Dear Members and Friends,

Do you know the name, John Rufus Gibson? If you don’t, you should. Gibson was a visionary educator in Texas, the founding principal of the first black high school in Texas, Central High, originally located at the corner of 16th and L in Galveston.

His career as principal spanned an astonishing 50 years from 1886 to 1936. While the school later moved to 2627 Avenue M, it was shuttered in 1968 when public schools were integrated into Galveston. Historian Sam Collins will uncover the hidden story of J. R. Gibson Saturday, September 12 at noon. His talk is the first in a series of profiles of history-making African Americans in Texas that will culminate on Juneteenth 2021.

For the second talk in the series join us in November when Collins turns his focus to Central High School and Howard University graduate, Jessie McGuire Dent, an early civil rights activist in Galveston.