WHO WAS W. E. GREINER?

William Edward Greiner was born March 11, 1863, in Paris, Texas. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. G. O. Greiner. Mr. Greiner received his early training in the Paris schools and graduated from the University of Illinois with a Graduate of Pharmacy degree in 1888. He was in the retail drug business in Paris from 1891 to 1899. In 1900, the Greiner-Kelly Drug Company was organized and established in Dallas. Mr. Greiner served as president of the company. He was married to Miss Myrtle Imogene Terry of Dallas, and they had two children, Mary Adelia and William E. Jr.

Always interested in civic affairs and the youth of this city, Mr. Greiner was a member of the Dallas Board of Education for ten years and served as president from April 1918, until his resignation in December 1923. During his term of service the Reserve Officers Training Corps was introduced and a master’s degree was recommended for all teachers. He was privileged to select the site for the school to be named for him, W. E. Greiner Junior High School. Mr. Greiner died on August 16, 1934, at the age of seventy-one.

THE SCHOOL ITSELF

W. E. Greiner Middle School is one of the largest middle schools in the state of Texas with nearly 1800 students enrolled. Greiner has a rich history stretching back to the turn of the 20th century. The original classrooms were separate plank buildings on a grassy South Oak Cliff field. In 1915, the plan for a new middle school was decided upon. That building or what remains of it, is still part of the Greiner Middle School campus.

The Original Middle School, turn of the century
1915 Plan for W. E. Greiner Middle School	W. E. Greiner campus today

In 1989, when the old building was deconstructed, the present day 10,000 sq. ft. facility was put in it's place.The old building now houses the local YMCA as well as classes for students in dance and physical education.

Greiner has 4 gyms, 5 computer labs, an impressive auditorium named after it's most famous alumni, Stevie Ray Vaughan, a 20,000 volume library and the Carolyn Reed Art gallery for showcasing student works. It is also home to the only Arts Academy magnet at the Middle School level for students in the Dallas Independent School District offering concentrations in dance, music, theater, and visual arts.

THE STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN AUDITORIUM

Stevie Ray Vaughan
October 3, 1954 - August 27, 1990

Born on and raised in Oak Cliff, Texas, Stevie Ray Vaughan went on to put his mark on the music world.He and his band, Double Trouble, released several platinum-selling albums, won a Grammy Award and collaborated with many of the top guitarists and musicians of the rock and blues world.

He got his start playing Guitar in his first Dallas band, Liberation, which included another Oak Cliff native, Scott Phares. From there he moved to Austin where he played in The Cobras, before forming Double Trouble. He was asked to perform at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival in France, where David Bowie heard him play and asked Stevie to be the guitarist on Bowie's next album, Let's Dance. After it's release, Stevie became a household name, because of his searing guitar solos on the songs, "Cat People", and the title track,"Let's Dance". It was shortly after this that he signed a contract with Columbia/Sony records under the guidance of John Hammond, the record company executive who had discovered Bob Dylan.

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble's first LP, Couldn't Stand the Weather, sold over a million copies and put him on the road to rock and roll stardom. His 1989 release, In Step, won the Grammy Award. During his career he performed with some of rock's greatest stars, including Carlos Santana, ZZ Top, Jeff Beck, David Bowie and Eric Clapton. In 1990 he recorded his last album, Family Style, with his brother Jimmie Vaughan. It included the single, "Tick Tock". The words to this song are engraved on several bricks inlaid into the floor of the DART station at Hampton Road and Wright Street.

On August 27, 1990, Stevie boarded a helicopter after playing a concert with his idol, Eric Clapton, at Alpine Meadows, New York. Flying in a heavy fog, the helicopter crashed, taking Vaughan's life and everyone aboard.

He is buried in nearby Laurel Land Cemetery.