Porter High School was built to alleviate the over-crowded conditions which had existed at Brownsville High School for three years.[citation needed] Before the construction began, the school's colors and mascot were chosen at a board meeting on October 2, 1973. The school was named for Gladys Sams Porter (1910-March 16, 1980), the daughter of Earl C. Sams, who was the first president of the J.C. Penney retail chain and Lula A. Sams. Porter was a Brownsville civic leader and philanthropist.
