The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-04-18
Progress of Fifteen Years
Sounds Like Fairy
Tale
PROVIDING FOR FUTURE
Policy Of Buying Property in
Advance of Growing Su-
burbs Has Saved Money
II. rAIrH HIERoNYMrs-

100 hA't y bAnAll'NF NlNllltN
.Ho.a,I tho only educational ad-
..rf.e.s That the then embryo town
had ..r Hs children There weren't
rary children, TO be sure. but each
,far found the little school "A bit
more -r .1ad, until a few far-scting
and public spirited men, knowing
..lt n1 town builds surely without
he underlying fundamental OF cdu-
eauoul. facilities, put up the money.
$4,000. .a# tho school and It's site
4rd 8. WAS decided by the Indians to
sha.a mon. !. NJ. Law, ]. Forsythc
and 70. M Eurnham. who later were
reimbursed by the city for the sum
Maid f0r The lease. There was no
town tHou. In reality; indeed. it
would almost tcst the elastic pro-
Dpnst..s Of ones imaginative fac
mites 90 call the scattering evidence
of settlement, outposts of civiliza-
ton very nearly a village. Prom
the corner Of the apple orchard. the
$50 feet TO the corner OF the lot
across the street from Mrs. L"
thus rrudcly, in effect IL not literally,
was the deed recorded.
This was the nucleus Of the pub
lic school system of Tulsa.
Today the board OF education OF
the Tulsa city schools owns real
estate In this city to the value of
$1,000 600. II has 22 school build
lrrs valued at s2,50O,000, a system
~ building and Fairgrounds that is
sluue in the annals Of school his
by "a high school that, when COM
p'etod. will be the largest school
house ground area. west OF the
Mississippi river, and IS the only
school district in the state Nhat has
a sinking fund up TO normal. The
school authorities, in the IS years
since 1907, when taxes for school
purposes were first levied, have done
more than most districts do in 100
years
why
For Future Generations.
The Tulsa spirit is one reason, and
'hc other the basic reason IL that
those who have been directly re-
snonshlo for the formation and the
execution OF the business policy of
,ho school system have builded not
for today nor not for the Immediate
tomorrow but for the future gener-
atons. In the matter Of school
property they have gone out and
bought ahead, and then when the
need for q school site arose, It was
already I'm the possession OF the
board, preCluding the necessity of
buyiug immediately at the prevailing
price in order 10 meet the present
existing demand of the school.
School affairs are handled like a
business.
Il. o. Mcclure, president OF the
school board and for IL years a
member Of that body, one of the
able and farsoeing men directly re-
sponsible for the splendid school
system Of which Tulsa boasts, said
the other day i'm discussing the mat
ter Of the purchasing of property
for the schools, that the school
board was taught a lesson in an
early day when Horace Mann was
built When the district was ready
for the location, the block was built
solldly in houses, and before the
boar dcould build II had TO buy and
tear down those houses. Since then
}! has bccn the policy OF the board to
buy far ahead, and by so doing II
has saved the taxpayers n large
sum OF money. For instance, in the
matter Of the Longfellow and Lee
schools. The Lee property was
bought sometime before the school
was built for $500. BY the time tho
board was ready to use It, It's value
had more than doubled. and It was
appraised at $4,000. 1t had been
bought paid for. was ready for the
building and could. in the mean
time, have been sold If the funds
had been badly needed. The Long
fellow property, bought for $500,
was valued at $4,000 when the
building WAS erected.
bleaching Out.
The board owns now, Mr.. Mcclure
SAD, five acres of land on the ceme-
very drive, halfway between the turn
IN lhe road at tho city limits and
the cemetery, Eventually the town
WI build ont that way, as has been
proven before in the case of school
In'estmenta-indeed IL building
! ho"--and the value Of the property
bought for $1,000 will have doubled
ana perhaps tripled by the time the
|need Tor "a school building on that
s'e has arisen. Likewise property
nas Been bought on Terrace drive
meet the need for a building that
mH inevitably be the outgrowth ot
we building up of tho town In that
direction
me bonded indebtedness OF tn,
|r.AooIs Is approximately $4,000 900
me board has $2,3OO,OO0 worth o'
s.,G Gi bands ana s850,000 in its hands
sui not sold.
~ regard TO the new addition be
s boNt 10 the present high school
b".ug erected on n 2SO-foo'
HlaIe and without doubt, Mr.. Nc
NIe said, upon its completion will
" lhH largest school building in 81
.N as IN" ground area is concerned
, OF the Mississippi river. Tht
NV" auditorium will have the seat
"s capacity Of one-halt of Conven
,,H9 u49 man, and In its equipment 4
""l be ono OF the most thoroughh
,'..,eIh ana up-to-date in the entire
Oi'ACE Mann, Mr.. McClur,
T mas more schoolrooms, NOR,
s.pNs ana more teachers upon IL
s leet nf ground than any othe
pHooi building on an area of a sim
N sze In the country. There ar,
re 200 pupils, "a rooms, a play
ulha 200 feot In size, and tn
rv.lIion Iul1aIion OF this ground to such al
'nl ls made possible only By tn
A., ", me unit system, for whicl
bi, McClure was directly responsi
al Its inception several wear
a D ri 3 A.. 3.