History

According to the May 11, 1951, issue of the Andrews County News, the school eventually known as the Lincoln School opened its doors on December 4, 1950, to begin educating the Black children of Andrews. Officially named for President Abraham Lincoln in May 1958, the school closed on the last day of school in 1961. This followed years of committee studies and a report from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) that threatened the accreditation of Andrews schools.

Before 1950, the Andrews Independent School District (AISD) only had to deal with two school-aged Black children who lived in Andrews. This problem was reported in the Texas Education Agency Division of Professional Standards Annual Report for Accreditation 1950-1951 submitted before November 15, 1950. The following attached note for Section I: General Information read:

The two students, as reported above, were sent out to area schools to get their education with E. A. Murry being sent to Kermit and Wilbert Templeton to Odessa. However, the Board of Trustees of the AISD were facing a future problem beginning with the fall of 1950 when several more children would be of school age and their education would also have to be provided. The solution, as mentioned above, was to build a school for the Black community to provide a "separate but equal" education.

In preparation for the new school, it was reported in the July 8, 1949, issue of Andrews County News that the AISD had swapped a piece of land for another that had been donated by Jimmy Ulmer of Andrews Building Company. This land, located in the northeast part of Andrews known as the "Flats," was designated to be used for the future school. Ulmer had also previously donated the land on which the first Black church, Mt. Olive Baptist Church, was built.

Signs of the new school being finished were reported in the AISD board minutes of November 8, 1950:

As reported in the May 11, 1951, edition of Andrews County News, the school opened on December 4, 1950. The newspaper did not comment on the opening of the school at the time of the actual event, but the May 11 edition did go into detail about the completed building and the first students to be enrolled. The newspaper described the original school as being a 32 x 40 foot frame structure and reported that it was built at a cost of $5,300.

Mrs. Norma Lee Smith, whose home was in Odessa, was the teacher. She had a bachelor of science degree in Home-Economics from Texas College in Tyler and had previously worked for the government as a clerk typist in Washington, D.C. Her daughter, Carlene, was among the first students to attend the school. A Mrs. Mable Jenkins of Odessa reportedly organized a Parent-Teacher Association for the school, which initially taught seven children in pre-primary through fifth grades. The first students of the school were Meddie Buchanan, Tommy Buchanan, Joyce Lee Hights, Don Jones, E. A. Murry, Carlene Smith, and Wilbert Templeton.

The August 31, 1951, issue of Andrews County News reported that Mrs. Smith was again the head teacher for the 1951-52 term of the school. AISD board minutes for July 1, 1952, record that the district then employed Mr. Fred D. Ross for the 1952-53 school year. Minutes from August 3, 1954, show that they hired Mr. Wendell B. Mitchell and his wife to teach 1954-55. Another teacher, Miss Evelyn Williams, was added in 1955-56 to teach grades 1-4.

Dr. Bob Montgomery, former AISD Director of Pupil/Personnel Services and later Superintendent, offers his personal account of the Lincoln School years:

On May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court issued the declaration that "racial discrimination in public education is unconstitutional." Following this landmark decision, the June 10, 1955, issue of Andrews County News reported that the School Board Advisory Council had been asked to study the problem of exactly when the district should effect integration. James Roberts, editor of Andrews County News and member of the Council, was appointed chairman of the integration problem with all the members of the Council serving on the committee.

Roberts addressed the problem in an editorial in the June 10 issue, noting both sides of the issue. Arguments for immediate integration included the problem of equal facilities that must be provided if the students were not integrated. It was estimated that it would cost the AISD $15,000 to bring the school up to par with Andrews High School. He also noted that the AISD could be petitioned to permit the students to attend the regular school immediately and, due to the Supreme Court decision, the district would have to comply. However, he noted, with the small number of Black students spread out, it was possible that no one classroom would have more than one Negro student, which would ease the shock of integration. On the negative side of the argument, Roberts saw that the placement of the Black teachers would be up in the air.

Dr. Montgomery described the school situation at the time of the study:

The School Advisory Council gave their final committee reports at a subsequent board meeting, the results of which were reported in the June 17, 1955, issue of Andrews County News. Council discussion apparently leaned toward the opinion that most people were resigned to desegregation eventually but that more education was needed on the actual ruling of the Supreme Court in the new law. They reviewed the law, then voted to postpone further action until after the State Education Board had released state-level recommendations concerning the problem.

The AISD board's apparent resignation to desegregation, bolstered by Roberts' opinion that it would solve many problems, brought forth only one complaintive letter to the editor, which was published in the June 17, 1955, edition of Andrews County News. The letter related one Monahans resident's view that the newspaper and its editor wanted Andrews to be the leader in integration in the state of Texas. Roberts answered:

As Roberts stated in his editorial reply, apparently many of the parents of the Black students preferred to keep their children in the separate school and made a point of letting the board know their feelings. As a result, Andrews County News reported on August 12, 1955, that the AISD board had voted to postpone desegregation for the year and had voted six to one in favor of the following official resolution:

Board trustees voting for the resolution included Dr. Z. W. Hutcheson, Troy Lasater, J. P. Roach, Clyde Broam, Johnny Smith and C. E. Carruth. The only member opposing the statement was L. W. Madison.

Roberts followed up the committee's findings in an August 19, 1955, editorial:

AISD board minutes for August 23, 1955, reported that the trustees discussed the condition of the school building and a motion was made by Johnny Smith, and seconded by J. P. Roach, that the AISD draw up plans for an addition to the original building as well as plans for the improvement of the outside play area, including the installation of a swimming pool. The final improvements were not reported, but apparently were completed sometime later.

According to the Friday, September 2, 1955, edition of Andrews County News, Wendell Mitchell was rehired as head teacher by the AISD trustees, who also hired Mrs. Evelyn Williams, who held a bachelor of arts degree from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. She had previously taught in Dallas. In the spring of the following year, the AISD hired custodian Poindexter Foots, effective March 15, 1956, at a salary of $50 per month. They also accepted the resignations of both Evelyn Williams and Wendell B. Mitchell.

The issue of desegregation came up again for the coming 1956-57 school year and according to the May 14, 1961, issue of Andrews County News, a request had again come from the parents of the Lincoln School children to keep them at the segregated school. This prompted the board to vote on June 5, 1956, to rescind the previous resolution to begin integration that year and postpone it until the 1957-58 school year.

AISD board minutes from August 12, 1958, noted that trustees hired Arlee Jackson to teach the Lincoln School elementary grades. Jackson had received his education first at Booker T. Washington School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, then pursued a bachelor of arts degree in industrial arts at Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. He earned a master's degree in elementary education from Eastern New Mexico University in 1953. He had previously taught at Booker T. Washington High School in Hobbs.

A Texas Education Agency ruling went into effect in September 1959 that stated that 12-grade systems must have a minimum of four full-time teachers, exclusive of vocational units, in the upper four grades. The Andrews Independent School District was notified the following year in October by the state accreditation agency that the Andrews schools no longer met their standards due to the situation at Lincoln School. The May 14, 1961, issue of Andrews County News reported that on October 19-29, 1960, a committee of three TEA members had visited the Andrews schools and had issued the following report:

A subsequent report from TEA published in Andrews County News on May 18, 1961, stated:

A three-month study of the issue was launched by the AISD following the TEA reports, after which the May 11, 1961, issue of Andrews County News reported that a petition calling for an integration election for the Andrews schools was ordered circulated by the AISD Board of Trustees. The petition would require the signing of 20 percent of the names of qualified voters in the district in order to call the election on the issue to continue or abolish the dual school system.

According to the article, the AISD had been left with only three routes of action. The first option was complete integration by changing from the dual system to a single system. Another option was to build a $250,000 high school for the Black students in an attempt to provide equal but separate facilities, or third, continue operation of the Lincoln school for elementary children and transport the high school students to a neighboring school. Option 3 was explored by the AISD, but officials at both Odessa and Lamesa refused to accept transfer students. Choosing the second option would require the hiring of four more teachers at Lincoln as well as an increase in maintenance and operation costs.

The obvious choice was integration. However, to completely integrate the school system, the AISD had to have an election. This was required by Texas State segregation laws passed in 1957 stating that such an election must be held before action could be taken. The election was set for May 25, 1961, with the following question stated:

The petition required 627 signatures to call the election. According to Andrews County News, May 18, 1961, 827 names out of the 910 taken were certified to meet the requirement of qualified voters and the election was set. The May 21 issue reported early plans for integration being made at a meeting of AISD board trustees with the sixty-two Lincoln students being distributed as follows: fifteen to the high school with five seniors, two juniors, six sophomores and two freshmen; thirteen to the junior high with seven in 8^th grade, six in 7^th grade; and the remaining thirty-four — nine 1^st graders, three 2^nd, seven 3^rd, seven 4^th, four 5^th, and four in the 6^th — would be distributed among Devonian, San Andres and Glorieta schools.

At that meeting, the contracts of the four Lincoln teachers were not renewed pending the outcome of the vote. Suggestions were also made that the Lincoln School might become a community building after integration.

The last four teachers of the school included Arlee Jackson, coach for the Lincoln Yellow Jackets boys' basketball team, and Jeanette Kelly, a graduate of the Old L. C. Anderson High School in Austin. Kelly was, also, a graduate of Huston-Tillotson College with a bachelor of arts degree in education and had previously taught in Pecos and Midland.

The last head teacher of the school was W. T. Wright, who had also attended Huston-Tillotson College in Austin. He received a bachelor's degree in 1953 with a major in English and a double minor in math and chemistry. Former students recall that not only did Wright serve as head teacher, but he also filled in the necessary jobs of principal, counselor, bus driver and assistant coach. They also noted that Wright worked very hard to get his students to go to college and would do whatever was necessary to enable them to achieve that goal. He eventually went on to become a preacher.

Wright served the school along with his sister-in-law, Miriam Wright, a graduate of R. F. Hardin High School in Brownwood, Texas. She, too, furthered her education at Huston-Tillotson College, where she received a bachelor's degree in education in 1951. She served as coach for the girl's Yellow Jackets basketball team from 1958 to 1961.

Following the election, the May 28, 1961, issue of Andrews County News reported:

Following the vote, school board president Jack Shepard stated, "I think it's fine that this number voted and indicated the opinion they did in this very important decision. The board can continue now to improve educational opportunities for all our students without jeopardizing our school accreditation."

Superintendent T.A. Roach noted, "I am gratified with the interest shown in the election and with the number who voted. I feel it was a good representative vote and am pleased with the results. It will now be our purpose to carry out the policy of the board exactly as expressed in effecting integration of the school system next fall."

The first day of school that year was set for August 28, 1961, and with integration school officials expected enrollment to hit 3,324 students. The only problems noted in the August 31 issue of Andrews County News was that enrollment ended up being down with a total of 3,274. Only fifty-three Negro students enrolled to attend school that year and were distributed as follows: eleven at Glorieta, ten at San Andres, nine at Devonian, eleven at the junior high and twelve at the high school.

Dr. Bob Montgomery recalled the beginning of integration:

Apparently, integration caused no detrimental effects either on the first day of school nor later as Black students continued in the Andrews Independent School District system. Before integration ended Lincoln School, the Black community was able to see the graduations of six of their students beginning in 1959 with Wilbert Earl Templeton. Charles King matriculated in 1960, followed in 1961 with final graduates Calvin Brooks, John Brooks, Fred Robinson and Enitchell Collins.

Following integration, the AISD Board of Trustees gave the Lincoln School and property to Andrews County and it was eventually renamed Lincoln Community Center. It is available for use by local groups through the Andrews County Judge's office. In 1994, it became the site of the Andrews Black History Celebration during Black History Month.

Click on the pictures at the left for a larger version. Sizes range from 7 to 48KB.
.	First school plot located at 400 NE Avenue J and NE 4th Street. The land was acquired by the AISD trading land with the city so the school would be closer to the black community.
	This is the original building which was completed in 1950.
	Plot plans showing how the addition was made to the existing building. The east side of the building became the front entrance. The work was done between September and November, 1955.
	W. T. Wright and Jay Moxley discuss future construction.
	East elevation showing building’s main entrance after first addition, 1955. West entrance after 1955 addition. After 2nd addition in 1958. After 2nd addition in 1958. North entrance (4 doors) after 1958 addition.
	Architect plot of the existing building and the proposed 2nd addition toward the east. In a December 17, 1958, regular board meeting the trustees awarded the contract to Bowers Purcell to construct the east wing to the Lincoln School. The teacherage is shown at the top of the drawing.
	1957 photo of school building before the 2nd addition. East main entrance.
	Teacherage provided for teachers. Its location is noted in the 2nd addition plans.
	South side of Lincoln Center (1996)
	Southeast corner of Lincoln Center. (1996)
	West end of the Lincoln Center. (1996) Original school entrance.
	Main north side entrance to Lincoln Center. (1996)