Sunset High School (Texas)

Sunset High School

Spirit, Knowledge, Friendship
Address
2120 W. Jefferson Blvd
Dallas, Texas 75208
United States
Coordinates 32°44′48″N 96°51′15″W / 32.7466°N 96.8541°W / 32.7466; -96.8541Coordinates: 32°44′48″N 96°51′15″W / 32.7466°N 96.8541°W / 32.7466; -96.8541
Information
Type public school
Established 1925
School district Dallas Independent School District
Principal Claudia Vega
Faculty 120
Grades 9-12
Enrollment 2,116
Campus size 4.6 acres (0.02 km2)
Campus type Urban
Color(s) Purple and White          
Mascot Bison
Website DISD School Info Page

Sunset High School is a public secondary school located in the North Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas (USA). The school enrolls students in grades 9-12 and is a part of the Dallas Independent School District. The school serves a portion of Dallas and Cockrell Hill.

In 2015, the school was rated "Met Standard" by the Texas Education Agency.[1]

History

Opened in 1925, Sunset was the second high school in the Oak Cliff area, preceded only by Adamson High School. The origin of the school's name is uncertain; however, it may be due to its location, at the time it opened Sunset was the westernmost school in the DISD, and the subdivision surrounding the school on the western side of Dallas was called 'Sunset Heights'.

The school opened in 1925 with 1,400 students and 39 teachers as southwest Oak Cliff became increasingly developed. At the time it was the high school with the largest capacity in DISD; it had the same general architectural plan as Forest Avenue, North Dallas, and Oak Cliff (now W. H. Adamson) high schools.[2] Its opening relieved Oak Cliff High.[3]

The mascot is the American Bison; it was chosen since early students had to cross open fields to get to school.

Sunset is the only high school in the DISD to win the State Football Championship, having won the now-discontinued "Big City" State Championship in 1950. The School was also State Runner Up in 1942 and 1949. They were State Semi-Finalists in 1940, 1941 and 1955.[4][5]

Sunset won the State Basketball Championship in 1944, coached by Stanley Thomas with notable players such as Hank Foldberg and Bobby Folsom.

Sunset won the State Track and Field Championship in 1953, led by Coach Hermann Scruggs.

Future USA Olympic Silver Medalist Eddie Southern (1956) won four State Championships - 120 yard hurdles in 1954 and 1955 and 220 yard (20.7) and 440 yard dash (47.2) in 1955, setting State and National High School Records in the latter two.

Sunset's Ross Bush won the State Championship 880 yard run in both 1932 and 1933, estabslihing the National High School Record of 1:55.4 in 1933. Other Sunset Bison winning the State 880 yard Championship, include Jim Hoff in 1942 and John Robertson in 1966.

Bill Hamman of Sunset won the State Championship 220 yard hurdles in both 1941 and 1942 and set a National High School Record of 22.1 in 1941.

Billy Foster of Sunset was a dominate force in Track and Field in the 1960s, winning the State Championship in the 100 yard dash, 220 yard dash and long jump in 1961, as well as the long jump in 1960. Sunset's James White won the State Title in the 220 in 1963.

In Field Events, Sunset's Carl Self won the 1953 State Shot Put Championship and Don Randell threw 67 feet 11.5 inches to capture the same State Title in 1969. Bison Tom Kelly won the State High Jump Championship in 1953 and 1954.

Lauren Blackburn of Sunset won the State Championship in the Girls' 100 meter hurdles in both 2009 and 2010 and the 300 meter hurdles in 2010.

The Sunset Golf Team won the State Championship in 1938, 1943, 1944, 1945 and 1952. Future PGA Touring Pro and Home Pro at the Oak Cliff Country Club, Earl Stewart, Jr. would win the State Golf Championship in 1937, 1938 and 1939. In 1952, Sunset's Jimmy Powell won the Individual State Championship in Golf.

The Sunset Girls' Tennis Doubles Team of Doris O'Neal and Betty Burson won the State Tennis Doubles Championship in 1948.

Sunset also won two State Titles in UIL One Act Play in 1944 and 1947.

In 1929, Sanger Brothers Department Store donated the Sanger Trophy to the Dallas Independent School District to be awarded annually to one of the six original DISD High Schools accumulating the most points in athletics. The Sanger Trophy was eventually awarded to Sunset for having won the Trophy more than any other of the Schools. The Sanger Trophy was restored in 2011, and now resides in the Old Red Museum of Dallas Culture and History, representing all six original Dallas High Schools.

In the summer of 2006, Anthony Tovar, a Mexican American raised in Dallas who was previously an assistant principal at W. H. Adamson High School and Moises Molina High School, began work as the principal of Sunset. He gained a reputation of being an excellent principal partly due to his hands-on, involved approach in which he actively communicated with other students.[6] In 2013 he planned to resign due to frustration with DISD central office reforms,[7] but he later rescinded his resignation. That year Tovar had been placed on a "growth plan" (a DISD notice asking the principal to improve his school's metrics or face termination).[8] Tovar left DISD in 2013 but stated that he was not forced to resign;[9] in 2015 he returned as an interim assistant principal at Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy.[10]

In 2009 the school had 155 teachers and 2,200 students.[6]

On May 28, 2014, Sunset High School was designated a Dallas Historical Landmark by vote of the Dallas City Council.[11] The City of Dallas Historical commission,[12] and DISD supported the nomination.[13]

In April 2015, the Texas Historical Commission named Sunset High School a Texas Historical Landmark.

On September 26, 2015, Sunset High School Celebrated the 90th Anniversary of the School and Officially unveiled and Dedicated its "Texas Historical Landmark" Marker, "Dallas Historical Landmark" Marker and formally Dedicated the Sunset Byron Rhome Football Fieldhouse with a huge Ceremony at the School attended by some 700 people.

Academic performance

In 2006 53% of the students passed the TAKS math test and 56% passed the science test. In 2008 57% passed the math test and 62% passed the science test; in 2008 the reading/language arts pass percentage was 82 and the social studies pass percentage was 91.[6]

In 2005 the school's graduation rate was 38%. In 2013 it was 57%.[8]

Feeder patterns

As of the 2007-08 school year, , the following elementary schools feed into Sunset High School:

PK-5

Margaret B Henderson

One middle school, W.E. Greiner, feeds into Sunset.

Athletics

The Sunset Bisons compete in the following sports:[14]

Notable alumni

  • Ballard Burgher "Buck" Cobb, (1938), Seaman, United States Navy; Crew Member, U.S.S. Arizona (BB-39) on December 7, 1941; first Sunset Alumni to die in World War II; Purple Heart
  • Hank Foldberg, (1944), All America football player at West Point, 1946; Member, Sunset 1944 State Championship Basketball Team
  • Dan Foldberg, (1946), Army officer; All-America football player at West Point, 1950
  • Willis Wood "Johnny" Sides, Jr. (1946), Dallas Police Officer slain in the line of duty 21 days after graduating from Dallas Police Academy; Dallas Jaycees have given "Johnny Sides Rookie Police Officer" Award since 1952
  • Louise Latham, (1940), film, television and Broadway actress; "Bonanza"; "Gunsmoke"; Hawaii Five-O"; "Murder, She Wrote"; "Designing Women"; Alfred Hitchcock's "Marnie"; Sanger Trophy Honoree
  • Linda Darnell, film actress; co-star with Tyrone Power; "Forever Amber; "Unfaithfully Yours"; "Letter to Three Wives"; Star on "Hollywood Walk of Fame"; Sanger Trophy Honoree
  • William Muriel “Zeke” Campbell, (1931) Western Swing's first great lead and solo playing guitarist; played with the Light Crust Doughboys in the mid-thirties, appeared in Gene Autry films, with the Doughboys-"Oh Susannah" and "The Big Show". By 1937, he was using an electric guitar on the Doughboy's recordings, such as “Blue Guitars,” “Green Valley Trot,” “South,” and “Waitin' on the Robert E. Lee”.
  • Henry Calvin, (1935), (born Wimberly Goodman), TV actor; played Sargeant Garcia on Disney's TV Series "Zorro"
  • Earl Stewart, Jr., (1938), was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1950s and 1960s; and was head golf coach at SMU in the 1970s and 1980s; only Golf Pro to ever win a major Tournament on his home course
  • Don "Tiny" Goss, (1950), All City, All State and All America Football at Sunset; played two Seasons for SMU; made All Army Football Team; played two Seasons with Cleveland Browns and one for the New York Giants; Founder, Dallas Chapter, Fellowship of Christian Athletes
  • Joe Boring, (1951), Member, 1950 State Championship Football Team; 1951 THSCA All Star Game; three sport Letterman, Texas A&M; All SWC in football, 1952; Texas High School Football Hall of Fame
  • Don January, (1947), Professional Golfer; four-time NCAA Champion at North Texas State University; winner of 10 PGA Tour Titles; winner 1967 PGA Championship; Sanger Trophy Honoree
  • Jerry Rhome, (1960), Runner-up, 1964 Heisman Trophy at Tulsa; College Football Hall of Fame; played for Cowboys, Browns, Oilers and L.A. Rams; Coach, Super Bowl XXII Champion Washington Redskins; Sanger Trophy Honoree
  • Billy Lee Brammer, (1947), journalist and novelist
  • Rudy Jaramillo, (1970), played baseball for The University of Texas; former Hitting Coach for Texas Rangers, 15 years, also for Astros and Cubs; Texas Baseball Hall of Fame; Hispanic Heritage Baseball Hall of Fame at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas
  • John Cerminaro, (1965), principal horn player of the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
  • Terry Southern, (1941), author of Candy, The Magic Christian, and other novels; was screenwriter on Easy Rider, Dr. Strangelove and other notable movies; contributed to scripts on Saturday Night Live in the early 1980s; and taught writing at NYU and Columbia University in the 80s and 90s, was a member of the class of 1942. He died in 1995.
  • Bill Meeks, (1940), music industry and radio station jingles entrepreneur
  • Frank Slay, Jr., (1947), wrote lyrics to "Silhouettes" by the Rays; co-wrote "Tallahassie Lassie" by Freddy Cannon; produced "Incense and Peppermint" by The Strawberry Alarm Clock
  • Robert L. Heath, (1949), Executive Director, Dallas County Medical Society, 23 years; Executive with Goodwill Industries in Dallas and Florida; Member, Founding Board, Southwest Transplant Foundation
  • Gordon Rea, (1950), International Entertainer, Lions Clubs International for 16 years; played baseball for SMU; professional singer and entertainer; Dallas and Oak Cliff community leader
  • Dick Penner, (1955), retired English professor and co-composer of "Ooby Dooby", Roy Orbison's rockabilly classic
  • John M. Stemmons, (1927), donated right-of-way for Stemmons Freeway; President, Dallas Citizens Council, Greater Dallas Council of Churches, Dallas County United Fund, Dallas Better Business Bureau, Dallas Real Estate Board and Dallas County Flood Control District; Honorary Consul to Sweden; Linz Award; Sanger Trophy Honoree
  • Dr. Wallace H. Bassett, (1931), Pastor, Cliff Temple Baptist Church (almost 50 years); Trustee, Baylor University; President, Baptist General Convention in Texas
  • D. A. Hulcy, (1937), Chairman and President, Lone Star Gas Company; President, U. S. Chamber of Commerce; President, American Gas Company
  • Betty Jameson, (1939), Professional Golfer, - one of Founders of Ladies Professional Golf Tour (LPGA); Won 13 LPGA Titles, including three majors; Sanger Trophy Honoree
  • Betty Mims Danoff, (1940), one of Founders of Ladies Professional Golf Tour (LPGA): won 1947 Texas Women's Open Title that stopped Babe Didrickson Zaharias' 13 Tournament Winning streak
  • Robert S. Folsom, (1944), Mayor of Dallas; President, Dallas School Board; Developer; President, Methodist Hospital Board; Hugh Prather Award; only four sport Letterman in SMU History; Sanger Trophy Honoree
  • Davey Williams, (1945), Major League Baseball; Entire career with New York Giants; 1953 MLB All Star Game; Winner of 1954 World Series; Coached for Giants, 1956 and 1957; Texas Baseball Hall of Fame; Sanger Trophy Honoree
  • Carl Warwick, (1954), played Major League Baseball for Dodgers, Colt 45's, Orioles, Cubs; Won 1964 World Series with St. Louis Cardinals; tied World Series History with three pinch hits; Texas Baseball Hall of Fame
  • Robert Robinson, (1956), All District, All City and All State on Sunset's State Semi-Final Football Team; 1956 National High School All America Team; Winner of Bell Award as "Most Outstanding Athlete in Dallas County"; MVP of State All Star Football Game; MVP of 1957 SMU Freshman Football Team.
  • Clay Armstrong, PhD, (1952), Physiologist; Much present knowledge on ion channel structure and function traced to him; Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize; Sanger Trophy Honoree
  • Michael Hinojosa, PhD, (1975), Superintendent, Dallas Independent School District, 2005-2011 and 2015 to present; Superintendent, Cobb County, Georgia and three Texas ISD's; teacher and coach, Dallas W.H. Adamson High School and Stockard Middle School.
  • Lee H. Smith, PhD, (1953), President, Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University), 1974 to 1982; Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Sunset Foundation, Inc.; Sanger Trophy Honoree
  • Tom Kelly, (1954), won State High Jump Championship in both 1953 and 1954 and competed for SMU; Principal and Assistant Principal in DISD
  • Yvonne Craig, (1955), played Batgirl in "Batman" TV Series; also rolls in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis", "The Six Million Dollar Man", "Love American Style", "Star Trek"; appeared with Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby and Dennis Hopper; began career with stint in the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo
  • Eddie Southern, (1955), 1956 Olympic Silver Medalist, 400 Meter Hurdles; 1959 NCAA 440 Yard Champion; Member, University of Texas World Record 440 and 880 Yard Relay Teams; Texas Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame; Sanger Trophy Honoree
  • Jerry Mays, (1957), All Southwest Conference at SMU; Member, 1962 American Football League Champion Dallas Texans; Captain, Kansas City Chiefs, Super Bowl I; Member, Super Bowl IV Championship Team; 6-Time All-AFL; All-Time All-AFL Team; 1970 NFL Pro Bowl; Sanger Trophy Honoree
  • Bill Melton, (1958), Dallas County Treasurer, 25 years; "Outstanding County Treasurer in the United States"; Announcer - 1996 Olympic Games, Super Bowls VI, VIII, and IX, Cotton Bowl Classic, 32 years; Texas Relays, 40 years; 2001 and 2005 Presidential Inaugurations; Sanger Trophy Honoree
  • Michael A. Jenkins, (1960), President and Chief Operation Officer, Dallas Summer Musicals, 1994-2016; Founder and Owner, LARC Entertainment Systems; one of four Founders of Six Flags Amusement Parks; winner of six Tony Awards
  • John D. Dodd, (1958), Mayor, Farmers Branch, Texas; Vice Chair, Dallas School Board; Chair, Dallas Mental Health and Retardation Board; former President, Honor's Academy Charter Schools; former Chair of the Board, "Miss Texas Pageant"
  • Ross L. Bush, (1933), set National High School Record in 880 yard Run, 1:55.4, 1933
  • Pete Stonestreet, (1958), Captain and All District, All City and All County in football, basketball and baseball; Third Team, All State, basketball; University of Houston football and baseball letterman; Hanta Award for Outstanding Baseball Player and NCAA District Six All Stars, 1962; CPA.
  • Bill Hamman, (1942), set National High School Record in 200 yard low hurdles, 22.1, 1941
  • Lewis Stuckey, Jr., (1955), served as President of Key Clubs International
  • Jerry Cobb, (1957), named All State and All America High School Basketball player; played Collegiately for TCU
  • Jack N. James, (1937), Assistant Director, Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology
  • Glen Waggoner, (1958), Founder of ESPN The Magazine; author of several books about sports figures; one of Founders of Rotisserie Baseball league, forerunner of all fantasy sports games now played by millions; Member, National Baseball Hall of Fame - Writer's Division, Cooperstown.
  • Dr. Robert W. Haley, (1963), Chief of Epidemology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School; holds U.S. Armed Forces Veteran's Distinguished Chair for Medical Research, Honoring America's Gulf War Veteran's (perhaps Nation's leading authority on Gulf War Syndrome); Past President, Dallas County Medical Society
  • Billy Foster, (1961), State Champion in 100 yard dash, 220 yard dash and long jump in 1961, and State Champion in 1960 long jump
  • Edward Edwards, (1968), Actor with minor roles in over 50 different television shows since acting debut in 1974, in shows such as House, Desperate Housewives, 24, Commander in Chief, Boston Legal, Without a Trace, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, NYPD Blue, Monk, Criminal Minds, Frasier, Family Ties, JAG and The Dukes Of Hazzard.
  • Mickey Jones, (1959), Musician and movie and television actor. Drummer for Bob Dylan's World Tour; Trini Lopez and Johnny Rivers; numerous film and television credits as a "bad guy"
  • Dr. Tomothy G. Nance, (1980), President of Evangel Christian University of America.
  • Stockton Briggle, (1953), Movie and television producer: Her Hidden Truth, Willing to Kill: The Texas Cheerleader Story, Bridge to Silence, The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory, Capitol.
  • Michael Yeargan, (1964), Winner two Tony Awards for "Best Scenic Design in a Musical", "Light in the Piazza", 2005 and "South Pacific", 2008.
  • Dr. Jo Gayle Dillon Howard, (1969), Smithsonian Research Scientist; discovered the key to reproduction success and longevity for pandas and clouded leopards.
  • Danny Hall, (1970), Deputy Chief of Mission for the U.S. State Department, Helsinki, Finland; Arnie Raphel Award; Ancestor Lyman Hall, U.S. Representative from Georgia, signed Declaration of Independence
  • Wayne Watts, (1972), General Counsel and Senior Executive Vice President, AT&T; 32 years with AT&T, joined Company when known as Southwestern Bell; known as " one of the most influential business lawyers in U.S."
  • Lauren Blackburn (2010),[15] State Champion in the Girls' 100 meter hurdles in both 2009 and 2010 and State Champion in the Girls' 300 meter hurdles, 2010; Named "Girls' Athlete of the Year" by the Texas Track and Field Coaches Association.
  • Cullen Blaine (Houghtaling), (1954), Winner two Emmy Awards for Warner Brothers' "Tiny Toons"; Story Director, "Superman", "Batman", "Ghost Busters" and "Pink Panther"; Animation Director, Disney's "101 Dalmatians"; Suprevising Director, "Ace Ventura" and "Spiderman"; Director, hundreds of TV commercials.
  • Doris L. Murphy, (1970), President, Sunset Alumni Association, 2013-2015; Guiding President to establish Sunset High School as "Texas Historical Landmark" and "Dallas Historical Landmark", with great assistance from the Board of Directors; Organized and Presided at Sunset's 90th Anniversary Celebration.
  • Frances Brazelton Dempsey, (1957), Captain, Sunset Bisonettes, 1956; Officer, Kilgore Rangerettes; Founder, Dallas Tap Dazzlers (1990), a group of 22 ladies over the age of 50 who dance and perform for patriotic, civic and business events, totaling some 1,900 shows since founding.
  • Dr. Henry H. "Johnny" Johns, (1935), long-time Spanish teacher at Sunset; wrote the original "Bison Speaks" script and served as the "Voice of the Bison Head" for over 50 years.
  • Ivan Greenhaw, (1951), All State in Football at Sunset; teacher at W.E. Greiner and other DISD schools; "Ivan Greenhaw Award", named in his honor and started in 2008, is given annually to Sunset's Outstanding Scholar Athlete.
  • Mary Evelyn Merritt White, (1960), Nationally known interior decorator and designer; former National President of Chi Omega Sorority.

Fundraising


Sunset High School Alumni Association is a 501(c)3 Non-profit that raises money in support of teachers, students and the school.

Sunset Foundation Inc. is a group of alumni who raise money and award college scholarships to Sunset High School students.

Alumni Associations

References

  1. ↑ "2015 Accountability Rating System". Texas Education Agency.
  2. ↑ Dallas Landmarks (Postcard History series). Arcadia Publishing, 2009. ISBN 0738558524, 9780738558523. p. 96.
  3. ↑ Elliott, Alan C., Patricia K. Summey, and Gayla Brooks Kokel. Oak Cliff. Arcadia Publishing, 2009. ISBN 0738570680, 9780738570686. p. 39.
  4. ↑ Dave Campbell's Texas Football, 2008 edition, page 362
  5. ↑ David W. Carter High School won the 1988 Class AAAAA title but was later forced to forfeit the win.
  6. 1 2 3 "Part Coach, Part Cheerleader, Sunset High Principal Anthony Tovar Aims to Prove That Inner-City Schools Can Be Winners." Dallas Observer. Thursday May 28, 2009. Retrieved on June 11, 2016.
  7. ↑ Nicholson, Eric. "Why is Sunset High School Principal Anthony Tovar Leaving?." Dallas Observer. Tuesday April 11, 2013. Retrieved on June 11, 2016.
  8. 1 2 Haag, Matthew. "Dallas Sunset High School principal Anthony Tovar rescinds his resignation ." The Dallas Morning News. April 16, 2013. Retrieved on June 11, 2016.
  9. ↑ Darby, Luke. "Beloved Sunset High Principal Anthony Tovar Says He Will Leave Dallas ISD After All." Dallas Observer. Friday April 19, 2013. Retrieved on June 11, 2016.
  10. ↑ Hobbs, Tawnell D. "Popular Sunset High principal returns to Dallas ISD as Gilliam assistant." The Dallas Morning News. September 9, 2015. Updated September 10, 2015. Retrieved on June 11, 2016.
  11. ↑ Stone, Rachel. "Landmark status expected for Sunset." Oak Cliff Advocate. January 21, 2015. Retrieved on June 12, 2016.
  12. ↑ Appleton, Roy. "Commission backs landmark designation for Sunset High School." The Dallas Morning News. March 3, 2014. Retrieved on June 12, 2016.
  13. ↑ Wilonsky, Robert. "After bruising fight over Adamson, historical designation is on the horizon for Sunset High School." The Dallas Morning News. March 3, 2014. Retrieved on June 12, 2016.
  14. ↑ The Athletics Department
  15. ↑ http://highschoolsportsblog.dallasnews.com/2010/05/sunsets-lauren-blackburn-wins.html/

[4] http://www.guitarvideos.com

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