Presbyterian Pan American School
Kingsville, Kleberg County, Texas
Marker Inscription
MEXICAN-AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN CONGREGATIONS BEGAN TO APPEAR IN TEXAS IN THE LAST DECADE OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. WITH THE POPULATION INCREASE IN TEXAS FOLLOWING THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION, THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BEGAN TO ASSESS THE NEED FOR EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMMIGRANTS. IN 1910, THE TEXAS-MEXICAN PRESBYTERY AND THE WESTERN PRESBYTERY PRESENTED A PLAN TO ESTABLISH A MEXICAN INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL FOR BOYS. THE PLAN WAS APPROVED AND IN 1911, HENRIETTA KING OFFERED TO DONATE 640 ACRES FOR A SCHOOL. THE FOLLOWING YEAR, CLASSES OPENED AT THE TEXAS-MEXICAN INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTION WITH 49 STUDENTS INCLUDING SIX GIRLS. THEIR MISSION WAS TO PROMOTE SPIRITUAL GROWTH BUT ALSO TO TRAIN THEIR MINDS AND HANDS FOR LEADERSHIP IN THE COMMUNITY WITH ACADEMIC AND TRADE SKILLS. WITH THE SUCCESS OF THE SCHOOL CAME INTEREST TO ESTABLISH A SCHOOL FOR MEXICAN-AMERICAN GIRLS. AFTER FUNDING WAS SECURED, THE SCHOOL, AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS PRES.-MEX., OPENED IN OCTOBER 1924 IN TAFT, TEXAS WITH A CURRICULUM SIMILAR TO THE BOYS’ SCHOOL. IN 1955, ACTION WAS TAKEN TO MERGE THE TWO SCHOOLS TO ESTABLISH THE PRESBYTERIAN PAN AMERICAN SCHOOL. BY THE FALL OF 1957, THE FIRST PHASE OF A NEW CAMPUS DESIGNED BY FAMED ARCHITECT O’NEIL FORD WAS COMPLETED. FROM THE LATE 1950s TO THE MID-1960s, THE SCHOOL SAW INCREASED GROWTH IN NUMBERS AND GEOGRAPHY WITH OVER 400 STUDENTS FROM A VARIETY OF U.S. STATES AS WELL AS GUATEMALA, MEXICO, CONGO, CUBA AND COLOMBIA. OVER THE YEARS, AMONG SUCCESS AND HARDSHIPS, THE PRESBYTERIAN PAN AMERICAN SCHOOL DEVELOPED FROM A SMALL FACILITY TO AN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT WITH STUDENTS FROM THE UNITED STATES, LATIN AMERICA, ASIA AND AFRICA.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Rooted in the Mexican-American Presbyterian congregations that took hold in Texas in the 1890s and grew after the upheaval of the Mexican Revolution, this school began in 1912 as an industrial institute for boys on 640 acres donated by ranching matriarch Henrietta King. A companion school for girls followed in 1924, and in 1955 the two merged into the Presbyterian Pan American School, whose 1957 campus was designed by celebrated Texas architect O'Neil Ford. By the 1960s it drew students from across the United States and from Latin America, Africa and Asia.
Why it matters
It reflects how faith-based education served Mexican-American and immigrant communities in South Texas, opening academic and leadership opportunities at a time when such doors were often closed.
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Related people
- · Henrietta King
- · O'Neil Ford
Themes & tags
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