Last updated
01/06/16
Founded
in 1906, Tulsa Central High School is the oldest high school in Tulsa.
The school provided education for grades 10
through 12.
It was founded as Tulsa High School, and was located in downtown Tulsa until
1976.
Its
first principal was Dr. Oliver Wallace
The colors for the school are crimson and cream and we were known as the Braves.
Tulsa
Central was at one time the second largest high school in the country.
By 1938 it had grown to its peak enrollment of 5,169 students in grades 10
through 12.
The building included:
an indoor Olympic-size | |
lap pools, | |
an indoor track, | |
an extensive art collection | |
a large pipe organ. |
1906
The Tulsa
This was one
year before Oklahoma was even a state in America.
It was constructed in the center of the block
at 4th
and Boston.
Its cost was $60,000.
Later
As the building was no longer large enough it began to be surrounded by
small one and two room buildings.
1913
The Tulsa
High School was accredited, the third school in the
state to be so accredited.
Ever since that year Tulsa
Central High School
has been continuously accredited.
It is now
only 6 years since Oklahoma became a state.
1916
The voters of Tulsa
approved the issuance of bonds with a face value of
$300,000.
The purpose of the bond issue was to build a new and much larger high
school at 6th and Cincinnati.
This $300,000
resulted in the school building in which we received our education.
1917
The
north half of the Tulsa
The
building was red brick construction.
1922
The south half of the
that Tulsans could rightly claim that this school was the second largest high
school in America.
1925
The Manual Arts
and the shops class were moved there at that time.
1938 Tulsa Central reached its peak enrollment of more than 5,000 students.
1976
Tulsa Central had
earned a nationwide reputation for outstanding athletic and
academic achievements and more than 44,000 students had received their
diplomas here.
Some alumni of Tulsa Central
other than our own class, whom you may recognize include:
Ben
Graf Henneke, president of the University of Tulsa, 1958–1967 | |
Jim
Inhofe, U.S. Senator from Oklahoma | |
Shelby
Metcalf, head basketball coach at Texas A&M 1963–1990 | |
James
Robinson Risner, Vietnam War POW, double recipient of the Air Force Cross | |
Albert
E. Schwab, World War II Medal of Honor winner | |
John
Starks (basketball), NBA basketball player | |
Patrick
Suppes, philosopher of science | |
Billy Tubbs, college basketball coach | |
R. James Woolsey, Jr., Director of Central Intelligence, 1993–1995 |
Some of Tulsa Central's more notable coaches include:
Eddie
Sutton began his head coaching career at Tulsa Central, where he coached
1959-1966.
Later he was to become one of only seven major men's college basketball coaches
to have over 800 career wins.
Tommy
Hudspeth coached football at Tulsa Central in 1956 when we were seniors.
Later he moved on to the college and professional ranks.
He was for eight years the head coach at Brigham Young University.
Griffith's
successor at Tulsa Central was Rex Peery, who later became the
Pittsburgh Panthers wrestling coach, and was also elected to the National
Wrestling Hall of Fame