TOMBSTONE TUESDAY : NAOMI ALBRECHT

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY: NAOMI ALBRECHT (1923-2019)

Few individuals leave a lasting impact on both their schools and their communities, but Naomi Albrecht devoted her life to doing exactly that. From her beginnings on a farm in Central Texas to her decades of service in Port O’Connor, Naomi was an educator, administrator, mentor, and civic leader whose influence extended far beyond the classroom. Whether guiding students through times of growth, helping her community recover from disaster, or advocating for educational opportunities for future generations, she approached every challenge with determination, compassion, and an unwavering belief in the value of education. Her story is one of service, leadership, and a lifelong commitment to the people of Calhoun County.

Bessie Naoma “Naomi” Shults Albrecht was born in Coryell County, Texas on April 22, 1923. She was the only child of Sam and Bessie Brown Shults. Her father was a farmer, and she was raised on a farm in the Old Tama Community that became part of Fort Hood in 1942. She attended Gatesville High School and graduated at age 16. Her father didn’t want her to go off to college so young so he paid the school so she could take additional classes before leaving home. 

Naomi attended Southwest Texas State College to become a teacher. While home during one summer, she married and had a daughter, Janice, in 1946. That marriage ended and she returned to school. Naomi met Troy Carmichael, the Assistant Superintendent for the schools in Calhoun County, at a job fair. She was not yet a certified teacher, but he offered her a job if she would continue to attend classes and get her certification. Naomi would be teaching at Port O’Connor School for the 1947-48 school year.

Leaving Janice with her parents, Naomi took the bus from her home near Fort Hood and travelled to Port Lavaca. Once she arrived, she learned there was no bus that continued to Port O’Connor. Fortunately, she was able to catch a ride with a truck delivering goods to the Albrecht Store owned by Sydney Albrecht. Sydney’s brother Clarence offered to take Naomi to the teacherage where she would live while working at the school. When he returned to the store, Clarence told his brother he had just met the woman he was going to marry. They would marry three years later on April 12, 1950 and bring Janice to live with them in Port O’Connor.

Clarence was called up for service in the Air Force during the Korean War. Before he left, he taught Naomi how to drive since he wasn’t sure how long he would be away from home. He was first stationed in Georgia, then Louisiana. When it became clear that he was not being sent overseas, Naomi and Janice moved to be with him before returning to Port O’Connor a year later. Naomi went back to work at the school and Clarence went to work for Brown and Root at Union Carbide.

In 1948, Calhoun County ISD was formed from many small schools throughout the county. Port O’Connor School had gone through Principals in quick succession in the 1950s with several staying only one year. Mr. Carmichael approached Naomi about getting her Master’s degree so she could be the principal. She began her time as principal in 1957 spending the next few years attending Southwest Texas during the summers to finish her certification. Female principals were not the norm at this time. She was strict, but respected as a campus principal. Hearing her heels coming down the hall was a warning signal to straighten up and students knew if they climbed the trees, to expect paddling if caught.  Naomi would be the Principal at Port O’Connor Elementary for the rest of her career in CCISD. 

During her tenure there, Naomi was remembered for many things. For example, the school had a student who was dyslexic. During one summer while Naomi was attending Southwest Texas working on her Masters, she took a course on dyslexia taught by Dr. Empress Young Zedler, a pioneer in the field. This course was not part of Naomi’s program of study, but she wanted to learn strategies she could bring back to help this student. When a new black family moved to town with an elementary age child, the district wanted the student to attend the black school in Port Lavaca. Instead Naomi enrolled the student in Port O’Connor Elementary, thus integrating the school. She was focused on the relationship between the school and the community and how they could support each other for the good of the students and families.

In September of 1961, Calhoun County was devastated by Hurricane Carla. Naomi and her family evacuated to her parent’s home far from the coast before the storm. The Albrechts had just finished an addition to their home a month earlier. Clarence was afraid the concrete wouldn’t withstand the storm due to the lack of cure time. On the way home, the family stopped in Victoria at Olin Albrecht’s where they learned that someone had flown over the town and the Albrecht home was still standing. When they made it back to their home, they discovered the water had been to the top of the doorways in the home and most of the ground floor was destroyed. 

Not only had many homes been damaged, but students were spread across the county and state as they waited for their homes to be repaired. Full electricity took months to restore. The school became the hub of services for the people in the town. First the Red Cross and then the Salvation Army used the school as their headquarters. Students were bused to schools in Port Lavaca along with some teachers to help with the increase in students there. Naomi remained in Port O’Connor coordinating the services needed to support the community and families through this challenging time. 

In 1979, Naomi retired. She wasn’t ready to retire, but a recent change in law would have impacted her access to Clarence’s retirement if she had continued to work. Despite retirement, her support of education did not change. Naomi remained involved in the PTA being elected to offices at the county, district and state levels. She continued to be active in the Epsilon Pi Chapter of Calhoun County Delta Kappa Gamma of which she was a charter member in 1959. She was elected to the Calhoun County School Board serving from 1988-98 with seven of those years being Board President. 

 She was active in many organizations including the Port Lavaca Art Guild, the Calhoun County Library Board, the Calhoun County Retired Teachers, the Calhoun County Humane Society and Gardening Club, just to name a few. A staunch Democrat, she served on the League of Women Voters. In her spare time, she enjoyed painting, traveling, fishing and gardening. Her art, crafts and plants competed in the Calhoun County Fair where she won many rosettes for her work. 

On January 8, 2014, her beloved husband Clarence died at age 95. They were married for 63 years. Naomi passed away on March 10, 2019, also at age 95. They are buried together in the Port O’Connor Cemetery.

While serving as School Board President in October 1997, Naomi Albrecht helped pass a $10.5 million spending package that included $2 million for new technology. She was quoted in The Victoria Advocate as saying “I want all children, as they go through school, to be computer literate. Many students do not have them at home; they need them at school.” When the Port O’Connor Elementary Library was built in 2000, it was named in her honor. 

For more than half a century, Naomi Albrecht shaped the lives of countless students, families, and community members in Calhoun County. Her leadership at Port O’Connor Elementary, her dedication to public education, and her service on the school board reflected a belief that every child deserved the opportunity to learn and succeed. Even after retirement, she continued to advocate for schools and remained deeply involved in the organizations that enriched community life. The naming of the Port O’Connor Elementary Library in her honor stands as a fitting tribute, but Naomi’s true legacy lives on in the generations of students she inspired and the stronger community she helped build. Through her vision, compassion, and steadfast service, Naomi Albrecht earned a place among the most influential educators in Calhoun County history.

Written by Jennifer Shafer Wyatt

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