Catching Up with … David Barrow
Who : 1972 Graduate of Denton High School Hometown : Denton Age : 61
What ’ s up ?
In 1972 , the Denton Bronco football team was winning big on the field and in the hearts of several members of the community with a lengthy run in the state playoffs . Little did David Barrow and the rest of the members on that team realize what a significant role they were playing in the desegregation of Denton . At the team ’ s 40th year reunion , Barrow decided to capture the memories of the players , coaches , and community members in the film , “ When We Were All Broncos .”
After graduating Denton High School in 1973 , David Barrow attended the University of North Texas where he received both a bachelor ’ s and master ’ s degree in English . He then completed his doctoral degree at Duke University and began teaching at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb , IL , where he ’ s called home for the past 27 years . Since leaving NIU , Barrow ’ s journey led him to starting his own business , OC Imageworks , and from there , the rest is history .
But don ’ t take our word for it , here ’ s David in his own words …
Story and Photos by Courtney Martin
Denton ISD : What made you decide to create the movie , “ When We Were All Broncos ?” David Barrow : My son is a filmmaker and he went to film school at Florida State . He then started working in L . A . He got me interested in filmmaking and around 2012 , several friends and I got together over pizza at the Mellow Mushroom ( in Denton ) and talked about our ’ 72 football team and what a great story it would make . I decided to “ give it a shot ” and one thing led to another and it became , really , I think the story of desegregation in Denton . I kept discovering great things about my hometown and interesting stories about how it unfolded over a 50-year period . I started in 1920 and ended with my football team . My idea grew as I researched and went from being a 30-minute production on the team to an hour and half on desegregation in Denton . That period impacted everyone my age so profoundly . It was great to find a way to tell a story that had a real impact on my life . It was a true labor of love and one of my proudest achievements in my career .
DISD : What was life like when you were in school during desegregation ? DB : They closed Fred Moore High School when I was in 7th or 8th grade , so I didn ’ t have much to judge it against , really . I was in private school at Selwyn until 6th grade . It was really more
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