MAJOR SHEARN for whom this school is named, was a teacher of History and Military Science at San Jacinto High School here in Houston. As an officer in the Infantry Reserve of the U.S Army, he was the commandant of the ROTC battalion at the school until he was called into active military service in October 1940. He was ordered to the Philippine Islands to serve on the staff of General Douglas MacArthur . Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December7,1941, the Japanese armed forces overran the Philippines. When Manilla, the largest city fell, he was ordered to Bataan under the command of General King, who was later forced to surrender against overwhelming odds. Major Shearn and the American troops became prisoners of the Japanese. When American troops began conquering the Pacific Islands in 1944,the Japanese placed the American prisoners on ships for Japan, fearing their recapture by American forces. While at sea, the ships were mistaken for Japanese troop ships by U.S. carrier based aircraft and were bombed and sunk, resulting in the loss of all, including Major Shearn.
Major Shearn will always be remembered by his cadets as a dedicated teacher and above all, an Officer and a Gentleman.