Carver Elementary legacy honored in Alice during Black History Month

A concrete slab and two monuments on Encinal Street mark the former site of George Washington Carver Elementary in Alice, a school that opened in 1949 to serve Black students under segregation, according to a Feb. 15, 2026 KRIS profile by neighborhood reporter Melissa Trevino. KRIS reported that all that remains of the school today are the foundation and the two monuments honoring those who attended.

Lonnie Ruth Ferrell, an alumna who graduated from Carver in 1956, told KRIS that segregation shaped everyday life in Alice. “It was the norm. We knew that,” Ferrell said. She recounted that “Carver was the school we had to go to. So, yes there was a school right down the block from me. But I never thought anything about going there.” Ferrell also spoke about the transition after Carver into Alice ISD, saying, “I did not know how I was going to be accepted. Surprisingly there were a few that just gravitated towards me. Once I got there and sort of - I'll say - took me by the hand.”

Aaron Bonds, another alumnus interviewed for the KRIS story, framed his Carver experience around learning and pride. “I enjoyed going to school. You go there to learn and that was my key. I would say is that be proud cause you had the opportunity to go to a black school. So many kids don't have that opportunity. You do the best that you can,” Bonds said.

KRIS described the Encinal Street location as part of “a quiet neighborhood in Alice” that nevertheless “holds a powerful reminder of the past that most residents don't even know exists.” The report documents the physical remnants but does not list who installed the two monuments or when the building was demolished; those details remain to be confirmed by local archives or Alice ISD records.

The school’s name connects to the national legacy of George Washington Carver, the scientist and educator. Biographical accounts note that Carver left a farm to attend school in Neosho at age 11, traveling about 8 miles, and later recalled of Simpson College that “They made me believe I was a real human being.” Agricultural historians credit Carver with advancing sustainable practices such as crop rotation using nitrogen-fixing plants like peanuts, soybeans, and sweet potatoes to restore soil depleted by cotton, methods that influenced Southern farming for decades.

A separate Carver-branded website promoted Black History Month programming with forward-looking language, urging readers to “Stay Connected. Stay Inspired. Stay Carver,” and stating that “As Carver navigates the intersection of the past, present, and future during Black History Month, it stands as a beacon of inclusive education.” That site lists newsletter, donate, and volunteer options, but it is not identified in the KRIS reporting as the same institution tied to the Encinal Street site in Alice and should be verified before assuming a direct connection.

The KRIS profile by Melissa Trevino frames Carver Elementary and its alumni as an ongoing thread in Jim Wells County’s civic memory. Neighbors with photographs, documents, or personal memories of Carver are encouraged to share them with local outlets or Alice ISD archives; Melissa Trevino’s Feb. 15, 2026 reporting provides the on-the-ground interviews with Ferrell and Bonds that preserve part of that local history.