Description
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.
There was a debate in the Tyler community in 2017–2018 on whether the school's name should change, as Robert E. Lee became a controversial figure. In 2018 the district's board decided not to vote on a possible renaming, so the school kept its name. 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.
"Robert E. Lee High School was opened in 1958 as an all white school during a period of intense resistance to desegregation in many southern states. The Black segregated school was Emmett J. Scott High school, which was shut down. Students in that district were primarily moved to newly renamed John Tyler High School, now reclaiming its original name of Tyler High." - Tyler Morning Telegraph Aug 6, 2020
"The name Robert E Lee came from students, who were allowed to suggest what they wanted the school to be called. The most popular name choices were Robert E. Lee and Benjamin Franklin. Elvis Presley High School also was suggested and the Tyler Morning Telegraph ran an editorial in November 1957 suggesting Alamo High School as a name. After months of debate and input from students, Robert E. Lee was selected during the December 1957 Board of Trustees meeting." - Tyler Morning Telegraph Aug 6, 2020
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 tended the cannon at games, firing it when the Rebel football team scored a touchdown. 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. The cannon, retired in 1986, is now the property of Brook Hill School in Bullard, Texas.
WHEN THE VOTE FAILED IN 2018
WATCH LIVE: Tyler ISD board holds final vote on Robert E. Lee High School name change: https://bit.ly/2AUdwkGThe meeting is set to begin at 6 p.m.
Posted by KYTX CBS19 on Monday, August 6, 2018
Another link... https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10156583101494640