HistoricSiteMarkers
Progressive & Modern Era

Paul L. Rutledge, Sr.

Tucker, Anderson County, Texas

Marker Inscription

(1904 - 1961) A graduate of Prairie View A&M College, prominent educator Paul Rutledge, Sr., also attended Tuskegee Institute and Atlanta University. He served as principal of Flint Hill High school near Neches from 1933 to 1937, and Green Bay High School at Tucker from 1937 to 1942. In 1942 he became a Texas Education Agency area supervisor for vocational agriculture. Rutledge was a positive influence for generations of African American school children in Texas. (1991)

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Paul L. Rutledge, Sr. (1904โ€“1961) was a Prairie View A&M graduate who also studied at Tuskegee Institute and Atlanta University before devoting his life to education. He led high schools at Neches and Tucker in the 1930s and early 1940s, then became a state supervisor for vocational agriculture. Across these roles he shaped the schooling of generations of African American children in Texas.

Why it matters

His career reflects the dedication of Black educators who built opportunity for their communities within the constraints of a segregated Texas school system.

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