The Lakeside Years since 1975
In 1970, the Board of Trustees of the Austin Schools decided to " replace " the old Rio Grande campus with a " more modern, more accessible " high school. The old high school was in a building first constructed in 1915 as John Allan Junior High and modified for high school use in 1925. The old building was getting old and it was surrounded by expensive real estate. And there was " NO parking!" It would be difficult to modify the existing building for the construction of a quality, modern high school.
The decision was made to " move " the old school. But the Trustees decided to keep the Austin High School " identity ". It would have been easy to decide to just abandon the old central city location as had Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. But the Board decided to seek close-in sites to allow Austin High School to continue to serve as the " crossroads " of the city, geographically and ethnically.
There were several sites considered for the high school but the Board selected one on the west side of the city, on Town Lake. The property itself was part of Andrew Jackson Zilker ' s gift of 330 acres to the city in 1927, a gift that earned Zilker the honor of " Most Worthy Citizen " that year. Environmentalists strongly questioned the idea of using a portion of that dedicated parkland- albeit separated from the tract by Town Lake- for a public school site. After a court battle that went to the Texas Supreme Court, a 1973 decision cleared the way for the construction of the new building.
Once the lawsuit was settled, the City moved a sewer line from the property at a cost of $ 750,000, and site preparation for the $ 6.5 million dollar building began in late 1973. The architectural design won the 1975 National " School Bell Architecture Award " from the American Institute for Architects.
One principal of Austin High never conducted a day of classes. Employed in January 1975, as the " start-up " Principal, Kermit 1. Heimann left on August 1S \ 1975, to become the Superintendent of Schools at Pflugerville. Promoted that year from Porter to Lamar Junior High, Jacquelyn McGee became AlSO ' s first female high school principal when Superintendent Jack Davidson told her to " keep her books packed " and move to Austin High on August I.
From 1975-1986, McGee served with distinction. Her vision and leadership were crucial to the school ' s recognition as one of Texas ' first " National Exemplary American Secondary School ", by the Secretary of Education. The honor predated other " National Blue Ribbon School Awards " also awarded by the U. S. Secretary of Education. An impressive faculty was assembled during the McGee years, which many observers felt compared to the great " glory years " staff of the school in the 1950s and 1960s. When McGee moved to District administration in 1986, former Crockett High School Principal Robert Enos became the Principal, serving until 1993. A redrawing of the school ' s southern boundaries in 1987 included the growing Travis Country area, ushering a new era for the school. A more substantial population east ofInterstate Highway 35 was also included.
10