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Page 16 text:
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HISTORY OF SCIIOOI li’ranrafii m HEN the pressure lets up there is always a revulsion from the thing—-good or bad—which individuals, severally or as a people, have l»een forced to do for any length of time. So that, in its early history, Prairie View being designed as purely an agricultural college, was largely an experiment, the race not having thrown off the incubus incurred from the horrid effects of slavery upon the mind, being just a few years removed from such long-lived and inhumane institution. It will have been thirty-eight years the 19th day of this coming April since Ciovernor Oran M. Roberts approved and signed the Legislative Act creating and establishing Prairie View as a branch of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. The Legislature only ordered the school located and established; the duty of determining and securing a place for same rested with some one else just whom, available records fail to show. W’e do know that V. E. Minor, a native black of Mississippi and first principal of the school, was delegated by some authority, presumably and logically the Board of Directors, to seek out the spot. Among other places lie visited this site, then known as Alta Vista, or Lofty Vision; formerly the old Kirby slave plantation, having been transformed into a private school for white lioys. Richard W ells—Dick W ells, as lie is frequently called; “Dad Wells,” as he is more familiarly known was with Mr. Minor. They climbed into the attic of the old Kirby Hall and “took a view. as I have often heard “Dad” say. of the surrounding territory, and beheld such a beautiful view of prairie about here, they called the place Prairie View, which name it has borne ever since, except for being lengthened into Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College. Statistics are usually very dry but often very valuable. This historical sketch would be more interesting to readers of the “Annual if the school had reliable v 17 . pi
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Page 17 text:
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records from which statistics might he compiled. As a matter of fact, the school has no records of which it should hoast. due to the fact it never had a regularly employed Registrar. Rut we have gathered from reasonably reliable sources the information that the Prairie View Normal has had five principals and one founder, excluding “Dad.” namely: V. K. Minor. K. A. Anderson. I.. ('. Anderson. K. I.. Blackshear and I. M. Terrell. It has two living ex-principals Professors Minor and K. A. Anderson having died in office during first two years of the school's existence. Professor I. M. Terrell is now principal, elected October i. 1915. to succeed K. L. Blackshear. who resigned. From 1879 to close of I.. C. Anderson’s administration. June, 1896. the school had one hundred and seventy-two graduates; from 1896 to 1916. 1.528. The number of under-graduates ranges between eight and ten thousand. At first, and for twenty years, the personnel of the student body was composed mainly of State appointees or persons who got a portion of their schooling free, which partly accounts for the fact that for seventeen years after the school was established it never enrolled over one hundred and forty pupils annually, due. of course, to the disposition on part of many to wait on appointments from their Representatives or Senators—thus seriously delaying their education. Appropriations for support of these appointees was aUdished by the Twenty-sixth Legislature (1909) and immediately thereafter the attendance increased by leaps and bounds, until this year it reached the high water mark of over 925. The physical plant has not developed quite in proportion but has made remarkable growth, when you think that at the beginning the famous old Kirbv Building served the purpose of dormitory, laundry, recitation room and all. The estimated valuation of the plant now is $250,000. Prairie View stands at the head of schools of its kind among Negroes, having second largest physical plant of any Negro institution in the country. There are seven brick and eight frame buildings and thirty-three teachers’ and officers' cottages on campus; appropriations available for three other brick buildings $50,000 dormitory. $50,000 female industrial building and $15,000 laundry. With two deep wells, too and 563 feet, respectively, and a 30.000-gallon steel gravity tank, a 100,000-gallon reinforced concrete reservoir ami two air compressors to facilitate the flow, the water supply is most excellent. There are 1.435 Pl AJUlC % 17
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