This information is from the Shreveport Times dated September 20, 2006. If you wish to provide comments on the school consolidation issue this document provides the information on the forums for doing that, or where to provide written comments.
______________________________________
Meetings focus on Caddo school reorganization
By Melody Brumble
mbrumble@gannett.com
Caddo Parish school officials will pitch a campus consolidation plan to parents and community leaders in a series of town hall meetings that kicks off Tuesday.
The proposal would combine Fair Park and Booker T. Washington high schools to combat shrinking enrollment at Booker T. Washington. Fair Park would become a kindergarten through eighth-grade campus for students attending elementary and middle schools in Shreveport's Queensborough neighborhood.
Superintendent Ollie Tyler also has suggested combining three elementary campuses and a middle school into a K-8 school in the Martin Luther King Jr. section of north Shreveport. One of the elementary campuses might become a prekindergarten center for classes previously housed at the three elementary schools.
Other schools vacated by the proposed consolidations could be reopened as centers to help overaged elementary and middle school students catch up with their peers.
School Board members will vote on a final plan before the end of the year. Consolidations could occur in the 2007-08 school years.
A longer-range plan involves Tyler and her staff tracking enrollment and population shifts over the next five years. Tyler said population changes could require construction of new schools in the Martin Luther King Jr. area and south Shreveport in the next five years.
She said Tuesday that she plans to call a community focus group together again after the town hall meetings to create a final proposal for the School Board.
Focus group member Scott Hughes said he'd like a chance to weigh community comments. He believes the 16-person committee, composed of members selected by School Board members and the district administration, thoroughly discussed the proposals but didn't reach a consensus on everything.
"The high school issue, I think that's the one that could be the most controversial," Hughes said.
If you go:
Sept. 26: Huntington High School, Shreveport.
Oct. 10: Captain Shreve High School, Shreveport.
Oct. 24: Praise Temple Full Gospel Baptist Church, Shreveport.
Oct. 26: Lake Bethlehem Baptist Church.
All meetings are from 6-7:30 p.m. Parents and community members can voice opinions or provide them in writing.
People also may send written information to:
Superintendent Ollie Tyler
Caddo Parish School Board
1961 Midway St.
Shreveport LA 71109.
September 23, 2006
September 19, 2006
Update on Memorial Board Work
Betty sent this update for posting on the blog.
_____________________________
Since the reunion we have had some good leads for the remaining three classmates that we didn't have enough information to put their pictures on the memorial board.
A huge thanks to Pat Pendleton Reed for information that led us to Janie Ruth McGrew's sister in Iowa. After several phone conversations, she was able to locate a complete date of death for Janie Ruth.
Bill Cantrell called after the reunion with information about Andrea Solis. Her married name was either Wood or Woods and year of death was 1971. She had two brothers in Shreveport, Jerry and Paul Solis. We have not been able to locate telephone numbers for them. If anyone can even remember a month to go with the year of death, it would be a huge help.
James Talley had the year 1984 marked in the yearbook beside Paula Jones' picture. We still haven't been able to get a married name, but at least we do have a year to start searching. If anyone can give us any other clues, large or small, we certainly will appreciate them.
Bless her heart, Kay Kitchens Smith is going to try again at Shreve Memorial Library with the date for Paula and the additional info for Andrea Solis when she goes back to Shreveport. For the next couple of weeks she is busy with an upcoming wedding for their daughter, Ashley. Despite the happenings I so appreciate her taking time to let us know that she will try again in the future.
Search those overworked brains and try to find a small smidgeon of info that might help us get the pictures for the last two classmates on the board. After finding Ronnie Middleton, we think that anything is possible!!
Fondly,
Betty
Betty L. Molcany Barber, M.Ed.
barber2@xanadoo.com
806-698-0348
Lubbock, TX
_____________________________
Since the reunion we have had some good leads for the remaining three classmates that we didn't have enough information to put their pictures on the memorial board.
A huge thanks to Pat Pendleton Reed for information that led us to Janie Ruth McGrew's sister in Iowa. After several phone conversations, she was able to locate a complete date of death for Janie Ruth.
Bill Cantrell called after the reunion with information about Andrea Solis. Her married name was either Wood or Woods and year of death was 1971. She had two brothers in Shreveport, Jerry and Paul Solis. We have not been able to locate telephone numbers for them. If anyone can even remember a month to go with the year of death, it would be a huge help.
James Talley had the year 1984 marked in the yearbook beside Paula Jones' picture. We still haven't been able to get a married name, but at least we do have a year to start searching. If anyone can give us any other clues, large or small, we certainly will appreciate them.
Bless her heart, Kay Kitchens Smith is going to try again at Shreve Memorial Library with the date for Paula and the additional info for Andrea Solis when she goes back to Shreveport. For the next couple of weeks she is busy with an upcoming wedding for their daughter, Ashley. Despite the happenings I so appreciate her taking time to let us know that she will try again in the future.
Search those overworked brains and try to find a small smidgeon of info that might help us get the pictures for the last two classmates on the board. After finding Ronnie Middleton, we think that anything is possible!!
Fondly,
Betty
Betty L. Molcany Barber, M.Ed.
barber2@xanadoo.com
806-698-0348
Lubbock, TX
September 08, 2006
The Sacrifices Of War
The nature of sacrifice is such that something of great value is irrevocably forfeited. When a human life is sacrificed the person who made the sacrifice and those who love them are undeniably changed; forever. But it goes even further. Others who knew them, and some who only hear of their sacrifice are forever changed. Such is the case here.
In early May 1967 word reached Shreveport that Marine Lance Corporal John Wendell Jackson had been killed in Vietnam. The helicopter in which he was performing his duties was brought down by hostile fire. Both Wendell and the helicopter pilot died in the crash. The Shreveport Times ran Wendell's obituary, probably on Sunday May 14, 1967. That was Mother’s Day in 1967.
Two photos are in the obituary. One is of Wendell and the other of his father. Both were killed in wars they undertook in service to their country. The father, Lt. Wendell Holmes Jackson, was 26 when he died on June 8, 1944, during the Normandy Invasion. His infant son, Wendell, was only one month old when Lt. Jackson last saw him. Wendell died on May 12, 1967, at age 23.
Wendell grew up in Shreveport. His Mother Eursle Roberson Jackson never remarried after the death of her husband and worked at United Gas to support her family. Wendell graduated from Fair Park High School and joined the Marines in 1961. He planned to make the military his career. In about 1966 he met and married Jerry Norsworthy of Fisher, LA. Jerry had attended Northwestern State and worked as a nurse at Schumpert Hospital. She and Wendell were able to share a place of their own for only about a month before he shipped out for Vietnam. Jerry moved in with her Mother-in-Law to await Wendell’s return.
Even though Wendell and I attended Fair Park High School at the same time we did not know each other. Such are the realities of life when you attend a large school. In fact, I spent most of my adult life not even knowing that one of my classmates had died in Vietnam. After I was told of Wendell’s death by Lionel Wright, a classmate who was one of Wendell’s best friends, I felt compelled to learn more about Wendell and his family. I located Wendell’s mother, Mrs. Eursle Roberson Jackson, living in the San Antonio area. She is a most remarkable woman. Even though she lost both her husband and her only child in war she is neither bitter nor remorseful. When I spoke with her she was in her mid-80’s, still active both physically and mentally, and still honors the memories of her husband and son. She provided her favorite picture of Wendell to use in his obituary that I have included on the Classmate Memorial page of the Fair Park Class of 1961 website.
Mrs. Jackson also put me in touch with Wendell’s widow Jerry. She remarried after Wendell's death and now lives in North Carolina. Jerry told me that she and her husband honor Wendell’s sacrifice by visiting the Vietnam Memorial Wall each Memorial Day. Jerry also maintains contact with Wendell’s Mom and sends her birthday cards and flowers each year. That’s classy behavior in my book.
My involvement in this story amounts to little more than touching faint images of the reality. However, it was impossible to learn of the sacrifices made by Wendell, his Dad, his Mom, and his wife and walk away untouched. I’ve thought at length about the pain that Wendell’s Mom and wife endured, the simple joys they never experienced, the children and grandchildren that will never be born, and the strength and dignity they have shown in dealing with their losses. It was a gut wrenching experience for me. And it has changed forever how I look at the sacrifices of war.
In early May 1967 word reached Shreveport that Marine Lance Corporal John Wendell Jackson had been killed in Vietnam. The helicopter in which he was performing his duties was brought down by hostile fire. Both Wendell and the helicopter pilot died in the crash. The Shreveport Times ran Wendell's obituary, probably on Sunday May 14, 1967. That was Mother’s Day in 1967.
Two photos are in the obituary. One is of Wendell and the other of his father. Both were killed in wars they undertook in service to their country. The father, Lt. Wendell Holmes Jackson, was 26 when he died on June 8, 1944, during the Normandy Invasion. His infant son, Wendell, was only one month old when Lt. Jackson last saw him. Wendell died on May 12, 1967, at age 23.
Wendell grew up in Shreveport. His Mother Eursle Roberson Jackson never remarried after the death of her husband and worked at United Gas to support her family. Wendell graduated from Fair Park High School and joined the Marines in 1961. He planned to make the military his career. In about 1966 he met and married Jerry Norsworthy of Fisher, LA. Jerry had attended Northwestern State and worked as a nurse at Schumpert Hospital. She and Wendell were able to share a place of their own for only about a month before he shipped out for Vietnam. Jerry moved in with her Mother-in-Law to await Wendell’s return.
Even though Wendell and I attended Fair Park High School at the same time we did not know each other. Such are the realities of life when you attend a large school. In fact, I spent most of my adult life not even knowing that one of my classmates had died in Vietnam. After I was told of Wendell’s death by Lionel Wright, a classmate who was one of Wendell’s best friends, I felt compelled to learn more about Wendell and his family. I located Wendell’s mother, Mrs. Eursle Roberson Jackson, living in the San Antonio area. She is a most remarkable woman. Even though she lost both her husband and her only child in war she is neither bitter nor remorseful. When I spoke with her she was in her mid-80’s, still active both physically and mentally, and still honors the memories of her husband and son. She provided her favorite picture of Wendell to use in his obituary that I have included on the Classmate Memorial page of the Fair Park Class of 1961 website.
Mrs. Jackson also put me in touch with Wendell’s widow Jerry. She remarried after Wendell's death and now lives in North Carolina. Jerry told me that she and her husband honor Wendell’s sacrifice by visiting the Vietnam Memorial Wall each Memorial Day. Jerry also maintains contact with Wendell’s Mom and sends her birthday cards and flowers each year. That’s classy behavior in my book.
My involvement in this story amounts to little more than touching faint images of the reality. However, it was impossible to learn of the sacrifices made by Wendell, his Dad, his Mom, and his wife and walk away untouched. I’ve thought at length about the pain that Wendell’s Mom and wife endured, the simple joys they never experienced, the children and grandchildren that will never be born, and the strength and dignity they have shown in dealing with their losses. It was a gut wrenching experience for me. And it has changed forever how I look at the sacrifices of war.
September 01, 2006
Follow Up to Memorial Board Work
Bill:
Please place the below information on the blog as a follow-up to our memorial board work.
______________________________
Please place the below information on the blog as a follow-up to our memorial board work.
______________________________
Working on the memorial boards for the 45th reunion of the 1961 Graduating Class of Fair Park High School was a work of love and remembrance. Now that we are all basking in the afterglow of such a memorable evening, we would like to bring everyone up to date on some things we did not bring up during the memorial presentation.
For those of you that haven't heard, Ronnie Middleton is alive and well living on the island of Guam. We literally found the needle in the haystack. He is overwhelmed to have reconnected with high school friends after 45 years. I told him he has a date with the class for the 50th reunion and to put it on his calendar now.
Other good news is that we found Craig Deck, Kenneth Bush, and Pat Wilkerson all alive and well. They had been listed as deceased on the list we were given. Finding four classmates alive was wonderful news.
Unfortunately, we still have three classmates for whom we were unable to get any information. If anyone has any information about Janie Ruth McGrew, Paula Jones or Andrea Solis, please send it to us. You never know when the smallest bit of information might be just the lead we need. Also, we have mixed information regarding Bobby James McClendon. We have been unable to find any information to substantiate his death. We will only include pictures on the memorial board after getting definite confirmation that the individual is deceased including date-of-death.
Memorial Board - We have 70 pictures of deceased classmates. We have three for whom no pictures were available. We have three we are still trying to confirm. The biggest shock we had was finding out that we lost 23 classmates between the 40th and 45th reunions.
After the reunion, Gerry Tisdale's wife called us and told us about his death. He was James Tisdale's brother and died several months after James died. Unfortunately we did not know before the reunion so his picture could be on the board. We now have a picture and it will be added to the memorial board.
The memorial board will be an ongoing project, so feel free to send us any information you might see or hear.
Thanks,
Betty
Betty L. Molcany Barber, M.Ed.
barber2@xanadoo.com
806-698-0348
Lubbock, TX
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)