Thanks for the history lesson. This fills in gaps for both Durkee and Fonville. Being raised on Coghill, er, Parker Rd. I always wondered. We moved there in 1958 after living near Airline and Little York for 2 years after we moved to Houston. As a pastor, I enjoy church and community history. For example, the church I currently pastor just celebrated its 85th anniversary of service. It used to meet in an old school building called the Wall School or the Gill School. Nice to know info. Thanks for sharing.

STEVEN SHEPHERD wrote:

Wall or Gill?  Where was that?  was it a public school?

It was a public school. Part of the lee County Schools. There were 2 thriving farming communities here that were about 3 miles apart. The old "Wall School" was combined with the "Gill School" according to a few who were here in the 20s. The Gill School was closed in the late 30s or early 40s, about the time of WW2.

Connie, Is the teacher in the Durkee picture my sister, Mrs. Betty Petty?  She taught there a few years.  Sue Davis (Coach Davis' wife.)

which picture? 

The Durkee class picture in the Surkee story.  Sue

Sue, I have no idea how old that picture is.  Do you think it is your sister?  Wouldn't that be wonderful. 

The picture is probably older than the time she was there in the 1950s.

I will see if I can get together with her so she can see it.  Sue

Noticed in the picture how someone said some of the people were not even wearing shoes.  It was normal that us boys did not wear shoes in the 50's, especially in Elementary school. It was not that our parents could not afford them, it was more of a tradition. We thought, I guess, that it was cool. I went all the way through the 6 grades in Kashmere and Scarbouough and we boys did not usually wear shoes in warm weather.

It was great to read about Durkee...the beginning.My dad went to Durkee...he was not italian but very poor. I was one of those who was granted the gift of going to this big old building for a brief time in I guess 1954.

In fact my memory serves me right. I and another girl were caught going up and down the stairs during recess. Punishment was standing before the class and having the back of our legs slapped with a ruler.......it hurt.

 I don't remember this teacher's name she was a substitute that day. My teacher was very upset when she heard about it. I was very shy and never misbehaved nor the other girl. It was was a little bit harsh........but I will always remember the old big red brick house building.

Thanks

Janice (Neice) Heavin

I think my sister taught there the first year that the "new" Durkee opened.

I do not know what year that was.

Sue Davis

From Greg Carr70

Back in the day when we actually walked or rode bicycles to school, if you parked your bike in the bike racks, it had to be registered. Here is my original plate for my first bike when I got tired of walking and rode my bike instead.

There were even registered with the HPD bicycle theft division along with the serial number from your bicycle frame ... which was found on the bottom side of the pedal sprocket frame mount.

 

Connie, The class photo that you originally posted is not showing up. Can you repost it?

I went to school at Durkee from 1951-1957, first in the old red brick building and later the "new" one on Nordling. I remember the fire escape on the second floor, and how we loved having fire drills. The 5th and 6th grades were in the "Shacks", which is where the restrooms were too. There were 4 rooms in the old building, plus the two shacks. We climbed the trees at recess and there was some kind of a tree with berries, we called them gooseberries but I'm not sure if that was the right name. Yes, the boys went barefoot  in the warm weather and a lot of them wore overalls. There were a lot of farmers in the area. I lived on Norman street, later renamed Werner, so I walked to school. The new school was located almost directly behind my house, since a builder had put in a lot of small, affordable homes that were sold to veterans on the G.I. Bill. Before Fonville was built kids going from 6th to 7th grade had to spend 7th grade in Black Elementary, over in Oak Forest, which was a long bus ride every day. 

I was reading the history about Durkee Elementary. I started there in Sept. 1955.  Mrs. Easley was my Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Henry (1st grade), Miss Vaughn (2nd), Mrs. Beaudree (3rd--can't remember how to spell her last name), Mrs. Kerr (1st half of 4th), classes were transferred to Mrs. Broughton for 2nd half of 4th grade, my 5th and 6th grades were out in the shacks. I remember the fourth grade and why we were transferred for the 2nd half.  My mother made chairback covers for all the chairs in Mrs. Kerr's class so that no books would be on the floor.  One day, one of the students acidentally left a book on the floor.  Mrs. Kerr got mad and threw all of our books in the garbage can.  She was let go.  I also remember her son who uased to hide out in my mother's flower beds to skip school.  When I went, Mrs. Taylor was the school principal.  Every morning over the intercom system, we would be led in sayinf the Pledge of Alligeance  and prayer.  Then the announcements would be made.  When I was in the 5th grade, I got to do the announcements one morning.  I also remember there used to be a field just south of the school and the people who lived there had 2 bulls.  My mother always picked me up from school and one time she had to run into the building to let them know not to let anyone outside because one of the bulls had jumped the fence and was on the school grounds.  For those who went to Durkee, do you remember how at lunch time, we would be lined up in single file and there was no talking going to and from the cafeteria!!!  Those were the days.

I remember all of those things.  I had several of those teachers.   Mrs Easley was one of my great friends after I graduated from Sam Houston and was instrumental in my getting a small scholarship to U of H.  I lived on Werner and used to walk to school with my older brother.  I graduated from 
​Sam Houston in 1970 but I will never forget Durkee Elementary.  When I was teaching years ago, I modeled my kindergarten classroom after the kindergarten at Durkee.  Do you remember that drawer of Clay that we got to take use to play with?  Good Memories

Thank you for this information, I never knew the origin of the school.