Dr. Kingsley B. Garrison Recapping His Elementary School Years at Ponchatoula Colored School

Dr. Kingsley B. Garrison

Every time I visit with Dr. Kingsley B.  Garrison to gather more information for the Tangipahoa Parish African American Oral History Collections, each time I learn something new and enjoy looking at his photograph collections. This time he pulled his old school report cards out dating back to 1946 when he was a student at Ponchatoula Colored School and Greenville High School in Hammond, Louisiana. To my surprise, the report cards were the same ones I received when I attended West Side Elementary School as a child.

I wish I had one of my old report cards from school. I must say at that time we didn't understand the importance of holding on to some of the school reports, photos and other documents that would take us down memory lane and share with our very own kids.

Dr. Garrison received excellent grades in math. He said math was his favorite subject and English was his least favorite. I was even more surprised he got a "C" in conduct. I had to ask him how is that he got a "C" in conduct. Oh! I was quite a talker he said.  I took a few pictures of him sitting there looking at all his report cards and going back down memory lane. I took photographs of his report cards. 

Dr. Garrison and I have been talking about preserving his awesome collection. Often, our family members may not know what to do with the collection.  Some family members may think it's junk and dispose of it. Collections like Dr. Garrison can help genealogist and historian gain a better understanding of local history.

If a researcher was researching the genealogical history of Dr. Garrison by analyzing his report cards they will learn that he went to a Public School in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. For the school year of 1956-1957, he was in the 11th grade. His teacher was named Mr. Youngblood. and the Principal was named J.W. Davis.

Analyzing the 1946-1947 school year. We learned that Dr. Garrison was attending Ponchatoula Colored School. The Principal for that year was D.C.Reeves.  He was classified as a primary student.

It good to have young students today look at the historical records and compare their report cards to the ones long before their time. What subjects did the school offer to the students? Did they get the same grade marks that students receive today? Students today get a computer printout report cards, and they couldn't imagine having a handwritten report card. Most of the records from the colored schools have been destroyed. It's people like Dr. Garrison that held onto a piece of the past and history of the colored schools before integration, otherwise, all would be lost. I'm looking forward to helping him preserve his collection and I hope that others will follow his example. I heard other people tell me that their items were thrown the trash with a relative or their children help them to clean out their home.

Also when a loved one died, the very first thing that some children will do is throw away their deceased loved one papers and photographs. In many cases, they have thrown away antiques, handmade quilts, and other family heirlooms. It's important to educate our youths and family members about preserving their family heirlooms.