BEFORE TEXAS SOUTHMOST COLLEGE, THERE WAS BROWNSVILLE JUNIOR COLLEGE AND IT WAS A GREAT SCHOOL by Rene Torres

 

Brownsville Junior College Ranked Among Best

Local school recognized by war chiefs and considered at par with West Point

By Rene Torres

Higher education came to Brownville in 1926 and two years later graduated its first class under the name of “The Junior College of the Lower Rio Grande Valley.  

At that time, it was under the umbrella of the Brownsville Public School System and located on the same campus as the local high school on Palm Blvd.

By 1931, it changed its name to “Brownsville Junior College,” and remained as such until 1949 when the Southmost Union Junior College District was created and thereafter, the institution was known as Texas Southmost College.

Complete separation from the public schools took place in December of 1950.

The divorce began in 1947 when the local school system began negotiations with the War Assets Administration for acquiring the land at Fort Brown.  By that time, the army reservation had been deactivated and as far as local school officials were concerned, the site at Fort Brown was the perfect location for a college. 

The first classes were held at the new campus in 1948.

Since its first graduating class of 1928, the college gained celebrity status. Only four years after it opened its doors, it stood as one of 25 junior colleges in 11 states admitted to membership into the prestigious Southern Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges.

This admission/accreditation was very difficult to obtain, especially for a young college. 

In 1930-31, there were only four junior colleges in the state of Texas to receive such recognition, Brownsville Junior College being one of them. 

During this same year, registration at the college showed an enrollment of 160 students.

With this, the local junior college ranked among the best in the country. It was also approved as a first-class institution by the Association of Texas Colleges, was a member of the American Association of Junior Colleges and acknowledged as a top-rated college by the Department of Education.

Faculty members during the 1930s included: E. C. Dodd, dean of the college; Mrs. Louise C. Perkins, registrar and dean of women; R. J. Bingham, head of mathematics; W.L. Dodson, prof. of government; Mrs. Pauline L. Goode, head modern languages; Charlotte Heyman, head English; Grace A. Edman, head social science; Mrs. Lois H. Hughes, head education; Velma Wilson, head science; Mrs. Elizabeth McCollum, head business administration; J.W. Irvine, director of athletics and physical education; N.W. Gunn, prof. of physics and mechanical drawing; Katherine C. Bramlette, prof. business administration; Mrs. W. T. Quinn, instruction in French and music; Ben L. Brite, instructor in physical education; Mrs. S.C. Tucker, librarian; Casteel Garlin, instructor in government; Ruth K. Reed, instructor in education; Louise Parry, instructor in mathematics; Pauline Marler, secretary to the dean of the college.

College at par with West Point...

During this same period, then superintendent of public schools and president of Brownsville Junior College, G. W. Gotke, wrote a letter to the War Department in Washington asking for entrance information to West Point.

His request was made because several local students were interested in transferring their work to the military school. So after a careful investigation by the War Department in Washington, it was revealed that Brownsville Junior College was at par with all other colleges in the United States. 

Offering similar work and that a student graduating here, rated as high as one with two-year credits from any university or college in the country.

The letter received here from the War Department read as follows:

“With reference to your letter of July 7, 1930, in which you seek information relative to the standing of Brownsville Junior College, you are advised that the matter was taken up with the U. S. Bureau of Education, which advises as follows: Brownsville Junior College, Brownsville, Texas, is an institution of college grade offering two years of work equivalent to two years of a standard college. It may be provisionally accredited by the United States Military Academy under the regulation requiring candidates to submit credits on certificate Form I.”

In response to the letter from Washington, written by General C.U. Bridges, Superintendent Gotke said, “This is very complimentary indeed, and means that we have attained a ranking equal to any in the nation. Our students have the same privileges on entering the institution as those from any other college in the United States.” He went on to say, “It means that the United States Government is willing to recognize the Brownsville Junior College.”

Photo: ca. 1940s Brownsville Junior College students at Palm Blvd Campus...L to R: Conrad Lozano, Amelia Parra and Frank Maldonado. Students in background, unknown