By Diego Guerrero with Cameron Wright
What is the most important institution in Harrisburg? “Milby,” Anna Marie Guzman Protz, a 1987 graduate, responded immediately. Not the Houston Ship Channel or any other Greater East End landmarks but Milby High School because it has supported the community and its growth for the last century.
Public history students at the University of Houston (UH) conducted oral history interviews with thirty Milby alumni and Harrisburg community members as Harrisburg approaches its bicentennial and the school celebrates its centennial. These dedicated former students, spanning generations, continue to contribute to the school’s legacy through mentorship, philanthropy, and community engagement. Their unwavering support and involvement underscore the enduring impact of Milby High School, fostering a dynamic environment where past and present intertwine to inspire future leaders.
The interviews repeatedly show Milby alumni seem to have a unique bond that has persisted for at least seven decades. For some the connection had to do with a group, like the football team or Milby’s COED Cadettes, but for everyone it appeared to be rooted in the Milby experience, although many found it hard to put into words exactly what that entailed.
Dr. Les Fullerton, class of 1959, suggested this project to the UH Center for Public History. Fullerton grew up in a two-bedroom home in Pecan Park, near present day I-45 South and Loop 610, where he lived a “simple but joyful life” with his parents and three brothers, in the days before air conditioning. He worked mowing lawns and delivering the Houston Chronicle, which taught him the importance of doing things the right way. As someone who loved learning, he attended Southmayd Elementary and Deady Junior High School, before going to Milby, all of which had outstanding teachers. Today he is impressed by the way Milby principal Ruth Peña, class of 1993, has maintained that tradition, hiring many alumni who “care about their students and teach their subjects well.” As a life-long East Ender, Milby fan, and history lover, Fullerton went on to become a dental surgeon and professor. An advocate for education, he supports scholarships for Milby students, UH public history students, and others.
In 2018 Ruth Peña became the first alum to serve as principal of Milby High School where she feels deeply connected. Her family also lived in Pecan Park, and Peña’s mother got her GED at Milby, so Ruth was familiar with the high school when she enrolled in its magnet program in 1990. Peña attended UH, to become a teacher and advocate for children in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program.
Having served in both the classroom and administration for several years, when the principal’s position opened at Milby, she was ready to “go back home.” This presented a challenge as the State of Texas labeled Milby “IR,” for improvement required, which Peña described as being “the lowest of the low campuses.” This did not discourage her, however. She recalled, “I came in with some fire. I had to establish some systems.” She knew Milby was capable of greater things; and in her first year as principal, the school moved out of IR.
Peña, whose three children attend Milby, credits her success to caring deeply and engaging with students by having an open-door policy. This policy helps form an immediate connection with her students when coupled with the similarities she has with them: growing up in the same area and going to the same schools. Being involved and open fosters a community where students become the best versions of themselves.
With a community that is so persistent in helping each other, it is not surprising that 65 percent of Milby’s staff, Peña estimates, is made up of alumni, and as many as ten coaches. Some of those faculty include Jim Duffer, Carlos Morales, and Don Williams.
Jim Duffer (1980) spent his entire adolescence in Houston’s East End going to Milby games because his older sister was in the band. Duffer recalled the anticipation of walking through Milby’s doors for the first time as a student, saying “To know that you were a part of the school now, it was a great feeling.” An athlete under the legendary Coach Boyce Honea, he became the basketball manager at UH, where he majored in physical education during UH’s historic Phi Slamma Jama run.
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To learn more about Milby High School, visit Milby High School / Homepage (houstonisd.org).
To learn about Milby’s alumni, visit https://milbyalum.org/.
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