Beaumont High School was a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

, co-educational

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

in the

Beaumont Independent School District Beaumont Independent School District is a U.S. public school district serving Beaumont in Southeast Texas. The district originated in the annexation of the former Beaumont ISD by the South Park Independent School District after its trustees vote ...

Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat, seat of government of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur, Texas, Port Arthur Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, metropo ...

from 1898 to 1975.

History

In 1884, two buildings were used by the district for schools: the Old Fireman Hall and the Negro Odd Fellows Hall. Beginning in 1898 a superintendent was hired, new school buildings were constructed and funds were budgeted for their maintenance. Beaumont High School graduated a class of three on June 1, 1900, in a ceremony at the Kyle Opera House. Ida Lillian Pittman was valedictorian; Ludlow Calhoun, class salutatorian; and Harry Potter Jirou, class essayist. The title of Miss Pittman's valedictory address was "Some Women of History." The cornerstone for the first building used primarily for high school students was laid on January 11, 1904 at College and Neches streets. During its first year of use, the building housed students in grades 5-12. A lack of funds forced the third floor to be left unfinished. The location caused some concern among parents on the north side of the city, because their children had to walk through "one of the vilest sections of the Tenderloin district, known here as the 'Reservation.'" In 1925, a $40,000 gymnasium and auditorium were added to the College Street building. On April 8, 1928, voters approved a $1.5 million bond issue, including $900,000 for the construction of a new high school at the built in classic Greek style at end of Pecos Boulevard in what was then city's far-west end. In April 1930, the high school's 1,000 students moved into the new, three-story facility. It was planned by Steinman and Steinman Architects of Beaumont. One of the partners, Douglas E. Steinman, was a 1913 BHS graduate. The new building included a modern innovation for the time, a loudspeaker system that linked the principal's office to all rooms on campus. In 1975, as part of court-ordered desegregation of the district, Beaumont High School was merged with the formerly all-black

Charlton-Pollard High School Charlton-Pollard High School was a segregated high school for black students,Rienstra, Ellen Walker and Judith Walker Linsley (Beaumont Chamber of Commerce). ''Historic Beaumont: An Illustrated History''. HPN Books, 2003. , 9781893619289. p82 oper ...

to form

Beaumont Charlton-Pollard High School Beaumont Charlton-Pollard High School was a senior high school in Beaumont, Texas, a part of the Beaumont Independent School District, that operated from 1975 to 1986. The mascot was the cougar and its school colors were green and gold.

. This school was later merged with

French High School French High School was a public high school in Jefferson County, Texas in operation from 1913 to 1986. At the time of closure it was operated by the Beaumont Independent School District, though it was initially operated by the French Independent S ...

and renamed Beaumont Central. The Beaumont Independent School District voted in January 2018 to close the 1930 building, which was then housing Central High School, after it was damaged by

Hurricane Harvey Hurricane Harvey was a devastating Category 4 hurricane that made landfall on Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. It is tied with 2005's Hurricane Katrina as the costliest t ...

in September 2017.

Athletics

* 1911—won state track and field meet * 1912—won state track and field meet * 1925—competed in the state basketball championship defeating San Antonio Brackenridge * 1931—competed in the state football championship losing to Abilene High School * 1959—won Class 4A state baseball championship

Notable alumni

* Harry Brinkley "Brink" Bass, 1932 — received the Navy Cross and Silver Star during WWII *

John Barnes Chance John Barnes Chance (November 20, 1932 – August 16, 1972) was an American composer. Chance studied composition with Clifton Williams at the University of Texas, Austin, and is best known for his concert band works, which include '' Variatio ...

, 1951 — music composer * Carr P. Collins - business magnate, co-founded Fidelity Life Insurance Co. * Wilfred Roy Cousins, Jr. — member of the

Texas Senate The Texas Senate ( es, Senado de Texas) is the upper house of the Texas State Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing single-member districts across the U.S. state of Texas, with populations of approximately 806,000 per cons ...

* Mildred "Babe" Didrikson, 1930 — Olympic athlete and golfer *

Dwight Harrison Dwight Webster Harrison (born October 12, 1948) is a retired American football defensive back and wide receiver who played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Colts, and Oakland Raide ...

, 1967 — NFL cornerback and wide receiver *

Grady Hatton Grady Edgebert Hatton Jr. (October 7, 1922 – April 11, 2013) was an American professional baseball second baseman, third baseman, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds / Redlegs, Chicago White Sox, Bost ...

, 1939 — professional baseball player and coach/manager. *

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized ...

, trumpet player and band leader who played in the Beaumont High School band while still in junior high *

John Holmes Jenkins John Holmes Jenkins III (1940–April 16, 1989) was an American historian, antiquarian bookseller, publisher, and poker player. Career Jenkins published his first book ''Recollections of Early Texas History'' the year he graduated from hig ...

, 1958 — Texas historian and author * Alan J. Magill, 1972 — leader of Gates Foundation program to eradicate malaria until death in 2015 * Jiles Perry Richardson, 1947 — rock musician, best known as "The Big Bopper"—he sang in the school choir as well as played on the football team. * James M. "Jimmy" Simmons, 1960—former president of Lamar University and music educator *

John Tower John Goodwin Tower (September 29, 1925 – April 5, 1991) was an American politician, serving as a Republican United States Senator from Texas from 1961 to 1985. He was the first Republican Senator elected from Texas since Reconstruction. Tower ...

, 1942 — U.S. Senator *

Edgar Winter Edgar Holland Winter (born December 28, 1946) is an American musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist, playing keyboards, guitar, saxophone, and percussion, as well as singing. His success peaked in the 1970s with his band the Edgar Winter Group ...

, 1966 "Edgar Winter," Museum of the Gulf Coast, *

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...

, 1962 — rock musician *

Gus Zernial Gus Edward Zernial (June 27, 1923 – January 20, 2011) was an American professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball, most notably for the Philadelphia Athletics with whom he remained when they moved west a ...

, 1940 — professional baseball player

References

{{authority control Beaumont Independent School District high schools Former high schools in Texas 1898 establishments in Texas 1975 disestablishments in Texas Educational institutions established in 1898 Educational institutions disestablished in 1975