From the late 1800s to the present day, the name Paul Laurence Dunbar has been synonymous with culture, achievement, and mastery, not only in African American culture but in all of American culture and history. He continues to symbolize opportunity for African Americans striving to achieve their dreams despite severe obstacles. Many segregated schools across the country, including Paul Laurence Dunbar High School and later Dunbar Middle School in Fort Worth's Stop Six community, adopted his name to symbolize success and achievement for their students who still face similar challenges.
For 17 years, a man named James Martin Jacquet carried Mr. Dunbar’s torch. He became the principal of Dunbar High School in 1957 and held that role until his retirement in 1974. Mr. Jacquet served 37 years as an educator in the Fort Worth ISD, initially as a mathematics teacher and later as the school's longest-serving principal.
Mr. Jacquet’s high standards of student discipline and commitment to student success left a lasting impression on the school and the community. So much so that in 2015, Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School became J. Martin Jacquet Middle School, approved unanimously by the School Board at the urging of the Dunbar Alumni Association. His strong personality and charisma inspired a generation of students to follow the path of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Mr. Jacquet did such an exceptional job that his former students wanted to use his name as a symbol for success and achievement in the Stop Six community.
Born in Houston, the second child of Mr. and Mrs. Taylor Jacquet, Mr. Jacquet attended school in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Port Arthur. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Bishop College in Marshall, in 1930, and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1940. After coming to Fort Worth, he actively participated in many professional and community organizations and was a member of Mount Gilead Baptist Church. Mr. Jacquet was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity for 36 years, a charter member of the Fort Worth alumni chapter of the fraternity, as well as a life member.
Mr. Jacquet and his wife, the former Alice Williams, had two children, Joan Marva and James Martin, Junior. After retiring from Fort Worth ISD, Mr. Jacquet and his wife moved to Los Angeles, where he worked with disabled children in the Compton School District and was an active member of the Los Angeles Trinity Baptist Church and the Los Angeles Bishop College Alumni Club.
