Oak Cliff's W.H. Adamson High School
(If you have additional informatin about the history of Adamson, please let us know.)
When the town of Oak Cliff incorporated across the Trinity River from Dallas, a new school district was established with W.H. Adamson as the superintendent. Oak Cliff High School was built, and Adamson served as the principal.
The present school building was constructed around 1916. (There are now plans to replace this old building, although many alumni have made a case for retaining the current facade.)
W.H. Adamson portrait with signature
"Leonora Corona operatic soprano, was born in Dallas on October 14, 1900. She attended Oak Cliff High School (W. H. Adamson) and lived at huge frame residence at 232 North Marsalis Avenue (which was later known as the John Tierney house and burned down in 1931). Her family moved to Seattle while she was still a teenager. After becoming interested in opera she wrote a brief opera entitled 'The Egyptian Tragedy' (which was performed in Seattle.) With encouragement from prominent opera performers of the time, she moved to New York and studied voice. She made her operatic debut around 1924 in Naples, where she changed her name to Leonora Corona (originally was Lenore Cohron.) She sang extensively in European theaters before signing with the Bracale Opera Company and touring Havana and Puerto Rico. She signed with the Metropolitan Opera in 1927. Corona sang at the Met for eight seasons and was known for her performances in Italian operas including Tosca, Aïda, and Don Giovanni. She also performed at Carnegie Hall and at the Opéra Comique in Paris. In 1939 she appeared in a performance of Cynthia Parker at what is now the University of North Texas. After the thirties, she faded from memory and no record of her death is known..."
The cover of the 1916 Adamson Oak
Women's art class, Adamson, 1916
A drawing of the "new" proposed Oak Cliff High School building, 1916
Some of the teachers at Oak Cliff High, 1916 (Notice Miss Eisenlohr, the sister of the famous Texas artist, Edward Eisenlohr)
This is a picture of the original Adamson High School -- not sure of the location -- from the 1916 Oak
Adamson girls gym class, 1922
Adamson girls gym exercises, 1922 (notice boys on the light poles getting a glimpse of the girls in their risque clothing.)
Adamson Color Guard, 1927
Adamson baseball teacm, 1925
"Jim Wright (Adamson High School, 1939 -- Senior Class President). Jim attended The University of Texas in 1940-1941; enlisted in the United States Army Air Force in December 1941; flew combat missions in the South Pacific; and was awarded the Distinguishe d Flying Cross and the Legion of Merit. He was elected to the Texas State house of representatives in 1947 and was elected mayor of Weatherford in 1948. Wright ran for and won the election to the U.S. congress in 1955. He served as Speaker of the U.S. Hou se of Representatives from 1987 to 1989. As a member of Congress, Democrat Wright represented the area around Fort Worth for 34 years. He resigned from the House on June 30, 1989 and currently teaches at Texas Christian University."
Adamson cheerleaders, 1952
Adamson Leopoardettes on parade on Jefferson, 1960s.
Adamson's Michael Martin Murphy -- graduated late 60s, now today's #1 selleing cowboy singer, best known for "Wildfire."
"B.W. Stevenson was a well-known musician born on October 5, 1949 in Dallas and graduated from Adamson H.S. in 1967. His most popular song is the 1973 smash country hit 'My Maria.' He started in music playing in local rock bands before attending college an d eventually joining the Air Force. Later he settled in the Austin area and eventually signed with RCA. Stevenson died in 1988 after undergoing heart surgery."