Dedicated to items of interest regarding our neighboring community.
1937
Announcement of a new high school to be constructed in McLeod.
Announcement of a new high school to be constructed in McLeod.
It was dedicated in December.
Marshall (TX) Messenger 03-Dec-1937, Page 10
Perhaps with the New London (TX) School explosion that occurred earlier in the year in mind, it was highlighted that modern safety devices had been included in the new structure.
1938
First graduates of the new high school.
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| McLeod High School Graduating Class - 1938 |
McLeod once had a baseball team known as the Oilers, likely affiliated with a local company, noted in this article about a 1938 game with the Camden Arkansas baseball club.
Other articles found describe contests with Bossier City (LA), Longview (TX),, and Keithville (LA).
1939
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| McLeod High School Graduating Class - 1939 |
1940
Soprano Lucia Graeser (1912-1999), originally from Marshall, who performed in New York and on national radio; gave a performance in the McLeod auditorium in April 1940.
Another article provided more details of her career as well as the program.
1940 graduating class:
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| McLeod High School Graduating Class - 1940 |
1941
A touring basketball team, the Illinois Flying Swedes played in McLeod 31-Jan-1941 against the local Oilers per this remnant of an Atlanta (TX) newspaper article. The was comprised of the Dahlquist family - four brothers and interestingly, their sister Margaret, shown below. The Swedes had a reputation for being a tough opponent, and had previously played famous barnstorming teams of the day, such as the Original Celtics and Harlem Globetrotters.
Unfortunately, the outcome of the contest is not known.
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| McLeod High School Graduating Class - 1941 |
1942
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| McLeod High School Graduating Class - 1942 |
1943
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| McLeod High School Graduating Class - 1943 |
1947
1946-1947 MHS Classes:
1947 Mcleod High Longhorn (yearbook)
Recent McLeod High graduate James Francis was a halfback for Centenary College of Shreveport, Louisiana in the fall of 1947. During their "golden era" of the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Gents played and frequently beat some of the top teams in the country including Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Oklahoma State, and Baylor. In fact, their last two contests against LSU ended in a 6-0 Gent home victory to inaugurate their new stadium (1932), and a scoreless tie (1933) at Baton Rouge. Legendary coach Homer Norton moved on to Texas A&M in the late 1930s and the program began to decline. The school suspended football during World War II, and afterward the sport was resumed on a smaller scale for what turned out to be one final season.
This Is Centenary (Alumni newsletter) Oct-1947 Page 1
That does not make the efforts of the later players any less gallant. During the dismal 1947 season, when the team went 1-9-1, beating only Louisiana College and tying Trinity, there was at least one bright moment. In the opening contest against the University of Houston, the five foot-six, 145 lb. Francis received a Cougar punt at his own 15 and raced 85 years for a Gent touchdown. With the extra point tacked on, Houston's 13 point lead was cut to six, though they eventually won 19-7.
1949
1949 McLeod High valedictorian John Henry Walker III (1932-2011) earned a scholarship to Texas A&M University.
John lived a very full life. He graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor’s in Aeronautical Engineering and married his high-school sweetheart in August of 1953. He joined the US Air Force and trained as a fighter pilot, eventually being deployed to Germany as a flight instructor where he served from October, 1954 to May, 1956. After an honorable discharge, John joined General Dynamics as an engineer working on the B-28 program. In 1960, John was offered an exciting opportunity to contribute to the US Space Program at Space Technologies Laboratories which later become TRW and is today Northrop Grumman.
John was one of 39 individuals honored by Alan Shepard Jr., the nation’s first astronaut and commander of Apollo 14, with a special award called the “Snoopy the Astronaut” pin. John’s citation read: “For outstanding work on the longitudinal oscillation problem affecting the first state flight of the Apollo Saturn space vehicle.” John also received the Apollo 11 medallion from NASA for his work on the Apollo program, and contributed to satellite programs while at TRW such as the High Energy Astronomy Observatories (HEAO) program.
1951
1958
1963
Shreveport Times 26-May-1963, Page 4-A
1969
2011
Here's a link to a series of columns by area native Nolan Ray Maxie.
2012
Students from McLeod Middle School tour the 307th Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, LA.
2015
A McLeod native, he transferred to Texas High School in Texarkana, TX in the middle of his freshman year.
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