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Born on June 28, 1873, in Weston, Missouri, William Hobart Stafford was a notable Ellis County educator. His father, John Thomas Stafford, served with Company D in the 65th Missouri Colored Infantry during the Civil War, and later studied at Lincoln Institute, a college funded by companies of black soldiers, to become a teacher. William also graduated from Lincoln Institute and became a teacher. By 1895, John had moved his wife Mary (Fermon) and children to Texas.
After teaching some years in Houston’s Second Ward, Ferris, and Gatesville, William married Bessie Lee Barrens (1897-1997) in 1922. The next year, the Italy school board hired William and Bessie to teach at Italy Colored School, the segregated school for African American children. His students were mostly from sharecropping families, and farm owners limited the number of days students could attend school during harvest. The school building lacked basic supplies and connections for water, electricity and gas. In 1929, Stafford advocated to his neighbors to give the right-of-way needed for electric service, and during the great depression, for school attendance and for students to further their education through attending higher-level schools in nearby cities.
By 1940, the Italy school board adopted a split-session plan, which allowed students an extended break during harvest season. The school board also changed the school’s name from Italy colored school to Stafford school. Professor Stafford died on January 5, 1947. When the Italy school board voted to build a new school for African Americans in 1960, they constructed the school adjacent to Stafford’s still-standing home. The legacy of William Hobart Stafford continues to inspire academic excellence. |
