DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about North Dallas High School — and friends, this one's got a lot to say. Now, every school's got a story, but not every school gets its story started on a farm that once hosted the first Texas State Fair. That's the ground North Dallas High School stands on — John H.
Cole's farm, 1886 fairground turned future schoolyard. Whether that gives you chills or just a good head-scratch, well, that's between you and the history. The city of Dallas had five high schools by the time it was done — three for Caucasian students, Bryan Street, Oak Cliff, and Forest, and one for African Americans, Booker T.
Washington. Growing enrollment pushed the school board to act, and they set their sights on that north edge of the city for a fifth. Board member Clinton Russell picked the site himself, and here's the part that separates a man who cares from a man who just votes — he took trips at his own expense to study schools in other cities.
Didn't charge anybody a dime. And then he showed up to the construction site daily, personally, to supervise. Every.
Single. Day. For the design, they reached all the way to St.
Louis, Missouri, for a man named William B. Ittner — an architect who had designed hundreds of schools across the United States. Hundreds.
So North Dallas wasn't getting somebody's first attempt. The doors swung open on February 13, 1922, with 650 students filing in and E.B. Comstock waiting for them as the first principal.
That very first graduating class didn't waste any time making their mark either — they founded an alumni association and locked in two traditions right out of the gate: an Easter morning breakfast and a banquet just after Christmas. The kind of traditions that take root and don't let go. In those early years, the school sorted out its identity piece by piece — the Bulldogs as the mascot, the Viking as the yearbook, orange and white as the colors.
And those Bulldogs? They could play. City athletic championships started stacking up.
Then came October 1930, North Dallas versus Sunset High in the brand new Fair Park Stadium — the place that would later be known as the Cotton Bowl. Forty-five thousand fans showed up. Forty-five thousand people for a high school football game.
That was, at the time, a state record for a high school event. Texas wasn't playing around even then. Many distinguished alumni went on to notable careers in business, politics, and the arts.
And the school kept evolving. Court-ordered desegregation began in Dallas in 1960, and thirty years on from that, the student body at North Dallas High told a different kind of story altogether — sixty-five percent Hispanic, twelve percent Asian, and students from thirty-two different countries of origin walking those same halls. The state Legislature and the U.S.
Congress both took notice, recognizing North Dallas High School as the first international school in the state and the nation. Started on a fairground. Built by a man who showed up every day because he believed in it.
And ended up representing the whole wide world. That's North Dallas High School.
What the marker says
The city's fifth high school opened in 1922 on the far north edge of Dallas. At the time, there were three high schools for Caucasian students (Bryan Street, Oak Cliff and Forest) and one for African Americans (Booker T. Washington). The school board responded to growing enrollment with plans for a new school on John H. Cole's farm, the site of the first Texas State Fair in 1886. Board member Clinton Russell chose the site and helped plan the school. He took trips at his own expense to study schools in other cities, and he visited the site daily to personally supervise construction. William B. Ittner of St. Louis, Missouri, who designed hundreds of schools across the U.S., was chosen as architect of North Dallas High School (NDHS). The doors opened on February 13, 1922 with 650 students and E.B. Comstock as the first principal. The first graduating class began an alumni association and established two main events: an Easter morning breakfast and a banquet soon after Christmas. The school mascot (Bulldogs), yearbook (Viking) and colors (orange and white) were chosen in the first few years. The Bulldogs captured many city athletic championships, and an Oct. 1930 football game between North Dallas and Sunset High in the new Fair Park Stadium (later the Cotton Bowl) drew 45,000 fans, then a state record for a high school event. Many distinguished alumni have had notable careers in business, politics and the arts. Court-ordered school desegregation began in Dallas in 1960. Thirty years later, the NDHS student body was 65 percent Hispanic, 12 percent Asian, and thirty-two different countries of origin were represented. The state Legislature and U.S. Congress recognized NDHS as the first international school in the state and nation. (2008)