A Golden Celebration|Temple class of 1959 gearing up for 50th reunion
Published 12:00 am Saturday, August 22, 2009
Members of the Rosa A. Temple High class of 1959 — the school’s first graduating class — will gather in Vicksburg in two weekends for their 50th class reunion.
If you go
The Rosa A. Temple class of 1959 will gather Sept. 4-6 for their 50th reunion. Events include:
Sept. 4
• 11 a.m. — Picnic at City Park Pavilion.
Sept. 5
• Time TBA — Jacqueline House tours.
• 6:30 p.m. — Social hour at Battlefield Inn.
• 7:30 — Banquet at Battlefield; alumnus James Hill, speaker.
Sept. 6
• 9 a.m. — Breakfast memorial service at Battlefield Inn; alumnus the Rev. Joseph Lloyd, speaker.
Temple, the last all-black school in Vicksburg, was named for Vicksburg native Rosa A. Temple, who was born in 1869. She was active in local schools and churches for more than 60 years until she died in 1972.
Alumnus Elijah Johnson said reunions have helped him and his schoolmates preserve their memories.
“We’ve been planning for this since October,” said Johnson, who was president of the 96-member senior class. “We’ve kept in contact with each other by letter and telephone.”
From Sept. 4-6, classmates will picnic at City Park Pavilion, tour the Jacqueline House African American Museum and participate in a banquet and breakfast memorial at Battlefield Inn. Fellow graduate, the Rev. Joseph Lloyd of Detriot, is scheduled to speak at the memorial.
“I think our teachers showed a special interest, and we love them now for it,” said Johnson.
Rosa A. Temple, now called Vicksburg Junior High, operated from 1959 to 1971, when Vicksburg high schools were integrated. The parents of the class of 1959 planted grass and trees that remain on the campus, Johnson said.
Last year, a mural honoring the school and its namesake was unveiled. It is among several dozen other local historical depictions on the flood wall at Levee Street.
“We were amazed at the outcome,” said Johnson.
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Contact Tish Butts at tbutts@vicksburgpost.com