Remembering Mr. Chester Davis, Jr.

It’s February, and therefore Black History Month, and so I thought I’d share a bit of Forney’s own Black history, that was told to me by one of our longtime Forney citizens and class of 1968, Mr. Chester Davis, Jr.

When Forney ISD integrated its schools in the 60’s, the Black scholars of the Booker T. Washington School dressed in their nicest clothes and walked from the corner of Chestnut and Main--the building no longer exists--down Main street, to turn left on Bois d Arc, and then walk to what is now the Administration Building for FISD--which was then the High School--and Johnson Elementary--which was then the Forney Elemen tary School. That is, they walked the entire way.

While he was in high school, he worked at the Anderson-Clayton Funeral Home, Forney, right there on Bois D Arc in a space he walked passed on his way to integrate the schools. I was lucky to have met Mr. Davis--eventually he founded the Davis Funeral Home in Terrell, and at Flower Basket, I made him and his cus tomers a lot of flowers.

I think the thing that demonstrates how hard he worked to make the Forney Family exist is that his granddaughter and my daughter were best friends in their shared kindergarten class. Something that would have seemed impossible in 1950’s Forney--a little Black girl and a little white girl being in the same room--started with a brave group of students who walked from their segregated school with their teachers to their new future.

The Forney Education Foundation is proud to continue this goal of equal education for all Forney students. Won’t you help us keep walking to a new and better future? Visit www.forneyisdfoundation.org and continue the tradition.