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 Paris Junior College
N 33° 39.148 W 095° 31.858
15S E 265293 N 3726497
Texas Historical Marker noting the establishment and history of Paris Junior College, in front of the Williams Administration Building on the campus at 2400 Clarksville St, Paris, TX.
Waymark Code: WMR0NV
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/24/2016
Views: 5
Marker Number: 12013
Marker Text:
Henry P. Mayer, a member of the Paris Independent School District Board of Education, proposed the establishment of a junior college in Paris in 1992. He quickly gained the support of the community, as many leading citizens and local civic organizations, including the Chamber of Commerce, the Lions Club, and the Rotary Club, promoted the junior college movement in Paris. The PARIS MORNING NEWS published favorable ads and editorials, and citizen support was overwhelming. On June 6, 1924, the board of education passed a resolution formally establishing Paris Junior College and approved six areas of study: English, history, math, foreign languages, education and science.
Plans called for the college to be housed in the renovated post office building downtown, but because work on that structure was delayed, the new institution was housed in a wing of the high school for its first year. Ninety-one students registered for the first session in September 1924, and the college quickly attained accreditation. Enrollment grew to 424 within a decade.
By 1940 Paris Junior College occupied a new campus on the east side of the city, made possible by a bond election, Federal Works Progress Administration funds and financial gifts from local citizens. Many students left to serve in the military during World War ll, and the college instituted a number of programs for returning veterans after the war. The school continued to grow in the second half of the 20th century, with expanded facilities in Paris and satellite campuses in several surrounding counties. Enrollment topped the 3,000 mark in 1998, as Paris Junior College prepared to enter a new century with service to its students and community. (1999)
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