GARNET HIGH
SCHOOL
|
Located
on Shrewsbury and Lewis Streets, Garnet High School was at the center
of "The Block", the African American area of business and culture
in Charleston. This was actually the second Garnet High, the first one
being on Jacob and Lewis Streets some blocks away. Garnet's last
commencement was May 25, 1956 after desegregation. A few years
later it became John Adams Jr High, while that new school was being
built in South Hills. Then for years it became an adult education
facility. Today it is operated as a historic non profit.
|
Here are some interior shots of Garnet High School.
Many successful African Americans graduated from Garnet, but one of the most famous was Leon Sullivan.
The Internet is full of information on Mr Sullivan, but here are just a few of the Highlights:
Born to Charles
and Helen Sullivan in Charleston, West Virginia, he was raised in a
small house on a dirt alley called Washington Court--one of
Charleston's poorest communities. As a teenager, Sullivan — who as an
adult stood 6 ft 5 in tall — attended Garnet High School,
a school for African Americans in Charleston, West Virginia. He
received both a basketball and a football scholarship to West Virginia
State College where, in 1940, he was initiated into the Tau chapter of
Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. A foot injury that ended his athletic
career and scholarships forced Sullivan to pay for the remainder of his
college by working in a steel mill. In
1971, Sullivan joined the General Motors Board of Directors and became
the first African-American on the board of a major corporation. He went
on to serve on General Motors' board for over 20 years.
|
*Final Note: If you are a non profit looking for space to rent in a wonderful building, contact me.
Back to Index
|
