DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say, right there in Cameron County. Now settle in, because this one's got layers. It starts in 1909, when the San Benito Independent School District formed.
That's your foundation. But the part of the story we're followin' today didn't take shape until 1921, when the district established the San Benito Colored School at Commerce and Doherty streets, right there by the railroad tracks. African American students.
Certified African American teachers. A community buildin' something for itself, right from the start. Then 1933 rolls around, and a hurricane severely damaged the school.
What had been a one-room schoolhouse got reconstructed — with limited resources, the marker makes a point of saying. Limited resources. You hear that and you understand something about the people who made sure those doors stayed open anyway.
Years passed, attendance grew, and it became plain that a new facility was needed. Now here's where the story turns on a name. Jean Marie Callandret — folks called him Joe — arrived in San Benito from Louisiana in 1908, alongside his wife Fannie.
Both of Louisiana Creole heritage. Joe was a real estate broker, and he owned many properties and businesses in the San Benito area, all while farming too. He and Fannie had six children who helped with the family's various enterprises.
At one point, Joe subdivided a tract as the Callandret subdivision, because he had a vision — an African American neighborhood, close to a school. That vision never materialized in his lifetime. Joe Callandret was born in 1883 and died in 1931.
But Fannie knew his wishes. She carried them. On November 15, 1949, Fannie Sayon Callandret — born 1887, and she would live all the way to 1978 — donated land from her own estate to the San Benito ISD, specifically for the purpose of building a new school for African American students.
A woman honoring a dream that outlasted the dreamer. The community wasn't quiet about it either. After a petition was submitted by the African American community, the school district announced in 1951 that the new school would be named in honor of Joe Callandret.
Then in 1952, a concrete block building went up on that donated Callandret land and opened to the community. And at the open house, guests showed up with library books, landscaping plants, playground equipment — people bringin' what they had to a place that had been a long time comin'. The school district integrated in 1960 and '61, after many students transferred to Harlingen CISD.
The Joe Callandret School was then used for training and special education for students of San Benito ISD. Joe had a subdivision and a vision that didn't quite come together the way he imagined. But Fannie made sure there was a school.
And a community made sure it carried his name. Sometimes a vision travels further than the person who first had it.
What the marker says
In 1909, the San Benito Independent School District formed and, in 1921, established the San Benito Colored School at Commerce and Doherty streets by the railroad tracks. The school opened with African American students taught by certified African American teachers. In 1933, a hurricane severely damaged the school and the one-room schoolhouse was reconstructed with limited resources. Over the years, attendance increased, as did the need for a new facility. On November 15, 1949, Fannie (Sayon) Callandret (1887-1978) donated land from her estate to the San Benito ISD for the purpose of building a new school for African American students. Fannie and her husband, Jean Marie (Joe) Callandret (1883-1931), both of Louisiana Creole heritage, moved to San Benito from Louisiana in 1908. As a real estate broker, Callandret owned many properties and businesses in the San Benito area in addition to farming. Fannie and Joe had six children who helped the family with their various enterprises. At one point, Callandret subdivided a tract as the Callandret subdivision, but his vision of an African American neighborhood close to a school never materialized. However, Fannie knew his wishes and donated the land for a new school. In 1951, after a petition was submitted by the African American community, the school district announced that the new school would be named in honor of Joe Callandret. In 1952, a concrete block building was built on the donated Callandret land and opened to the community. At a community open house, guests donated library books, landscaping plants and playground equipment for the new facility. The school district integrated in 1960-61 after many students transferred to Harlingen CISD. The school was then used for training and special education for students of San Benito ISD.