Our McKinney History

A Little Bit About Our School’s Namesakes- Earl and Lottie Wolford

Earl Wolford
Earl Yantis Wolford was born in McKinney on Dec. 14, 1889.  He was a graduate of the McKinney Independent School District.  After completing high school in McKinney, he attended the University of Texas in Austin, where he received a teaching certificate.

He began his teaching career in Collin County, teaching at the New Hope School, Bolin School, Higgins School, and in Princeton and Allen.  He accepted a principal’s job at the East End School in Marshall, Texas, and met his wife-to-be, Lottie Olivia Huffman, who was a teacher at the Van Zandt County School in Marshall.  He came to McKinney to teach in the 1918-1919 school year.  He married Lottie Huffman in the fall of 1919.

Mr. Wolford received his Bachelor of Science Degree with a major in Business Education from North Texas State Teachers College in 1936 and a Master of Arts Degree in 1940.

Mr. Wolford taught business classes at Boyd High School in McKinney for 40 years.  He sponsored the Typing Club and Ye Merrie Steno Club.  Mr. Wolford worked very hard with these two extracurricular activity clubs to supplement their regular class activities.  The students used these meetings before and after school to practice their typing and shorthand skills to prepare them for work and University Interscholastic League (UIL) competition.  He produced many multiple year winners in UIL competition.  He retired from the MISD in 1958.

Lottie Wolford
Lottie began her teaching career at Cold Springs where she taught until 1917.  She then taught at Van Zandt County School in Marshall, Texas for two years.  Finally, she taught English in McKinney at L.A. Scott Junior High until she retired in 1960.  During her teaching career, she completed her Bachelor of Arts degree from North Texas State Teachers College in 1948.

Lottie enjoyed teaching in McKinney.  Each year, she and her husband, Earl, hosted an annual breakfast and luncheon in their home on Lamar Street for the Typing and Ye Merrie Steno Club.  Earl and Lottie had no children, yet they touched the lives of so many.