Wow! It is unbelievable that Sabine High School located in Many, Louisiana has become a historical landmark. Being proud is an understatement for Sabine High School becoming a historical landmark, the school where I completed my primary and secondary education.

As I travel down memory lane, Mrs. Ida Pugh, my first-grade teacher, was responsible for teaching me how to read. I remember Mrs. Pugh being small in stature, but powerful as a teacher. Other teachers that made an impact on building my educational foundation were Mrs. Lizzie Sweet and Mrs. Palmer. I believe the strong foundation established by my primary teachers influenced the structure that I have in my life today!

As my journey continues down memory lane, I am reminded of the activities at school that we considered so much fun. Simply playing kick ball, running, and horsing around with my classmates, and of all things when playing outside, we found enjoyment peeping in classroom windows. As with all children, going to lunch was my favorite time of the day. For lunch, we were lined up to wash our hands before entering the food serving line. Our food servers were always so nice to us as they dished up some of the most delicious food that I can remember eating. The meal was always well balanced with a meat, a starch, and a vegetable. Milk was served with all lunches. I cannot recall any food dish prepared in the cafeteria that I did not enjoy eating.

While dining in the cafeteria, I always chose to dine with my best friends, Jo Anne Gay and Effie Maxie. I cannot recall any of our conversations other than making small talk. Our Principal, Mr. T. A. Maxie often supervised the cafeteria. In my opinion, I thought Mr. Maxie was the tallest man in the world. Mr. Maxie’s office was across the breezeway from the cafeteria. The thought of going to Mr. Maxie’s office for anything was very scary for me. My objective was never to be called to his office for any reason. The sense of fright that I had for Mr. Maxie’s office made me a model student.

On the campus of Sabine High School there were four buildings. Building A was the elementary school, Building B was for the middle school, and Buildings C and D housed the high school. As we matriculated from one building to the next, we felt the growing up process. My sixth-grade teacher was Mr. Holland, and I was delighted to have Mrs. Kennedy as my seven-grade teacher. Life was so simple in Building B. The greatest excitement that we experienced in Building B was walking around the building with our friends while boys passed notes to us requesting to a boyfriend. I considered those days the sweetest days of my life.

Once I left Building B, I was headed to high school, Buildings C and D. I really felt a sense of being grown in the high school buildings. We had some of the greatest high school teachers ever. My high school teachers were Mrs. Evelyn Bush, Mr. McFarland, Mr. Maxie, Mr. Garner, Mr. Ruffin, and Mr. Cross. They inspired us to be all that we could constantly stressing “the sky” was the limit. They knew that education was the key to our success. All our high school teachers equipped us with the tools needed to be effective in the world beyond high school. My favorite class was Home Economics. Mrs. Evelyn Bush was my Home Economics teacher. In Home Economics, we were taught how to cook, sew, and how to conduct ourselves as ladies. Mrs. Bush must have made an impression on my life because my favorite pastime now is cooking.

I cannot end my journey without mentioning my gym class. Of all things, we were taught how to square dance. I thought square dancing was such a fun activity. Square dancing became my favorite activity because it was the first time in my life that I had an opportunity to dance with a boy.

Throughout my school years, I performed well academically. The educational building blocks laid by my teachers from elementary school to high school were very rewarding for me as a student. I finished high school with the second highest grade point average in my class. I was the Salutatorian of the Class of 1970 at Sabine High School.

I started my reflections with the expression “wow”, and I will end with the expression “awesome”. To know that Sabine High School is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and I was educated in the sacred walls of this iconic facility is beyond anything I could have imagined. The Class of 1970 closed the chapter of Sabine High School for educating Afro American students in Sabine Parish from 1958 to 1970. Schools were desegregated in 1970 with the name of Sabine High School changed to Many Junior High School. In 2018, a group of former Alumni, Family, and Friends decided to reclaim the school for revitalization. By the grace of God, the SHSRP Management Group, Inc. will be blessed to secure the funds needed to revitalize the campus, so it becomes a tool for not only memorializing, but for looking forward and providing a new place of inclusion and community for the Northwestern Louisiana Region. When revitalized, the Sabine High School campus will once again be a safe and comfortable place for community utilization.

By the Grace and Mercy of God, just wanted everyone to know how I impacted the world in which we live. I believe the impact made was based on the educational foundation created by the teachers at Sabine High School.

My name is Barbara Hightower-Lilly. I was born and reared in Many, Louisiana. I attended Northwestern State University and retired from AT&T as a Manager of Sales. I worked in Operations of Finance for 30+ years. I have been married for 51 years to Leonard Lilly that was born in Zwolle, LA. I am the mother of two children and the proud grandmother of two grandchildren.

In closing, I feel truly blessed to be an Alumni of Sabine High School, and my life has been GREAT!

In September 1946, I began my incredible journey of formal education at Sabine Parish Training School, later renamed Sabine High School.

The building was a long, white wooden structure with a concrete, triangular shaped gold fish reflecting pool out front. It was commonly called “The Rosenwald School.” It had been constructed using funds raised by the community and a grant from the Rosenwald Foundation. The land on which the school was built had been deeded to the Sabine Parish School Board by the Twelfth District Baptist Association #3 for the purpose of maintaining “a colored school thereon.” The Twelfth District #3 is comprised of a group of Black Baptist Churches in Sabine Parish. The deed stipulated that the property would revert back to the Association if at any time the School Board abandoned use of it as a school. The amazing thing about the deed is that some of the men who signed it may have had difficulty writing their names....but oh how they could think.

Now let me get back to my memories of Sabine High School. The building was not only a place to educate children, but also to educate the grown-ups in Many and the surrounding communities. It was a welcoming, gathering place for everyone.

There were countless activities held at the school. In addition to classes being taught during the day, there were night classes for adults, especially for veterans. There were cooking classes held in the evening where people would come out and learn how to make healthy, nutritious meals for their

families. There was always lots of entertainment such as plays, talent shows, weiner roasts, heaven and hell parties, pageants, proms and of course, May Day.

People would come to the school to get immunizations in order to be protected from communicable diseases, such as polio that threatened the health of the community.

There were some activities exclusively connected to the school population. For example, after designing and making clothes, we had a style show where we would march across the stage and show off our newly made garments. Just the thought of it makes me proud today.

The academics were among the best in the state. It was exciting to walk down the hallway and hear the sweet sound of teaching and learning coming from the various classrooms. Our administrators, teachers and staff were dedicated, knowledgeable and hard-working who had our best interest at heart. We would go to state rallies and win many awards. I remember the time we won first place in the state in the oratorical contest. The bus was filled with excitement as we traveled back from Baton Rouge to Many. We wanted the whole town to know what we had done.

Our sports were outstanding as well. We competed with schools within the parish and surrounding areas in basketball. Since Sabine High School was the only African American school in the parish with a football team, all of the competition was with teams from other parishes. We won many district titles.

The community and the school seemed inseparable. During homecoming week businesses donated many items for the raffles that were held. The ladies in the community would make pies, popcorn balls and cakes for fundraising activities. People who owned vehicles would let the school borrow them to decorate for the homecoming parades. Car dealerships would loan cars also. We made countless tissue paper flowers and crepe paper streamers to completely cover trucks and cars as well as floats. That was a truly festive time in the community.

The baccalaureate services were held at the churches. The audience would come dressed in their finest – men in suits and ties with freshly shined shoes. The ladies wore dresses, high-heeled shoes and hats. Oh...how we could dress. We were a proud people!

In the late 1950s the Sabine Parish School Board began construction of new brick buildings for our school. The old, long, white building known as “The Rosenwald School” was sold to the Twelfth District. Because it could not be easily relocated, the building had to be torn down and the materials transported to the Association’s site. The community rallied again. Men, women and children helped in this effort, moving boards, pulling nails etc. so it could be repurposed to use as a meeting place for churches.

The new school building was completed and we moved into it in September of 1957. It was a source of pride for the community. We now had indoor plumbing, a modern cafeteria, an up-to-date library, a gymnasium with dressing rooms, covered walkways, a paved parking lot and a circular driveway in front of the building.

I graduated in May of 1958, but the memories of Sabine High School will be with me forever.

Written by Syporia Garner Turner, the daughter of the late Rev. W.M. Garner and Leah Mary Lena Maxie Garner, the sister of Floyd, Herbert (H.B.), Arthur B., Elvin, Eleanor Carol Holland, Betty Ruth Carhee, Obeba Thomas Blinks and Willie Ray Clark Kennedy.

I began my first year of school at Alma J. Brown Elementary School in Grambling, Louisiana. I attended there for my 1st and 2nd grades.

My journey at Sabine High School began in the 3rd grade. Mrs. Lizzie Sweet was my third grade teacher. Her stature was short, however, she was a giant in my life and became one of my most impactful and memorable teachers in my life, even today. She was stern and firm, however, kind and caring. The Lower Elementary Building classrooms had a restroom inside with a toilet and face bowl for students’ use. Miss Lizzie kept a washcloth, a bar of soap, a hairbrush, pine comb, and a box of baking soda to help with grooming those students that needed extra attention with personal hygiene. Many days the students that rode busses to school from neighboring communities as well as local students came to school not completely groomed. Once arriving to school, all students had to participate in morning devotion. After morning devotion, we would line up to wait for Mrs. Lizzie’s daily inspection. After the bell rang, she would escort us to the classroom. One by one for those who needed help with grooming; she would take them to the restroom and assist with their hygiene. Miss Lizzie would assist with face washing, tooth brushing, deodorant, hair combed or brushed, whatever the need was, she was there to help. As an eight year old, I did not know the impact that Miss Lizzie made on our self-esteem and self-worth until later in life. As a teacher, I myself have practiced some of Miss Lizzie’s examples more times than I can remember.

Promoted to 4th grade the following year, I was in Mrs. Cross’s class. Mrs. Cross was one of the more attractive and proper English speaking teachers, enunciating her words and syllables to perfection. All the students loved her! The girls wanted to be like her and the boys had a crush on her.

I ran for Miss Lower Elementary in the 4th grade which was to represent the school as the Queen for Homecoming. My family, my neighborhood, and I worked hard to raise money for me. My mother made frozen cups and popcorn balls to sell throughout the community. We also purchased boxes of cookies from the Jack’s Cookies Man who stocked the local store owned by Mr. K.D. Maxie, we then sold them on the mark up for 1 cent each. My proceeds from the Queen’s rally along with other fundraisers headed by Mrs. Bush, the Home Economics teacher, with the help of other school community members sold cupcakes, tuna sand witches, pimento cheese sandwiches and other homemade snacks and goodies. The proceeds raised were school and community efforts to fund the purchase of a bus, band uniforms, and other sports uniforms.

The campaign for queen was one of the most exciting and life changing events of my life. Yes, I won the contest and was crowned Miss Lower Elementary and was presented a trophy. We were acknowledged by the entire school and community during Homecoming. I attended several events and activities as Miss Lower Elementary Queen and my escort was Donald Eugene Davis, who became my oldest and one of my best friends for life. On Homecoming Day, I rode on the float with Miss Upper Elementary and Miss Sabine. The parade route left the school on Highland Avenue en route to downtown San Antonio Avenue, then all around through town and headed back to the school. Wow! What a ride! The entire community of Many lined the streets with people of different ethnic backgrounds and job descriptions. Also, employees of the hospital and café employees came out waving and cheering for us. I remember my great aunt, Ms. Edna Mae Black, aka Auntie was employed as a domestic worker came outside in her uniform waiving to me and calling my name as we went down San Antonio Avenue, as well as other ladies with the same job description came out to cheer and wave to the parade participants. It was fantastic! They made me feel like a queen and I waived backed to all of them with the royal wave. We came back to the school and the celebration continued. At halftime of the football game held the evening of the parade, the queens and their escorts were presented to the game attendees. After the football game, the festivities winded down, but, there was still excitement in the air! I don’t remember if we won the game, however, with the skills and talents we had as a team, I’ll say we won.

Upon entering Middle School, I was introduced to acting and drama. I participated in several plays and dancing activities as we celebrated holidays and special occasions. Mr. Clarence Thomas was the drama teacher, choir director, and band director. He wrote and choreographed our plays and dance routines. He was so gifted and perfected all the positions he held. I loved to sing and wanted to be a member of the choir. Mr. Thomas chuckled and gave me a clarinet, and I became a member of the SHS Blue Waves Marching Band. He used his gift to write sheet music for all our instruments from the latest R&B hits by playing a 45 record starting and stopping until he completed everything. We played all genres of music, and we did it well. He trained us like we were the Grambling State University Tiger Marching Band. Later in my adult life, I had the opportunity to share with Mr. Thomas how blessed we were to have him in our lives. He could have gone to any school or university, however, he chose Sabine High School in Many, Louisiana. His response was “this was his calling”. The fundraisers continued headed by Mrs. Bush/PTA until the school and community effort became a reality. We purchased an activity bus for the school. The bus was beautiful with blue and white colors. We were also able to purchase band uniforms as well.

We had fashion shows, etiquette classes, drafting, woodworking, math, science, home economics, economics, drivers’ education, and many other skill classes were offered. We were fully equipped to go out into the world and become successful and prosperous citizens. Our teachers were dedicated, steadfast, and unmovable. Mr. Drew was complex; however he was a great mathematician that knew numbers inside out. He was an excellent math teacher. Sabine High School was a community school that incorporated the town of Many and other surrounding towns in Sabine Parish.

The school cafeteria was not only used for serving lunch, it served as the health center where we received our booster and vaccine shots for all the community. We had a unique sink in the cafeteria; it was round with a foot pedal that controlled the water flow. We moved in a circular motion washing and drying our hands. We had some of the best cooks in the state. They were caring and friendly and not only did we see them Monday-Friday, we saw them at church on Sunday plus the maintenance engineers, my great Aunt Eula, Mr. Bush, Mr. Willard Palmer, our bus driver, and Mr. Gibson. They all had pride in the school and the services they provided for us. The food was excellent and the school was clean. They also provided care and supervision for the students. Principal Maxie was the glue that held it all together. He was a forward thinking person providing us with film and documents for the history of Sabine High School. His demeanor was always professional from school to church to community. He was tall in statue respected by the community. Mr. Maxie was stern and firm, however, he cared to make certain we were well educated with high self-esteem. In 2021, as we reflect over our past to our present, we realize our blessing being educated at Sabine High School.

My parents, Joseph Mallard Jr. and Ida B. Mallard’s siblings, Connie Ray, Rosiland, aunts and uncles and I, Mae Mallard-Moore attended Sabine High School graduating with the Class of 72. My mother, Ida B. Mallard, was hired by Sabine High School as a fourth grade teacher. She spent her entire career teaching at Sabine High and taught briefly after the school’s name was changed to Many Junior High, but I believe in my mother’s heart, the campus was still Sabine High School.

Written by Mae Mallard - Moore, the daughter of the late Joseph Mallard Jr. & Ida B. Mallard and siblings Connie Ray, Rosiland and Bertha- Jo Lana.

Our legacy has been deeply rooted - rooted in faith, family, tradition, vision and education. If you are looking for the date of our early education, documented history shows school development in Sabine Parish at the end of the nineteenth century. Can you envision what that time may have looked like? Louisiana was in its infancy, a wilderness near the valley of the Sabine River. The parish named for that same river was carved from Natchitoches Parish and established in 1843. The region was inhabited by Native Americans, visited by traders, trappers and missionaries for most of the eighteenth century. If you take a short journey back to the mid-1800, you would find only private schools in Sabine Parish, and those were limited to only a few communities with history showing the first effort to create a public system was made in 1850. History also shows that a few enslaved people were educated by others, who then quietly shared what they learned. The spring of 1861 through the spring of 1864 had Louisiana dealing with a war that disrupted a way of life as it was then known, including a disruption to education. Did you know it was the pioneer preachers who were preaching and teaching the gospel in log cabins with dirt floors who laid the foundation on which our early education was founded and which later formed the Baptist Church Associations through-out America? Fast forward some 35 years between 1896 and 1909 school board records show schools in Sabine Parish. Impressive, but more importantly was the establishment of Sabine Normal & Industrial Institute in 1903 by Professor Robert E. Jacobs, born May 22, 1877 in Converse, LA to Solomon and Ellen Jacobs. Encouraged by his father, he entered Coleman College in Gibsland, LA and graduated in 1902 as class valedictorian. He accepted a position as field agent for Coleman College, traveling throughout Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas, studied the educational conditions of African Americans, offered hope and encouraged the pursuit of education. In the Spring of 1903 he returned to Coleman College as a member of the faculty, a position that was short-lived. He resigned to go to his home to accept a position his father desired him to take. November 2, 1903, he founded the Sabine Normal and Industrial Institute, Converse, LA.

This position was planned by his father before Professor Jacobs entered college. Professor Jacobs and his faculty were visionaries for education. That vision was planted, nourished and cultivated. They too, by the standards of the time, were chosen, well-trained to lead, to do the work and willing to re-imagine education in Sabine Parish.

That fierce spirit and those early visionaries whose legacy continued from the Sabine Normal and Industrial Institute -- to the Sabine Parish Training -- to Sabine High School, are celebrated. For we are the embers of that visionary spirit from more than a century before today and it is our legacy for the Sabine High School Revitalization Project. The legacy of our education has carried many of us throughout the world. We are now returning, ready to work, ready to re-imagine a different kind of future for Sabine Parish, for we are deeply rooted in Louisiana.

Written by Connie Levo Howard - adapted from History of Louisiana Negro Baptists: from 1804 to 1914 / by Wm. Hicks

My journey from my formative years to 10th Grade at Sabine High School was like no other! In 10th Grade, my journey was interrupted with school desegregation. I had to leave a learning environment with beautiful brown skin children and some of the best Black teachers that made all students enrolled in their classes feel we were all bright, intelligent children that would acquire a bank of knowledge to positively impact society. We were taught how to learn and to stay focused on “the sky is the limit” for our career possibilities. We were taught to have inquisitive minds and not to be afraid to ask questions if there were a lack of understanding without feeling the question was stupid. I believe with all my heart that our teachers felt that obtaining a good education would create endless opportunities to become all that God had in store for us! Also, I am so grateful to Mr. T.A. Maxie, our beloved Principal, for selecting some of the most gifted teachers to impart knowledge to the students enrolled in Sabine High School.

The first teacher that challenged my dendrites to acquire knowledge was Mrs. Sybil Woods in first grade. My favorite subject was reading. I loved my primer reading books. I was always the first to rise my hand to read. Mrs. Woods would have to say literally, please allow someone else to read Sandra. The characters that I remember the most in my primer were Jip, a dog that played with Jerry and Jane. Forty years later, I even named two colliers that I purchased Jip and Jerry. I looked forward to Christmas in Mrs. Wood’s class because she would give all of us an apple and orange. We received our yearly fruit from her throughout our school years. On to second grade, I was greeted by Mrs. Preston. Mrs. Preston was tall, slender lady that spoke with a very quiet voice. She never yelled at us about anything. Her quiet demeanor gave us more of a desire to stimulate our dendrites to learn. Then on to Mrs. Lizzie, my whole life changed and my love for math was solidified. At the end of third grade, I knew my timetables from 2 to 12 from Mrs. Lizzie using a 33 1/3 or 45 record to instruct. When the record stopped, we had to drop our pencils. I learned my timetables by adding quickly—the only operation of the most powerful computer in the 21st Century. I also learned how to tell time by stating the time in two ways: 15 minutes before 9 and 8:45. Mrs. Lizzie and I remained friends for life. I had an opportunity to speak to Mrs. Lizzie three days before she made the transition from Earth to Glory. When we were talking on the phone, her breathing was not the greatest, but she insisted on talking to me. I finally convinced her to say goodbye not knowing that would be the last time we talked. Also, Mrs. Lizzie perfected our cursive writing through a class entitled penmanship—children today are not taught to cursive write.

At the end of third grade, we changed to Building B. I had the pleasure of having Mrs. Cross. She was gorgeous with her beautiful light brown eyes. I loved the way she dressed, talked, and we simply gazed at her eating lunch. To her students, it appeared as though she chewed her food 20 times before swallowing. She tried teaching us how to slowly chew our food, but I did not learn that lesson very well. If only I had learned, maybe I would not have struggled with weight all my life. I am so grateful that being overweight did not affect my self-esteem, but I attributed feeling good about myself because overall our teachers stressed getting a good education far exceeded appearance. Mrs. Singleton greeted me for 5th grade. Again, I landed in a great teacher’s class. I was in Mrs. Singleton class when Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis. When we received the news, Mrs. Singleton announced to our class that Dr. King had been assassinated. She instructed us to be very quiet for the rest of the day with our head on the desk. I did not know the impact that Dr. King had on the civil rights movement because most of us did not have televisions to keep up with the news and social media was nonexistent. We strictly gathered bit and pieces of leaked news stories by word of mouth. In Mrs. Singleton’s class, I made a piece of art that was judged at the local Fair – it was a canary bird that I drew on a piece of plywood. I glued colored rice grains over the entire body of the bird. I placed 3rd at the Fair. I was so excited to win. From Mrs. Singleton’s class, I entered Mrs. Branch’s class for 6th grade. I thought Mrs. Branch was the meanest teacher I had since starting school, and she was very strict. Missing a homework assignment was not acceptable in Mrs. Branch’s class. I did well in Mrs. Branch’s class and never missed a homework assignment because I did not want to ride the airplane—standing on one foot holding a book in each hand, staying balance was difficult-- or she would whip us with the fan belt of a car – a wide rubbery strap. Being hit by the fan belt left bruise marks on your skin—corporal punishment not allowed today--, but her actions taught us responsibility. Unfortunately, Mrs. Branch had to take off from work in the middle of the year to have back surgery. We finished the year with Mr. K.D. Cross being her substitute. He was not as strict as Mrs. Branch, but he insisted on all of us performing well academically. I really enjoyed him as a teacher. Then on to 7th grade, I landed in Mrs. Hicks’ class. She was a great teacher, but she would give you licks with the paddle whether you deserved a lick or not. She gave me licks at times when I was not guilty of an infraction. I did not have any trouble with Mrs. Hicks because I made sure I did my classwork and homework. She insisted on academic excellence from all her students. If she did not get excellence from her students, we were paddled.

At the end of 7th grade, I was praying to get Mr. Ulysses Cross as a teacher for 8th grade so we could eat lunch with the high school students. If I had landed in Mrs. Barrett’s class, I would have stayed in Building B. God answered my prayer. Mr. Cross was my 8th grade teacher. Mr. Cross class was in Building D. I excelled in Mr. Cross’s class. As always, I mainly stayed on task in my classes because my teachers insisted on equipping us with the knowledge needed to be successful upon our departure from each grade level. Our retention level was very high because each grade level represented a building block to add to our repertoire of knowledge at the next grade level. In today’s classroom that method of teaching is called scaffolding. From grades 1-8, there was no changing classes. We stayed in one class all day with one teacher except when we had physical education. We had an opportunity to build great relationships with our teachers. Our teachers knew our parents, where we lived, and where we went to church. They respected us and we respected all our teachers. After departing from Mr. Cross’s class, I was ready for high school.

Building C was the high school building. We finally started changing classes in high school. My classes were English, Math, Home Economics, Science, and P.E. Believe it or not, we had a study hall to complete our homework and chat with our friends if we did not have any homework or classwork to finish. Mrs. Bush was my home economics teacher. If we messed up a garment, we had to wear it. If we messed up a food dish, we had to eat it. I stuffed food in my apron pocket so many times without Mrs. Bush’s knowledge, then it went straight into the trash can. Mr. H. B. Garner was my science teacher. He allowed us to explore so many chemistry experiments until one day we mixed so much stuff that the building had to be evacuated due to the chemicals that we mixed. Mr. McFarland was my Algebra teacher. I enjoyed Mr. Mack as we so fondly called him. He did not put up with any foolishness in his class. I excelled in Math under Mr. Mack’s instruction. He was an outstanding math teacher. I really thought Mr. Mack was smart until I had the pleasure of having Mr. Sherman Drew as a math teacher. He was the greatest mathematician that I have ever known in my lifetime. Mr. Drew even taught me how to prepare my parents’ income tax return. I tried to sponge every math concept he knew when I was in his presence. For English, I had Mrs. Norman as a teacher. Mrs. Norman wore 3-inch heels to school every day and was classy, attractive lady. I admired how she walked in her heels, and she could stand in those 3-inch heels all day to teach. I thoroughly enjoyed Mrs. Norman’s class. When the schools were desegregated in 1970, Mrs. Norman left Many to pursue a teaching position in another location accompanied by her 3-inch heels.

I would be remiss if I did not mention my athletic skills. I was a track runner. I was very, very fast. I had an opportunity to run at a track meet that was held in Pleasant Hill at a field’s day competition. I ran the 50 yd dash. I was winning the race and inches from the finish line I fell. I was so embarrassed; I never ran track again. I tried out for basketball. My skills were so poor, Ms. Betty Garner decided to make me a water girl. I enjoyed my role as a water girl. When I was not attentive in my role as a water girl, Ms. Garner would let me know with a few choice words. I was never athletic, so I concluded I had to excel academically. My classmates never let me live down that fall. Years later at our class reunions, I was reminded of the great fall running the 50 yd dash.

At the end of my 10th, my world fell apart. We had to leave SHS. We were equipped academically, but not ready for the racial tension we experienced after leaving SHS. Our Black teachers were scattered everywhere. Only Ms. Betty Garner, Mr. H.B. Garner, Mrs. Bush, and Mr. Holland were assigned to Many High School. We constantly had to prove our academic excellence, and oh how we showed off our intelligence repeatedly. We were unstoppable. We graduated the first Salutatorian at Many High School in 1972 despite the racial tension we experienced. We exploded academically. Our dendrites were bursting with knowledge that could not be quenched. To prevent the Black children from being inducted in the National Honor Society, the Nation Honor Society Chapter was supposedly dissolved. Preventing us from being inducted in the National Honor Society did not prevent us from becoming doctors, lawyers, engineers, nurses, teachers, paralegals, administrative assistants, principals, scientists, writers, college professors, and other professions too numerous to name. Hats off to the teachers that prepared our educational foundation so well at Sabine High School.

It is my pleasure to share some memorable moments from my childhood. These memories of my childhood and life experiences in my hometown of Many will be forever embedded in my heart. I was the fourth child of Samuel Fermon Newton and Mattle Alma Brewster Newton. My father and mother met as high school students in Homer, Louisiana. Now, God has blessed me to be the only surviving sibling of my family. My two brothers, Donald and Samuel, my two sisters, Goldie and Vernell are all deceased.

As a family, we lived in a yellow and green house located on Georgia Avenue until my mother passed away in 1931. After the passing of my mother, my siblings and I were reared by my grandmother, Nettie Newton. My grandmother, Nettie Newton lived in the home where I presently reside. In 1940, my father, Samuel Newton built the home next door to my present home.

Growing up, our family raised chickens that normally became our Sunday dinner after church. The chickens were also the source for the eggs used for eating and baking. In addition to chickens, my father purchased a cow that provided milk for our consumption. Either my father or grandmother milked the cow daily. My sister, Goldie and I had the task of churning the milk to make butter. Removing the butter after churning provided buttermilk. As children, we all had the responsibility of picking fresh vegetable from our garden. The vegetables that we picked were preserved to be used year-round.

For our drinking water, we drew water from a well. We still have the well today. The water drawn from our well was not only used for drinking, but we used the water for cooking, taking baths, and washing clothes. Our clothes were washed in a Number 2 tub. We used a Number 2 tub for bathing. During the winter months we took our baths in front of the wood heater located in the bedroom to feel the warmth during cold winter nights. Also, we used a Number 2 tub to wash our clothes, and there were four steps involved in getting them hung out on the clothesline. First the clothes had to be washed, rinsed, swung to remove most of the water before hanging them on the line for drying.

When growing up, there were only two Black churches in Many: New Jerusalem and the King Chapel AME Church. The Methodist Church was located near the “Holland House.” New Jerusalem still resides on its original location on Martin Luther Kings’ Blvd. In 1935, my home church, Bethel Baptist Church was constructed.

When I started school, I recall going to school was the joy of my life plus we did not have much homework to do each day. Our first school was designed and built as a 2-story building. Julius Rosenwald financially supported the building of our school erected for Sabine Parish. In later years, additional wings had to be added to the original building to accommodate the growth in the student population. My siblings and I attended school each day, walking in rain or sunshine for seven months of the year. The children that lived four or five miles out of town walked to school each day. It was a commonplace for kids to walk to school. The students from “Newton Town to the New Home Area” located about 4 to 5 miles walk daily without complaining. The grade span for attending school started at Primmer to Eleventh Grade. I fondly remember a book that we had for reading in school about a boy and girl, and their horse. It said, “Clippy Clap, Clippy Clap, Bob and Nancy can ride.”

We did not have school buses to take us back and forth to school. Transportation was available for students that lived in Fisher that attended school in Many. Mr. Thad Holland from Fisher would bring children to Many each day in his truck. Families had to pay a certain amount of money each week for their trips. We were fortunate to have Elementary Schools that kids could attend in the following towns: Fisher, Florien, Gandy, Negreet, Pine Flat, Zwolle, and Pleasant Hill. If students wanted to attend high school, they had to come to Many.

We did not have hot lunches at school. When it came time for lunch, we had to carry our own lunch to school. My Granny would buy a loaf of bread for ten cents to make various sandwiches. Sometimes kids less fortunate than us would steal our lunch. We did not have hot plate lunches. We never had hot plate lunches during the time I attended school. To get hot meals, we had to wait until we returned home from school.

In high school, I became a member of the Sabine Blue Waves girls’ basketball team. We played well enough to win the district title and advanced to Southern University for the State Championship. The uniforms were a white mid-blouse and black bloomers, and white tennis shoes. We did not have a gymnasium back then, so all our games were played outside, along with the boys’ games which followed after the girls played.

Our Junior and Senior Prom was held at Grady Levo’s Café. The prom was the highlight of my junior year in school. In my senior year, the prom was shifted to the high school campus. The highlight of my senior year was campaigning to be crowned “Miss Sabine High”. I raised enough funds to be crowned “Miss Sabine High”. My senior year ended with graduation. The graduation exercises were held at New Jerusalem and Bethel Baptist Church. I was the Valedictorian of the class and Mrs. Vera Lilly Blinks was the Salutatorian.

After graduating from Sabine High School in 1943, I attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, from 1943 – 1945. I then transferred to Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee in 1946 and graduated in 1949. I was so proud to have my grandmother, Nettie Newton to attend my graduation ceremony. In 1949, our Blue Waves basketball team won the Louisiana State Championship and came to Nashville to play in the National Tournament while I was at Tennessee State. The head coach was Earl LaPierce. After graduation from Tennessee State, I returned to Many and was hired as the home economics teacher at Sabine High.

My first year of teaching I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Clarence Thomas. Mr. Thomas was hired to be our music teacher which included teaching music, forming a choir, and organizing a marching band. I found Mr. Thomas to be one of the best teachers in the State of Louisiana. He was a graduate of Sabine High and Southern University. We were blessed that Mr. Thomas returned to Sabine High to teach. We had a wonderful marching band under the leadership of Mr. Thomas. Mr. Thomas was in charge of all the homecoming activities and the parade that marched through downtown Many. The students decorated so many beautiful floats for the parade. Many stores in downtown Many closed for our homecoming parade.

Coronation of the King and Queen for “Homecoming” was a yearly highlight on campus. The young lady who raised the most money was crowned the Queen. The students in home economics made the attire that the queen wore for the ceremony. It was made of Royal Blue Velvet material, and the lining was White Satin material. There were white pearl beads around the edge of her trail.

Another highlight of my life growing up Many was how I remember eating one of my favorite foods, Hot Tamales. Hot tamales were introduced to Many when a gentleman nicknamed “Hot Tamale” Brown and his wife opened a café. My sister, Goldie was hired to help make the hot tamales. Goldie learned to make the Hot Tamales well. From what Goldie was taught making hot tamales at the Browns’ café, she used her skills to make hot tamales for our family to consume, and we surely enjoyed eating them.

In 1952, I became the wife of Arthur James Bush. We had three children, Linda, Carleece, and Lew. In 1967, we moved from Lincoln Avenue to my current resident on Church Street. Both of my sons are college graduates. Both of my sons earned a master’s degree, Carleece obtained his master’s from Northwestern State and Lew received his master’s from McNeese State.

During my life, I have travelled to the following locations by airplane: Nashville, Baltimore, Detroit, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Hawaii. I also have a picture of the area where the Japanese were flying over for the beginning of World War II. I had the pleasure of going to Canada and the opportunity to cross the Ambassador Bridge that connects Detroit and Windsor, Canada.

On June 10, 2018, after 66 years of marriage, my beloved husband, Arthur, passed away in Bossier City. He was the love of my life. He is gone but will NEVER be forgotten.

My teaching career spans as following: 1949-1970 (Sabine High School-Home Economics Teacher); 1970-1975 (Many High School-Home Economics Teacher). I am the oldest living teacher in Sabine Parish at the age of 97. I was a member of the graduating class of Sabine High School, 1943 and taught until the last graduating class in 1970.

I had an opportunity to take a picture standing next to the historic marker erected in front of Sabine High School issued by the U.S. Department of Interior (published in our local paper, the Sabine Index, February 25, 2022) stating that Sabine High School is now listed in the National Historic Register as a historic site. I am honored to have begun my teaching career at Sabine High School in 1949 and ended my teaching career in 1970, the year the school was closed due to desegregation and now the school has been placed in the National Register of Historic sites, what an honor!

I am Harmie Maxie, a friend of Patsy Garner and Sandra Garner-Coleman. I graduated from Sabine High School in 1968. I graduated from Sabine High School a couple of years before integration. Sandra and Pat are members of the SHSRP Management Group that is currently seeking funds to restore Sabine High School as a community center to offer services for the residents of Sabine Parish. When we were together during alumni weekend in August 2022, we began to reminisce about our experiences at Sabine High School. As I shared my days at Sabine High School, they found my story so fascinating. Sandra asked me to pen my reflections to be published in the quarterly newsletter for the Sabine High School Revitalization Project. Sandra has asked for narratives from former alumni since the quarterly newsletter started its publications. They convinced me that my story was worth telling so I decided to share how receiving an education in the sacred walls of Sabine High School prepared me to live such a blessed life that I am living today.

I was born and reared in Florien, Louisiana. We were bussed to and from Florien to Many everyday to attend school. I came from a large family. My parents had 12 kids, and I was number 6. I was the first in my family to graduate from high school. Graduating from high school was a real task for me. In those days, when a child learned to read, write, and figure math a little bit, it was decided that it was time to go to work to support the family. Even though dropping out of school was decided by my older siblings, I decided that I wanted to go to school to finish through 12th grade. My decision to finish school was supported by my mother. When I was in the 3rd grade, my desire to quit school overshadowed my desire to continue going to school. Since I was big for my age, I decided to quit school and get a job. I wanted to be like my two older brothers that had quit school and gotten a job at the milk dairy. When they each purchased a car with their earnings, I was really determined to earn some money to be like them by purchasing a car. Since I was big for my age, the dairy farm owner was not going to question my age before employing me for the job. Before getting the job, I had envisioned myself being able to purchase a car plus have some extra money in my pocket. My mother found out about my intentions of quitting school, so she had a “come to Jesus” meeting with me. I remember what she told me over 60 years ago like she was saying it today. She made me sit down in a chair in front of her and spoke the following words, “Hermie, you are the one that I am expecting to graduate in this family. I have prayed for at least one of my children to graduate from high school and I thought it would be you.” My mother’s prayers were answered when I finished high school.

What’s so amazing was after my mother had the heart-to-heart talk to me about staying in school, the very next day, my third-grade teacher, Miss Lizzie and the principal, Mr. T. A. Maxie showed up at my house and talked me into coming back to school. They insisted that I return the same day that they came to my house. They waited until I was dressed, and I rode in the car

with them back to school. When I was leaving with Miss Lizzie and Mr. Maxie for school, I told my mother good-bye. When I turned around, it was the first time in my mother’s life that I saw her crying. I know today that my mother was crying happy tears to see me return to school. My mother witnessed her prayers being answered by God.

When I returned to school, I was not always the class’s favorite. Some of my classmates picked on me daily. I guess today it would be called bullying. I excelled academically in school, but the bullying affected me more than I thought it did, so at the end of 8th grade, I dropped out again. I did not attend the first four months of my 9th grade year. Mr. H. B. Garner and Mr. Holland reached out to my parents to send me back to school. Since my father was a farmer that sold vegetables, raised pig for pork, and cows for beef, Mr. H. B. Garner and Mr. Leon Holland were regular customers at our farm. During every visit to buy vegetables and meat, they always shared with my parents how important it was for me to come back to school. After four months of dropping out, I re-enrolled. Mr. Maxie, our principal excused all my days absent and told my teachers to give me make up work to catch up. Mr. Cross, Mr. Garner, Mr. Thomas, Mrs. Bush, and Mr. Ruffin gave me all my makeup work to catch me up with where my other classmates were in the courses. I not only graduated from high school, but I graduated as the salutatorian of my class. The teachers and Mr. Maxie, my principal saw something in me that I did not see in myself. I salute all those that touched my life from grades 1-12. Along with my parents, my extended family that I found through by teachers and principal, I was made into the person that I am today.

After graduation, I was drafted into the Army and was deployed to Vietnam. Vietnam was a horrible experience, but I was sent to do a job by the U.S. Government. I performed my duties by the Grace of God and came home alive. Others were not as blessed as I was. We lost so many Americans that seemed like a senseless war. When I returned home to Florien, I perfected my farming skills that my parents taught me. Today, at 73, I am retired with some lovely daughters living a simple life as a farmer, performing a skill that I truly love, farming. I grow and sell vegetables plus meats from my farm. I have experienced some good and bad days, but through it all, my live is good enjoying my daily activities and dedicated to my church where I serve as a deacon.

In my conversation with Pat and Sandra, they found it so fascinating that I remembered by Salutatorian speech that I delivered May 1968 verbatim, so I am including it in my reflections. I hope you enjoy the words that meant so much to me some 50+ years ago.

Dear Parents, Friends, and Schoolmates:

We greet you; we salute you; we bid you the warmest of welcome. We are happy to stand before you as graduates from a common school course of study. But this is merely a beginning, and we trust you will not judge us harshly. The great oak did not make much of a show when it was a sapling, the noted judge was feeble in his first speeches as a lawyer. It takes time and labor to gain distinction. But we are glad to have made a beginning and ask you to be so kind as to enjoy our program, so hopeful as to see signs of future greatness in us. Be blind to our short comings, and kind to our merits. We want you to rejoice with us, in our honors because you have a large share in them. Through these years you have made our schooling not only possible, but pleasant. You have done your best for us, and today we shall try and do our best for you. We salute our benefactors; we salute the teachers who have been our friends, our guide, and our inspiration. If we make a creditable showing, give them much of the praise, and thank them as we do.

I was not chosen salutatorian because of my good looks, neither because of fine speaking, I think it must have been because they knew I would have a real honest to goodness heart welcome for you, and I have. I am so glad to see some of you, that I have forgotten some of the long words I was going to use in my speech. Well never mind, I can say that on behalf of my classmates, we offer you greetings as deep as the ocean, as high as the lofty mountains, and warm as the summer sunshine.

Thank you – Hermie Maxie.

I, William E. Ruffin Jr., am a resident of Sabine Parish, Many, LA. I have been blessed to have had a successful 33-year career in the field of Education in Sabine Parish. I am originally from Eldorado, Arkansas and graduated from Grambling State University with a degree in Social Studies and Speech. I am often asked how I got to Sabine Parish. My wife, Gloria Ruffin had previously accepted a position in Rapides Parish. I had other offers from areas in Arkansas, North Louisiana and one offer from a small town called Many. I accepted the offer to teach at Sabine High School plus it was closer to Rapides Parish. Thus, my education career started in Many at Sabine High School. I have had many fond memories from my career in Sabine Parish and especially from my first four years teaching at Sabine High School.

I shall forever cherish the memories I have of the days I spent as an Educator at Sabine High School. Mr. Roy Alford was the Superintendent, and Mr. T.A. Maxie was our principal. It was so encouraging to walk down the hall and see the friendly faces of Mr. Robert Underwood, Mrs. Evelyn Bush, Mr. H.B. Garner, Mr. Booker McFarland, Rev. C.A Lilly, Coach Leon Holland, Ms. Betty Garner, Mr. Clarence Thomas, Mr. U. Cross, Ms. Shirley Amos, and Mr. J Bradford. I can hear the chatter of the students coming down the hall after the first bell rang ad rushing to get in class before the second bell rang so they would not be considered late to class. I will always remember the Civic class of 48 students and the history class that had five, 4.0 students sitting on the front row. I had to really prepare for my history class to meet the challenge of my straight A students. I had lots of fun teaching and I believe they had a lot of fun learning.

I remember the Friday night football games where the fans would pay to enter the gates to the football field and stand on the sideline or sit in their lawn chairs to watch the games. There were not any bleachers during this time. The basketball games were played in the gym/auditorium and was also used for school assemblies, graduation exercises, and school plays at the end of each year. Each year the students were chosen to participate in the LIALO/LIALA Rally--Louisiana Interscholastic Athletic and Literacy Association/Organization--established in 1928 to bridge the gap for African American students in secondary schools so their success could be realized. Students would compete in all areas that were taught in school with other schools in the district. Winners would go on to the State Rally. They competed in Math, Science, Home Economics, Band, Choir, Industrial Arts, and Public Speaking. All these competitive events changed in 1969-1970 school year when the schools in Sabine Parish were integrated. All high school students and teachers went to other schools in the Sabine Parish except for the Seniors that were allowed to graduate from Sabine High School in May 1970 with a few teachers and Mr. Maxie in attendance. After 1970, Sabine High School would only exist in the hearts of former students. Both teachers and former Sabine High School hold fond memories of their years at Sabine High School. Fond memories of Sabine High School are reflected upon when Alumni, Family, and Friends gather biennial for reunion gatherings.