[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 72 (Thursday, May 26, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1116-E1117]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING THE 130TH ANNIVERSARY OF SUMNER HIGH SCHOOL

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                           HON. WM. LACY CLAY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 26, 2005

  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Sumner High 
School, the first school west of the Mississippi river to offer 
secondary

[[Page E1117]]

education to African Americans. This year marks the 130th anniversary 
of the school's founding as ``The High School for Colored Children.'' 
Originally housed in the former Washington School at 11th and Spruce 
streets in downtown St. Louis, the school was renamed on October 12, 
1875, in honor of Charles Sumner, a Massachusetts Senator who was an 
ardent supporter of African-American rights. In 1861 Senator Sumner was 
the first U.S. Senator to call for full emancipation. The decision to 
name the school in his honor reflected the school's role as a 
preeminent institution for African Americans. Dropping ``colored 
school'' in favor of Sumner High occurred fifteen years before local 
African-American leaders succeeded in persuading the St. Louis Board of 
Schools to designate names for all segregated schools.
  In the aftermath of the Civil War, Missouri passed a new state 
constitution requiring all school boards to support education for 
African Americans. However, the Board of Education for Colored Schools 
occupied only rented space and its schools moved often. Sumner was no 
exception. In 1895 it was relocated to 15th and Walnut streets, near 
the saloons and pool halls of downtown St. Louis. Concerned citizens 
petitioned school officials to move the school again and in 1910 Sumner 
was relocated to The Ville neighborhood, where it occupied a new 
structure at 4248 Cottage Avenue. The new Sumner High strengthened the 
neighborhood's status as a center for middle-class African-American 
life in St. Louis.
  Another historical landmark tied to Sumner High School involved the 
hiring of African-American teachers. Initially, Sumner had an all white 
faculty, but the parents requested that a special effort be made to 
recruit African-American teachers. Two years later, in 1877, the 
school's first African-American principal took charge.
  Sumner High School further enhanced educational opportunities for 
African Americans in Missouri when, in 1890, it established an 
extension called the Sumner Normal School to train elementary school 
teachers. In 1925 the Sumner Normal School became a college; it was 
known as the Sumner Teachers College until 1930 when it was renamed 
Harriet Beecher Stowe Teachers College. In 1940 the Teachers College 
moved to new facility on Pendleton Street where it remained until 1954 
when, in one of St. Louis' first efforts to desegregate its public 
schools, the St. Louis Board of Education merged Stowe College with the 
all-white Harris Teachers College.
  Sumner graduated its first class in 1885 and over the years its 
alumni list boasts a number of accomplished African Americans, 
including the opera singer Grace Bumbry, activist Dick Gregory, 
musician Tina Turner, tennis great Arthur Ashe, Liberian Ambassador 
Lester Walton, educator Julia Davis, rock history legend Chuck Berry, 
performer Robert McFerrin, actor Robert Guillaume, Yankee catcher-
outfielder (and the American League's first black Most Valuable Player) 
Elston Howard and local newscaster Julius Hunter, to name just a few.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with deep pride that I recognize Sumner High 
School, a symbol of progress in African American history for its 
distinguished record of achievement in public education. As a community 
leader and elected official, I am proud to salute Sumner and all Sumner 
students and alumni on this very special anniversary. Sumner High 
School is a source of pride for St. Louisans and a model for public 
schools across the nation.

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