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C ou lt er b oar d con s i ders
By DOUGLAS SCZYGELSKI tor, said making the current ter- Board member Jay Anding,
Eagle Staff Writer minal comply with the who was elected chairman at the
Americans with Disabilities Act close of the meeting, said he liked
Bryan's Coulter Airfield and repairing the building would the plans for a new terminal, "But
Advisory Board met Tuesday for "cost more than it is worth." what are the long -term plans for
the first time since .1994, but the The new terminal, a 41 -foot by the airfield ?" he asked. "We need
board members postponed any 40 -foot metal building, would cost to know."
decisions until all have seen the $60,000 to build, Dempsey said. Conner said he was having sec -
airfield's long -range master plan. Board members reacted favor- and thoughts about having the
Coulter Airfield is used for pri- ably to the blueprints. Joe board approve the terminal
vately owned airplanes. Williams suggested there be a immediately.
Rick Conner, Bryan's public room for filing flight plans, and "If we approve it, it may end up
works director, presented a plan Howard Chamberlain said the conflicting with something else
for a new terminal. Roger room would need a personal com- you want the master plan," he
c p Dempsey, the project coordina- puter. said.
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and a master's, also from TSU,
1.S in 1953. He worked as a math
teacher at the all -black Yates
High School from the early 1950s
From A9 until 1960, when he accepted a
full -time teaching post at TSU.
would not easily be forgotten. He entered a Ph.D. program in
"When you really got a taste of mathematics at the University
freedom was when the enemy of Texas in 1964 and earned the
was the aggressor," said degree in 1967. From 1967 to
Clarkson, who fought on the 1973, he headed the math depart -
German front with a segregated ment at TSU.
unit during the Battle of the Until his retirement in 1993,
Bulge in 1944. he held three administrative
"We moved into a building posts while teaching part time.
and stopped there for a night. A He was named a distinguished
building 200 yards from where professor at TSU in 1986.
we were ... turned out to be full Upon his graduation from UT,
of enemies. They opened fire, I one of Clarkson's professors told
was hit on the right foot. ... him that he had five jobs lined
When something like that hap- up for him at different universi-
pens, Americans become ties, none of which was TSU.
, Americans, no matter what "I said, `I'm going back to
color they are." TSU.' He (the professor) turned
It was a combination of segre- red. He said, `Damned wasted
gation, the GI Bill and a letter degree.' I had never seen him
from the Army explaining his angry before.
opportunity to enroll in college "I felt I owed something to this
that convinced Clarkson to take school and this community. I
a chance by leaving his job as an still do," he said.
electrician he had started sever- "I've put 100 percent of my
al months earlier. time to doing what I could to
He has never looked back. help young people. There are
He earned his bachelor's people who have said that TSU is
degree in mathematics in 1950 my wife," he said.
R EMEMBERING WWII a . 4 .1-et-i
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Eagle photo /Jenny Nelson
Teachers JoAnne Bilderback and Stephanie Linder prepare for World War II Day at Jane Long Middle School on Thursday.
Jane Long Middle School students learn about battle
By JENNY NELSON about the war, they also got some lowed. While the boys were drafted,
Eagle Staff Writer hands -on experiences — World War the girls were hired to work in war -
II -era weapons and a tank from the related factories.
A war was waged behind the walls National Guard helped make it come Not all of the students, however,
of a Bryan middle school, but it was alive. enjoyed that way of life.
over by Thursday afternoon. "I learned that a lot of people got
For the past six weeks, sixth- killed. It was sad," said Marquitta "People didn't get to do very much.
graders at Jane Long Middle School Wilson, a 12- year -old who said the They had to live under rules," Josh
have been reliving World War II but, war unit taught her many things Estollette said.
in the final day of study, students about America's history. "You couldn't find a lot of food,"
heard first -hand accounts of the war One wing of the school was deco- Clayton Homeyer said.
that was fought more than 50 years rated as a war zone, complete with After Thursday's 3 p.m. loud
ago. bright yellow caution tape blocking speaker announcement of the war's
"They kind of think of it as ancient off potentially dangerous areas. But end, students celebrated with a
history because it happened so long the emergency tape didn't keep U.S.O. dance.
ago," said 80- year -old R.F. "Sonny" fatigue -clad teachers from leading Teachers and students said getting
Frame, who was in the Army Air their students through the bomb- a glimpse of the war helped them
Corps during the war. threatened areas.
"I think this kind of made them "It's been amazing," said Jayme understand what they've read in his -
realize it's something that actually Case, a sixth -grade language arts tory books.
happened, rather than just reading teacher. "The kids have lived it out." "It's pulling everything we've
about it in a book," he said. She said after the "war" was studied all together," teacher Jeorgia
Not only did students hear stories announced last month, a draft fol- LaBarbera said.
Tyler plans
monument 9,,
,40009
for g raves
Slaves buried in some
of the unmarked sites
By GREG JUNEK
Associated Press
TYLER, Texas — Their names
are unknown, but they're remem- •
bered. 1 , Sr
Four known grave markers are
impossible to completely see from
the road on a portion of Oakwood
Cemetery adjacent to North i c /L-r-
Palace Avenue. But a local funer-
al director says probably 100 or
more people are buried in this
section — many of them undoubt- AP photo
edly slaves, based on dates on Gregory Sterling examines one of four gravestones in the old black
existing markers. section of Oakwood Cemetery in Tyler, Texas. While only four markers
Oakwood Cemetery is the final remain in this section of the cemetery, it is believed that more than 100
resting place for many members people were buried there, many of them undoubtedly slaves, Sterling
of recognized Tyler families, said.
Confederate veterans and Union
soldiers, even former Texas Gov. said, but added, "The only blame are no markers, the city has no
Richard B. Hubbard. Most of or fault that can be assessed is record, nothing," Garrett said.
these graves are marked by name when we see a situation like this "I've even asked them how long
or at least by an unnamed marker and we do nothing. ... We're just they stopped burying in this sec -
to let people know these people wanting to see an uncomfortable tion and no one has been around
did exist. situation corrected." long enough to know."
On first glance, the section Sterling said the section has Not all blacks were apparently
adjacent to North Palace looks three known markers on it, but buried in the black section, how -
unused, but that is set to change 2 probably many more people are ever. Sterling pointed out a grave
p.m. Sunday when a monument is buried below its expanse. A stone hi the area designated as a
dedicated to the memory of these fourth marker was recently found white section that read, "Our
previously unrecognized individ- near a fence. Beloved Black Mammy Cynthia
uals. "If that is the marker for a Rabb."
"Being in the funeral business black lady, she was a slave," "That's almost bizarre for us to
and you see a lot of blank spaces Sterling said as he looked at the even think of this now," Garrett
in a cemetery, it raises a few ques- fourth marker, lying on its back said, inspecting the grave stone.
tions," said Gregory Sterling, with its front level with the The councilman said, however,
president of Sterling Funeral ground. "If this marker belongs some blacks were buried in white
Directors. on this site, we know she had to sections of cemeteries if they
Oakwood burial records report- be a slave." were involved in raising slave -
edly were destroyed by fire many Oakwood Cemetery was origi- owners' children.
years ago, Sterling and other offs- nally segregated into "White," "It was considered an honor,"
cials said. "Black" and "Jewish" sections. Sterling said.
Sterling launched the idea to Roberts said the section for Sterling, noting the abundance
establish the monument, to be blacks was the area adjacent to of graves of prominent people in
located near the center of this rec- North Palace Avenue. Early Oakwood, described the cemetery
tangular section. He said he con- records of Oakwood Cemetery as "a very historical spot."
tatted Tyler City Councilman indicated the first burial was in "It kind of describes the history
Reginald Garrett, who agreed 1846, according to a 1963 Tyler of this whole community," he
with him the monument place- Morning Telegraph story about a said.
ment would be a special event as Smith County Historical Society Sterling and Garrett said they
Black History Month is celebrat- tour through the cemetery. had confirmed Mayor Kevin
ed hi February. John Lollar deeded the ceme- Eltife would attend the ceremony
"We just felt like it is an tery's original five acres to the Sunday, along with Council mem-
inequity, and with all the other city in 1846. It was part of the orig- ber Jo Ann Hampton and state
monuments and things out there inal tract that became Tyler. Rep. Bob Glaze, D- Gilmer.
we just wanted to correct this par- Garrett said he believed a mon- The two stressed the need for
titular situation," Sterling said. ument would be a fitting tribute knowledge about Oakwood is
People might want to find fault to people who contributed to the ongoing, and asked anybody who
with or cast blame on whomever community but whose names had has knowledge of the identities of
for the situation that exists in this been lost. people buried in this section to
section of Oakwood Cemetery, he "What's so unfortunate is there contact them.
�� Q,1 -- 17 .