[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 153 (Thursday, September 13, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1247-E1248]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMEMORATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF WILLIAM WOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

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                           HON. MICHAEL CLOUD

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 13, 2018

  Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 100th 
anniversary of William Wood Elementary School, an educational mainstay 
in the Victoria community.
  The school's namesake, Mr. William Wood, was born in 1861 and died of 
pneumonia in 1900 at the age of 39. He married Nellie Borland on June 
17, 1890. They owned and operated a ranch east of Telferner, Texas 
where they were prominent residents of the community. Their 5 children 
were Nellie, Frank P., Margaret, Corine, and Jessie. Upon his passing, 
his wife donated ten acres of land for the site of William A. Wood 
Memorial High School. It's assumed that being a former teacher herself 
had something to do with her choice of commemoration.
  Construction began in 1918 and took two years to complete. On 
September 13, 1918, The Victoria Daily Advocate wrote: ``The 
schoolhouse is beginning to go undercover as Mr. Gruy is putting up the 
framework of the roof''. The building consisted of four classrooms with 
two rooms on either side of a large hallway. Construction of the school 
was not finished until 1920.
  William A. Wood Memorial High School was added to the Shiller-Hood 
School District, which consisted of several small neighborhood schools. 
By the late 1940s, however, William A. Wood High School became the 
Shiller-Hood District's only school. In 1956, the Shiller-Hood School 
District ceased to exist, and the Victoria Independent School District

[[Page E1248]]

adopted William A. Wood High School. Eventually, the Victoria 
Independent School District transformed the high school into an 
elementary school to address a growing need for elementary education in 
the community.
  On April 14, 1944, 21-year-old 2nd Lieutenant Thomas J. Flynn, an 
instructor at nearby Foster Field (now the Victoria Regional Airport), 
heroically gave his life to save the children of William Wood. Flynn 
was flying his plane over the school on a combat training mission when 
he encountered engine trouble. Knowing that abandoning the aircraft 
could cause it to hit the school, Lt. Flynn remained in the plane so 
that he could guide it away from the school. Because of Lt. Flynn's 
actions, countless lives were saved that day, and the school embraced a 
new mascot, the ``Aviators'', in Lt. Flynn's honor.
  Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to recognize the 100th anniversary of 
such a historic institution that has shaped Texas young minds for a 
century. I want to extend my sincerest gratitude to all the educators 
that helped make William Wood such an impactful institution.

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