Lone Star Splash: From the Past

By Thurman W. Robins Ed.D.

Lone Star Splash: From the Past

In the Lone Star State, during the era of segregation, competitive swimming and diving for both boys and girls were introduced in four black high schools. These four black high schools competed in the first district swimming meet at Central High School in Galveston, Texas, in the spring of 1955. Over a thirteen-year period, performances in every event improved significantly. In 1966, the last season prior to integration, seven teams competed for district and state honors.

Phillis Wheatley of Houston claimed the first three district championships, followed by Jack Yates, who won five consecutive championships. Booker T. Washington High School of Houston claimed the last five district championships and three state championships.

Both boys and girls competed for the city/district championships in the four competitive strokes plus fancy diving. Many individuals who competed in the high school programs earned collegiate swimming scholarships at HBCU all over America.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9781546271475

Thurman W. Robins Ed.D.

Thurman W. Robins is author of three books Swimming Against The Odds, Shimmy To Gold, and Requiem For A Classic. He was an educator, administrator and coach for more than forty years. He worked in the public schools of Houston for 13 years, was a Teaching Fellow at University of Houston for two years, and spent the last 33 years as a professor/administrator for Texas Southern University (TSU). He also found time to administer youth sports programs for the City of Houston Parks and Recreation department, TSU, and Harris County Pct. 1. Robins has been inducted into four Hall of Fames: Southern University HOF, Prairie View Interscholastic League Coaches Association HOF, Texas Black Sports HOF, and TSU College of Education HOF. He has also been the recipient of numerous honors and awards. Dr. Robins is a native Houstonian, who participated in various sports throughout his early life. He earned three degrees: B.S. Southern University, M.S. Texas Southern University, and Ed. D. University of Houston. His love for elite competition coupled with academic achievement was the foundation for his career as an educator. He is married to Doris Rodgers Robins and has three daughters, Emma Robins Turner, Thelma Robins Welch, and Kelley Robins Hicks.

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© 2019 Thurman W. Robins, Ed.D. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 01/26/2019

ISBN: 978-1-5462-7149-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-7148-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-7147-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018914493

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CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1   Competitive Swimming in Black Public High Schools of Texas

Chapter 2   District Swimming Championship Meets 1955-58

Chapter 3   Highlights of District Meets 1959 - 1965

Chapter 4   AAU Jr. Olympics and First Integrated Meet in Texas

Chapter 5   The Men Who Led

Chapter 6   Junior High School Competition

Chapter 7   Facilities and Equipment

Chapter 8   Epilogue

Appendix 1

Appendix 2

Bibliography

About the Author

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to all the high school boys and girls of Texas who participated in the Prairie View Interscholastic League Competitive Swimming and Diving Programs during the 1950s and 1960s.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank all of the individuals who encouraged me to write this manuscript which include: Eugene Barrington, Ronnie Branch, Barbara and Robert Brown, Larry Campbell, Granville Collins, Jay Cummings, Ellis Douglas, Garry Dunham, Brandon Ellis, Freddie Gould, Emma Joubert, Kelley and Broderick Hicks, Michael Hurd, Jesse Hurst II, James Jones, Marvin Neal, Patricia Smith Prather, Leon Richardson, James Rucker, Edward Square, Luthur Walker, and Robert Williams.

A special thanks to my wife Doris for her encouragement, patience and continued support throughout the writing process. Thanks to my sister Thelma Robins Gould for her suggestions and, Dr. Charlene Evans for her input, recommendations and editing of the manuscript.

Lastly thanks to the Library staffs of: The African American Library at the Gregory School, Texas Southern University, Rice University, and the University of Houston. The valuable assistance and resource materials provided help make this project possible.

Thanks to Georgia Provost of Provost and Associates for all of the photos from the high school yearbooks. In addition a special thanks to the Special Collections/Archives Department of John B. Coleman Library of Prairie View A&M University.

PREFACE

Competitive swimming in the Black communities of Texas was and continues to be somewhat of a novelty. This book highlights the accomplishments of Black high school students in the sport of competitive swimming during the early 1950s and 1960s. High school administrators of that era are to be commended for their vision and support in providing the sport of competitive swimming for their students.

This book is the first known written history of competitive swimming programs in Black high schools of Texas. Although competitive swimming existed for a relatively short period of time (13 yrs.) in a few Black high schools in the Lone Star State, students of that era should be recognized for their persistent efforts.

My personal experiences as a high school and collegiate swimmer, as well as the rewards garnered within the sport was the initial impetus for creation of this manuscript. Moreover, the friendships gained and the lessons learned from participation served me well throughout my high school and collegiate career. Other valuable experiences gained through participation helped pave my way for a lifelong journey in sports.

Much of the information contained is an expression of my memories during the early period of the competitive swimming program. Personal accounts are supplemented by extensive interviews of teammates, and other swimmers from Phillis Wheatley and Booker T. Washington High Schools. In addition, articles gleamed from the Houston Informer and the Forward Times newspapers were very instrumental in completing this document.

Prior to the late 1960s, high school sports programs were segregated in Texas. However, there was keen awareness of the progress and results of all sports programs in both the White and Black high schools. Comparisons of sports programs between the White and Black high schools, were constantly debated by all sides. When making comparisons between these programs, one must be acutely aware that White high schools programs had more financial support, better facilities, and equipment than Black high school programs. Therefore, comparisons of White and Black high school sports programs often times resulted in faulty assumptions, distorted facts, and racial biases.

Comparisons were made between the White and Black competitive swimming programs in this book. The comparisons focused on performance times in all events. During the initial phase of the Black programs, there existed considerable differences in performance times in all events when compared to White performances. However, with each passing year Black participants significantly improved their performance times in all events. Within a five year period the differences in performance times between White and Black participants were less significant.

Much credit must be given to the male and female coaches who initiated the competitive swimming programs. These individuals served as mentors who inspired and motivated hundreds of young men and women from the early days of the program until its demise in 1967.

INTRODUCTION

Competitive swimming activities were introduced into Black high schools of Texas in the early 1950s. A lack of facilities was the main reason this activity was not included earlier. Most Black communities in Texas had little access to swimming pools during the 1930s, through the 1950s, and the schools systems of that period saw no reason to provide Black high schools with swimming facilities. Likewise, there were few swimming facilities in the