Memories: Royal Street-L. J. Rowan a Cultural Legacy 1950-1970

By Dorothy Bell Lucas

MEMORIES, is my personal commemorative description of an exceptional legacy of young Black teens in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. This portrait portrays students sharing special bonds of love, friendships, academic dignity and great respect for their Alma Mater, Royal Street-L. J. Rowan High, during and after the outcries of the Civil Rights Era.

If you enjoy searching for time capsules and flashbacks of the United States' History, this profound Legacy can accommodate your thirst and help you understand Black students' desires for getting an education and succeeding beyond their parents and grandparents socioeconomic status or wildest dreams, during the crisis of the Little Rock Nine, the Norfolk's seventeen, the Vietnam Anti-War Movement, the assassinations of President John Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Vernon Dahmer, as well as the wrongfully accused and cruel treatments of Clyde Kennard.

Trapped in this almost hopeless environment, many African American students escaped the horrors of society, and blossomed into well-adjusted educated citizens, prepared to enforce and enjoy all freedoms of the United States Constitution and the competitive, global job market.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Sep 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9781468565386

Dorothy Bell Lucas

Mrs. Dorothy Bell Lucas is a retired educator. Throughout her devoted challenging career, she has held many distinguished professional and volunteer positions. Two of those distinguished honors include Hattiesburg District Teacher of the Year and the title Whos Who in Black Mississippi. Mrs. Lucas enjoyed helping elementary students develop inquiring minds, tackling challenges and striving to become successful learners. She received her degrees from Jackson State University. She is married, has two children and resides in Mississippi.

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© 2011 Dorothy Bell Lucas. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 8/17/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4490-6743-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4685-6538-6 (ebook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010908169

Contents

Acknowledgement

Preface

To the Students

of

Rowan Elementary School

Royal Street-L. J. Rowan High

Superintendent and Trustees

History of Royal Street-L. J. Rowan High School

Old Royal Street-Rowan High and Its Alma Mater

The Tiger

The First Administrator

A Dynamic Support Team

Faculty in Action

Community Involvement

Most Popular Extra Curricular Activities

Schools Transitioning Students to Rowan

Remembering Old Buildings Sprinkled with New

Reminiscing Can Be Great

Do You Remember?

Cherished Landmarks

Encouraging Songs of This Time Period

A Historical Timeline

of Top News Stories

1950-1970

Administrators

of

1950-1970

We Made It

Reflections-Expressions of Love

Historic Civil Rights Sites

In And Surrounding

Hattiesburg

Notable Pioneers

During The Sixties

Acknowledgements Index

OTHER BOOKS WRITTEN

BY

Dorothy Bell Lucas

God’s Wisdom For Successful Happy Ladies

The Blessings Of Faith

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Dedication

In loving memory of my deceased nephew Terry Morgan Bell, a 1969 successful graduate of Rowan High, his deceased daughter, Tamla Bell Yang of Texas and all the wonderful students who attended and enjoyed old Royal Street-L. J. Rowan High School in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Acknowledgement

To the magnificent foresight and memory of Mr. Blair and Dr. Sam Spinks, Superintendents of the Hattiesburg Public School system, Administrator N. R. Burger of Royal Street-Rowan High School, his devoted staff and the supportive effort and dedication of Rowan’s Parent Teachers Association, thank you.

Special thanks goes out to all students who attended Royal Street-Rowan during 1950-1970 and the accomplishments each achieved.

Special thanks goes out to the Hattiesburg Library Research’s Team.

A special thanks goes out to the parents of Royal Street-L. J. Rowan students and the community of friends in Hattiesburg, Mississippi who believed in the school and its profound academic curriculum.

A special thanks goes out to McCain’s Archives Department

at the University of Southern Mississippi

Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

A special thanks goes out to Dr. Annie P. Wimbish,

Superintendent,

Hattiesburg Public Schools,

Hattiesburg, Mississippi for pictures and information from Rowan’s High School Year Books

Preface

An environment of love, respect and inspiring teachers everywhere. This is the unofficial slogan many students use to describe Rowan’s safe, orderly atmosphere. This school, Royal Street-L. J. Rowan was an extraordinary high school where dedicated teachers provided love and an abundance of quality teaching strategies, which created talented young scholars during 1950-1970 to become creative analytical thinkers, self-directed lifelong learners and global competitors.

This invigorating legacy of young energetic, talented teenagers enjoying school and challenging educational opportunities is quite inspiring and somewhat universal to all teens. It describes school activities, achievements, opportunities and students’ desires of becoming successful citizens. Old Rowan was the place where black students could express themselves openly, feel love and be respected while learning knowledge, which prepared them for the Cultural Revolution. They learned self-control strategies, acquire knowledge, receive integrity and ethical behavior for success. The school’s philosophy was to educate the whole child by teaching to the needs of all.

Rowan High definitely deserves this celebration because a large number of its adolescence became triumphantly productive. Furthermore, in spite of many structural renovations and the ability to survive the downward spiral from a high school status to an elementary rank, it still stands as a powerful pillar of strength in the community and a superb advocate for public education in Hattiesburg, Mississippi today.

This red brick building has earned an honorable recognition by just existing in south Mississippi over fifty-five years. The educational institution has served many quite proudly and distinguished. Knowledge students acquired represented visionary symbols of hope, when many times, Blacks felt depressed, unworthy and not educated sufficiently. For these reasons and other loving thoughts, Rowan’s spirits will continue to linger in the hearts of its