George Washington Carver marker dedication
The Texas Historical Commission (THC), in recognition of Navasota George Washington Carver High School, Carver, as being a significant part of Texas history, awarded an Official Texas Historical Marker Saturday, June 22, 2019.
The Navasota community gathered for the marker’s dedication at the Carver Community Center, the original location of Carver High School, 1602 South LaSalle in Navasota, TX. The event was sponsored by George Washington Carver Alumni Association, GWCAA.
Following is the marker wording which tells some of Carver’s history:
“Around 1865, reverend J.J. Reinhart established the Navasota Colored School for African-American students. After several buildings were destroyed by fire, a brick building was built in 1942. A few years later, the school became officially known as George Washington Carver High School. After Navasota High School fully integrated in 1968, the building served as an elementary and later middle school until 1974. In August 1996, the building reopened as the Carver Learning Center for Alternative Education. In 2008, the school district deeded the building to the school’s alumni association. It now serves as the Carver Community Center for tutorials, summer camps and other events.”
There was standing room only with the door left open so that the overflow crowd could hear the program in the hallway. It was directed by master of ceremonies Joe McGinty and GWCAA First vice president Lorealia Mason Blanton. Harry Johnson, Commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4006, lead the group in the Pledge of Allegiance and was followed with the invocation by GWCAA chaplain Rev. James Mable, Sr. The group was welcomed by GWCAA President James C. Moore. Alumni President Emeritus Mildred Edwards acknowledged special guests which included Joe Fultz of the Grimes County Historical Commission, Grimes County Commissioner Pct. 3 Barbara Walker and Two Rivers Heritage Foundation Chairman Betty Dunn. Special acknowledgements went to volunteer Frances Lee, former Carver cafeteria worker Lillie Mae Pratt and former Carver bus driver Evans Mason.
City of Navasota mayor Bert Miller said Carver “is part of the rich history that we have going back to the late 1800s. Preservation being a big part of what we do as a City, this dedication is all the more important.” Navasota Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Stu Mu-sick quoted from the NISD Mission Statement which begins, “With stability from our past and a vision for the future, helping our students be successful in an ever-changing world.” He said those in the room represented the past and that “it is an exciting time to be a part of moving forward into our future. Even though it is now Navasota ISD, that is not because we are divided. In that process we are united. We are a part of that together.”
Patrick Gilbert, who was instrumental in working with THC, spoke about what it took for the marker to become a reality beginning in 2016. He suggested that people write some information they want passed down or record it as an oral history and send it to GWCAA. He said, “A historical marker is just that. It has a paragraph of information, but you have the rest.” Information can be sent to sargen01@gmail.com.
Keynote speaker Bobbie Anderson Sparks gave a brief history of Carver fondly remembering several teachers. Based on the crowd’s reactions, many remembered them with fondness also.
Blanton and Fultz presented certificates to those who were instrumental in making the marker a success. Recipients were Lorealia M. Blanton, Mary Creeks Caldwell, Carver Class of 1968, Doris Chat-man, Lee Cooper, Pearl Cooper, Charlye R. Cotton, Gendowlyn-Franklin-Scott, Collin Gibson, Betty Gill, Nora Hodges, Alvin James, Georgia James, Patricia Ann Lee, Cora McCoy, James Moore, Jr., Kittye D. Mooring, Fred Pratt, Jay A. Sargent, Betty J. Shelton, Kimberly Walker-Brown, Lavada B. Walker, Evelyn Ward, Dorothy Warren, Earl E. Wheatfall, Barbara J. Wheatfall and Eloise Wilson.