By Bob Ray Sanders
bobray@star-telegram.com
In the 1960s, the distance between I. M. Terrell and Polytechnic high schools seemed much farther than the two and a half miles that separated them.
They appeared farther apart, I suppose, because there was a great chasm between the two hill-top schools that had been carved by segregation. And yet there was still a connection between these two Fort Worth institutions because, as most of us later learned, the students were more alike than they were different.
We black youngsters at Terrell actually admired all-white Poly, for it too was steeped in tradition, exuded pride and was a showcase for exemplary academic, cultural and athletic programs. We Terrell band members marveled at Poly's famous "Marching 100," and they looked on in amazement whenever they got the opportunity to see us perform.
The times have changed, and so has Poly, in ways I'm sure most alumni could not have imagined just a few years ago.
I have an appreciation for all of our schools, but I have a special respect for Poly. That's why I can celebrate with its current and former students as they prepare to commemorate the school's 100th anniversary since graduating its first class in 1912.
Organizers of the first all-class reunion, which will be 1-6 p.m. Saturday at the school, are bursting with excitement as the word continues to spread and the expected attendance keeps growing.
"Talking to alumni from near and far has been so interesting, and the enthusiasm is contagious," said Rita Vinson from the class of 1960, co-chair of the centennial celebration. "I thought that the folks planning to travel from the farthest point were the ones from Seattle until I heard [last week] that someone is coming from Hawaii specifically for the event. I thought the oldest alumnus planning to attend was about 92 years old until I got a call on Sept. 5 and learned of one who is 100 years old."
The planners are expecting about 2,000 to show up Saturday for the free event. They have secured 884 parking spaces on or near the school, and they have arranged for free shuttle buses to and from the nine overflow lots.
It sounds like it's going to be a great happening with the pride of Poly on display, featuring current and former students. "Memories" programs will be performed in the 1,000-seat auditorium.
It's a thrill to see the alumni this enthusiastic about their school, for that enthusiasm more than waned as the school's student body changed.
As I noted, until the middle 1960s, Poly was all-white. In 1988, it was 82 percent black, eight percent Anglo and eight percent Hispanic. By 2000, it was 52 percent African-American, 42 percent Hispanic and three percent white. And last year Hispanics made up 66 percent of the student body, with 27 percent black, four percent Asian and two percent white.
The community that grew up around Polytechnic College (now Texas Wesleyan University) in the late 1800s took that institution's name. The public school bearing the same name was started in 1907 with grades one through seven, adding a grade a year until the 1911-1912 school year when it graduated its first group of 11th graders, 10 years before the area was annexed by Fort Worth.
Poly has had its problems in recent years, and in 2009 -- after being rated academically unacceptable four years in a row -- it was threatened with closure or a takeover by the state and a name change.
There was a community outcry and, with the help of state Rep. Marc Veasey, that effort was stopped.
In some ways it helped to reunite the alumni, and this centennial celebration will assist in keeping them united around a school rich in history and needing all the support it can get.
Bob Ray Sanders' column appears Sundays and Wednesdays.817-390-7775Twitter: @BobRaySanders
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