St. Mark's School of Texas

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about St. Mark's School of Texas, up there in Dallas County. Pull up a chair, because this story doesn't start with one school.

It starts with three, and the way they came together is something worth knowin'. Back in 1906, a pair of educators named Menter and Ada Terrill opened a school right in a home on Swiss Avenue. Forty-two students walked through those doors on day one.

The Terrills were strict disciplinarians, and they demanded high levels of scholastic competence. No coasting, no excuses. The school attracted the sons of many of Dallas' prominent families, and for a good while, that was exactly the kind of place it was.

Then came the late 1920s. Athletics had begun to replace academics as the primary focus, and several Dallas families took notice. They weren't going to sit still for that.

So they started something new: the Texas Country Day School for Boys, built around one idea, a strong academic preparatory education for their sons. When it opened in September of 1933, it had ten students and four faculty members, and it sat two miles north of the Dallas city limits. Two miles north.

Just far enough out to feel like open country. Then came the post-World War II economic boom, and that open country became an affluent suburban neighborhood, and many of its young men were attending Texas Country Day School. Now, the Terrill School was still out there, running its course, until it closed in 1946.

After that closing, the Cathedral School for Boys opened under the auspices of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas, carrying on a tradition of serious education for boys in that city. But the story wasn't done shuffling its cards. In 1949, negotiations to merge the Cathedral School and Texas Country Day School got underway, and what came out of those negotiations was St.

Mark's School of Texas. It held its first classes in September of 1950, on the former Texas Country Day School campus. Three schools, all with their own histories, their own standards, their own sons of Dallas.

And out of all of that, one institution. In the last half of the twentieth century, St. Mark's solidified its place in Texas educational history as a significant college preparatory institution, through expanded facilities, exemplary faculty, increased enrollment, and solid financial support.

Three schools walked into history, and one walked out. That's not a bad ending.

What the marker says

St. Mark's School of Texas St. Mark's School has its foundation in three 20th-century preparatory schools, each of which contributed to its high standards and national reputation for academic excellence. Founded in 1906 by educators Menter and Ada Terrill, the Terrill School opened in a Swiss Avenue home with 42 students. The Terrills were strict disciplinarians and demanded high levels of scholastic competence. The school attracted the sons of many of Dallas' prominent families. By the late 1920s, athletics had begun to replace academics as the primary focus, and in response, several Dallas families Began the Texas Country Day School for Boys to provide a strong academic preparatory education for their sons. When it opened with ten students and four faculty members in September 1933, Texas Country Day School was located two miles north of the Dallas city limits. With the post-World War II economic boom, this area became an affluent suburban neighborhood, and many of its youth attended Texas Country Day School. Meanwhile, the Cathedral School for Boys opened under the auspices of the Episcopal diocese of Dallas after the Terrill School closed in 1946. In 1949, negotiations to merge the Cathedral School and Texas Country Day School resulted in the formation of St. Mark's School of Texas, which held its first classes in September 1950 on the former Texas Country Day School campus. In the last half of the 20th century, St. Mark's School solidified its place in Texas' educational history as a significant college preparatory institution through expanded facilities and exemplary faculty, which led to increased enrollment and solid financial support. (2002) Incising on base: PETER FLAGG MAXSON '65 JOHN DeGOLYER MAXSON '58