HomeMy WebLinkAboutIbarra Elementary SchoolAfter the death of my father on April 10,1929, the Ibarra
Elementary School was built by the school district and dedicated
to the education of children, mostly Hispanic at first, in Bryan.
It was a fitting tribute to the memory of the man, a champion for
education, whose life and ministry opened the door of opportunity
for Hispanics in many areas, including education. He himself had
overcome the language barrier by studying and a strong, firm de-
termination to succeed; and had proven that it could be done. He
urged children and young people to get an education and become fu-
ture useful citizens with happy, fulfilled lives. "Education is
the Sala. Taro gti dhislcounsel andl~n ~u nce, Revucfbarra helof-
ten some young men to go to college. He urged his own children to be
"top" students and never be satisfied with less. On rainy days,
I remember, Dad would sometimes bring us a hot lunchto school, so
we wouldn't get wet and risk getting sick and missing school.
I received my elementary education in Bowie School and I still
remember some of my teachers: Ms. Margaret Zuber, first grade; Ms.
Nina Henry, second grade--a beautiful person in looks and charac-
ter or personality,and a teacher who made one feel at ease. I re-
member her as an outstanding educator who loved children and always
had a smile on her face. Another fine person and good teacher was
dear Ms. Dorothy Ettle, sixth grade teacher. I remember the Prin-
cipal who also was my seventh grade teacher, Mr. C.M.Bethany, a
kind teacher with a good singing voice. He had us students stand
up each morning and sing with him before classwork. He was a fine
down-to-earth,happy person; a good teacher and administrator. I
also remember good teachers in high school; I especially remember
Ms. Wesa Weddington as a fine person and excellent educator. All
of these teachers and others whose names l don't remember were fine
Christian persons who made a lasting impression on me. I am very
grateful for good study habits learned as a child at home; for a
good memory which served me well in university studies; and for a
desire to excel in all my studies. They brought me success as a
student and fulfillment as a musician and educator. I also ap-
preciate those teachers and college professors who were good role
models and deserve a bit of credit.