Friday, August 08, 2014

Marker pays home to W.Va. HS for black students :: WRAL.com

Marker pays home to W.Va. HS for black students :: WRAL.com: WESTOVER, W.Va. — A historical marker now recognizes a significant chapter in the life of Monongalia High School — once the county's only high school for young black men and women.

The Dominion Post reports that alumni gathered in Westover on Friday to dedicate the historic marker, six decades after the school closed.

Claudette Dale was a 10th grader in 1954 when schools around the country were integrated after Brown v. Board of Education. A cheerleader, she finished her high school education at Morgantown High School.

Dale proclaimed it "so wonderful" to see the sign in front of her former school. She's president of the Beechurst and Monongalia Alumni Association.

Another Monongalia High student, Robert McNeill, said the marker leaves a "permanent presence" at the school.