Longtime Hays CISD trustee Ralph Pfluger stands in front of the new Buda Elementary School named in his honor. Pfluger was a member of the 1967 school board that oversaw consolidation of the Kyle, Buda and Wimberley school districts. (Photo by Jim Cullen)

by JIM CULLEN

When students, friends and family gather for this Friday morning’s dedication of Ralph Pfluger Elementary School, the occasion will mark the official, permanent recognition of another of Hays CISD’s founding pioneers. Beyond the fact that Ralph Pfluger was one of the school district’s original board members, though, the event honors the ongoing efforts of one of the district’s most dedicated volunteers.

Last fall’s dedication of D.J. “Red” Simon Middle School brought together the students of that campus and the extended Simon and school district family to formally recognize the local native’s longtime contributions to education. This year’s recognition of Ralph Pfluger by the community and the students of his namesake campus promises to be every bit as significant – and moving – a moment.

A member of the last Buda school board, Pfluger shared the experience of the school district’s 1967 creation with Kyle’s Simon and others, being among those chosen to sit on the newly-consolidated board. Considering the rivalries that had existed between the Buda and Kyle communities for decades, consolidation was a remarkable feat at the time, a fact increasingly lost on residents of the area today as Hays CISD moves toward its half-century mark.

Ralph Pfluger’s presence on that original consolidating board was no accident, though today he laughingly describes how he first came into board service for Buda in 1963.

“The Buda school district was having its share of problems at that time and one day two guys came by our home, then on FM 1626, while I was mowing my bar ditch. They were looking for me (or someone) to serve on the board and I said, ‘Sure!’”

“I really didn’t know what I was getting in for,” he admits, describing his first board meeting, where an unpopular 4-3 personnel decision was decided by his vote. Angered by that vote, a member of the audience stood up and told Pfluger to “come on outside” and threatened a whipping. It didn’t happen, but the new board member figured, if necessary, he’d be safe if he got to the door because “he’d never catch me.”

The succeeding years brought the distinct challenges and rewards that come with school board membership, highlighted by the consolidation of Buda, Kyle and, at the time, Wimberley. Pfluger served as a Hays CISD trustee until 1974, then continued his ongoing professional life as an administrator at the Marbridge community for adults with special needs.

Always a follower of school district matters and unable to recruit a board candidate representing his views, he decided to run for the office once again in 2004 and did so successfully, occupying his 21st Century seat until his retirement from the board this year. He complemented his trustee work with a regular (some describe it as “religious”) schedule of volunteer work focused on remedial reading and personal mentoring.

It is that mentoring for which this unassuming man is so highly recognized, a unique talent he brings to the campuses – and individual students – fortunate enough to encounter him.

Pfluger Elementary Principal Robin Kelley, one of the administrators to have seen his mentoring, has watched and admired him for his trustee work, but also for the magic he works with her students. She’s quick to share what she sees as his “great impact on the entire Hays CISD community advocating for change.” But she personally documents “the countless hours and relentless efforts in supporting children who have challenges to overcome in their lives” and calls them “the heart of this gentle man.”
Pfluger himself says that his mentoring contact with individual students “has probably affected me more than it has them.”

That self-effacing assessment from this Hays CISD pioneer – who along with his wife Lois continues to give of himself to the school district community – likely offers the best possible portrait of the kind of person for whom schools are named, here – and everywhere.

Pfluger Elem. Dedication
The dedication of Ralph Pfluger Elementary will be at 8 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 17. The school is located at 4951 Marsh Lane in the Shadow Creek subdivision. The public is invited.