Misplaced Pages

Tyler Legacy High School, previously known as Robert E. Lee High School, is one of two Tyler Independent School District high school campuses in the city of Tyler, Texas, the other being Tyler High School. Tyler Legacy High School has served the East Texas community since opening in 2020 and classified as a 6A school by the UIL. In 2013, the school was rated "Met Standard" by the Texas Education Agency.

History

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2018)

In the 1960s, when Lee's mascot was the Rebel, the school was famous for its working cannon and oversized Confederate flag. A group of seniors called the Rebel Guard tended the replica cannon at games, firing it when the Rebel football team scored a touchdown. The cannon, retired in 1986, is now the property of Brook Hill School in Bullard, Texas.

The football team entered Rose Stadium by running under the flag, reputed to be the second largest Confederate flag in the world (second only to one owned by the University of Mississippi). By 1972, the flag was retired and its whereabouts are unknown. The flag was retired shortly after four African-American players refused to run under the flag and ran around it instead, causing some local controversy.

Name change

Robert E. Lee High School was given its name upon opening in 1958 as an all-white school. After unsuccessful efforts to rename the school at the time of its racial integration in 1970 and various times after, there was a debate in the Tyler community in 2017–2018 on whether the school's name should change. In 2018, the district's board decided not to vote on a possible renaming, so the school kept its name. In June 2020, Trude Lamb, a Ghanaian-born student and top athlete in running, made national news when she refused to wear the jersey for her school Robert E. Lee High School unless the name is changed. On July 16, 2020 the school board voted unanimously to initiate changing the name of both Robert E. Lee High School and John Tyler High School.

Demographics

As of the 2023-24 school year, the student body consisted of:

• 37.0% White (Non-Hispanic)
• 29.4% Hispanic
• 25.4% African American
• 3.2% Asian
• 0.3% Native American
• 0.1% Pacific Islander
• 4.5% Two or More Races

Education

Tyler Legacy High School offers a variety of pre-AP, AP-level courses, Tyler Junior College Dual-Credit courses, as well as career technology education programs and fine arts electives. The school implemented an international baccalaureate program in the fall of 2008. The IB program has been canceled.

Athletics

As of 2024, Tyler Legacy High School is classified as a 6A school in District 10 along with many East Dallas schools such as Rockwall and Forney. Tyler Legacy Red Raiders compete in a variety of sports including baseball, basketball, golf, soccer, softball, volleyball, tennis, powerlifting, track, swimming, cross country and is most well known for the Tyler football team.

State titles

• Football
  • 2004(5A/D1) - Defeated Spring Westfield 28-21 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
• Boys Golf
  • 1959(3A)
• Team Tennis
  • 1987(5A), 1988(5A)

Notable alumni

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

• Steve Breedlove, Anglican bishop
• Sandy Duncan, Class of 1965, actress
• Holland Lee Hendrix, Class of 1966, biblical scholar and late president of Union Theological Seminary (New York City)
• Alex Finlayson, Class of 1969, playwright and journalist
• Dale Dudley, Class of 1979, radio personality (Dudley and Bob) at KLBJ-FM Austin, Texas, Film Actor, Magazine Columnist.
• Corey Mayfield, Class of 1988, 3yr Starter at Oklahoma, San Fran 49r's, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars.
• Fred Coleman, wide receiver for the New England Patriots
• Joffrey Reynolds, Class of 1997, running back for the Calgary Stampeders
• Matt Flynn, Class of 2003, quarterback for the Green Bay Packers
• Brandon Pettigrew, Class of 2004, tight end for the Detroit Lions
• Ciron Black, Class of 2005, former tackle for the Louisiana State University Tigers
• Beaux Limmer, Class of 2019, center for the Los Angeles Rams
• Burch Smith, Major League Baseball player for the San Francisco Giants

References

1. "ROBERT E LEE H S" (PDF). UIL Texas. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
2. ^ "ROBERT E LEE H S". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
3. "Southern Accent : Tyler Lee's home for all things Lee News Media". relsouthernaccent.com.
4. ^ Raja, Tasneem (September 19, 2017). "To Be Black at Robert E. Lee High School". The New Yorker. Condé Nast. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
5. "2013 Accountability Rating System". Texas Education Agency. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013.
6. ^ McCoy, Cory (July 4, 2020). "Members of first Lee High School 'Rebel Guard' call for district to change name". Longview News-Journal. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
7. "Members of first Robert E. Lee High School 'Rebel Guard' call for district to change name". cbs19.tv. Tyler Morning Telegraph. July 2, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
8. Hancock, Lee (September 1, 2017). "Robert E. Lee High School, race, and segregation in Tyler: a 130-year timeline". thetylerloop.com. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
9. Copeland, Matthew; Birden, Darcy (August 7, 2018). "Motion to change name of Robert E. Lee High School fails, no vote held". cbs19.tv. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
10. Lee, Dana (October 7, 2020). "The remarkable story of how a teenage runner battled the legacy of Robert E. Lee". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
11. Lee, Alicia (June 24, 2020). "Read the powerful letter this high school student wrote on why she won't wear the name of her school -- Robert E. Lee -- on her jersey". CNN. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
12. Centers, Anissa (July 15, 2020). "Student who took stand for changing name of Robert E. Lee High School hopeful for good outcome". KLTV Digital Media. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
13. DeSantis, Rachel (June 24, 2020). "Student-Athlete at School Named After Robert E. Lee Says She Won't Wear Jersey with His Name on It". People. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
14. Sherrington, Kevin (July 17, 2020). "How Earl Campbell helped change the name of both Tyler high schools". Dallas News. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
15. Bass, Stephanie Frazier, Blake Holland, Dante Nuñez, Gary (July 17, 2020). "Historic Moment: Tyler ISD board votes 7-0 to change names of John Tyler, Robert E. Lee high schools". www.kltv.com. Retrieved July 26, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
16. "IB Programme". www.tylerisd.org. Archived from the original on November 15, 2007.
17. "Sports Index". www.tylerisd.org. Archived from the original on June 19, 2004.
18. "Error". uiltexas.org.
19. "UIL Boys Golf State Champions". uil100.org. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012.
20. "UIL Team Tennis State Champions". uil100.org. Archived from the original on October 24, 2015.
21. "Robert E. Lee High School Class of 1966". classmates.com.
22. "Seahawks Official Team Website - Player Stats and Biography: Matt Flynn". seahawks.com. Seattle Seahawks. Archived from the original on April 4, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
23. "Detroit Lions: Brandon Pettigrew". detroitlions.com. Archived from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
24. "Beaux Limmer". University of Arkansas. June 19, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2023.

External links

• Robert E. Lee High School Archived July 26, 2020, at the Wayback Machine

• Educational institutions established in 1958
• High schools in Tyler, Texas
• 1958 establishments in Texas
• Public high schools in Texas
• Schools in Smith County, Texas
• Name changes due to the George Floyd protests