Goree McGlothen, Sr., a graduate of Sam Houston High School class of 1933, served as a member of the Huntsville City Council. A master electrician by trade, McGlothen lived in Huntsville and Walker County during his entire life. He grew up in an era when life in the South and indeed, Huntsville, was not only restrictive for African Americans but difficult as well. Black families experienced an almost "eternal" struggle in their efforts to provide for their families and to support basic institutions such as the church and school. In recounting his experiences in an interview in 1982, McGlothen remembered how treacherous life was in a segregated society. "Race relations involved a particular ‘etiquette' that was demeaning to old and young African Americans alike". The etiquette of race relations in Huntsville involved subservience on the streets, in stores, and at public gatherings-even when Whites attended activities sponsored by blacks. "We found comfort in our family life and other institutions such as the church and school" he said.
The son of Asberry and Louisa McGlothen, Goree was one of five children, Henry, Jessie Lee, Imogene, and Hattie McGlothen were his brothers and sisters. His sister, Hattie McGlothen Johnson, served as a teacher in the Dodge School and other institutions in Huntsville and Walker County,including Samuel W. Houston Elementary School. All of the McGlothen children, including second and third generations, graduated from Sam Houston High School.
Strong Family and Community Support
McGlothen reflected on his early life in an oral interview recorded for the book Samuel W. Houston and His Contemporaries by Naomi W. Lede (1981). He recalled the difficulties encountered by his family in efforts to support the children and to provide them with an adequate education. His parents worked with others to improve the community in which they lived. He credited the courage and determination manifested in his life to his father. Asberry, who worked with the community to draw up papers to establish the Emancipation Park, His mother, Louisa encouraged Goree and the other children: "Seek the good things of life and be somebody."
Another individual that shared the spotlight in his intellectual growth and development was Professor Samuel Walker Houston, founder and principal of the Sam Houston Industrial and Training School, which later merged into Sam Houston High School. To McGlothen, Professor Houston was "one of the finest educators and humanitarians in the world. " He gave Houston credit for encouraging him to complete his high school education and attend college at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in Alabama. Speaking of Houston, Goree recalled that "he reminded us to never look back."
While a student at Sam Houston High School, McGlothen was a good student and athlete. He participated in a variety of sports, including basketball. He was a member of the first all-state basketball team to win a championship in the history of Huntsville-white or black-in 1930-31. Members of that team included Bill Mock, M.G. Ross, J.W. Booker, Maultie M. Rolling, Felder Jones. Wyatt Johnson, and Wyatt Jones. Although the records were destroyed during the school desegregation movement in Huntsville, McGlothen and other members recalled: "The team remained undefeated for seven years."
During his senior year in high school in 1933, the basketball team won another state championship as it had done the previous years, 1930-33. Newspaper clippings from the Houston Informer, Texas Standard, and Pittsburg Courier contain brief accounts of the success of Sam Houston High School basketball during those years. Some of the schools defeated by Sam Houston High School were Jack Yates High School of Houston, Ball High School of Galveston, and Phyllis Wheatley High School of Houston. There was a resurgence of strength in athletics at Sam Houston High School during the 1950's. Its Tiger basketball team won another state championship in 1951, and the football team was triumphant the same year.
Upon graduating from Sam Houston High School, Goree McGlothen left for Tuskegee Institute along with several members of his class. He studied under the famous African American scientist, Dr. George Washington Carver. During his student days at Tuskegee, he recalled: " I was exposed to the philosophy and experience of this great American scientist who developed many products from peanuts and other plants." Until his death in 1943, Dr. Carver kept in close contact with McGlothen and other former students from Walker County.
After returning from Tuskegee, Goree took a position with United Gas Company. Later, He opened his business, McGlothen Electrical Company. After operating a business for many years in Huntsville, McGlothen decided to run for the Huntsville City Council following the retirement of Councilman Scott E. Johnson, also a graduate of Sam Houston High School. He was elected to the City Council in 1977. When asked why he decided to seek an elected office, he replied: "I was concerned about the lack of quality service in the community in general and the black community in particular. The unpaved streets and the Northside sewer plant worried me." Continuing, he noted:" These issues and other unmet needs in the community motivated me to run for the Huntsville City Council." He wanted to help improve conditions for low- income blacks in Huntsville. In discussing his years on the City Council, McGlothen pointed to a newly completed sewer treatment plant that he helped to spearhead for the city, annexation of the new addition, and the acquisition of a $2.5 million grant in federal funds to improve the plight of poor in Huntsville. He cited gains in the number of African Americans represented in the city of Huntsville's workforce. When he was first elected to the City Council, there were only two black faces at City Hall and they were janitors. At the time of the oral history interview, there were five black secretaries, three black policemen, two black police dispatchers, and several blacks working in public works and other areas.
Other Community Service and Participation
During his active life, McGlothen received many honors, recognitions and awards, including a Certificate of Recognition from the Sam Houston Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, an Outstanding Achievement Award from the National Alumni Association of Sam Houston High School, and a Certificate of Appreciation from the Huntsville Independent School District (HISD). He served as a member of the old Negro Chamber of Commerce, founded in 1941-42, the Texas Municipal League, the Huntsville-Walker County Chamber of Commerce, the Huntsville Regional Water Authority Supply System (1978) , Gulf State Utilities and Federal Savings (1981), the Houston-Galveston Area Council of Governments ( HGAC), and the Legislative Black Caucus. He chaired the Jane's (Jane Ward) Emancipation Foundation, an organization that planned annual Juneteenth celebrations in Huntsville and Walker County.
In 1934, Goree McGlothen Sr., married Allie Lee Hightower. The couple had two children: Goree, Jr.(now deceased) and Mattie Louisa McGlothen Grant. Both children graduated from Sam Houston High School and Prairie View A&M University. A grandson, Michael, received a pre-medical degree from Prairie View A&M University and is now a practicing physician.
McGlothen was asked: "What message would you leave to coming generations of young people?" He replied: "I can truly say that there is a better day ahead. Life is like a ladder, every round goes higher and higher. To coming generations, I admonish them to press on, build on the foundation we have laid, have courage, determination, and ability: and always pursue truth."
Taken from Pathfinders: A History of the Pioneering Efforts of African Americans, Huntsville, Walker County, Texas
The son of Asberry and Louisa McGlothen, Goree was one of five children, Henry, Jessie Lee, Imogene, and Hattie McGlothen were his brothers and sisters. His sister, Hattie McGlothen Johnson, served as a teacher in the Dodge School and other institutions in Huntsville and Walker County,including Samuel W. Houston Elementary School. All of the McGlothen children, including second and third generations, graduated from Sam Houston High School.
Strong Family and Community Support
McGlothen reflected on his early life in an oral interview recorded for the book Samuel W. Houston and His Contemporaries by Naomi W. Lede (1981). He recalled the difficulties encountered by his family in efforts to support the children and to provide them with an adequate education. His parents worked with others to improve the community in which they lived. He credited the courage and determination manifested in his life to his father. Asberry, who worked with the community to draw up papers to establish the Emancipation Park, His mother, Louisa encouraged Goree and the other children: "Seek the good things of life and be somebody."
Another individual that shared the spotlight in his intellectual growth and development was Professor Samuel Walker Houston, founder and principal of the Sam Houston Industrial and Training School, which later merged into Sam Houston High School. To McGlothen, Professor Houston was "one of the finest educators and humanitarians in the world. " He gave Houston credit for encouraging him to complete his high school education and attend college at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in Alabama. Speaking of Houston, Goree recalled that "he reminded us to never look back."
While a student at Sam Houston High School, McGlothen was a good student and athlete. He participated in a variety of sports, including basketball. He was a member of the first all-state basketball team to win a championship in the history of Huntsville-white or black-in 1930-31. Members of that team included Bill Mock, M.G. Ross, J.W. Booker, Maultie M. Rolling, Felder Jones. Wyatt Johnson, and Wyatt Jones. Although the records were destroyed during the school desegregation movement in Huntsville, McGlothen and other members recalled: "The team remained undefeated for seven years."
During his senior year in high school in 1933, the basketball team won another state championship as it had done the previous years, 1930-33. Newspaper clippings from the Houston Informer, Texas Standard, and Pittsburg Courier contain brief accounts of the success of Sam Houston High School basketball during those years. Some of the schools defeated by Sam Houston High School were Jack Yates High School of Houston, Ball High School of Galveston, and Phyllis Wheatley High School of Houston. There was a resurgence of strength in athletics at Sam Houston High School during the 1950's. Its Tiger basketball team won another state championship in 1951, and the football team was triumphant the same year.
Upon graduating from Sam Houston High School, Goree McGlothen left for Tuskegee Institute along with several members of his class. He studied under the famous African American scientist, Dr. George Washington Carver. During his student days at Tuskegee, he recalled: " I was exposed to the philosophy and experience of this great American scientist who developed many products from peanuts and other plants." Until his death in 1943, Dr. Carver kept in close contact with McGlothen and other former students from Walker County.
After returning from Tuskegee, Goree took a position with United Gas Company. Later, He opened his business, McGlothen Electrical Company. After operating a business for many years in Huntsville, McGlothen decided to run for the Huntsville City Council following the retirement of Councilman Scott E. Johnson, also a graduate of Sam Houston High School. He was elected to the City Council in 1977. When asked why he decided to seek an elected office, he replied: "I was concerned about the lack of quality service in the community in general and the black community in particular. The unpaved streets and the Northside sewer plant worried me." Continuing, he noted:" These issues and other unmet needs in the community motivated me to run for the Huntsville City Council." He wanted to help improve conditions for low- income blacks in Huntsville. In discussing his years on the City Council, McGlothen pointed to a newly completed sewer treatment plant that he helped to spearhead for the city, annexation of the new addition, and the acquisition of a $2.5 million grant in federal funds to improve the plight of poor in Huntsville. He cited gains in the number of African Americans represented in the city of Huntsville's workforce. When he was first elected to the City Council, there were only two black faces at City Hall and they were janitors. At the time of the oral history interview, there were five black secretaries, three black policemen, two black police dispatchers, and several blacks working in public works and other areas.
Other Community Service and Participation
During his active life, McGlothen received many honors, recognitions and awards, including a Certificate of Recognition from the Sam Houston Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, an Outstanding Achievement Award from the National Alumni Association of Sam Houston High School, and a Certificate of Appreciation from the Huntsville Independent School District (HISD). He served as a member of the old Negro Chamber of Commerce, founded in 1941-42, the Texas Municipal League, the Huntsville-Walker County Chamber of Commerce, the Huntsville Regional Water Authority Supply System (1978) , Gulf State Utilities and Federal Savings (1981), the Houston-Galveston Area Council of Governments ( HGAC), and the Legislative Black Caucus. He chaired the Jane's (Jane Ward) Emancipation Foundation, an organization that planned annual Juneteenth celebrations in Huntsville and Walker County.
In 1934, Goree McGlothen Sr., married Allie Lee Hightower. The couple had two children: Goree, Jr.(now deceased) and Mattie Louisa McGlothen Grant. Both children graduated from Sam Houston High School and Prairie View A&M University. A grandson, Michael, received a pre-medical degree from Prairie View A&M University and is now a practicing physician.
McGlothen was asked: "What message would you leave to coming generations of young people?" He replied: "I can truly say that there is a better day ahead. Life is like a ladder, every round goes higher and higher. To coming generations, I admonish them to press on, build on the foundation we have laid, have courage, determination, and ability: and always pursue truth."
Taken from Pathfinders: A History of the Pioneering Efforts of African Americans, Huntsville, Walker County, Texas
Goree McGlothen, Sr., a graduate of Sam Houston High School class of 1933, served as a member of the Huntsville City Council. A master electrician by trade, McGlothen lived in Huntsville and Walker County during his entire life. He grew up in an era when life in the South and indeed, Huntsville, was not only restrictive for African Americans but difficult as well. Black families experienced an almost "eternal" struggle in their efforts to provide for their families and to support basic institutions such as the church and school. In recounting his experiences in an interview in 1982, McGlothen remembered how treacherous life was in a segregated society. "Race relations involved a particular ‘etiquette' that was demeaning to old and young African Americans alike". The etiquette of race relations in Huntsville involved subservience on the streets, in stores, and at public gatherings-even when Whites attended activities sponsored by blacks. "We found comfort in our family life and other institutions such as the church and school" he said.
The son of Asberry and Louisa McGlothen, Goree was one of five children, Henry, Jessie Lee, Imogene, and Hattie McGlothen were his brothers and sisters. His sister, Hattie McGlothen Johnson, served as a teacher in the Dodge School and other institutions in Huntsville and Walker County,including Samuel W. Houston Elementary School. All of the McGlothen children, including second and third generations, graduated from Sam Houston High School.
Strong Family and Community Support
McGlothen reflected on his early life in an oral interview recorded for the book Samuel W. Houston and His Contemporaries by Naomi W. Lede (1981). He recalled the difficulties encountered by his family in efforts to support the children and to provide them with an adequate education. His parents worked with others to improve the community in which they lived. He credited the courage and determination manifested in his life to his father. Asberry, who worked with the community to draw up papers to establish the Emancipation Park, His mother, Louisa encouraged Goree and the other children: "Seek the good things of life and be somebody."
Another individual that shared the spotlight in his intellectual growth and development was Professor Samuel Walker Houston, founder and principal of the Sam Houston Industrial and Training School, which later merged into Sam Houston High School. To McGlothen, Professor Houston was "one of the finest educators and humanitarians in the world. " He gave Houston credit for encouraging him to complete his high school education and attend college at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in Alabama. Speaking of Houston, Goree recalled that "he reminded us to never look back."
While a student at Sam Houston High School, McGlothen was a good student and athlete. He participated in a variety of sports, including basketball. He was a member of the first all-state basketball team to win a championship in the history of Huntsville-white or black-in 1930-31. Members of that team included Bill Mock, M.G. Ross, J.W. Booker, Maultie M. Rolling, Felder Jones. Wyatt Johnson, and Wyatt Jones. Although the records were destroyed during the school desegregation movement in Huntsville, McGlothen and other members recalled: "The team remained undefeated for seven years."
During his senior year in high school in 1933, the basketball team won another state championship as it had done the previous years, 1930-33. Newspaper clippings from the Houston Informer, Texas Standard, and Pittsburg Courier contain brief accounts of the success of Sam Houston High School basketball during those years. Some of the schools defeated by Sam Houston High School were Jack Yates High School of Houston, Ball High School of Galveston, and Phyllis Wheatley High School of Houston. There was a resurgence of strength in athletics at Sam Houston High School during the 1950's. Its Tiger basketball team won another state championship in 1951, and the football team was triumphant the same year.
Upon graduating from Sam Houston High School, Goree McGlothen left for Tuskegee Institute along with several members of his class. He studied under the famous African American scientist, Dr. George Washington Carver. During his student days at Tuskegee, he recalled: " I was exposed to the philosophy and experience of this great American scientist who developed many products from peanuts and other plants." Until his death in 1943, Dr. Carver kept in close contact with McGlothen and other former students from Walker County.
After returning from Tuskegee, Goree took a position with United Gas Company. Later, He opened his business, McGlothen Electrical Company. After operating a business for many years in Huntsville, McGlothen decided to run for the Huntsville City Council following the retirement of Councilman Scott E. Johnson, also a graduate of Sam Houston High School. He was elected to the City Council in 1977. When asked why he decided to seek an elected office, he replied: "I was concerned about the lack of quality service in the community in general and the black community in particular. The unpaved streets and the Northside sewer plant worried me." Continuing, he noted:" These issues and other unmet needs in the community motivated me to run for the Huntsville City Council." He wanted to help improve conditions for low- income blacks in Huntsville. In discussing his years on the City Council, McGlothen pointed to a newly completed sewer treatment plant that he helped to spearhead for the city, annexation of the new addition, and the acquisition of a $2.5 million grant in federal funds to improve the plight of poor in Huntsville. He cited gains in the number of African Americans represented in the city of Huntsville's workforce. When he was first elected to the City Council, there were only two black faces at City Hall and they were janitors. At the time of the oral history interview, there were five black secretaries, three black policemen, two black police dispatchers, and several blacks working in public works and other areas.
Other Community Service and Participation
During his active life, McGlothen received many honors, recognitions and awards, including a Certificate of Recognition from the Sam Houston Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, an Outstanding Achievement Award from the National Alumni Association of Sam Houston High School, and a Certificate of Appreciation from the Huntsville Independent School District (HISD). He served as a member of the old Negro Chamber of Commerce, founded in 1941-42, the Texas Municipal League, the Huntsville-Walker County Chamber of Commerce, the Huntsville Regional Water Authority Supply System (1978) , Gulf State Utilities and Federal Savings (1981), the Houston-Galveston Area Council of Governments ( HGAC), and the Legislative Black Caucus. He chaired the Jane's (Jane Ward) Emancipation Foundation, an organization that planned annual Juneteenth celebrations in Huntsville and Walker County.
In 1934, Goree McGlothen Sr., married Allie Lee Hightower. The couple had two children: Goree, Jr.(now deceased) and Mattie Louisa McGlothen Grant. Both children graduated from Sam Houston High School and Prairie View A&M University. A grandson, Michael, received a pre-medical degree from Prairie View A&M University and is now a practicing physician.
McGlothen was asked: "What message would you leave to coming generations of young people?" He replied: "I can truly say that there is a better day ahead. Life is like a ladder, every round goes higher and higher. To coming generations, I admonish them to press on, build on the foundation we have laid, have courage, determination, and ability: and always pursue truth."
Taken from Pathfinders: A History of the Pioneering Efforts of African Americans, Huntsville, Walker County, Texas
The son of Asberry and Louisa McGlothen, Goree was one of five children, Henry, Jessie Lee, Imogene, and Hattie McGlothen were his brothers and sisters. His sister, Hattie McGlothen Johnson, served as a teacher in the Dodge School and other institutions in Huntsville and Walker County,including Samuel W. Houston Elementary School. All of the McGlothen children, including second and third generations, graduated from Sam Houston High School.
Strong Family and Community Support
McGlothen reflected on his early life in an oral interview recorded for the book Samuel W. Houston and His Contemporaries by Naomi W. Lede (1981). He recalled the difficulties encountered by his family in efforts to support the children and to provide them with an adequate education. His parents worked with others to improve the community in which they lived. He credited the courage and determination manifested in his life to his father. Asberry, who worked with the community to draw up papers to establish the Emancipation Park, His mother, Louisa encouraged Goree and the other children: "Seek the good things of life and be somebody."
Another individual that shared the spotlight in his intellectual growth and development was Professor Samuel Walker Houston, founder and principal of the Sam Houston Industrial and Training School, which later merged into Sam Houston High School. To McGlothen, Professor Houston was "one of the finest educators and humanitarians in the world. " He gave Houston credit for encouraging him to complete his high school education and attend college at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in Alabama. Speaking of Houston, Goree recalled that "he reminded us to never look back."
While a student at Sam Houston High School, McGlothen was a good student and athlete. He participated in a variety of sports, including basketball. He was a member of the first all-state basketball team to win a championship in the history of Huntsville-white or black-in 1930-31. Members of that team included Bill Mock, M.G. Ross, J.W. Booker, Maultie M. Rolling, Felder Jones. Wyatt Johnson, and Wyatt Jones. Although the records were destroyed during the school desegregation movement in Huntsville, McGlothen and other members recalled: "The team remained undefeated for seven years."
During his senior year in high school in 1933, the basketball team won another state championship as it had done the previous years, 1930-33. Newspaper clippings from the Houston Informer, Texas Standard, and Pittsburg Courier contain brief accounts of the success of Sam Houston High School basketball during those years. Some of the schools defeated by Sam Houston High School were Jack Yates High School of Houston, Ball High School of Galveston, and Phyllis Wheatley High School of Houston. There was a resurgence of strength in athletics at Sam Houston High School during the 1950's. Its Tiger basketball team won another state championship in 1951, and the football team was triumphant the same year.
Upon graduating from Sam Houston High School, Goree McGlothen left for Tuskegee Institute along with several members of his class. He studied under the famous African American scientist, Dr. George Washington Carver. During his student days at Tuskegee, he recalled: " I was exposed to the philosophy and experience of this great American scientist who developed many products from peanuts and other plants." Until his death in 1943, Dr. Carver kept in close contact with McGlothen and other former students from Walker County.
After returning from Tuskegee, Goree took a position with United Gas Company. Later, He opened his business, McGlothen Electrical Company. After operating a business for many years in Huntsville, McGlothen decided to run for the Huntsville City Council following the retirement of Councilman Scott E. Johnson, also a graduate of Sam Houston High School. He was elected to the City Council in 1977. When asked why he decided to seek an elected office, he replied: "I was concerned about the lack of quality service in the community in general and the black community in particular. The unpaved streets and the Northside sewer plant worried me." Continuing, he noted:" These issues and other unmet needs in the community motivated me to run for the Huntsville City Council." He wanted to help improve conditions for low- income blacks in Huntsville. In discussing his years on the City Council, McGlothen pointed to a newly completed sewer treatment plant that he helped to spearhead for the city, annexation of the new addition, and the acquisition of a $2.5 million grant in federal funds to improve the plight of poor in Huntsville. He cited gains in the number of African Americans represented in the city of Huntsville's workforce. When he was first elected to the City Council, there were only two black faces at City Hall and they were janitors. At the time of the oral history interview, there were five black secretaries, three black policemen, two black police dispatchers, and several blacks working in public works and other areas.
Other Community Service and Participation
During his active life, McGlothen received many honors, recognitions and awards, including a Certificate of Recognition from the Sam Houston Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, an Outstanding Achievement Award from the National Alumni Association of Sam Houston High School, and a Certificate of Appreciation from the Huntsville Independent School District (HISD). He served as a member of the old Negro Chamber of Commerce, founded in 1941-42, the Texas Municipal League, the Huntsville-Walker County Chamber of Commerce, the Huntsville Regional Water Authority Supply System (1978) , Gulf State Utilities and Federal Savings (1981), the Houston-Galveston Area Council of Governments ( HGAC), and the Legislative Black Caucus. He chaired the Jane's (Jane Ward) Emancipation Foundation, an organization that planned annual Juneteenth celebrations in Huntsville and Walker County.
In 1934, Goree McGlothen Sr., married Allie Lee Hightower. The couple had two children: Goree, Jr.(now deceased) and Mattie Louisa McGlothen Grant. Both children graduated from Sam Houston High School and Prairie View A&M University. A grandson, Michael, received a pre-medical degree from Prairie View A&M University and is now a practicing physician.
McGlothen was asked: "What message would you leave to coming generations of young people?" He replied: "I can truly say that there is a better day ahead. Life is like a ladder, every round goes higher and higher. To coming generations, I admonish them to press on, build on the foundation we have laid, have courage, determination, and ability: and always pursue truth."
Taken from Pathfinders: A History of the Pioneering Efforts of African Americans, Huntsville, Walker County, Texas
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