Holding Institute
Encyclopedia
Holding Institute is a United Methodist-affiliated community center in Laredo
, Texas
, originally founded in 1882 as a kindergarten
and primary school. For nearly a century thereafter, Holding was a state-accredited boys’ and girls’ boarding school
. Having been ravaged by a flood
in 1954, the boarding school relocated to north Laredo but closed some three decades later as a result of funding difficulties. It re-opened as a community center downtown in 1987.
girls at her residence in Laredo, the county seat
of Webb County
in south Texas. The next year, women of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
set aside funds to establish the kindergarten and primary school. The Reverend Elias Robertson donated ten acres on the bank of the Rio Grande
south of the United States Army
installation of Fort McIntosh
, and in 1882, the first building opened. Known then as "Laredo Seminary", the institution operated under the direction of missionaries
Annie Williams and Rebecca Toland.
In October 1883, Miss Nannie Emory Holding, a Methodist missionary from Covington, Kentucky
, began a 30-year tenure as superintendent of the institution that later was named for her. Her sister, Delia Holding, also taught during the first few years in the primary school. In 1886, early in the years of Nannie Holding's leadership, the all-girls’ school became coeducational when 10 boys were admitted. Nannie Holding oversaw the growth of the school campus to include seven buildings on 26 acres (10.5 ha) and she planted flowers, shrubs, and trees on the sand dunes adjacent to the Rio Grande to convert the land to a garden. She obtained a 50-year charter for the school in 1891.
By the time of Nannie Holding's retirement in 1913, when she was 68 years old, the institution had expanded to the normal school
level, conferring some teacher-training bachelor's degree
s. Dr. J.M. Skinner, originally from West Virginia
, became superintendent in 1913. The name was changed to the current Holding Institute. New buildings were added, and the high school department gained state accreditation. The operation of the school was transferred from the Foreign Missionary Society to the women’s section of the Division of National Methodist Missions.
, Holding had been adversely impacted by floods in 1922 and 1932, which destroyed many of the school records. By this time, dozens of students had graduated, some of whom were children of Holding alumni. In 1937, Anton Deschner, a Holding teacher, was named superintendent. About a third of the students came from Mexico; others were from Texas, Japan
, China
, Cambodia
, Bolivia
, Cuba
, Panama
, and the Republic of the Congo
.
By 1954, Holding’s enrollment peaked at 350. In June of that year, Laredo experienced its most severe flooding on record, with the Rio Grande cresting at 10 feet (3 m) above its previous record flood level. Nine institute buildings were destroyed and three others were rendered unusable. The grand piano was moved to a safe location into Laredo, and many of the books were placed on the top floors of the buildings. The Holding bell, which became the symbol of the institution, an iron archway, and a few papers were all that remained of the 74-year-old institution.
Holding then moved to a new site off Santa Maria Avenue in north Laredo, the land having been purchased by Methodist donors in the anticipation that further flooding would require relocation. The kindergarten and elementary grades were dropped. When Superintendent Deschner relocated to Camden
, South Carolina
, the leadership passed to Victor Cruz-Aedo. Funding was procured in 1956-1957 for an auditorium-cafeteria and four classrooms. A boy’s dormitory
and a large dining hall, and a kitchen were added in 1958-1959. Later additions included a physical education
dressing room, a library, a laboratory, and faculty residences. In 1964, work began on a new girls’ dormitory with a capacity to house sixty-six.
Cruz-Acedo left the superintendency in 1964, and the Reverend Maurice C. Daily assumed the post in 1965. Improvements steadily followed. Deschner Memorial Tower was erected to hold the old Holding
bell. In 1967, a gymnasium was added, and the boys’ dormitory was air-conditioned. By the early 1970s, the school had sixty-four girls and forty-five boys in the dormitories as well as eighty-three day students.The boarding school closed in 1983.
In 1987, the current community center opened at 1102 Santa Maria Avenue in downtown Laredo, where classes are offered in upholstery, cake decorating, and flower arrangement. Holding also enrolls students in day and evening classes in conversational Spanish and English as well as English as a Second Language.
Holding also offers training in computer skills and preparation for those taking the General Education Development high school equivalency diploma. Day classes are from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, and evening classes are available from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Students may enter classes at any time of the year, and usually take courses for six months. Scholarship aid is available through the Texas Workforce Center. Holding serves students on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border. Several thousand Holding alumni reside and work in countries throughout the Western Hemisphere
.
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, originally founded in 1882 as a kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
and primary school. For nearly a century thereafter, Holding was a state-accredited boys’ and girls’ boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
. Having been ravaged by a flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
in 1954, the boarding school relocated to north Laredo but closed some three decades later as a result of funding difficulties. It re-opened as a community center downtown in 1987.
Early years
The roots of Holding date to 1880, when Mrs. Jacob Norwood began to instruct several MexicanMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
girls at her residence in Laredo, the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Webb County
Webb County, Texas
Webb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. The official 2010 population for the county is 250,304. In 2000, its population was 193,117, and in 2006 its population had been estimated to have reached to 231,470. Its county seat is Laredo...
in south Texas. The next year, women of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
Methodist Episcopal Church, South
The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, or Methodist Episcopal Church South, was the so-called "Southern Methodist Church" resulting from the split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church which had been brewing over several years until it came out into the open at a conference...
set aside funds to establish the kindergarten and primary school. The Reverend Elias Robertson donated ten acres on the bank of the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
south of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
installation of Fort McIntosh
Fort McIntosh
Fort McIntosh is the name of several former military installations in the United States:* Fort McIntosh * Fort McIntosh, Texas* Fort McIntosh...
, and in 1882, the first building opened. Known then as "Laredo Seminary", the institution operated under the direction of missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
Annie Williams and Rebecca Toland.
In October 1883, Miss Nannie Emory Holding, a Methodist missionary from Covington, Kentucky
Covington, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 43,370 people, 18,257 households, and 10,132 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,301.3 people per square mile . There were 20,448 housing units at an average density of 1,556.5 per square mile...
, began a 30-year tenure as superintendent of the institution that later was named for her. Her sister, Delia Holding, also taught during the first few years in the primary school. In 1886, early in the years of Nannie Holding's leadership, the all-girls’ school became coeducational when 10 boys were admitted. Nannie Holding oversaw the growth of the school campus to include seven buildings on 26 acres (10.5 ha) and she planted flowers, shrubs, and trees on the sand dunes adjacent to the Rio Grande to convert the land to a garden. She obtained a 50-year charter for the school in 1891.
By the time of Nannie Holding's retirement in 1913, when she was 68 years old, the institution had expanded to the normal school
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
level, conferring some teacher-training bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
s. Dr. J.M. Skinner, originally from West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, became superintendent in 1913. The name was changed to the current Holding Institute. New buildings were added, and the high school department gained state accreditation. The operation of the school was transferred from the Foreign Missionary Society to the women’s section of the Division of National Methodist Missions.
Later years
In 1930, Miss Carmen Blessing became superintendent. In addition to the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Holding had been adversely impacted by floods in 1922 and 1932, which destroyed many of the school records. By this time, dozens of students had graduated, some of whom were children of Holding alumni. In 1937, Anton Deschner, a Holding teacher, was named superintendent. About a third of the students came from Mexico; others were from Texas, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, and the Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
.
By 1954, Holding’s enrollment peaked at 350. In June of that year, Laredo experienced its most severe flooding on record, with the Rio Grande cresting at 10 feet (3 m) above its previous record flood level. Nine institute buildings were destroyed and three others were rendered unusable. The grand piano was moved to a safe location into Laredo, and many of the books were placed on the top floors of the buildings. The Holding bell, which became the symbol of the institution, an iron archway, and a few papers were all that remained of the 74-year-old institution.
Holding then moved to a new site off Santa Maria Avenue in north Laredo, the land having been purchased by Methodist donors in the anticipation that further flooding would require relocation. The kindergarten and elementary grades were dropped. When Superintendent Deschner relocated to Camden
Camden, South Carolina
Camden is the fourth oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and is also the county seat of Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States. The population was an estimated 7,103 in 2009...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, the leadership passed to Victor Cruz-Aedo. Funding was procured in 1956-1957 for an auditorium-cafeteria and four classrooms. A boy’s dormitory
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
and a large dining hall, and a kitchen were added in 1958-1959. Later additions included a physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
dressing room, a library, a laboratory, and faculty residences. In 1964, work began on a new girls’ dormitory with a capacity to house sixty-six.
Cruz-Acedo left the superintendency in 1964, and the Reverend Maurice C. Daily assumed the post in 1965. Improvements steadily followed. Deschner Memorial Tower was erected to hold the old Holding
bell. In 1967, a gymnasium was added, and the boys’ dormitory was air-conditioned. By the early 1970s, the school had sixty-four girls and forty-five boys in the dormitories as well as eighty-three day students.The boarding school closed in 1983.
In 1987, the current community center opened at 1102 Santa Maria Avenue in downtown Laredo, where classes are offered in upholstery, cake decorating, and flower arrangement. Holding also enrolls students in day and evening classes in conversational Spanish and English as well as English as a Second Language.
Holding also offers training in computer skills and preparation for those taking the General Education Development high school equivalency diploma. Day classes are from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, and evening classes are available from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Students may enter classes at any time of the year, and usually take courses for six months. Scholarship aid is available through the Texas Workforce Center. Holding serves students on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border. Several thousand Holding alumni reside and work in countries throughout the Western Hemisphere
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
.
Notable alumni
- Joe B. FinleyJoe B. FinleyJoe Bartlett Finley, Jr. , was a rancher and businessman in Laredo, Texas, who in 1961 was the driving force behind the establishment of the United Independent School District, which services a large section of Webb County...
, Laredo rancher and co-founder of United Independent School DistrictUnited Independent School DistrictUnited Independent School District is a school district headquartered in Laredo, Texas, United States.UISD serves portions of the city of Laredo, the cities of El Cenizo and Rio Bravo, and several unincorporated areas in Webb County...