Lydia Patterson Institute, El Paso, Texas
Lydia Patterson Institute, El Paso, Texas
The photograph shows the Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso, a Methodist Christian college-preparatory school. Mrs. Lydia Patterson, a Methodist laywoman, started to organize schools for Hispanic boys in Mexican Methodist homes in the late 19th century. She had noticed that there were no schools for these poor Spanish-speaking boys to attend. After Mrs. Patterson's death in 1909, her husband donated money to built the Lydia Patterson Institute. The construction was carried out by H. T. Ponsford and Sons and it was opened in 1913. Since then, it focuses on the education of boys and girls, for whom English is a second language, while emphasizing Christian values. Most of the students come from Ciudad Juarez and finish the school successfully, being able to attend college afterwards. It has also trained young men to the ministry.
