Carter Henry Harrison Technical High School was a public 4–year high school located in the South Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.Alvarez, p. 88. Opened and operated by the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) district, Harrison was founded in 1910 as a branch of Farragut Career Academy. Harrison operated from 1912 until June 1983. Since its closing, The building has housed several schools; presently the Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy.

History

The school was opened in 1912 and was named after Chicago mayor

Carter H. Harrison Carter Henry Harrison Sr. (February 15, 1825October 28, 1893) was an American politician who served as List of mayors of Chicago, mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1879 until 1887; he was subsequently elected to a fifth term in 1893 Chicago mayor ...

, who served as mayor from 1879 to 1887. The school's building was completed in 1914. Starting from 1962 until the opening of

Benito Juarez Benito may refer to: Places * Benito, Kentucky, United States * Benito, Manitoba, Canada * Benito River, a river in Equatorial Guinea Other uses * Benito (name) * ''Benito'' (1993), an Italian film See also * ''Benito Cereno'', a novella by Herm ...

, Harrison had a branch school, Froebel, which served only ninth grade and drew students from the boundaries of Cooper Upper Grade Center and Pickard. Students from Froebel moved onto the main campus for grades 10 to 12. They had briefly experimented with a sophomore year before the school was closed. By the mid–1960s, street gangs in the area began to adopt a racial identity, and the Mexican student population at the main campus, while still small relative to the overall population, was increasing; at the time racial tension between black and Mexican students increased. By the early 1970s, Most of the students at Froebel were of Mexican origin and 75% of the students were Spanish-speaking. During the 1980–1981 school year, the Chicago Public Schools voted to phase out Harrison. After graduating its last class of seniors, The school closed in June 1983.

Activism

A Black and Latino student-led school reform movement started in 1968. The students planned massive walkouts to fight for an end to discrimination in Chicago Public Schools, along with other demands like more teachers of color, bilingual classes, and ethnic studies classes. On October 13, 1968, 35,000 CPS students walked out. Activism at the school continued through the early 1970s. During a March 1972 protest, Mexican-American students demanding better conditions from the school board went on strikeAlvarez, p. 89.

Athletics

Harrison competed in the

Chicago Public League The Chicago Public High School Athletic Association, commonly known as the Chicago Public League (CPL), is the interscholastic competition arm of the Chicago Public Schools. The governance of the CPL is set through the Department of Sports Admini ...

(CPL) and was a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). Harrison varsity athletic teams were named the "Hornets". The boys' baseball team were public league champions in 1934. The boys' football team were public league champions once in 1933. The boys' soccer team where public league champions five times (1923–24, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1931–32 and 1972–73). The girls' track and field were state champions in 1973–74. The boys' track and field team were public league champions and class AA in 1975–76.

Notable alumni

* Jack Karwales (Class of 1939) – football player. * George Cisar (Class of 1929) – baseball player, ''

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

''. * Arthur Goldberg (Class of 1925) – statesmen and jurist, Supreme Court Justice. *

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

(Class of 1927) – jazz clarinetist and bandleader. * Clarence Janecek (Class of 1929) – football player. * Irwin Kostal (attended) – film musical arranger and Broadway orchestrator * Frank Kovanda (Class of 1922) – American bow maker * Irv Kupcinet (Class of 1930) – columnist. * Rudy Lozano (Class of 1969) – activist and community organizer. *

Walter C. McAvoy Walter Charles "Babe" McAvoy (September 10, 1904 – July 5, 1990) was an American politician and businessman. Born in Chicago, Illinois, McAvoy went to parochial school and to Harrison Technical High School. He was involved in the real estate ...

(Class of 1922) – politician. *

Richard George Voge Richard George Voge (4 May 1904 – 17 November 1948), born in Chicago, Illinois, was an officer in the United States Navy.''Richard George Voge 4 May 1904 - 17 November 1948'', Modern Biographical Files in the Navy Department Library, Modern Bi ...

(Class of 1921) – U.S. Navy officer.

Notes

References

* Alvarez, René Luis. "A Community that Would Not Take 'No' for an Answer: Mexican Americans, the Chicago Public Schools, and the Founding of Benito Juarez High School," ''

Journal of Illinois History The Illinois Historic Preservation Division, formerly Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Illinois, and is a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. It is tasked with the duty of m ...