Dates: 1929-1961
Size: 1 cubic foot
Access: Open for research
Collection Number: Special Collections No. 74

Processed by: Charlotte A. Holliman

Biographical Note

James Standifer was born on October 20, 1913 to Samuel Francis Standifer and Zena Zora Owens Standifer in Beaumont, Texas. He attended Beaumont High School where he played football, ran track and was on the tumbling team. In 1931, he was chosen to the all-star interscholastic league football team by the sports writers of Texas with 19 votes. He graduated in 1932 and then played college football at Louisiana State University and St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. He received an associate’s degree from Lamar Junior College and a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University in 1944. He also received his Master of Education (M Ed.) degree in 1945 from the University of Texas at Austin and a Doctorate in Education (D Ed.) from the University of Michigan in 1957.

Standifer was employed by Lamar College in the 1940s where his duties included line coach for the football team.

From 1947 to 1952 Standifer worked for Phillips Petroleum Company, where he organized physical activities for their employees all through the Texas Panhandle.

In 1957 he and his family moved to Fort Worth, Texas where he began a professorship at Texas Christian University where he was an instructor in Safety, Physical Education and Driver’s Education.

Standifer retired in 1978 after a 32 year career of teaching and coaching at TCU as professor of health and physical education in the School of Education. He died on January 24, 1986 and is buried at Greenwood Memorial Park in Fort Worth, Texas.

Scope and Content

The James “Tiny” Standifer Collection was donated to Special Collections in 2012.  The collection is primarily photographic images of Lamar students and the campus in the early 1940s but also includes pamphlets on various subjects.

The images document the early history of Lamar as we have virtually no images in our collections from this time period. The collection also includes images of the Neches River, Beaumont High School football and the 1932 Olympics.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item]. James Standifer Collection, University Archives and Special Collections, Lamar University.