George Anderson: Practicing What He Preached

As part of Allen ISD’s 100th anniversary, we have been looking back on the school district’s namesakes. The school board bestowed that honor on Rev. George Anderson in 1997 for his career of service to the children and families of Allen.

George Anderson was born in Collin, Texas in 1920. Following high school, he worked with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) before enrolling at Wylie College in Marshall.

“I had hoped to study engineering but college opportunities for blacks were very limited in the late 1940’s, said Anderson in a 2002 interview.

“Teacher education programs were more accessible so I headed off to Wylie College with a lot of hope but no money.”

Anderson met the college president and successfully proposed three months of work at the college in exchange for three months of tuition. As a football walk-on the next fall, he earned an athletic scholarship and was able to attend school full time.

He traded his football uniform for army khakis in 1942 and was eventually stationed in Cairo, Egypt until 1945.

Following the war and with help from the G.I. Bill, he returned to Texas College in Tyler and earned a teaching degree in 1949. He began teaching in 1950 and went on to earn a master’s degree from Texas Southern University in 1959.

Anderson told the story once of his persistence in getting a job in Allen. He visited with Allen Superintendent W.H. Moseley who had no openings. Each week Anderson would appear at Moseley’s office until the superintendent “gave in and hired the ambitious young man.”
He taught grades 5 through 8 at Allen’s segregated school until 1964 when the school district was able to educate all students under one roof. Anderson briefly worked for Collins Radio before returning to Allen as a middle school and high school social studies teacher and football line coach until his retirement in 1975.

Anderson’s wife Hazel taught school in northern Collin County most of her career and then joined George at St. Mary’s shortly before the school closed.

In addition to his teaching role, Anderson was ordained in 1969 and became pastor of Allen’s St. Mary Baptist Church in 1978 when Rev. H.W. Howard retired. He also served as pastor of the St. Paul Baptist Church in Melissa.

“Mr. Anderson was an easygoing teacher but could be tough if you got out of line,” remembers Charles Hall, who attended both the segregated school and Allen High School. “He was a good teacher and the kids looked up to him.”

Billie “Rabbit” Robinson also attended both schools and spent many days in class with Anderson.
“He was nice but the kids knew to listen in class or they would pay the price. He was a ‘straight A’ teacher and you knew you were going to learn in his class.”

Robinson also lived across the street from Anderson on Coats Drive growing up.
“The black community at that time was small – only a few blocks – and he was “the man.” As the teacher at the black school and pastor of the church, he knew every kid and every family. You knew he was watching over us and I was glad he lived across the street.”

George Anderson was a teacher, pastor and community leader at a time when many towns in the south were struggling with the fact that segregation was wrong and integration was inevitable. Working with other community leaders like high school principal Max Vaughan and Superintendent D.L. Rountree, Anderson helped make that transition a smooth one.

“There’s one pattern I’ve tried to set for myself my whole life,” said Anderson in a 2002 interview about a school being named in his honor. “I try to follow the 13th chapter of St. Matthew every day teaching myself that the seeds I sow are the plants I will reap. You have to put your community first and be the best you can in helping your community thrive.”

Rev. George Anderson died in 2003 but the seeds he sowed in Allen, Texas have deep roots.

Who Was Alton Boyd?

Who was Alton Boyd? Folks stuck in traffic at the corner of Bethany and Jupiter would certainly recognize the school that bears his name but most don’t remember “Papa” Boyd.

Looking to fill in some blanks in our school history, I tapped some of Allen’s long time residents and found a smart group of second graders who had researched their school’s namesake.

What I discovered says a lot about the once small town of Allen and one really nice guy who helped build it both literally and figuratively.

Alton Boyd was born in Macon County, Tennessee in 1903 and was moved with his family to a farm near Midlothian in 1905. The family moved to a cotton farm east of Allen along FM 2551 just north of Bethany Drive in 1919 and Alton graduated as valedictorian of his four member class in 1920. Boyd married Arlene “Boonie” King in 1924 and the couple settled on the family farm which produced cotton, corn and wheat. The couple’s only child, Margie, was born in 1929 and is better known by her married name of Margie Marion (as in James and Margie Marion Elementary School).

In addition to his farm responsibilities, Boyd worked as a carpenter and handyman in town and could frequently be found sipping a cup of coffee with the lumber yard owner Ed Lynge. He also worked at the Stacey Cotton Exchange in Allen.

“Alton was just a jolly fellow,” according to Wayne Stratton, who worked for Boyd on numerous building projects along with his brother Bill. “He was a pleasure to work with and always seemed to be looking out for others.” The biggest project they worked on together was the First United Methodist Church which still stands behind the current church on south Greenville.

“One thing people may not know about Mr. Boyd was that his favorite TV show was Top Cat and he got a kick out of people calling him Top Cat in those days,” added Stratton.

Boyd’s son-in-law, James Marion, first remembers the pipe. “He always had a pipe with him and that tobacco smell became so familiar when you spent time with him.

“He was a big Allen sports fan,” added Marion. “I can’t think of a football or basketball game that he didn’t attend. He was Allen’s number one cheerleader. He was also an easy mark for fundraisers. Kids in town who were selling stuff would run to Papa Boyd and he would buy something from every one of them.”

He was always doing things for others, recalls Kenneth Bolin. “He built the press box and concession stands for the old stadium and also built all of the bookshelves in Boyd Elementary School when it opened. He wouldn’t take money for it though.”

Boyd was among Allen’s longest serving school board members joining the board in 1936 and retired from service in 1963 when his daughter Margie began teaching in Allen. He was then tapped to serve on the Collin County Board of Education until 1975.

He was instrumental in fighting for Allen ISD’s right to exist in the late 1940’s when the state proposed consolidating Allen into the Plano and McKinney school districts.

“Papa Boyd lived a simple life and devoted his time and energy to the community, especially the kids,” according to Kim Marion, Boyd’s grand daughter-in-law. “At a time when Allen was more like Mayberry, he was the man everyone in town looked up to. He was a special person.” Boonie Boyd passed away in 1955 and Alton remained a vital part of the community until he died in 1985. The school bearing his name opened in 1978.

Pam Knight and Becca Clark’s second grade classes shared some additional facts about Papa Boyd on a bulletin board at Boyd Elementary School. The story would not be complete without these fun facts so I offer them unedited below. - He was on the Allen basketball team in 1919. - He married Arlene King in 1924 - He got as t-shirt at Boyd’s 5th anniversary - After retirement he enjoyed a free cup of coffee at McDonalds - He could be seen driving an old green and white Ford pickup around town - He is buried in the Allen cemetery So the next time you’re stopped in traffic at Bethany and Jupiter, tip your hat to a really nice guy who helped build our community one board and one kid at a time.

Royal Drive-In Cast of Characters

Every small town has one – a café or restaurant where the locals congregate for coffee and the breakfast special. Forty years ago that place in Allen was called The Royal Drive-In. 

The Royal was bulldozed in the early 1980’s but its footprint still exists at the corner of Allen Drive and the northbound Central Expressway access road. Pull to the Allen Drive stop sign, look to your right and there it is; the driveway that once led Allen residents to a hot meal and a heap of conversation. 

 The Royal was built in 1967 by Jack Rattan, a successful McKinney businessman who owned a wholesale candy and fountain supply operation. Rattan leased the Allen store to one of his salesmen, Odie Clark, who ran the business through 1978. 

 Odie and his son Randy (a 1977 AHS graduate), recently sat down for some coffee and breakfast to discuss a business that every long-time Allen resident remembers. 

 I was warned that Odie was a “bit of a character” and he doesn’t deny it. That’s because the Royal Drive-In was full of characters he says. “Almost every day you could count on Papa Boyd and Gene Butler and Pete Ford stopping in for breakfast. If our staff was shorthanded, one of them would just go behind the counter and make the coffee themselves. It was that kind of place.” 

 A short time after the Royal opened, Dairy Queen was built in downtown Allen where the current Allen Café stands. The DQ became the hangout for kids, said Randy, while the businessmen and highway travelers usually stopped at the Royal. “The two restaurants and a parking lot downtown formed a sort of triangle for the teenagers,” he added. “Kids would drive by all three to see who was hanging out where for the evening. It was a small town.” 

 The place could be murderer’s row for football players after a bad game, said Odie. “Everyone went to the games and the guys at the counter would be ready to quiz the players who wandered in the next morning. It was in good fun but they could be tough on the kids.” It was the people coming through that made the Royal a special place according to Odie. He then proceeded to drop names that are familiar to anyone who grew up in Allen. 

“Guys like Jerry Burton, Anthony Hancock, Kenneth Shearer, Jerry Carpenter, Bill Enloe and Dudley Robertson were all regulars. Throughout the day the cast of characters changed but the menu rarely did. Burgers and fries, chicken fried steak, fried chicken and milkshakes were standard fare. One name that drew a smile from both Randy and Odie was Pat Terrell, the cook. “She could cook faster than two people and folks knew she was the boss.” The most colorful character that rolled into the Royal was Erven Bolin. 

“Every day he would pull into the Royal parking lot in an old beater pickup truck. An old yellow hound dog would sit patiently on the tool box while he was inside. He always referred to his wife as Bear saying “got to get home before Bear calls me.” Odie pulled out of the food service business in 1978 and worked in the home improvement business for about 15 years. He then got talked into managing the Farmersville Dairy Queen for several years. 

 The Royal lasted a few more years and was converted into a used car lot before it was torn down. It was time for that building to go, Randy pointed out. “Allen was just a great place to grow up,” added Randy, who serves as assistant chief of the Collin County Sheriff’s Department. “People knew who you were and where your family lived. They looked out for each other.” 

 One thing is for sure. Odie Clark knew everyone and everyone knew Odie Clark. That’s a pretty good legacy for a character.