Dunbar High School Scrapbook - Page 38a

But Its Legends Live On
For 1st Time in Years, No Dunbar
For the first time in nearly
five decades, Lufkin Dunbar
will not be opening this fall for
a new school year.

The buildings that bore its
name are called Lufkin Inter-
mediate School and will serve
all seventh grade students in
the Lufkin Independent School
District.

The Lufkin Dunbar of recent
years has been known as a
junior-senior high school for
student from the seventh
through the 12th grades.

Its facilities have been as
modern as any in the school
system and its football team
has won statewide fame for
the city.

But the story of Dunbar in-
cludes much more.

The original Lufkin Dunbar
was erected in 1922 at the lo-
cation of what is presently
Garrett Elementary School on
Kurth Drive.

It was built to accomodate
the growing enrollment at the
Lufkin Ward which was on
Chestnut Street and was
where Negro students attend-
ed classes through the seventh
grade.

The new building had six
classrooms and could house
students through the ninth. In
1922 there was no eighth or
ninth grade class and the sev-
enth graders were the "sen-
iors."

Mrs. Willie Mae Crawford,
who now teaches at Coston
Elementary school here in
Lufkin, was one of those sev-
enth graders.

"Since we were the senior
class, the naming of the school
was left up to us," said Mrs.
Crawford.

From a list of several
choices the seventh grade
class of 1922 picked Paul Lau-
rence Dunbar, 1872-1906, a
Negro writer who was famous
for his diasect poetry.

Among his most famous
lines were these:

"There is a heaven, for ever,
day by day,

"The upward longing of my
soul doth tell me so.

"There is a hell, I'm quite
as sure; for pray,

"If there were not, where
would my neighbors go?"

There were six teachers in
the first Dunbar school, Mrs.
Crawford recalled. One of
them, W. H. Brannen, doubled
as principal.

I. A. Coston, for whom the
Coston Elementary School
was named, was the superin-
tendent.

The "senior" seventh grade
class numbered about 30.

In the late 1940s the old
building was abandoned in
favor of a new 12-classroom
building that is the old Dun-
bar High of the past school
year.

In 1964 improvements were
made which included 20 new
classrooms, the most elabo-
rate science lab in the Lufkin
school system and an air con-
ditioned cafetorium.

The cafetorium seats 600
and serves 400 and has a
full sized junior high stage for
plays and dramatizations. The
facilities of the school also in-
clude a two-story gym.

The last class to graduate
from Dunbar included 59 stu-
dents.

Dunbar has had its share
of academic achievements and
scholastic successes, but they
cannot compare with the over-
whelming gridiron glory the
Tigers have earned.

The Tigers hold the distinc-
tion of winning three Prairie
View Interscholastic League
state championships in four
years.

In 1964, the Tigers won
their first state title and fin-
ished with the best season
they had ever had, though
they have bettered it several
times since.

The Tigers had a 10-1 record
including a victory over the
See No Dunbar, Page 8

Lufkin Folks...
Deborah Celeste Bradley,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.
D. Bradley, 1306 Brookhollow
Drive, enrolling at Stephens
College, Columbia, Mo. ...
Frances Janelle Anthony,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
RObert Anthony, celebrating
seventh birthday... Mr. and
Mrs. DeWayne Weldon an-
nouncing the arrival of a
daughter, Ave Elizabeth. She
is welcomed by brothers Ken-
Kevin and Kerry...
Talicia and Wayne Gibson ex-
cited over the arrival of a
sister, Tracey Darlene, Aug.
25. Parents are Mr. and Mrs.
Daryl Wayne Gibson of Hous-
ton. Grandparents are Mr.
and Mrs. John Cooper and
Mr. and Mrs. E .L. Gibson
of Lufkin... Birthday greet-
ings to Besada Gray and Le-
ola Collins... Mr. and Mrs.
C. G. (Chuck) Armet, home
following vacation in Clear-
water, Fla., receiving card
from daughter Laurel from
England, first stop on a three-
month tour of Europe...
1970 LHS graduates making
college plans include Rhonda
Richardson, Carrye Faye Bur-
ley, Kay Oliver, Charlotte
Pruitt and Tom Stradt, who
will attend Stephen F. Aus-
tin state University; Connie
Allen, Donna Rice, Teresa
Love, Charmain Whisnant,
and Cindy Lumbley, Angelina
College; and Randy Thomps-
son, Southern Methodist Uni-
versity... Lufkin Sideliners
extending birthday greetings
to David T. SKinner of First
Bank and Trust, A. P. (Art)
Guidi of Texas Foundries,
Inc. Linda Malnar and Mike
Pebsworth, 1970 LHS grad-
uates, Mrs. Verna Parrish of
The Fair, R. B. Thompson of
R. B. Thompson Builder, Mrs.
Tom (Suzzane) Rainey of Luf-
kin Telephone Exchange,
Bobbie Loving of Atkinson
Candy Co., Mrs. Keith (Pat)
Green, HUntington Elemen-
tary School teacher, Mike
Rawlinson, helicopter pilot
with U.S. Army, Lt. J. V.
Lazarine of Lufkin Fire Dept.,
Mrs. Pitser (Bernice) Garri-
sone and Mrs. Joe (Louise)
Chitwood. Anniversary greet-
ings to Mrs. and Mrs. Samuel
Lovejoy.