Westbury High School At 11911 Chimney Rock Rd.

[VicMan]

I don't know, Isn't it still over there off of Tate near West Dallas? Haven't been in those parts for awhile, so maybe it's gone.

Taft near West Dallas? The area is divided between Lamar High School and Reagan High School. Either way, Lincoln High School no longer exists.

What was its exact address?

[Fringe]

that mascot looked good in the back of a Birdkeeper's pickup. Go Cards.

Ahh, I remember those days. Westbury didn't have the advantage of having (Bellaire) police pick up their mascot the day before a game and lock it up in the basement of their police station, so they usually came out on the short end of the stick.

[marmer]

I don't know, Isn't it still over there off of Tate near West Dallas? Haven't been in those parts for awhile, so maybe it's gone.

Isn't that the Gregory-Lincoln Education Center, the K-8 Fine Arts magnet? Was that ever a high school? It was built in 1966 and is getting a new building.

[icepickphil]

There was a Lincoln High School in Houston during the '70s. Nothing about it on the internet though. It seems to have vanished.

There's someone on HAIF named Vicman who would know about this.

Isn't that the Gregory-Lincoln Education Center, the K-8 Fine Arts magnet? Was that ever a high school? It was built in 1966 and is getting a new building.

[marmer]

There was a Lincoln High School in Houston during the '70s. Nothing about it on the internet though. It seems to have vanished.

There's someone on HAIF named Vicman who would know about this.

VicMan is the one who first raised the question... We're trying to figure out what happened to it.

[Firebird65]

VicMan is the one who first raised the question... We're trying to figure out what happened to it.

It was a black school (same as Yates, Wheatley, Carver) that I believe was converted to a junior high or some other use I believe, but stand to be corrected.

Other similar schools that are no longer around or have been converted to other uses include Williams in HISD and Elmore in North Forest.

[westhu]

I would have sworn that there had not been a Lincoln anything built south of the Mason Dixon Line since 1865. Lincoln HS, Houston is listed on Classmates.com and had graduates from the late 60s thru the early 80's. There is one reference on the message board from 2004 that alludes to it being torn down soon. There were only a couple of hundred alum listed on classmates so it must have been a fairly small school.

[marmer]

There's not much info out there, especially not from HISD, but it sure looks like Gregory Elementary School moved to the fortress-like campus of Lincoln High School (built 1966) in 1980. A new K-8 school, the Gregory-Lincoln Education Center, was thus created and the high-school age kids in the area were distributed to Lamar, Davis, and Reagan. Gregory-Lincoln became the district's fine arts magnet middle school a year or two later.

[Alpha]

that mascot looked good in the back of a Birdkeeper's pickup. Go Cards.

BHS class of 66. I probably knew you Alpha.

I hate to do this, but I have to...

On the street of Old South Rice, known to you and I,

Stands an old abandoned OUTHOUSE,

Known as Bellaire High.

Sorry, but the devil made me do it.

[marmer]

I hate to do this, but I have to...

On the street of Old South Rice, known to you and I,

Stands an old abandoned OUTHOUSE,

Known as Bellaire High.

Sorry, but the devil made me do it.

Back in the old days at Rice, we of the MOB would always throw a party for the UT band when Rice played UT (or they would reciprocate when we went to Austin) Funny, they would always sing a song for us very much like that about A&M. (to the tune, I believe, of "Far Above Cayuga's Waters")

[plumber2]

Back in the old days at Rice, we of the MOB would always throw a party for the UT band when Rice played UT (or they would reciprocate when we went to Austin) Funny, they would always sing a song for us very much like that about A&M. (to the tune, I believe, of "Far Above Cayuga's Waters")

My mother was a student at UofH in the late 30's. She told me that when they got to play Rice on any occasion, one of the Cougar fight songs always ended with this chant, "What comes out of a chinaman's ass? Rice!, Rice!, Rice!.

Bless her soul, she passed away just this year. She was 90 years old.

[VicMan]

I wonder how those UH grads feel when they think about the offensive song and see the student body of UH as of 2007....

[marmer]

I wonder how those UH grads feel when they think about the offensive song and see the student body of UH as of 2007....

"Man, that's a lot of rice!" They said it as late as the middle 80's, believe me! We thought it was funny.

Edited October 20, 2007 by marmer

[Westbury69]

Well, this thread's been dead a while but here goes. Went to Westbury 66-69. It was a good place with a good spirit. Anyone remember the day dozens of guys got sent home for hair being too long? It even made the local newscast on one of the TV stations. I remember all the guys sitting in rows on the gym floor and the coaches walking up and down the rows picking out the ones to be sent home. I was sweating it, but didn't get sent. Kinda disappointed, though.

Then there was the jukebox that was allowed in the cafeteria courtyard area. That was radical. I remember being absolutely blown away by Sunshine of Your Love that was played over and over. Never had heard guitar like that.

Coach Reagan (or O'Reagan?) came in one day and did the usual "It's team A against B" only he said this was going to be a competion in archery and the team with the most guys left standing would win - as in a contact sport. So try not to get shot. This was going to weed out the pansies (or some such term. Funny stuff. I also remember getting paddle swat from him. That was some serious hurt. The best was dodge ball in the gym. All-out war.

Sure was tough always losing to Bellaire in football.

[VicMan]

Here is a population graph showing the changes to Westbury High School over the years: http://www.schooldigger.com/go/TX/schools/...609/school.aspx

But in 2006-2007 the population dipped to 2,099 with African-American percentages going from 52% to 49% and Hispanic going from 38% to 42%: http://dept.houstonisd.org/profiles/Westbury_HS.pdf

Also here is the school's boundary map http://dept.houstonisd.org/ab/schoolbounda.../WestburyHS.pdf

[Fringe]

Well, this thread's been dead a while but here goes. Went to Westbury 66-69. It was a good place with a good spirit. Anyone remember the day dozens of guys got sent home for hair being too long? It even made the local newscast on one of the TV stations. I remember all the guys sitting in rows on the gym floor and the coaches walking up and down the rows picking out the ones to be sent home. I was sweating it, but didn't get sent. Kinda disappointed, though.

Then there was the jukebox that was allowed in the cafeteria courtyard area. That was radical. I remember being absolutely blown away by Sunshine of Your Love that was played over and over. Never had heard guitar like that.

Coach Reagan (or O'Reagan?) came in one day and did the usual "It's team A against B" only he said this was going to be a competion in archery and the team with the most guys left standing would win - as in a contact sport. So try not to get shot. This was going to weed out the pansies (or some such term. Funny stuff. I also remember getting paddle swat from him. That was some serious hurt. The best was dodge ball in the gym. All-out war.

Sure was tough always losing to Bellaire in football.

I graduated from Westbury in 69 also. I remember the hair fiasco.

It was a great place to go to school in the 60's. Felt sorry for some of my buddies that got zoned to Madison.

[Gurgis]

The grocery store was "Lewis and Coker"

At the other end of the shopping strip was a BBQ place named "The Pit Stop"

It had a race car theme.

Unfortunately, the addition of apartments on Gasmer was the beginning of the end.

Great to see all these postings! Makes me nostalgic. I attended Westbury from 1979-1982. I remember the places mentioned above (BBQ restaurant and Lewis and Coker grocery store). Westbury Square nearby. Also a TGIY discount store nearby, and Monterey House mex. restaurant more towards Main/90. Also Meyer Speedway, near the stadium.

I have the 1981 Citadel yearbook.

[icepickphil]

When did Madison High open?

I graduated from Westbury in 69 also. I remember the hair fiasco.

It was a great place to go to school in the 60's. Felt sorry for some of my buddies that got zoned to Madison.

[VicMan]

When did Madison High open?

http://web.archive.org/web/20030524175058/...nfo/history.htm

It opened on September 8, 1965.

[Croberts]

I graduated from Westbury in 69 also. I remember the hair fiasco.

It was a great place to go to school in the 60's. Felt sorry for some of my buddies that got zoned to Madison.

I remember it too, more than one persons high school experience was wrecked by it. I remember a similar situation at A.S. Johnston, where they were lined up and anyone with long hair, or the wrong clothes got kicked out. One girl was told she was a slut by the assistant principle for wearing a peasant blouse.

I tell my 18 year old daughter the list of proscribed clothing, fashion and hair situations, and she looks at me like I am from mars.

[hbcu]

wasn't Madison primarily white when it opened liked Sterling? Then they migrated to Fort Bend and opened Willowridge and so on and so on...

[Native Son]

wasn't Madison primarily white when it opened liked Sterling? Then they migrated to Fort Bend and opened Willowridge and so on and so on...

In 1965 Madison was located on the fringe of a rural area....the farms were old, and the subdivisions were brand new.

I guess it depends on who you mean by "they". My neighbors on Wuthering Hts seemed to all move to Kingwood or the Woodlands in the early to mid 70's...I don't think Ft. Bend was far enough away from whatever they thought they were running from

Edited May 20, 2008 by Native Son

[hbcu]

I knew some Wuthering Heights folks but they moved in during that time and still remain...a neighborhood that has remained nice is off of Hiram Clarke and Allum and Player Streets...

when did the Aristocrat Apartments come to reality off of Airport? That's the worst eyesore in the area...who approved that?

Sterling and Madison basically opened the same time and had the same fates..both changed demographics in the 80s as the original residents moved further out...oddly enough, Madison's enrollment has grown due to the influx of hispanics and new homes off of Orem while Sterling's has dropped due to Pearland's growth

[Fringe]

I knew some Wuthering Heights folks but they moved in during that time and still remain...a neighborhood that has remained nice is off of Hiram Clarke and Allum and Player Streets...

when did the Aristocrat Apartments come to reality off of Airport? That's the worst eyesore in the area...who approved that?

Sterling and Madison basically opened the same time and had the same fates..both changed demographics in the 80s as the original residents moved further out...oddly enough, Madison's enrollment has grown due to the influx of hispanics and new homes off of Orem while Sterling's has dropped due to Pearland's growth

Madison's neighborhood demographics began changing shortly after it opened. By the time my wife graduated from there in 74 it was predominately black and you could forget about getting an education there. She graduated without hardly attending any classes her senior year. Her two younger brothers ended up just dropping out and getting GED’s. Felt bad for them because Westbury didn't start going downhill until the 80's when those apartments went up close by. They lived much closer to Westbury High than Madison but got screwed with the zoning.

[VicMan]

Sterling and Madison basically opened the same time and had the same fates..both changed demographics in the 80s as the original residents moved further out...oddly enough, Madison's enrollment has grown due to the influx of hispanics and new homes off of Orem while Sterling's has dropped due to Pearland's growth

I know Sterling HS's zone is getting new homes too, as is Worthing HS's zone.

[lokithebubba]

Just got an email today for the Westbury class of 1978 30th reunion. Any classmates out there?

[stu]

Well, this thread's been dead a while but here goes. Went to Westbury 66-69. It was a good place with a good spirit. Anyone remember the day dozens of guys got sent home for hair being too long? It even made the local newscast on one of the TV stations. I remember all the guys sitting in rows on the gym floor and the coaches walking up and down the rows picking out the ones to be sent home. I was sweating it, but didn't get sent. Kinda disappointed, though.

Check this, Westbury69: I was the guy who called the newspaper and the TV stations, the night before, and told them we'd be marching the next morning. I was in 10th grade. We had made up a bunch of little signs..my hair, like, touched my ears; that was the rule that I had broken. If it touched your ears, or your collar in the back, you were out. Not dozens, over a hundred kids.

When we got there the next morning, both the TV and the Newspaper people were there, much to our surprise. People were waving out the classroom windows at us, cheering us on. After a few minutes, a cop was on hand to tell us we couldn't march, because didn't have a permit, so off we went, downtown, to try to get a permit. They were already waiting for us when we got there, and with a smirk, one lady said "We can't give you a permit, son, because you're not an ORGANIZATION. Wink. Smirk.

I said "Uh, sure we are.. we're... um..." couldn't think fast enough so I unconsciously pulled out a name i had heard vaguely on the radio or TV somewhere..

"We're..uh, students for.. a Democratic Society.."

Well, shizit, that was the SDS, and they had done violent stuff in the colleges and so on (unknown to my foolish self at the time), and now they were going to infiltrate WESTBURY? No permit, sorry, and before I got out of the parking lot, as I was getting back into my car, a couple of grown men in suits flashed badges, and asked if I would take a ride with them. They drove me around the block a time or two, and asked me if I knew this person or that one. Within 5 minutes, they had figured out that I didn't know ANYTHING, or anybody, and that I was no threat to anyone, just a skinny 16 year old who wanted to grow his hair out, and who had pulled the name "SDS" out of his backside.. They took me back to my car, and told me to drive careful on my way back to school.

I got suspended for three days over the whole thing, the only time I was ever suspended.. I still remember Fred Pepper, grinning, talking to us in the office as we tried to convince him not to suspend us. "You're just like a cat.." he said, in that powerful Southern accent he had, "..You've made you a stink, and now you want to cover it up.." I did manage to get back in without cutting my hair again. I slicked it back more, and no one noticed. It wasn't long to begin with.

The chronicle archives should have it. On the front page of the Chronicle, there was a picture of Mike Tindall with what today would be SHORT hair, and a caption: "Is THIS really too long?"

Needless to say, I learned a lot in 10th grade.

But thinking back, I'm still convinced I saw the very best time of Westbury[the neighborhood] , from right when it was built. We'd walk from Atwell and Belrose over that big open field (where the post office is now) to Chimney rock and across it, to the empty fields on the other side.. As kids, 1957-61, we OWNED that little area, played in those open fields and climbed trees where the apartments are now, across Chimney Rock from the school, and made tree forts where the high school and shopping center were later to stand. Played in the construction of the original high school as it was being built. What a great time.

It is amazing how much the inner streets off Atwell and Mullins and Landsdown remind me of those days, once I get off the main streets and into the neighborhood. The trees are taller, but other than that it is THE SAME, like setting one's watch back 40 years. I'm coming back to Houston this summer to work, and I know I'll be driving in there to reminisce . If only I could hit Westbury Square. But nooooo.

Can't help but still love Westbury, though...

Edited May 28, 2008 by stu

[Fringe]

Great post Stu. I was a senior that year and remember the incident quite well. I got in trouble with my hair that year and was threatened with being kicked out of D.E. if I didn't cut it. Not wanting to loose my afternoon job with Foleys and have to go to school all day, I ended up cutting it.

Power to the people!

[Native Son]

Great post Stu. I was a senior that year and remember the incident quite well. I got in trouble with my hair that year and was threatened with being kicked out of D.E. if I didn't cut it. Not wanting to loose my afternoon job with Foleys and have to go to school all day, I ended up cutting it.

Power to the people!

I was in DE at Madison back in the late 70's. Does Distributive Educations still exist? I have mentioned to some of my friends kids and look at me like I am insane

[redraider]

Just got an email today for the Westbury class of 1978 30th reunion. Any classmates out there?

I got my letter too for 30 year reunion! I can't believe it has been 30 years!