Our friend Les Fullerton suggested this magazine commemorating the 200th anniversary of Harrisburg’s founding and the 100th anniversary of Milby High School, whose mascot is the Buffaloes – hence the name, Bison-tennial.
The Harrisburg story rarely gets mentioned in discussions about the region’s founding as a mercantile hub, even though Harrisburg predates Houston by a decade, and it boasted the first Texas railroad and first port on Buffalo Bayou. Except for a few twists of fate, Harrisburg might have been annexing Houston instead of the reverse, as the opening article demonstrates.
From 1920 to 1930, the Houston metropolitan area’s population grew from 256,023 to 439, 226. To accommodate this growth, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) opened two new Black high schools, Yates and Wheatley; and two new White high schools, Milby and Heights (originally Reagan), in 1926 and 1927.
As my students began studying the Milby story, many people told us that we would not find a stronger alumni connection than Milby’s. The stories sounded too good to be true, claiming whenever former students met for the first time, they immediately connected like family. The more research we did and the more people we interviewed that feeling of family emerged as a universal theme.
Historians have long recognized that schools offer a window into communities, but Milby is the community. Milby not only reflects what goes on outside its walls but also helps drive it with students who are the second and third generation in their family to attend Milby and dedicated teachers, about 65% of whom are alumni.
Lest you think, “I didn’t go to Milby, so this doesn’t relate to me,” I encourage you to read further. I graduated from Westbury and found that the stories mirrored my experiences based on HISD policies and the historical trends of the time. From public school desegregation and dress codes to popular music and styles, the magazine offers a walk down memory lane. Other articles focus on curriculum and organizations, such as the Milby COED Cadettes drill team, boys’ football and basketball, and curricular programs from Petrochem to Cosmetology. The magazine explores individuals who have made a difference in local politics, policy, and the law, closing with that unique Milby magnetism.
To capture the intertwining histories of Harrisburg and Milby, the University of Houston’s Center for Public History connected our students with community members to record their oral histories and tour historic Harrisburg. Other students conducted research at the Milby library where they gathered facts not available elsewhere and set an example for Milby students who were surprised to find outsiders cared about Milby’s history and that the research was done by going to the library rather than looking online. Students wrote the articles, and our summer interns edited them for publication.
I wish to thank several people who made this magazine possible, including: 1959 Milby graduate, Les Fullerton; supporter, Charles Fitch; principal, Ruth Peña; COED Cadette Drill and Dance Alumni chair, Anna Marie Guzmán Protz; librarian, Rowena Verdin; alum and African American Studies instructor , Don Williams; and the additional twenty-five people who took part in oral histories with my students. These folks welcomed us into their lives, made introductions to classmates, provided access to the library, and answered a myriad of questions.
At every turn, the intertwining histories drew us in to learn more and capture the feelings as much as the facts about what we discovered. In researching Harrisburg, at times sadness arose because the town did not get credit for the port’s development and location. When it came to Milby High School, the students were all in. They discussed word choices and repeatedly returned to the yearbooks to find the right image to accurately convey the message. In the classes and the internship, the students became invested in telling these stories, feeling they, too, were part of the Milby Buffs family celebrating the Bison-tennial.
Center for Public History Director:
Nancy Beck Young
Our History Department colleague and former chair, Nancy Beck Young, assumed the role of CPH director in September. The associate director since 2018, Nancy has a thorough understanding of the center, public humanities, and this magazine. She is also a preeminent historian of twentieth century politics and co-director of the Sharing Stories from 1977 project detailing the National Women’s Conference. Please join us in welcoming Nancy as director.
We wish to thank Mark Goldberg for serving as interim director of CPH for the past academic year. Under Mark’s leadership we continued our existing projects and spread our reach by offering new opportunities for student success. It has been a pleasure working with Mark, and we look forward to new collaborations in the future.
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