[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 56 (Monday, April 7, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E536]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           CELEBRATING THE CENTENNIAL OF THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KENNY MARCHANT

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 7, 2014

  Mr. MARCHANT. Mr. Speaker, this weekend will mark the culmination of 
the centennial school year for The Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas. 
The Hockaday School is a college preparatory day and boarding school 
for girls and young women in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. It 
is an exceptionally well-regarded and large institution with 1,000 
students from eleven different countries around the world.
  The Hockaday School today stands on the same Four Cornerstones upon 
which it was founded--Character, Courtesy, Scholarship, and Athletics. 
Though it has grown over the course of this century, it has grown to 
continually fulfill the vision of its founder, Miss Ela Hockaday, who 
believed that education, combined with a sense of ethics, was essential 
to the advancement of women in society. Miss Hockaday, born in 1875 and 
raised in Ladonia, Texas, was a lifelong educator. She received her 
bachelor's degree from what is today the University of North Texas and 
worked in several institutions as both a teacher and a principal in 
Texas and Oklahoma. She also attended the University of Chicago and 
Columbia University. Miss Hockaday's interests were especially strong 
in the sciences and, after receiving many accolades, she was made head 
of the biology department at Durant State Normal School in Oklahoma in 
1910.
  In the summer of 1913, while working her small farm in South Texas 
and on a break from teaching at the Oklahoma College for women, she 
received a telegram from Menter B. Terrill, who had previously founded 
the Terrill School for Boys (now St. Mark's School of Texas) in Dallas. 
At his suggestion she met with several Dallas businessmen who wanted 
her to establish a girls' preparatory school so that their daughters 
might have educational opportunities. Shortly thereafter, in September 
of 1913, Miss Hockaday's School for Girls opened in a house on North 
Haskell Avenue in Dallas, with an initial enrollment of ten students.
  Miss Hockaday's School grew quickly, moving to its second site on 
Greenville Avenue in 1919. By the 1920s, its academic reputation has 
been well established and the school grew. A Lower School and Boarding 
Department were added in those years. In 1931 a Junior College was 
added and, seven years later, the Music Institute was opened. Miss 
Hockaday continued to serve as headmistress until 1946 and remained 
involved until her passing a decade later. All the while she ensured 
the permanence of the Four Cornerstones and the rigor of the classical 
education at the school.
  In 1961, The Hockaday School moved to its third and present location 
at Welch Road in North Dallas. The effort had begun in 1956 under J. 
Erik Jonsson (who later became mayor of Dallas) and was made possible 
by a donation of 100 acres by Karl Hoblitzelle. The Dallas Times Herald 
called it ``eye-catching'' and ``the most unusual, the most attractive, 
the most advanced learning facility in Dallas.''
  Today the Hockaday School continues to thrive. Thanks to the Hockaday 
Tomorrow Capital Campaign in 2004, it is home to a state-of-the-art 
Academic Research Center, a Lower School Addition, and a Wellness 
Center. Now, ten years later, the Centennial Campaign aims to provide 
the school with even more facilities and initiatives in the years 
ahead. The Hockaday School continues to serve as an important part of 
Dallas' educational landscape, educating girls and young women to 
assume positions of leadership in an ever-changing world.
  Throughout this centennial school year, the school has hosted various 
festivities to commemorate its rich history and celebrate its bright 
future. After kicking-off the events in September, the school has put 
on an ongoing Centennial Exhibit, the Hockaday Day of Service, and the 
Centennial Speaker Series. It all culminates in a Centennial Week of 
commemorative events with a luncheon on April 11 and ``The Party of the 
Century'' finale on April 12, complete with musical performances and 
fireworks. This magnificent moment in the history of a venerable 
institution of women's education will be shared by students, alumnae, 
faculty, and many friends and family who share in the Hockaday legacy.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 24th Congressional District of Texas, I 
ask all my distinguished colleagues to join me in marking and 
celebrating the centennial of The Hockaday School.

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