This Week in Texas Methodist History  September 17

Salute to Henry B . Pemberton, Sr., Distinguished Texas Educator

One of the great African American Texas educators was Henry B. Pemberton, Sr.,, (1866-1944).  He was born in Marshall to formerly enslaved parents who chose to live in Marshall after emancipation.  When his father died in 1883, Pemberton assumed responsibilities for his mother and two younger siblings.  He attended Wiley College and in 1888 became the first graduate of the full collegiate program.  Wiley had been established by the MEC and in its early years provided only pre-collegiate instruction.  After graduation and marriage to fellow Wiley student Norella, Pemberton taught at Wiley during the academic year and taught in rural schools in the summer.   He even started a "rainy Sunday School" for adult literacy classes.   In 1894 he convinced the School Superintendent to build a graded school for African American in Marshall even though he had to mortgage his own house to help in the construction.

That same year Pemberton was president of the Texas State Epworth League of the MEC.  In 1906 th school which he started was elevated to high school status. He served as principal.   In spite of all these demands on his time, he earned the M. A. and PhD from Illinois Wesleyan and served as president of the Colored State Teacher's Association of Texas and on the board of the YMCA.

In 1940 citizens of Marshall started a petition drive to change the name of the high school he had founded from Central High to Pemberton High School.    The school board accepted the petition and so the name was changed.  That school was closed in 1988 and the building was acquired by Wiley where it now houses artifacts, documents, etc. relating to Wiley's proud history.