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.