Van Alstyne Leader
22 February 2001
Page 6

BLACK CITIZENS PIONEERS IN AREA DEVELOPMENT
From the railroad to city government, Lynwood McKinney is one of the African-American pioneers of Van Alstyne.

He was born on December 20, 1910, to Henry "Chick" McKinney and Katherine "Mutt" McKinney in Van Alstyne, marking his entrance into one of the oldest African-American families in the city.
Lynwood was the valedictorian of his class at Booker T. Washington in Van Alstyne. He also attended Terrell High School
in Denison.
While he was a mail carrier on the Interurban Railroad and worked at the Cotton Cleaners - now known as Reeves Cleaners - for 27 years, his biggest accomplishment came when he began service as the first black city councilman.  He is a member of Eastside Church of Christ.

---

Biography Index


Susan Hawkins
©2025

If you find any of Grayson CountyTXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message.