St. Philip's College: A Point of Pride on San Antonio's Eastside

7 Oral History Interviews, 1930s

37 who were just entering college. He spoke of being called “mister” for the first time in his life, and at sixteen, to be called mister was a great thing. It was like a transformation . Teachers called him mister and the young girls “miss.” He felt like an adult and considered this the signal for entry into the college environment. “The major building was the administrative building, a mixture of administration and classrooms. In , the city and the nation were in the heart of the Depression, and many of the students could not go outside of the city because their parents didn’t have the money. So a great number of the class of  went to St. Philip’s. They [their parents] wanted them to go outside the city and they [students ] wanted to go too, but they had no money.” Black pointed to today’s students, who are in a similar situation when they want to go away from home. It’s not that they don’t like St. Philip’s, it’s just that they want to get away from home and enjoy new experiences in a different city. When Black enrolled at St. Philip’s, all students took the basic courses: English, history, science, mathematics , and electives, such as music. Florence Dawson was the musician at that time and she also worked with the choir. St. Philip’s Culture, 1930s Black was given an opportunity to do a lot of things at St. Philip’s that he might not have done at another school, such as playing on the basketball team. Tuition was a small sum, probably in the teens, but even at that, their This chapter presents a look at some of the oldest living students we located, who attended St. Philip’s College beginning in the s. They told us of hardships they endured in their efforts to gain an education beyond high school in a city where little was provided for them. In addition, surviving faculty tells what it was like to be employed at the college when St. Philip’s was a fledgling institution and struggling financially. Rev. Claude Black Claude Black enrolled in St. Philip’s Junior College in the s, at age sixteen, immediately after graduating from Douglas High School. He knew Miss Bowden first as teacher, later as landlord, and, shortly after becoming a minister, found himself (as he put it) “in the unlikely role of advisor and confidante.” A native of San Antonio, and former two-term city councilman, Black became a much sought-after preacher and counselor. As pastor emeritus of Mt. Zion First Baptist Church, and having spent over fifty years in the ministry, most of it in San Antonio, Black was considered by many to be the dean of San Antonio’s black clergy. Academic Life When Black went to St. Philip’s in , he described the atmosphere as family-like and really good for students  Oral History Interviews, 1930s Let us understand that the present college is just the beginning of a great institution of learning which shall take rank with the first colleges of the land.If we keep these convictions in our minds and ever pressing upon our hearts, we will live to see the day when hundreds will graduate annually from St. Philip’s and from her walls will go an ever-increasing influence for the betterment of her people. 38 • Chapter 7 not purpose.” He was out of college for three years in the s and then he began to deal with the purpose of his life. He then went to Andover Newton, finished in , came back to San Antonio and was called to pastor Mt. Zion First Baptist Church, where he spent the next fortynine years. While at Mt. Zion, Black organized San Antonio Mothers’ Service Organization, a group of women who helped to send many students to St. Philip’s. “Now, the interesting thing that they’ve done, which thrills me, is that they’ve sent students not at the top of the class but students whose economic condition would not allow them to go to school,” said Black. “This service organization looks largely at the income of the family. They’ve sent students there whose parents aren’t able to get them started, not just the students that have high academic records.” Lola Vernice Warner, 1934 Graduate, St. Philip’s College Warner enrolled at St. Philip’s in , after graduating from Douglas High School in San Antonio...