J.L. Patton Nameplate

This nameplate was used by J. L. Patton, an educator who became the first Black public school administrator in Dallas.

The Texas State Constitution of 1876 established racial segregation of public schools. Of the education funding that existed, most went to white schools. Some rural communities had no Black schools at all and in urban areas, oftentimes a single school served an entire city's Black population.

In 1922, John Leslie Patton, Jr. (1905–1971) graduated from the last class of Dallas Colored High School before it was relocated and renamed Booker T. Washington High School. For decades, Booker T. Washington was the only school for African American students in the segregated Dallas Independent School District (DISD).

Patton enrolled in Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College, the first Black university established in Texas, known today as Prairie View A&M University. In 1926, he earned his teaching certificate and bachelor's degree in history. Two years later Patton returned to Dallas to teach history at Booker T. Washington. He helped expand the school curriculum by including information about the achievements of Black historical figures and in 1933 developed a course about African American history.

Patton was promoted to principal of Booker T. Washington High School in 1939, where he served for 30 years. Patton was very involved in the Dallas community, through his church, affiliation with charitable organizations, and as a member of the local chapter of the NAACP, Dallas Negro Chamber of Commerce, and Teachers State Association of Texas.

Recognized as a leader in the community and for his dedication to improving public education, he was appointed as Deputy Assistant Superintendent of Personnel and Community Relations of the Dallas Independent School District in 1969, after the district had desegregated. He was the first African American to serve in a top administrative position at DISD.