little frau Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 We moved into Pamela Heights when it was newly built. The first three streets were Knotty Oaks, Trail Lake and Ebbtide and they were only one block long. That was 1957. No nearby schools at all. I rode a bus to Fondren Elementary in Missouri City. For junior high in 7th, we (2 or 3 of us in the 'hood) were bussed in to Cullen Junior. Then they built Albert S. Johnston and we went there in 8th. San Jacinto High was made into a 4 year school so for 9th grade, we were bussed into town. Finallly, Westbury was built and we had a high school home! I graduated in spring of '64 from Westbury. We moved shortly afterward. Yes, we picked the mascot and colors, named the newspaper, yearbook and drill team. And yes, the #9 post sums it up real well. We never considered ourselves racist, we were just "rebels", for whatever reasons. There is a very good website started by an early Westbury graduate that has an essay about the (now) controversy over the mascot and flag. www.westburyhshouston.com 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VicMan Posted November 11, 2011 Share Posted November 11, 2011 This Fondren Elementary, right? http://schools.houstonisd.orondrenESIt's now in the City of Houston, but at the time it may have been in an unincorporated areaWe moved into Pamela Heights when it was newly built. The first three streets were Knotty Oaks, Trail Lake and Ebbtide and they were only one block long. That was 1957. No nearby schools at all. I rode a bus to Fondren Elementary in Missouri City.For junior high in 7th, we (2 or 3 of us in the 'hood) were bussed in to Cullen Junior. Then they built Albert S. Johnston and we went there in 8th.San Jacinto High was made into a 4 year school so for 9th grade, we were bussed into town. Finallly, Westbury was built and we had a high school home!I graduated in spring of '64 from Westbury. We moved shortly afterward.Yes, we picked the mascot and colors, named the newspaper, yearbook and drill team. And yes, the #9 post sums it up real well. We never considered ourselves racist, we were just "rebels", for whatever reasons.There is a very good website started by an early Westbury graduate that has an essay about the (now) controversy over the mascot and flag.www.westburyhshouston.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little frau Posted November 11, 2011 Author Share Posted November 11, 2011 That is probably the same school. I was a "mid-term" student so I probably only went there for one semester. I know we had to catch the school bus very early in the morning and it seemed a very long ride.Interesting that the school was only used for 11 years before being replaced. As to being in Houston or not, I'm going by what my folks would say in later years when the subject came up. Looking at a map now, and if the address of the school now is the same as it was in the 50s, it really was not that far from where we lived. Of course, many of the streets/roads did not go through then as they do now. Orem was one of them.In the late 50s, Hiram Clarke and that area was very isolated. There were no grocery stores anywhere near. Shortly after we moved in a convenience store went in up on Hiram Clarke at the entrance to Pamela Heights. That corner is where we caught the school bus.We were given a choice in junior high schools, Jane Long or Cullen. I'm not sure why. Guess we were in between boundaries. I went to Cullen because I had a cousin already there and thought it would give me an edge. It didn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highrise Tower Posted March 3, 2023 Share Posted March 3, 2023 Can I get clarification where the Fondren Elementary School was originally built? In 2023, the school is located at 12405 Carlsbad Street. Was this the rebuild? Did they rebuild on the same site? Apparently, the original school only lasted 11 years. Very, very short life for a building! Why did they demolish it so quickly? Anyone know the back story? Was this school actually located in Missouri City? Appears it was located off of South Main near Fondren. The current school is a few miles east of South Main. From the current school's history page: https://www.houstonisd.org/domain/6010#:~:text=The elementary school opened in,college-ready and beyond.”&text=highest potential. Fondren was named for Walter W. Fondren, one of the leaders of the petroleum industry in the 1920s and 1930s and founder of Humble Oil Company, which later became Exxon Corporation. The elementary school opened in 1949 and was replaced with a new structure in 1960. I found this in the newspaper The Cameron Herald dated May 3, 1956: Precinct 146: Fondren Elementary School. Cromwell Street, Reid South Main Acres; Elwood Bickley. From The Bellaire & Southwestern Texan dated November 13, 1968: When I drove down Fondren Road last week to vote (way down across South Main at Fondren Elementary School) I was surprised to see a sign on Fondren Road saying "Future Site of the Y". After talking to Gary Nichols, who is the directing the Westland YMCA from an office near Westbury Square, I discovered that great things are planned in this area for the Y-- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowboybud Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 Historic Aerials has an "E" shaped building on the site in 1953, 1957 and 1958, and what looks to be the current Fondren Elementary from 1962 forward. Full Disclosure: I work down the street. It's an interesting mix of industrial/warehouse, relatively new duplexes, a trailer park and old houses. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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