Memorial High School is 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 Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

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) ...

located in

Port Arthur, Texas Port Arthur is a city in Jefferson County within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area of the U.S. state of Texas. A small, uninhabited portion extends into Orange County; it is east of Houston. The largest oil refinery in the United Sta ...

, United States. It was established in August 2002 after a merger of three previous high schools:

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

, and

Stephen F. Austin Stephen Fuller Austin (November 3, 1793 – December 27, 1836) was an American-born empresario. Known as the "Father of Texas" and the founder of Anglo Texas,Hatch (1999), p. 43. he led the second and, ultimately, the successful colonization ...

. Since then, Port Arthur Memorial High School has been the only high school in the

Port Arthur Independent School District Port Arthur Independent School District is a public school district based in Port Arthur, Texas, United States. The district serves most of Port Arthur and a portion of Groves. In 2012, the school district was rated "academically acceptable" b ...

. It serves most of Port Arthur and a portion of Groves. Initially, the school used the former Lincoln and Jefferson campuses; its new facility opened for the 2009–10 school year on the northern side of Port Arthur. It also has a 9th Grade Center Next to it bro in Port Arthur, on the former Austin Middle School campus. When Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen F. Austin high schools were consolidated, students voted on the name for the new high school and the top two vote-getters were "Memorial High School" and "

Thurgood Marshall Thurgood Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an American civil rights lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1967 until 1991. He was the Supreme Court's first African-A ...

High School". In September 2007, school board member Terry Doyle suggested renaming Memorial High School after the late Staff Sgt.

Lucian Adams Lucian Adams (October 26, 1922 – March 31, 2003) was a United States Army soldier during World War II who received the Medal of Honor for single-handedly destroying enemy machine gun emplacements to re-establish supply lines to U.S. Army comp ...

, a Port Arthur native who received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

for his bravery in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Employees of the school district established a museum of artifacts from the three former high schools plus the Catholic Bishop Byrne High School.

Athletics

Memorial High School currently participates in District 22-5A. Memorial participates in the following UIL sports where it has had success in many district championships and playoff wins: * Football * Volleyball * Cheerleading * Cross Country * Basketball * Soccer * Track and Field * Swimming and Diving * Baseball * Softball * Tennis * Powerlifting * Golf

Organizations

Memorial has many organizations including an award winning: * Marching Band known as "The Marching Heat" * Dance/Drill Team known as the "Flames" usually made up of 30-60 girls * The Titan Press Newspaper and Yearbook * NJROTC * Theatre * MHS Choir on Fire Among over 30 clubs.

Notable alumni

* Eric Alexander, former NFL linebacker, attended Stephen F. Austin *

Bun B Bernard James Freeman (born March 19, 1973), known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the southern rap duo UGK (UnderGround Kingz), a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work with ...

, rapper and former member of UGK, attended Thomas Jefferson * Aaron Brown, former NFL defensive end, attended Lincoln *

Jonathan Babineaux Jonathan Joel Babineaux (born October 12, 1981) is a former American football defensive tackle who played all 12 seasons of his career with the Atlanta Falcons. He was drafted by the Falcons in the second round with the 59th overall pick in th ...

, former NFL defensive tackle, attended Lincoln *

Jordan Babineaux Jordan Jude Babineaux (born August 31, 1982) is a former American football safety. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2004 out of Southern Arkansas University. Babineaux is most notable for his game-saving effo ...

, former NFL cornerback, attended Lincoln * G. W. Bailey (Thomas Jefferson Class of 1961) — stage, television and film actor *

J'Covan Brown J'Covan Marquis Brown (born February 14, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball for the University of Texas before playing professionally in G ...

(born 1990), basketball player in the

Israel Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball co ...

Pimp C Chad Lamont Butler (December 29, 1973 – December 4, 2007), better known by his stage name Pimp C, was an American rapper and record producer. He was best known for his work with Bun B as one half of the hip-hop duo Underground Kingz (UGK). ...

, rapper and former member of UGK, attended Lincoln *

Jamaal Charles Jamaal RaShaad Jones Charles (born December 27, 1986) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the University of Texas, where he won the 2006 Rose Bowl, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third ro ...

, former NFL running back *

Todd Dodge Todd Russell Dodge (born July 21, 1963) is an American football coach and former player, and recently retired head coach at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin where he played quarterba ...

(Thomas Jefferson alumni) — a former Texas high school football coach *

Kevin Everett Kevin Everett (born February 5, 1982) is a former American football tight end who played for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Bills in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at th ...

, former NFL tight end, attended Thomas Jefferson *

Goose Gonsoulin Austin William "Goose" Gonsoulin (June 7, 1938 – September 8, 2014) was an American professional football player who was a safety in the American Football League (AFL) for the Denver Broncos and in the National Football League (NFL) for the Sa ...

, former NFL safety, attended Thomas Jefferson *

Danny Gorrer Danny Gorrer (born June 1, 1986) is a former American football cornerback. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Texas A&M. Gorrer was also a member of the St. Louis Rams, Baltim ...

, former NFL cornerback * Mike Green, former NFL linebacker, attended Lincoln *

Duriel Harris Duriel LaDon Harris, Jr. (born November 27, 1954) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at New Mexico State Uni ...

, former NFL wide receiver, attended Stephen F. Austin * Xavier Hernandez, former MLB pitcher, attended Thomas Jefferson *

Stephen Jackson Stephen Jesse Jackson (born April 5, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors, Mi ...

, former NBA guard, attended Lincoln *

James Johnson James Johnson may refer to: Artists, actors, authors, and musicians *James Austin Johnson (born 1989), American comedian & actor, ''Saturday Night Live'' cast member *James B. Johnson (born 1944), author of science nonfiction novels *James P. John ...

, former NFL running back, attended Thomas Jefferson * Jimmy Johnson (Thomas Jefferson Class of 1961) —

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...

coach, also a college coach * Paul Jones, professional wrestler *

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known Rock music, rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage ...

(Thomas Jefferson Class of 1960) — A rock, soul, and blues singer and songwriter, member of the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

* Carl Larpenter, former NFL offensive lineman, attended Thomas Jefferson * Bobby Leopold, former NFL linebacker, attended Lincoln *

Tim McKyer Timothy Bernard McKyer (born September 5, 1963) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the ...

, former NFL cornerback, attended Lincoln *

Inika McPherson Inika McPherson (born September 29, 1986, in Port Arthur, Texas) is an American track and field athlete specializing in the high jump. She was the 2013 and 2014 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships, US Indoor champion. She also won the women ...

, national champion high jumper *

Marcus Price Marcus Raymond Price (born March 3, 1972) is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Jacksonville Jaguars, San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys. He played c ...

, former NFL offensive lineman, attended Lincoln * Elandon Roberts, NFL linebacker * Dan Rogas, former NFL offensive lineman, attended Thomas Jefferson * Cotton Speyrer, former NFL wide receiver, attended Thomas Jefferson *

Raymond Strother Raymond D. Strother (October 18, 1940 – October 1, 2022) was a nationally known Democratic political consultant, originally from Port Arthur, Texas. Background Reared in a politically active lower-middle-class home, Strother graduated in 1 ...

political consultant Political consulting is a form of consulting that consists primarily of advising and assisting political campaigns. Although the most important role of political consultants is arguably the development and production of mass media (largely tel ...

, attended Thomas Jefferson *

Kary Vincent Jr. Kary Lamont Vincent Jr. (born February 27, 1999) is an American professional gridiron football defensive back for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at LSU before he was drafted by the Denve ...

, NFL player * Joe Washington, former NFL running back, attended Lincoln

References

External links

Port Arthur ISD
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 2002 High schools in Jefferson County, Texas Public high schools in Texas 2002 establishments in Texas