Ghosts of Dallas: Lakewood Elementary, 1975, Ctd.

Posted on September 19th, 2012 10:58am by Jason Heid
Filed under Education, Ghosts of Dallas, History

Lakewood-Elementary-School

Members of the Lakewood Elementary community have sent me emails questioning the year (1975) that I’d assigned to last week’s Ghosts of Dallas post. That’s when the Dallas Public Library archives, from which I got it, think the original photo (above) was taken.

But that’s not correct, says a woman who is herself in the picture:

Hi, this is Leigh Peden Straughn.  My father, Jim Peden, is the adult third from the left (under the “A” in Lakewood).  I am standing in front of him (with glasses) and my brother Knox is in front of me.  My brother was born in 1978, so this photo is definitely from the 80s.  My dad and I were guessing it was taken during the 84-85 school year, but it’s possibly a year earlier than that.   Maybe others can shed light on the actual date.  My oldest son, Walt, is currently a second grader at Lakewood, and I will have three more coming up behind him.  Another interesting factoid:   My first-grade teacher, Sue Coberly, still teaches at the school.

Those Lakewooders do love their school.

4 comments

  1. Might be 1984-85, but it looks like your stuck in 1968. When did Dallas finally get with the times ?

    @ 11:10 am on September 19, 2012

  2. Yes we love our schools! I was at Lakewood in 1968 and except for the lapels, it could have been taken then. Lakewooders generally do not like change. It’s nice to have some things in life which are constant.

    There are two members of the Holt famliy in the photo, one of them is the brother of a kid in my class (now a lawyer in College Station). His late father graduated from Woodrow in the 30s. Many of these kids went on to be Wildcats, just like their parents and grandparents. There’s another family in the photo (Pedigo) which also now has three generations at Lakewood.

    Janet Barnes Cundiff taught at Lakewood in 1968 and she was the youngest teacher in the school. She just retired a few years ago as the oldest teacher and some of ‘her kids’ are still in school at Long and Woodrow. There’s a link to my days.

    “Your friends from Lakewood are your friends for life”

    @ 1:30 pm on September 19, 2012

  3. So….lesson learned for future “Ghosts of Dallas” posts…make sure the photos are old enough to actually be in black and white…not just converted in photoshop.

    Delving back to the mid-80s seems pointless for these types of things.

    @ 4:58 pm on September 19, 2012

  4. @Jim: The original photo was in black-and-white, as I believe it appeared in a local newspaper.

    @ 5:15 pm on September 19, 2012