Justin F. Kimball High School

Justin F. Kimball High School
Location
3606 South Westmoreland Road, Dallas, Texas, 75233
Information
Type	Public, Secondary
Motto	Optima Petimus (Always Seek the Best)
Established	1958
School district	Dallas Independent School District
Principal	Earl Jones
Faculty	91
Grades	9 through 12
Number of students	1,427
Color(s)	Navy Blue and Scarlet Red
Mascot	Knights
Website	www.justinfkimball.org

Justin F. Kimball High School is a public secondary school in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas (USA). Justin F. Kimball High School enrolls students in grades 9-12 and is a part of the Dallas Independent School District. The school is named in honor of Justin Ford Kimball, a prominent and successful citizen of Texas, former school superintendent, and founder of a predecessor of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

History

Kimball opened its doors in 1958, graduating its first class in 1960 with 165 students. Dr. W.P. Durrett served as the founding principal of the school. His tenure of sixteen (16) years ran from 1958 until his retirement in 1974, and was longer than any principal succeeding him. Through his inspiring and dynamic leadership, the student body established the traditions and values of the school. An annual scholarship award in his name is granted each year by the Alumni Association to two outstanding students who demonstrate academic and leadership successes.

Although Dallas ISD began integrating high school campuses in 1965-1966 school year, Kimball's student body was primarily Caucasian until the late 1970s. The ethnic makeup of the student body changed gradually during the 1980s, and by 1990 Kimball's students were almost entirely African-American. Today, Kimball is more evenly split between African-American and Hispanic/Latino students. When Moisés E. Molina High School opened in 1996, attendance boundaries were redrawn and many areas that had attended Kimball for decades were rezoned to the new school.

In 2008, the school celebrated its 50th birthday after graduating over 20,000 students with many achieving contributions in athletics, politics, entertainment, music, health, business, cultural, the arts, science and engineering. The Justin F. Kimball High School Alumni Association hosted a 50th Birthday Celebration to honor this milestone.

Athletics

Kimball has excelled many years in state, regional and district sports, capturing several championships in football, track, wrestling, basketball, golf and volleyball. Kimball is proud to claim several successful students as appointments to America's military academies.

Rivalry

Kimball High School has had a long and storied sports rivalry with David W. Carter High School. The annual football game between the two is known as "The Oak Cliff Super Bowl". Earlier graduating classes better remember the fiery and just as storied rivalry with Sunset High School.

School uniforms

Kimball requires mandatory school uniforms consisting of white tops and blue bottoms for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, while seniors have the option of wearing red tops and khaki bottoms.

The Texas Education Agency specified that the parents and/or guardians of students zoned to a school with uniforms may apply for a waiver to opt out of the uniform policy so their children do not have to wear the uniform [1]; parents must specify "bona fide" reasons, such as religious reasons or philosophical objections.

Notable alumni

• Bill Saunders (1965) professional road racing race car driver (1991-1998)two time manufactures champion, Corvette Trans American series and Eagle Talon World Challenge
• Steve Bartlett (1966) — U.S. Congressman (1983-1991), Mayor of Dallas (1991-1995)
• David Chalk (1968) First round draft choice of the California Angels, was selected to the American League All-Star Team twice and played in the 1980 World Series.
• Mike Rhyner — current radio host of "The Hardline" on KTCK 1310-AM
• Stephen Tobolowsky (1969) — a Tony Award-nominated actor
• Michael Barker (1972) — President of Sony Pictures Classics
• Jeryl Sasser (1997) former NBA Player, played for Bnei HaSharon of the Israeli basketball league
• Jason Sasser (1992) — former NBA Player
• Quinton Ross (1999) — NBA Player for Dallas Mavericks
• Don King (1982) — former SMU quarterback during the Pony Express, Green Bay Packers quarterback (1987)
• Marvin Washington (1984) — NFL Player San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, and New York Jets
• Acie Law (2003) — NBA Player for Atlanta Hawks
• Belita Moreno (1968) Star of The George Lopez Show and noted actress.
• Sheryl Stamps Leach (1971) Creator of the famous children's purple dinosaur, "Barney"
• DeMarcus Granger (2005) Oklahoma defensive tackle
• Todd Whitten (1983) Head football coach, Sam Houston State University
• Tim Choate (1973) — Actor who starred in a number of film and television roles on series such as Dragnet, Babylon 5, Frasier, Blind Witness, The Europeans, Knots Landing, and Ghost Stories, just to name a few. Tim was killed in a mortorcycle accident on September 24, 2004 in Los Angeles.
• Stubie Doak — Dallas-Fort Worth Radio Personality
• Bob Johnson — MLB player for the Texas Rangers
• Umeki Webb (1993) former WNBA Player of Phoenix Mercury and Miami Sol
• Robert Siedell (1970) President of American Express- Japan
• Christina Melton Crain (1984) Attorney; Chairman, Texas Criminal Justice Commission; President, Dallas Bar Association

Delon Washington (1994-1997) University of Southern California (USC) Running Back, Canadian Football League

Former students

• Stevie Ray Vaughan — attended Kimball, but dropped out in 1972 to pursue his music career

External links

• Justin F. Kimball Alumni Page