Historians hear program on early Dayton schools

Dayton Historical Society members and guests met Monday, Mar. 26 at Parker Hall where they heard an interesting and informative presentation by club member Janette Goulder- Frick on the history of Dayton schools.

Goulder-Frick worked 25 years on Boeing Information Technology projects with 10 years dedicated to supporting the Space Exploration Division in Clearlake. A published author of a book entitled ‘Christianity Made Simple’, Goulder-Frick has received several book writing awards.

Since joining the historical society in 2017, Goulder-Frick has designed a website for them and written and published monthly Dayton History News pamphlets distributed via local businesses.

The program she presented was based on a book published in 1994 by a team of Daytonites entitled “History: The Early Years of Dayton Schools – I.S.D., Colbert, Common School Districts”. The authors included Jack Unkel, Lloyd Gilbert, Patsy Davis, Hazel Carney, Dovie Norcross and Bonnie Rigby – all of whom have since passed away with the exception of Jack Unkel.

The program began with biographies for the book authors followed by milestones and relevant quotes from 1800 to 1950 that integrated history of the town of Dayton with of Dayton schools.

Next was information about the 26 different Common Schools in the Dayton vicinity between 1901-1936 that provided education in rural areas before being integrated with Dayton ISD. It included teachers, dates of operation and location.

Lastly was information about DISD enrollment between 1970 and 1995, construction of DISD schools, and construction of facilities. The program was interactive allowing time for attendees to share relevant personal experiences and insights.