She inspired generations of Fort Worth students. Now a street sign honors her
One of Fort Worth’s most noteworthy educators is now honored with a street sign topper near the high school where she served as principal.
Shirley Knox Benton sat in the parking lot of the Tarrant County Opportunity Center at 5901 Fitzhugh Ave. on Thursday, across the street from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. In front of her was her legendary bicycle and a sign that said, “It is done,” an ode to her book, “In Class … With Class … It Can Be Done.” Dozens of friends, family, church members, and former students from Dunbar High School came to support Benton and honor her legacy as the street topper was unveiled.
Benton spent 50 years in education in Texas and was the first African American female principal of Dunbar High School in east Fort Worth and the first African-American female to hold the title of Texas’ High School Principal of the Year in 2001. She spent 12 years at Dunbar from 1992 to 2004 and helped change it from one of the lowest to best performing schools in the area.
City Councilwoman Deborah Peoples, whose child was taught under Benton, saw a request to honor Benton that was first given to former Councilwoman Gyna Bivens and wanted to make sure it would get done.
“She represents what is best in our community: an educator who cares, an educator who gives back, an educator who is still instilling pride in the lives of the people that she worked with in her church,” Peoples told to the Star-Telegram. “And so I think it was important that we recognized her while she was living and so that the community could see that there are iconic leaders that stayed in the community.”
Christene Chadwick Moss, the first African-American female board president of Fort Worth ISD, said that, as principal, Benton dedicated herself to enhancing Dunbar’s environment and fostering a strong sense of pride and community — even when people doubted if a woman could do the job.
“Stop Six, Fort Worth ISD, and Dunbar did not want a female. They felt as though she was not strong enough,” Moss told the crowd. “So that was a battle, but Shirley and I won that battle, and then she went on to prove her strength so nobody could complain.”
Royce Brooks, a 1997 graduate of Dunbar, said Benton was compassionate, loving, and tough. Benton helped students learn how to value themselves and each other through her commitment to them, Brooks said.
“We were not the easiest group, and she showed up for us every day with pride in us and with love for us and with compassion for us, and not just for our potential futures, but she saw us who we are, who we were, standing there right then,” Brooks said. “Through that consistency, she taught us how to extend that grace and that humanity to each other, and I think that is the biggest lesson right now.”
Pastor Kraig Pullam of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, where Benton is the historian, said Benton is a pillar of the community. He was proud to see a sign topper dedicated to her and hopes to see her name on a building in Fort Worth to further recognize her legacy in the city.
“It’s so amazing that she was able to see this and see her flowers while she’s still here,” Pullman said.
Benton said she was in disbelief when she looked at her street sign topper on Robert Hughes Street. Hughes, the winningest high school boys basketball coach, with 1,333 wins, coached at Dunbar from 1973 until his retirement in 2005, winning two state championships. Hughes died in 2024.
Benton sees thes signs as a reunion with an old friend, who won his state championships during her tenure as principal.
“He had gone down many times, never could win it, but under my leadership, we had two,” Benton said. “And so now to see that we’re together again I can’t believe it.”
This story was originally published October 2, 2025 at 5:07 PM.
