DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it — and it's a story worth tellin'. Kerrville had big dreams, and they started cookin' them early. In the first years of the twentieth century, the leaders of that little Hill Country town began to envision a college.
They weren't just daydreaming either — negotiations with the Presbyterian Synod of Texas were underway from 1904, when plans were laid for an annual camp meeting that might one day grow into a boys' school. One day. Might.
Those are words that take patience. And it took some. But the wheels were turning.
Then in 1914, a local businessman by the name of Charles Schreiner — born in 1838, still going strong — announced his intention to donate one hundred forty acres of land and at least one hundred thousand dollars to the Synod of Texas. The purpose: to fund the Charles Schreiner Institute for Boys. That is a serious commitment from a serious man.
Then the world intervened. World War I put the whole plan on hold, and those dreams sat waiting while the century did what centuries do. Finally — and I mean finally — on September 18, 1923, the school held its opening ceremonies.
James J. Delaney, born in 1879, stepped in as president. Ninety-five students enrolled that first year.
The school's foundation rested on military discipline and religious instruction, woven together as a backdrop for general education. A clear vision, purposefully built. Charles Schreiner himself lived to see it — he didn't pass until 1927.
Now the school kept evolving, and here's where the story picks up pace. In 1932, girls were admitted as day students. Then World War II arrived and hit the institute hard — students and younger faculty left for military service and defense work, a naval flight school was established right there at the institute for the duration of the war, and when it was all over, sixty-six alumni had lost their lives.
Sixty-six. That number deserves a moment of quiet. The school they built carried on, and it kept changin'.
Military training became optional in 1957, and by 1971 the board of trustees voted to discontinue it altogether. That same era brought female boarding students and the instituting of recruitment for minority and disadvantaged students. The last high school class graduated in 1976.
Then in 1984, the school became a four-year baccalaureate college — Schreiner College — and it continues to evolve as one of Texas' leading private institutions. What started as a camp meeting idea in 1904 became something that outlasted wars, transformed with the times, and still stands in the Hill Country today. Some visions, turns out, just needed a little patience.
What the marker says
Kerrville leaders began to envision a college in the early days of the 20th century. Negotiations with the Presbyterian Synod of Texas were pursued from 1904, when plans were made for an annual camp meeting that might one day evolve into a boys' school. In 1914, local businessman Charles Schreiner (1838-1927) announced his plan to donate 140 acres of land and at least $100,000 to the Synod of Texas to fund the Charles Schreiner Institute for Boys. The plan was delayed by World War I. Finally, on September 18, 1923, the school's opening ceremonies were held, with James J. Delaney (1879-1959) as president. Ninety-five students were enrolled in the first year. The school stressed military discipline and religious instruction as a backdrop for general education. In 1932, girls were admitted as day students. Many students and younger faculty left Schreiner for military service and defense work during World War II, and a naval flight school was established at the institute for the war's duration. Sixty-six alumni lost their lives in World War II. Military training became optional in 1957. In 1971, the board of trustees voted to discontinue military training. Female boarding students were enrolled, and the recruitment of minority and disadvantaged students was instituted. The last high school class graduated in 1976. In 1984 the school became a four-year baccalaureate college. Schreiner College continues to evolve as one of Texas' leading private institutions. (1998)