In honor of Black History Month, Precinct 1 Commissioner Terry Cook is recognizing historical contributions by celebrated Black Williamson County trailblazers.
During Commissioners Court on February 1, Commissioner Cook recognized Juanita Craft, one of the most significant civil rights leaders in Texas. Craft was born in Round Rock on February 9, 1902. She went to Prairie View A&M and received a teaching certificate from Samuel Huston College, now known as Huston Tillotson University, in Austin.
Craft joined the NAACP in 1935. She became the Dallas NAACP membership chairman in 1942 and the Texas NAACP field organizer in 1946. She organized 182 NAACP chapters.
In 1944 She became the first black woman to vote in a public election in Dallas County. She was visited in her Dallas home to discuss the civil rights movement by Lyndon Johnson and Martin Luther King, Jr.
At the age of 73, Craft was elected to the Dallas City Council where she served for two terms. A recreation center, park, and U.S Post Office in Dallas have all been named in her honor.
During Commissioners Court on February 9, Commissioner Cook recognized prolific builder Otto Sauls of Round Rock. Sauls constructed homes in Georgetown, Round Rock, Brenham and Fredericksburg. He also played a role in constructing other buildings around the city of Round Rock.
Sauls was drafted into the United States Army and served in the Pacific during World War II. In 1958, he helped relocate and rebuild St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church to make way for I-35. It still stands today.
During Commissioners Court on February 15, Commissioner Cook honored three Black Educators from Williamson County. First, she recognized S.C. Marshall, the first principal at the first African American school in Georgetown which started in 1910. The school only offered education to students up until the 8th grade. S.C Marshall persuaded the Georgetown School board to expand the education through high school. A new building was built in 1923 and more teachers were hired. The school was fully accredited for college entrance by the end of the 1920s.
Commissioner Cook also paid tribute to Mary Smith Bailey. Bailey studied child development at Huston-Tillotson College in Austin. She started the first preschool in the area for young Black children. The Mary Bailey Head Start Center in Georgetown is named in her honor.
Joe Lee Johnson of Round Rock was also recognized during the February 15, Commissioners Court meeting. He led the integration of Hopewell School into Round Rock ISD in 1966. He went on to teach 6th grade math at a RRISD Middle School. In 2015, RRISD named a new school in his honor.
During Commissioners Court on February 22, the last Tuesday of Black History Month, Commissioner Cook honored Wade Ervin Sauls, Sr. Born in 1879, Sauls was one of the first to farm cotton in the area and became known as the Cotton King. He led the way for cotton farming and put Hutto and Taylor on the map for cotton-stuffed mattresses in support of America's war efforts. Sauls was a farmer and rancher whose cows produced the milk delivered to the Round Rock Cheese Co. Sauls Senior also enjoyed construction, which may have been where his son, Otto Sauls got his start.