ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – A Christmas program with handmade costumes and sandwiches for lunch was among the memories Mary Chia-Leija, a former student of Sam Houston Elementary School, shared with us.
“I can remember a very special Christmas program we had,” she said. “And our teacher, we made the costumes with her.”
GALLERY: Historic Abilene school building destroyed after large fire
Chia-Leija said she attended the school from first to fifth grade, before they moved. Teachers from that time left a lasting impression.
Taylor County Historical Commission Member Andrew L. Penns shared some of the school’s history. He said it “served as the segregated Hispanic school.”
Later on, the campus would serve as a special education campus, where Connie Mangin worked as an administrator.
“We looked at ourselves as one campus, all serving every student,” she said.
Mangin said her time at the school changed her life.
“I had conversations with young people, and in those conversations, not only did they learn, but I learned,” Mangin said. “They taught me things, too, and we gathered together as a community.”
The building was abandoned for some time. On Tuesday, crews responded to a fire at the former school.
CONTAINED: Crews fight 2-alarm fire at old Abilene school
Penn said he saw the smoke, and he now hopes the building is restored rather than torn down.
“(That) is a significant historical site in Abilene, Texas,” he said.
Mangin said she received calls from people she worked with and they are all devastated by the news of the fire.
Chia-Leija said she was holding back tears when she found out.
“It made me very sad. It kind of broke my heart,” she said. “I had to hold back tears because I thought that’s part of my life, and that’s part of my neighborhood, that’s part of my family and my friends and neighbors.”
Abilene’s “lost” landmark; the fight to preserve local Hispanic history at Sam Houston Elementary
Chia-Leija said the school is part of their history.
“I just say rest in peace, my school; that’s all I could say,” she said.
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