The school, a one-room wooden structure, was built on lot fourteen, in block 1, of the Morgantown Addition to the city, on land purchased by the county from the trustees of the Union Colored Public School System. The trustees, in turn had purchased the piece of property from the Gulf Western Texas and Pacific Railroad Company in 1891 for the sum of $100 . Most of the pupils who attended were from
farm families and came to school when they were not working. Usually, they worked when it was clear and came to school when the weather was bad and they were unable to work. The enrollment for the school term of 1893-1894 was 227 pupils with an average daily attendance of 143. The school was located behind the Methodist Church on the corner of S. Indianola and Morgan Street. The first teacher for the school was Mr. Griggs, a 32 year old Negro man who had graduated from the University of Baton Rouge, La and had eleven years of previous teaching experience, most of which was acquired from teaching in community schools. Griggs remained as teacher until 1896. Professor Griggs departed the Cuero Colored School for better school facilities. After his departure, Professor Eugene A. Daule, a Louisana native from Baton Rouge became principal of the school. Professor Daule, when hired, had a degree from Prairie View Normal College and thirteen years of teaching experience. He took over the Cuero Colored School in the same building in which Mr. Griggs had taught and remained there until 1903. In 1903, the city appropriated funds to build a new two-story wooden school building on city property. A new building was erected at the corner of Toussiant L’Overture and West Newman Street eight blocks south of the old school building . During the 1870’s, there were two philosophies being debated by Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois as to what curriculum should be taught in black schools. Washington argued the Negro should be trained in vocational and trade crafts so that they would be able to sustain themselves economically and function in society as proper and productive citizens. Du Bois favored classical training in the liberal arts for blacks, much like many whites received in America’s finest universities, and much like he received when he became the first African American to earn a Ph.D at Harvard University. The dual philosophy was buffered by one of the racial attitudes of many whites that blacks were academically incapable of no more than rudimentary education for manual labor as say, janitors and domestics. Professor Daule split the differences between the two philosophies as did many of the colleges for African Americans. The new school taught the regular required courses of study; Social Science, Mathematics, English, Homemaking, Agriculture, Reading and Writing. The number of degreed teachers and teachers with college work increased yearly in the school, with the majority of the teachers graduating from Prairie View Normal College. Along with the school, the church was an important social institution in Cuero’s black community. Religious teaching and character building were extensions of the school faculty and community’s participation in a student‘s life. Many teachers and families became surrogate parents, helping develop and nurture the student’s habits, ethics and professionalism. Faculty were in charge and had the final say on social activities such as club events, annual balls, band concerts, heaven and hell parties, socials, hay rides and Mayfest festival. The booster club would raise money to provide the essentials needed to maintain the school because the school system did not provide enough resources. Students recounted the creative visions of their teachers reminiscing how their teachers used funny papers and cartoon character to help teach some of their classes. The Cuero Colored School building was used for forty five years. Then, through organized effort and court action, money was appropriated for a badly needed new Negro School. Professor Daule served as principal for 45 years until his retirement in 1931. At his retirement the school was renamed “Daule “school. Principals who served between 1931 and 1947 were Professors William C. Johnston, Willard Brown, Thomas E. Dixon. The last school building was built in 1948 and the spring of 1949 on land which the city purchased from Mr. Willis Barfield, just inside of the city limits on the old San Antonio highway on track 16a. The new school was of the latest school building design, with a combination auditorium and gymnasium, indirect lighting, and all new equipment. It was built of hollow tile and concrete and was painted white. In 1947, Mr. George Anderson became principal of the Daule School. Anderson was a graduate of Prairie View College, had prior teaching experience, and when hired was working on his master’s degree at Prairie View. The school enrollment at that time was 390 students with a staff of 15 teachers. The last principal was Professor T.W. Humphrey who remained until the school closed at the end of the 1965 school year. Anderson hired several music teachers during his tenure. Music played a vital role in many of the young people’s lives. Music teachers were Ms. Mary Francis White, Henretta Green Charleston, Emma Byrd and Marjorie Curtis. After Mr. Anderson moved on, Professor T. Humphrey hired Mrs. Nell Humphrey to lead the music department. In 1954, Mr. Anderson hired Mr. David Ernest Hegwood to organize a band program. This was Mr. Hegwood’s first civilian employment after spending many years in the U.S. Army 656th Band. The band excelled quickly, and received many top rating in marching and playing in the Prairie View State completion. The band played in many parades over the state, sometimes the only black band invited. The band’s most memorable occasion was the Battle of Flowers Night Parade in San Antonio in 1959 when the band’s drum major, Katie Lee made the cover page of Ebony magazine. Band directors who followed Hegwood were Warren Hawkins and Robert Campbell. Hegwood also organized the boys and girls tennis team at Daule. Boasting physical facilities unexcelled by any other Cuero school and staffed by competent instructors, Daule, Cuero’s public school for Negro students was rated high in school circles in this area . The school now had 21 staff member for instruction purposes from grades 1-12. The school excelled in academics, agriculture, sports, homemaking, band and choir. Sampson’s FFA boys won top prizes many times at the San Antonio Livestock show and the State Fair of Texas in Dallas. Trumpet player, Darnell Mike placed second at the New Farmers of America Convention in AtIanta Ga. He won 4 rounds of competition to quality for the finals. In 1960 Principal T.W. Humphrey was honored for outstanding services to the New Homemakers of American State Convention. He was accompanied by Mrs. Earline Fuller the chairperson of the department at Daule. Other department heads were Nell Humphrey music (voice), Warren Hawkins band director and Maurice Mathis Business Education and part time principal. Other teachers were Callie Grant, Gertrude Avant, Mabel Shropshire, Modestine Edwards, Corinne Haywood, Zula Houston, Ernestine Lewis, Susie Forrow, Henry Harvey, Delores Roy, Rosemary Williams, S.A. Sampson, Joe Williams, Ernestine Lewis, Lucious Clemmons, David Bonnick and Cecil Roy. The legendary Sylvester A. Sampson coached the teams from 1936 into the forties and his impressive records were only surpassed by the example he set for his players and the coaches who followed him. After he stepped down, he mentored many of the young coaches who were named to lead the teams. As was the case during those days the coaches were first teachers and took the teams because of a love of the game and a desire to see a good athletic program at Daule that would be a benefit to the young men and women. The coaches that followed S.A. Sampson were; Leon English, Albert Whiteside, Charles Garcia, Elijah Childers, Henry Harvey, Charles Brackins and John Goode. Coach Charles Garcia coached the team in the bitter sweet 1957 season. The team was Quarter Final Champions even though they lost their star Quarter Back Joe Gaskins in a Guadalupe River drowning along with two of his brothers Clarence and Bishop Gaskins, Robert Sheppard and Adolph Woodson. Cuero’s black community was a small community filled with talented individuals that contributed to society all over the world. Mess Attendant First Class, Leonard Roy Harmon was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, was the first black American to have a ship named in his honor. Mrs. Naunita Harmon Carroll christened the destroyed escort USS Harmon DE72 on July 25, 1943. Reverend Sanderson A. Pleasant moved to Houston Texas to pastor the St. John Missionary Baptist Church on Dowling Street. At his retirement in the late forties, he had grown the church from 280 to more that 8,000 members, one of the first mega churches. At his death, the House of Representatives of the State of Texas passed a Memorial Resolution, Re HSR 291 in the official House Journal of the 53rd Legislature proceeding of May 12 1953. During the Vietnam Era, two former students James Slade and Robert Ragland lost their lives in the war. The Daule School and Cuero community have had several students that have played professional football. Two former students, Alois Blackwell participated in the NFL Super Bowl XIII with the Dallas Cowboys, and Arthur Whittington Super Bowl XV with the Oakland Raiders. Tragedy struck the Daule Community once more in 1963 when Elmo Ridyolph, Kelly Richardson, Elizabeth Jenkins, Lura Purrham and Estella Johnson were killed in an automobile accident on their way home after attending a Daule Hayride. Cuero Colored High and Daule produced many quality educators, athletics, scholars, musicians, vocal and instrumental, preachers and community leaders. We honor the teaching of the educators at Daule who taught values that took graduates boldly into adulthood. We are extremely proud of our heritage. Our work is never over. It begins with us, then, at the close of the day, we pass it on to future generations driven by the principles of God. The Daule School integrated with Cuero High after the 1965 school year. Ten years later in 1975, Marlon Ross became the first black student to become valedictorian of the Cuero High School Graduating Class.
