DOTHAN, Ala. (AP) - To much of the neighborhood around Lake Street and Tuskegee Avenue in Dothan, the piece of land at the intersection of the two streets is just a vacant lot.
It has been just that for 14 years. In the 1950s and 1960s, however, it was the center of the black community. There, stood George Washington Carver High School. For almost two decades, the high school at Lake and Tuskegee produced graduates who contributed locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
The school ceased being a high school in the mid- 1960s and students transitioned to a new Carver location. The building at Lake and Tuskegee became an elementary school and then served other roles before eventually being torn down in 2003,
Now, a permanent reminder will be in place to pay tribute to the school.
The Dothan City Commission is expected to approve an agreement to assist with the creation of a monument to honor the school, its graduates, and teachers. If approved, a 12-foot stone monument with an 8-foot inset etching of the school will be the centerpiece of a small area on the vacant lot at the intersection of the two streets where the school once stood.
“You are actually standing in the gymnasium,” Robert Tyer, the school’s Grand Reunion Committee chairman said Tuesday as he stood a few feet away from the intersection of the two streets.
It was there that Tyer graduated in 1964. His mother graduated in the same gymnasium later the same day.
“This will give us something to have, to look at, to show our kids and grandkids the historical value of our education,” Tyer said.
The monument will include three wrought iron benches and three bosque elms for shade. It will also include electrical outlets to assist with events held there.
It is expected to be unveiled July 7 to coincide with a grand reunion of all Carver High School alumni.
Tyer entered first grade in Dothan at the age of 4. He excelled in school and was salutatorian of his elementary school class. He holds three degrees and recently moved back to Dothan after living many years in Mobile.
“We didn’t have instructors at Carver. We had teachers,” Tyer said. “There were more like parents; mothers and fathers. It wasn’t just a job to them.”
Organizers would like to include bathrooms, a water fountain and gates in a second phase of the project if resources are available.
The commission is expected to vote on the partnership with Carver alumni at its next regular meeting in two weeks.
— This article was corrected April 5, 2017, to reflect students transitioned to a new Carver location in the mid- 1960s and that the Lake/Tuskegee building was torn down in 2003.
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Information from: The Dothan Eagle, https://www.dothaneagle.com
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