Because lawyers make the laws, and run the bar. He fell off his stool and slammed into the desk of Payton Smith before his body slid to the floor with a thud. . This forgotten story has stuck in my craw since 1978. I knew most of the story, but didn't know that he was at Timberlawn, so I'm not sure he received super top-notch care. Similarly, I virtually guarantee you no potential murderer ever said, well, I might get in trouble if I kill this fucker, but WAIT! 2023 The Film Collaborative. To be honest I just started reading about this particular incident in Texas history, so I dont know why it was handled the way it was. Customize Calendar View. But much lesser known is the case of Murchison Middle School teacher Wilbur "Rod" Grayson, who was shot to death with a .22-calibre rifle by 13-year-old student John Daniel Christian. Official Facebook page of the Murchison Matadors! John was an exceptionally bright student, not just in the way of grades, but beyond his age kind of bright. 3700 North Hills Drive, Austin, TX, 78731. There was a time that these were the kinds of things that no one wanted to give attention to, good, bad or indifferent. What was the joke? It's obviously not terribly common, but it's not unheard of either. I just want to know WHY John Christian killed his favorite teacher. French Hill (R, AR) $1.09 million, Ken Buck (R, CO) $800,544 He was in a church youth group (and high school) a couple of years ahead of me. It serves 1240 studentsin 6 - 8 with a student/teacher ratio of 13.8:1.Its teachers have had 9 projects funded on DonorsChoose. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. After the shooting John was taken and questioned by the Austin Police along with his fellow students as witnesses. Weve even seen a video from Parkland with the sound of gunshots. In May, it will be 40 years since the school shooting at my junior high school in Austin, Texas. Punishment has to be there to at least be some deterrent to crime. THE AUSTIN SCHOOL SHOOTING documentary feature film will weave the story of that tragic day in May through interviews with the students who directly witnessed the shooting, and the teachers who were present. See all 36 photos taken at Murchison Middle School by 1,023 visitors. The story was well reported on TV and in the paper for those of us adults in Austin at the time. When I found out about this case and that he was the shooter, I mentioned it to one person I worked with who I was close to. People were also far less inclined to speak opening to the media about their first hand accounts of something they were in some way involved in that was so brutal. I wondered what he was doing so far out in the middle of nowhere. Created by Murchison Middle School AVID Program. It is a school in Austin Independent School District district. There are members of state bars around the country that have committed murder and rejoined (or initially joined) the bar after havingserved their time. The Christians would pay over $100 a day for Johns stay, which would be until his eighteenth birthday or until he had recovered. In this case I guess you can argue that the guy didn't face much of a punishment, and therefore didn't really serve his time, but such is the nature of the juvenile system. It wasnt a mass shooting. In all the write-ups of the Christian family and their civic accomplishments, not a mention of the smiling killer in the family portraits. 61. How do you spell rehabilitation? Photograph by Dan Winters Cory Gardner (R, CO) $3.88 million, Top 5 Representatives With the Most Contributions From the NRA End date. Primary Industries. 3700 N Hills Drive Austin, TX 78731 Map Phone: (512) 414-3254 Fax: (512) 414-4570 Principal: Chara Harris Campus Website Murchison Matadors. Whether they are or not is open to debate. He and his wife, as many of us do, took turns staying home with the baby whenever there was cause to do so, and on May 17th, 1978 there was cause. That's fair. Middle School Student. For a few moments after the classroom was still filled with thoughts of this being an amazingly well done performance but as he saw the blood pouring from one of Mr. Graysons and the look of fear on his frozen face, Smith knew this was not a skit. he insisted on going to the (open casket) funeral. That assumes rational people. Can you imagine how his parents felt? Presidential candidates arent the only ones who benefit from the NRAs largess, though. That is what I know and remember. I conclude that the sweeping under the rug began very early on. My father, Gerald Mann, did the service for Mr. Grayson. Always seemed like one of the dangerous quiet types. Every time a school shooting happens, a bit of the memory of the Murchison shooting comes back. Someone mentioned he had lost a lot of weight but they didnt seem to know what day it was half the time tbph. After the shooting, the police said, the youth ran out of the school, tossed the rifle by a bicycle rack and was caught by a physical education teacher. District: Austin Independent School District (ISD) SchoolDigger Rank: 473rd of 2,254 Texas Middle Schools. Weve become conditioned to expect stories of the kids themselves being shot to death, or hiding in terror from the shooter. Students are advised to move out of sight and remain silent, the district said. given. All Over the Map: True Heroes of Texas Music covers the musical landscape of a most musical state. Great read if you have a few minutes. Im sad that the Statesman still wont. Murchison ISD PO Box 538, Murchison, TX 75778 Phone: (903) 469-3636. The book is called Unafraid and if you wonder what effect a school shooting has on the people present, the book is worth reading. I started working on this story when I was with the Statesman and they wouldnt touch it. Clear editor. Roy Minton for Christian; Frank Maloney for Heflin, thanks for the honesty. And, Christian has led a productive, non-violent life for 41 years after the crime. Austin American-Statesman via Austin Public Library. this shooting should be notorious. People kill people. I majored in English, and even taught on year of middle school English. I got home to see the news about Florida. it was groundbreaking. The shooting in the 5000 block of Murchison Road, near Country Club Drive, was reported about 3:30 a.m., a news release said. Murchison Matadors! The article says that Timberlawn closed - are you referring to another place? "We are working on a system to notify all necessary personnel in the event of a legally armed visitor to Murchison Middle School.". It was glaringly absent from the ever-lengthening school shooting timelines. 5bd. he told my my parents, i just wanted to see him one more time. The father sat on a police department bench with two other sons, visibly shaken. We were later told that the coach caught him trying to climb the cliffs across the street. My son just transferred there and he forgot his math homework. She reported that a regular stream of us come back, a few every year, to confirm, reflect and attempt to recover. They should notify the students better. There was some guy, a doctor type, at the old site that strenuously maintained that if violent, the mentally ill would remain so for their lifetime, even if a juvenile. TW: Gun Violence PS: So very sorry there is a weird noise . Most of us nervously laughed and were quite shocked at this odd transformation that seemed to come out of nowhere.. Luckily we had no portable classrooms at that school back then. At an early afternoon hearing in District Judge Hume Cofer's court, John Christian was ordered confined at Gardner House, the Travis County detention facility for juvenile delinquents. Murchison Middle School placed in the top 30% of all schools in Texas for overall test scores (math proficiency is top 30%, and reading proficiency is top 20%) for the 2020-21 school year. 1:27. The district said Northeast went into secure mode at 1:51 p.m. and Murchison at 2:01 p.m. After about 20 minutes, Murchison Middle resumed normal operations after no weapon was found, according to the district. This tragedy happened at the end of the school year, and the yearbooks were already printed and ready to be distributed. $199,000. He spent a few years at an inpatient rehab facility in Dallas, then went to law school at UT and still lives in Austin. Testing Calendar, listing state and district assessments. Scott York. John Hinckley lives with his mother. Paste as plain text instead, those kids that were there all of the students, at the time received ZERO follow up counseling, guidance. Morris Hohmann once told me that every year, around August 1 (every year, not just five year intervals), he received calls from the world over for a first-hand account. Thanks for being first on my Google inquiry. If you prefer to donate by check, Zelle, ACH, or wire transfer, please email us for instructions. iCal Feed Instructions. I understand that Christian graduated from UT Law School and now practices law in Austin. Theres probably a mix of solutions, and thats for others to decide. On June 2nd, 1978, just a few weeks after the shooting, the psychiatrists would testify in court that John was acutely depressed and suffered from latent schizophrenia. John Ray and John Christian were set to give their oral presentations that day. What a shocking tragedy. Was he angry that Mr. Grayson did not grade and return his latest essay about castrating robots? He spent 20 months in an expensive psychiatric facility and then lived for a time with a Dallas eye doctor named John Eisenlohr, who was a member of the Texas Ophthalmological Association, who George Christian was a lobbyist for. Come celebrate with the Murchison Middle School Fine Arts Class as we open the doors to the public to share the talents of our students. At 12:30 p.m., a school resource officer requested emergency backup after a student was shot, the Greenville County Sheriff's Office said. Map This will ensure your intended full donation amount will be received for the project. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. His mom, Jo Anne, was a highly regarded lawyer and patron on Austins arts scene. His mom, Jo Anne, was a highly regarded lawyer and patron on Austins arts scene. The school is part of AUSTIN ISD. The student was identified as Jamari Cortez Bonaparte Jackson.He was shot at least once in the 700 wing of the school by another 12-year-old student who was arrested, according to a statement released by the Sheriff's Office by 6 p.m. I believe the teacher's son was less than a year old when his dad was murdered. https://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2012/04/were-all-safer-now-austin-teacher.html my younger brother was a student of Mr Gregory. Just saw that Johns mother, Jo Anne Christian, died, and a *ping* went off in my mind. 2023 www.statesman.com. Choose from thousands of products to decorate, including the newest Murchison Middle School Matadors t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, jerseys, hats, long sleeve shirts, face masks, polos, shorts, sweatpants, and more. Ms. Arce, Randy Schurr, the choir teacher (forgot her name) provided remarkable solace. I am upset by what is going on. No other person without his family connections would ever have made it into law school. It wouldnt be unthinkable at all. He shot his teacher three times, in the head, chest and arm. Banging chicks and crushing beers a couple years after putting your dad in the ground? Comments: This is from the post at the Web site of Circlec.cc: July 30, 2003. I go to Murchison now and nobody talks or knows about this, only when we had a lockdown. What class was Mr. Grayson shot in? Then, however, there are some situations that could be, for the right kind of money and influence, be tucked away from public view, to avoid any further damage, and embarrassment. By todays standards of school shootings, this one was pretty mild, (One person dead, no automatic weapons, no SWAT team etc. I only skimmed that article but I did see the teacher's son was around the same age as john christian. He was traumatized by the event, as he was sitting in the front row. E.A. But, since you opened that door, let me kick it the rest of the way open, by asking you to answer as to why, as far as deaths caused per dollars donated, you arent you going atter Planned Parenthood, for example, or Big Pharma?! Murchison Middle School Principal Brad Clark gave his . yeah name dropping all day kids. I knew both Mr Grayson, who was my major mentor, who spent hours making a bonkers installation with me :Rod like no other, was a tough master and I adored him. Bedichek Middle School -- Bobcat Paw Prints. What if Christian had had a real gun . We were fortunate in that John only took the life of one individual and didnt act on his first impulse to rain down bullets on us from the top of the hill overlooking the practice field. You can learn more about each of the District's middle schools by following the links in the left navigation of this page. Murchison Middle School is a middle school. You dont have to know much about firearms to know that a firearm with a larger capacity and a higher rate of fire and, for that matter, a larger caliber can do a lot more damage in a short amount of time. The gifted and talented teacher, Rod Grayson, was fatally shot by one of his most prized students. Get all Latest News about walmart fayetteville, Breaking headlines and Top stories, photos & video in real time NEW - 2 DAYS AGO 0.35 ACRES. WHY did he say, The joke is up.? He's heen charged with cngaging in delinquent conduct, said Assistant District Attorney Jackie Strashun. John Daniel Christian shot Mr. Rodney Grayson, father of an 11 month old baby boy, husband, teacher of accelerated English (G.T. Courtesy of Murchison Middle School Peyton Smith, a former student of Rod Grayson's who witnessed the shooting, photographed at Murchison in February. More than three times his age at the time. (Honor among thieves.). Murchison Middle School. Remember that day vividly. what? I consider his case to be a triumph of the juvenile justice system. George Christian bought a ranch in Joppa Tx in the late 70s across from our ranch. That was a well-written article. School shootings seem to be more prevalent now than they ever have been, but theyve been around forever. The drug dealer got the needle in Huntsville and the Murchison shooter got a UT Law degree and a bar card. I was outside at gym class, and my coach stopped the class and muttered, What is that kid doing with that gun? We looked over, just in time to see him running near the bike racks. To confirm, reflect and attempt to recover of Texas Music covers the musical landscape of a most musical.. Consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website be years! 2, Geisels birthday, in the family portraits murchison middle school shooting did see the news about Florida on and. Outside at gym class, and a bar card just saw that Johns mother, Jo Anne,... 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