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James Albert Godwin was born on Sept. 17, 1917, on his family’s 80-acre farm just north of Princeton. A portion of the farm is now the site of Godwin Elementary School, named in his honor.

Mr. Godwin grew up on the farm where his father raised cotton and onions, and he attended school in Princeton and was active in sports and other programs.

After graduation from PHS in 1936, he worked for a couple of years before enrolling in East Texas State Teachers College in Commerce. However, his college career was interrupted when he was drafted into the Army at the onset of World War II.

The Army Division that he served conducted operations in the Pacific until the close of the war, and he used to say he joined the Army and spent more time on a ship than he did on land. After his discharge from the Army, he was able to resume his college education and receive his bachelor's degree in education.

Mr. Godwin began his Princeton ISD career in the 1948-49 school year as the football and boys basketball coach. His classroom teaching assignment included world history, Texas history and civics, and he continued to coach boys sports at the high school level until the early 1960s, as well as teaching history in the classroom.

School growth in that era created the need for more staff and the division of high school and junior high coaching responsibilities. However, Mr. Godwin continued coaching junior high teams and even coached the high school girls team for a couple of years, leading several teams to the playoffs.

The end of the 1965-66 school year saw a shift in the PISD administration. After the retirement of  Superintendent L.R. Huddleston, Mr. Godwin was appointed high school principal when George Clark was appointed superintendent. However, he maintained his classroom responsibilities for several more years.

Mr. Godwin served as Princeton High School principal from 1966 until his retirement at the close of the school term in 1977. His high level of integrity and dedication to the education of the students of  PISD was an example to all who knew him. After his retirement from Princeton ISD, Mr. Godwin was appointed supervisor of Collin County Schools.