O.J. Thomas High School

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll give it to you straight as I can. Way back before there was a proper schoolhouse, the African American students of Cameron were getting their education the best way available, centered on church instruction at a place called Little Rocky Church, out in the Marlow Community. That was the foundation, humble as it was, and it held things together until something better could be built.

Then, in 1923, a man named Oscar John Thomas came into the picture. Born in 1894, Thomas joined the district to serve as both principal and teacher, and what happened next says everything about what one determined person can do inside a community that's counting on them. Under his leadership, the district secured financing from the Julius Rosenwald Fund, and by 1925, a new facility was standing.

A new building. Something to point to. The school was renamed for Thomas in 1938, which is its own kind of honor, having your name put on the place you built up.

Then came the wave of integration, and the facility became Cameron Junior High. The name Thomas had earned was set aside for a time, but not forgotten. In 1974, a petition changed the name back to O.J.

Thomas, and that name held. The junior high closed in 1995, and in 1998 the building was sold to an alumni group, to be used as a community center. From Little Rocky Church to a gathering place for the people it served all along.

Oscar John Thomas, born 1894, died 1977. The building's still there. The name's still on it.

What the marker says

O.J. Thomas High School Early efforts to serve the educational needs of Cameron's African American students centered on church instruction at a place called "Little Rocky" Church in the Marlow Community. In 1923, Oscar John Thomas (1894-1977) joined the district to serve as principal and teacher. Under his leadership, the district secured financing from the Julius Rosenwald fund and built a new facility in 1925. The school was renamed for Thomas in 1938. Thirty years later, during integration, the facility became Cameron Junior High. A 1974 petition changed the name back to O.J. Thomas. In 1995, the junior high closed, and in 1998, the building was sold to an alumni group for use as a community center. (2002)