By James Williams
Saturday hundreds of Sam Houston High School Alumni attended the Sam Houston High School Reunion Picnic at Huntsville High School.
The picnic on Saturday was just one of the many events that the National Alumni Association of Sam Houston High School had planned this week for graduates of the historic Sam Houston High School.
During segregation, Sam Houston High School, named for renowned African-American educator Samuel Walker Houston of Huntsville educated blacks in the Huntsville area from 1906-1968.
The graduates, teachers and their descendants have formed the National Alumni Association to insure that the accomplishments and the history of the institution would not be forgotten.
“We have people from all over come back and celebrate with us — they all come here because they want to perpetuate the legacy and values of the first African-American high school in all of Walker County,” said Dr. Naomi W. Ledé, President of the National Alumni Association of Sam Houston High School.
According to Ledé, close to 5,000 alumni were here to attend the reunion this year. Many alumni still reside in Huntsville, but others came from as far away as California, Oregon, Illinois, New York and Alaska.
The week-long alumni reunion and celebration started on Monday at Sam Walker Houston Museum and Culture Center with alumni registration and an extravagant art exhibit that featured pieces of Ethiopian Art from the “George and Doris Gresham” collection.
Throughout the week more alumni registered for the reunion and participated in fund-raising activities sponsored by community church groups and business leaders.
“We’ve been having events and different activities going for the entire week. And they have been well attended, and we’ve really enjoyed it,” said Deborah Gilbert.
Friday the alumni continued their reunion celebration with a fashion show themed: “A Maroon and White Extravaganza: A Decade of Musical Tradition, a Salute to Motown.”
“Last night we had some young ladies sing some of the old Motown songs that were popular at the time. And then they moved towards the present and they sang songs by Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin and Michael Jackson,” said Lillie Marie Moss, President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Alumni Association of Sam Houston High School.
Mayor J. Turner, Walker County Judge Danny Pierce and several Chamber members also attended the presentations and exhibit tours that were held on Friday.
At the picnic on Saturday in the Huntsville High School Commons the alumni and their family and friends enjoyed an afternoon of good food and fellowship.
“People come to the picnic and they have a lot of fun. They enjoy reminiscing on their school days with classmates and meeting old friends,” said Gilbert.
Dr. Ulysses Watkins Jr. a 1951 graduate of Sam Houston High School attended the picnic and was giving free blood pressure checks to those that attended.
Watkins, who attended Texas Southern University as an undergraduate and then Howard University for Medical School was one of the many professionals that Sam Houston High School graduated.
The reunion for Sam Houston High School alumni is held once every two years and this year the focus was on building a museum and culture center on Highway 30 West where Samuel Walker Houston founded the Sam Houston Industrial and Training School.
