermann, Rebeca. “Working for a living”. Waco Tribune-Herald, 3 Apr 1985, p. 1A.
It's High School Soccer Season!
by Jessica Emmett on January 21st, 2021 | 0 CommentsIt’s January, and for many Texas high schools that means the UIL, TAPPS, or TCIL soccer season is starting or picking up.
While football is nearly worshipped by some in the world of Texas high school sports, soccer – or for some people the real game of football – is an increasingly popular sport and has been for some time. Even though a Waco News-Tribune article in November 1919 mentions soccer in local schools, in modern times the sport does not, however, have the long history in Waco and McLennan County high schools that American football has. In fact, it has only been an official UIL, or University Interscholastic League, high school sport since the 1982-83 school year.
In April 1980, Judge Jim Barlow, one of the organizers of the four-year old Heart of Texas Soccer Association (originally called the Waco Soccer Association), asked the Waco Independent School District board to start a soccer program beginning in the 7th grade. In August of that year, the board approved a pilot program for boys soccer in 7th-9th grades to determine the level of interest.
In 1981, Waco ISD started soccer teams for junior high and 9th-grade boys. The 1981-82 school year saw the introduction of varsity boys soccer at University, Waco, Richfield, Jefferson-Moore, Midway, and Reicher high schools. Soccer became an official UIL sport in the 1982-83 school year. Since the early years other McLennan County public and private high schools, including but not limited to Robinson, La Vega, China Spring, and Connally, have also added soccer to their high school sports lineups.
Since soccer began at local high schools, many milestones and significant accomplishments have been achieved. In May 1984, Midway High School player J. Lomax became the first McLennan County soccer player to receive a full college soccer scholarship, and several other players have followed him since then to play at the college level. A few have even been able to pursue their soccer career at a higher level than college. Many players have received recognition at the local, district, and state level for their accomplishments. At the end of the 1980s and into the early 1990s a few local high schools finally added girls soccer. State championships have been won – Reicher boys in 1985, 1988, 1990, 1991 and 2002, Midway boys in 2002, and University boys in 2013.
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