Wesa Weddington

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, some names carry weight before a person ever walks into a room. Wesa Weddington was one of those names.

She was the granddaughter of Harvey Mitchell, a pioneer settler of Brazos County, and maybe that pioneering spirit ran in the blood, because Wesa didn't settle for small ambitions. She started teaching Latin and Spanish in Bryan public schools in 1903, and right there you might think, well, that's a fine career. But Wesa wasn't finished.

Not by a long stretch. In 1918, she earned a Master's Degree from Columbia University. Columbia University.

She went and got it, came back to Bryan, and then took on one of the bigger jobs in town: Principal of Bryan High School. She held that post from 1920 to 1946. Twenty-six years of walking those halls, setting the standard, holding the line.

Now here's the thing about a dedicated teacher who sets high standards: the students don't always love you for it in the moment. But the marker tells us she earned love and respect from her students, many of whom went on to become leaders in the community. That's the long game.

That's the legacy. A pioneer's granddaughter, a master's graduate, a principal, a teacher. Wesa Weddington planted something in Bryan, Texas, and by every measure, it grew.

What the marker says

Granddaughter of Harvey Mitchell, a pioneer settler of Brazos County, Wesa Weddington began teaching Latin and Spanish in 1903 in Bryan public schools. She received a Masters Degree in 1918 from Columbia University and then taught while serving as Principal of Bryan High School from 1920 to 1946. A dedicated teacher who set high standards, she earned love and respect from students, many of whom became leaders in the community.