Excerpts from Joyce Gentry's account:
In the beginning there was nothing. Nothing but the wide open space of the salt grass prairie spreading from Genoa south and west to Clear Creek. The year was 1963 and a wise old school superintendent names George A. Thompson gazed into his crystal ball and said, "I foresee a great population explosion out on the prairie. They have built Houston's first super highway called the Gulf Freeway across the prairie there and this area will surely grow. I must send a recommendation to the school Board of Trustees that a school e built there."
The school board approved Thompson's recommendation. There would be a little red brick school house built out on the prairie. The school would have 34 classrooms, a cafetorium, an office area and a teacher's lounge. A fine school for the time. The school board decided to name the little school The B.F. Meador Elementary School in honor of B.F. Meador, distinguished former mayor of South Houston, member of a prominent family in the community, and foremost a staunch supporter of excellence in education.
Now the board needed a leader for the little school. They wanted a good citizen, active in church and community, or moral character and educationally qualified for the position. They found a man will all the qualifications and they appointed Hollis D. Powell to be principal of Meador. The plans were complete and construction of the school began.
Time passed and the school began to take shape and to develop its own personality. The opening date was very near, but construction was not complete. . . .
But finally the last brick was in place and on Dec. 12, 1963, at 9 a.m., the school buses arrived at the front door with 495 enthusiastic students, their textbooks and belongings on board.
1965: Air conditioning installed
1967: school courtyard enclosed and converted to office space and library
1968: Atkinson opened and alleviated the nearly 1000 student population overcrowding.
1969: New principal Mr. McNabb and his secretary (and writer of this piece) Mrs. Gentry came to Meador.
1971: Sixth graders attended Meador to allievate crowding at Beverly Hills.
1972: First carpeted library is installed
1975: P.E. Gym built
1976: Burnett Elementary students from Scarsdale attend the Meador campus until their campus is completed
1977: Teague Elementary students from Pasadena attend Meador campus until their campus is completed.
1978: Frazier Elementary students displaced by the fire at their campus attend classes at Meador
tks for sharing.... remember from the beginning.
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