Tag Archives: TSU

Pro Football Hall of Famer Ken Houston Delivers Motivational Message to HISD Students

Pro Football Hall of Fame safety Ken Houston will deliver a motivational message to Houston Independent School District students about his life experiences and the tools to success that made him great in the game of football.  The former Houston Oiler and HISD counselor will speak to Wheatley and Kashmere high school students during a video conference.  The event is part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Heart of a Hall of Famer series.  Houston attended Prairie View A&M University and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

Who:          Pro Football Hall of Fame Safety Ken Houston                 

What:         During a video conference Ken Houston will speak about the traits that made him one of football’s greatest players.  The event is the latest in the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Heart of a Hall of Famer education series.

When:        Wednesday; December 5, 2012 at 10 a.m. (Kashmere) and 11:30 a.m.
(Wheatley)

Where:       Wheatley High School (4801 Providence) at 10:00 a.m.

Texas Southern University School of Education Auditorium hosts     Kashmere students (3100 Cleburne Street) at 11:30 a.m.

HISD Remembers Felix Cook

Houston ISD mourns the loss of former HISD teacher and administrator Felix Cook. Please join us in sharing your memories of this Houston education pioneer by posting in the comments section below.

Felix Cook Jr.

Felix Cook was a teacher and administrator at HISD for 36 years, starting in the 1940s. He served as a teacher and coach at E. O. Smith Junior High and Phillis Wheatley High School and as the principal of Sharpstown High School. Cook also served for 12 years as a deputy superintendent. HISD named a school for him in 2006 on the site of the old James Sanderson Elementary School.

Trustee Lawrence Marshall (left) and administrators Faye Bryant (center) and Felix Cook were honored as HISD's Living Legends.

Cook (right), along with HISD trustee Lawrence Marshall (left) and administrator Faye Bryant (center), were honored as HISD’s Living Legends in a ceremony in February 2012.

Felix Cook is a native of Houston and a product of the Houston Independent School District (HISD), having attended Sanderson Elementary School and graduated from Phillis Wheatley High School.  He attended Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, received a Masters of Education Degree from Texas Southern University (TSU), and an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Wiley College.

Mr. Cook’s professional career was devoted to public education at both Houston ISD and Texas Southern.  While at HISD, he served as a teacher and coach at E.O Smith Junior High School and Phillis Wheatley High School.  He served as principal at Sharpstown High School, superintendent for secondary schools, and deputy superintendent in charge of personnel.  In 1986, after 36 years of service with HISD, he retired.  He also served as adjunct professor for higher education at TSU from 1974 to 1994.

In 2006, HISD renamed the new replacement school for his alma mater, Sanderson Elementary School, in his honor:  Felix Cook, Jr. Elementary School.  The new Cook Elementary School was officially dedicated on Sunday, October 15, 2006, with hundreds of Kashmere and Trinity Gardens community members filling the multi-purpose room to honor the school’s namesake.

He has been recognized with many other honors and awards from organizations including the United Negro College Fund, Wiley College, City of Houston Police Department, Texas Children’s Hospital and M.D. Anderson Hospital.