Christine Benton Cash (August 9, 1889 – December 12, 1988) was an American educator. She was the principal of the Center Point County Training School in Camp County, Texas from 1911 to 1949, and on the faculties at Bishop College and Jarvis Christian College.
Christine Benton Cash | |
|---|---|
 Christine Benton Cash, from a 1942 publication | |
| Born | Christine Benton August 9, 1889 Marion County, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | December 12, 1988 Harris County, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation | Educator |
Early life and education
editChristine Benton was born in Marion County, Texas, the daughter of James Benton and Kizziah Lugenia Dotson Benton.[1] She graduated from Bishop College Academy in 1906, trained as a teacher. She continued her education throughout her career, including summer sessions at Hampton University. She earned a bachelor's degree from Bishop College in 1926, a master's degree from Atlanta University in 1943, and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1947, one of the first Black women in Texas to hold a doctorate.[2]
She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta and Pi Lambda Theta.[1]
Career
editCash taught Black students in a one-room schoolhouse in Marion County for five years as a young woman.[1] She became principal of Center Point School after her husband resigned from the same job. She remained head of the school until 1949, leading the twelve-grade rural vocational school through two world wars, periods of major expansion, electrification, and the state accreditation process. The school's 14-acre campus and six buildings were maintained by the student body, and included a public library, a sawmill, a cotton gin, and a cannery.[2] The school closed soon after her departure, after the Texas legislature changed school funding laws and Camp County consolidated its segregated schools.[3]
Cash was involved in statewide committees on curriculum and school reform. She taught education courses at Bishop College from 1948 to 1956.[4][5] From 1958 to 1965 she was a member of the faculty at Jarvis Christian College, where she chaired the divisions of social sciences and teacher education.[6] Political scientist Mae C. King attended Bishop College, and described Cash as a "very special woman" who "ignited my interest in politics."[7]
Cash was active in church activities, especially the Northeast Texas Baptist Women's Convention, and the Baptist Women's Missionary and Educational Convention of Texas.[1] She was a member of the American Association of University Women, and several teachers' organizations. She was also a member of Marshall's Court of Calanthe for over 50 years.[8]
Personal life
editBenton married fellow educator Larry Brown Cash in 1909. Cash died in 1988, in Harris County, Texas, at the age of 99.[2][6] Musician Peggy Shivers is one of Cash's nieces.[9] Cash's nephew Marion Meredith Beal received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2012.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Who's who in Colored America. Who's Who in Colored America Corporation. 1927. p. 39.
- ^ a b c Monsho, Kharen. "Cash, Christine Benton". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ Jacobs, Janet (1997-06-13). "Students Relish Fond Memories from Center". Austin American-Statesman. p. 33. Retrieved 2024-02-21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bishop Slates Teacher Exams". The Marshall News Messenger. 1953-01-22. p. 9. Retrieved 2024-02-21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bishop Hires More for Its Summer School". New Pittsburgh Courier. 1950-06-17. p. 10. Retrieved 2024-02-21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Winegarten, Ruthe (2014-08-27). Black Texas Women: A Sourcebook. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-78556-4.
- ^ "Interview with Mae C. King, February 5, 1994". Louis B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ "Senior Eutopias Feted". The Marshall News Messenger. 1975-10-23. p. 6. Retrieved 2024-02-21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Rogers, Heila (2021-09-07). "Uplifting community: Opportunities in music and education in rural Texas helped to shape the career of Colorado Springs resident Peggy Shivers (Part 2 of 3)". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ "American Hero Laid to Rest with Full Military Honors". Los Angeles Sentinel. April 6, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2024.