DOGAN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Our Bus Drivers
Bus rides. Those were the days. Take a trip down memory lane as we pause to honor the Bus Drivers who worked so diligently to provide transportation for so many to and from the Dogan campus, basketball games, school trips and other after school functions. Those old yellow school buses—what a memory!
Richard “Dick” Garrett: Dogan’s First Bus Driver
[A little history: Patrons in the old Pin Oak School community desired to have their children transported to school in Fairfield. The school board ordered this to become effective for the 1938-39 school term. Richard Garrett was selected to transport the children to Fairfield for a salary of $50 per month for eight months. This was on the condition that he furnish the bus and supplies. The bus was his personal truck, which he modified to safely transport the children—and it got the job done.]
Others who drove buses after him include:
James Bonner: Ward Prairie Route
Minion Bonner, Jr: Streetman Route
Hayward Cleveland: Streetman Route
William Coleman: Youngs Mill Route / Brown Creek Route
J.C. Cox: Fairfield Route
James Willie Edwards: Streetman Route
J.B. (Stubby) Green: Winkler Route
Jack Green: Winkler Route
Ike Haynes: Fairfield Route
Andrew Hillary: Streetman Route
Marshall Howard: Stewards Mill Route
Cornell (Doodle) Jesse: Streetman Route
Eldridge Jones: Fairfield Route
Milford McIlveen: Fairfield Route
Robert Sanford, Sr: Streetman Route
Theodie Solomon: Fairfield Route
Wilson Titus: Youngs Mill Route / Brown Creek Route
Joe Bailey Ward: Winkler / Stewards Mill Route
Grady Willis: Post Oak / Fairfield Route
Theodore Willis: Ward Prairie Route
Some former bus riders shared these memories:
- “We had lots of fun on the school bus. The bad part about it was, after we got the bus, some of us had to walk two miles to the house. What time? What a time?”
- “J. C. Cox was the bus driver for the girls and boys basketball teams for away games. He was the school janitor. Each player was taken home after the away games. We traveled from Streetman to Post Oak; sometimes it would be after midnight before I arrived home. Just a little humor; we had to ride with the lights on inside the bus! Mrs. Durham would go on each trip…old eagle eye. (Smile)
- “The school buses played a vital social role in the history of Dogan. You would be able to ascertain who liked who as the boys would walk the girls to the bus after school, carrying her books. Fairfield had more boys with very few girls, therefore, many trip s were made to the buses by the fellows that lived in Fairfield.”
- “Also, the school buses were used to attend the State basketball tournaments at Prairie View if the team made it to Saturday play. There was a minimum of two buses for the trip. Of course there was a fee for these trips for the students.”
- “Chief drove the Streetman bus for several years after Hayward retired. It was during his tenure that "All" can sodas were banned. One of the riders threw a can at someone and freaked Chief out. Wasn't long after that, FISD said no more can sodas on buses. The Streetman bus route was known as being kinda rowdy and we had a reputation to uphold.”
- “As a young girl, I can remember sometimes daddy would not take the basketball player’s home because it was so late and some players lived way back in the woods. Those players both boys and girls would spend the night at our house. Girls slept in the bed with [my sister] and me and boys slept on the sofa or floor. Mother would cook breakfast the next morning for everyone and we were off to school.
- Daddy sometimes would break "rules" and allow parents to ride the bus to school. People would go to town to get groceries, doctor appointments, etc. and ride the bus back home. Every household did not have a car back then. Also when we went on field trips if you remember we had to pay a fee to go. That money was given to the bus driver because the district did not pay extra salary. I know of several occasions that students did not have the extra quarter or fifty cents for their fare and on the last day daddy would go to the teacher and tell them to allow the child to attend. He just did not get paid for that child. He loved children.”