Alumni of the Southeast Junior/Senior High School will come from across the nation to unite in Pine Bluff. They will honor 66 remarkable years of Southeast’s legacy with a proclamation from Mayor Vivian L. Flowers, a heartfelt video welcome, as we reflect on our shared history.
The weekend will be filled with inspiring activities, including a PowerPoint presentation on preserving our heritage, a joyful class picnic, a delicious fish fry, and a celebratory dance. All activities will take place in the Pine Bluff Convention Center, where the clear bag policy will be enforced.
Registration begins July 24 at 5 p.m. The fish fry starts July 25 at 11 a.m., and the dance begins at 8 p.m. July 25. On July 26, the indoor picnic starts at 11 a.m., and the banquet begins at 7 p.m. All the events take place in Ballrooms 2 and 4 at the convention center.
Southeast Junior/Senior High School, an all-Black school located on the east side of the city, has become a victim of extinction, similar to many all-Black schools across the nation. Their history has largely been forgotten. However, the Southeast alumni are working diligently to preserve and recover much of their rich history. An update on plans and progress will be provided at the reunion.
The history of the school shows that right after Emancipation, the American Missionary Association sent white teachers to our community to educate the former slaves and assist them in becoming full citizens. Their advice and good council were largely responsible for the peaceful relationship that existed between the white people and the newly enfranchised Negroes during and after Reconstruction period. Too much praise cannot be given the Christian leaders of that day for their wisdom and judgment in handling the difficult problems they faced.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
In 1868, the public school system for Pine Bluff was organized. The history of what is now Merrill High School began in 1886 when the city bought for $4,000 all of the block two of Taylor Addition, between Pullen, Scull, Linden and Mulberry streets, from Mr. Joseph Merrill.
Until Townsend Park Elementary and Coleman Elementary School became high schools, Merrill High School was the only public school for Negroes in this area. J.C. Corbin High School located on the campus of AM&N College was the only other high school for Negroes.
Following the U. S. Supreme Court ruling in 1954, a new junior-senior high school, along with other school improvements was erected on the east side of Main Street on Ohio and given the name Southeast Junior-Senior High School.
Merrill High School was the third Negro high school in Arkansas to be approved for credit by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. The faculty from Merrill High School was split to staff the new Southeast Junior-Senior High School.
Mr. W. T. Cheney, principal of Indiana Street Elementary School, headed the new school as its first principal. Faculty members from Merrill transferred to the newly formed school were: Mrs. Anthonette Akins, Chairperson of the Business Education Department; Mrs. Wherda Bentley, Chairperson Home Economics Department; Miss Hazel Dunnings, Counselor; Arthur Doc Gillard, Assistant Principal and Chairman Science Department; Ulysses S. Grant, Coach and Chairman Physical Education Department; Thomas Grayson, Chairman Mathematics Department; Miss Janie Hamilton, English Department; Mrs. L.E. Henson, Chairperson English Department; Mrs. L.C. Stevenson, Chairperson Social Studies Department.
Other initial faculty members for Southeast Junior/Senior High School were: Mrs. Delores Broughton, Librarian and Social Studies; Mrs. Irene Brown, Mathematics; Glen Gibson, Science and Assistant Coach; Dewitt Hill, Industrial Arts; Dorsey Jones Jr., Band and Vocal Music; Mrs. Gwendolyn Turrentine, Physical Education; Mrs. Lida Walker, Cafeteria Manager; Lirmon Copeland, Custodian.
Southeast is the first Negro high school to open in September of its first school year rated “A” by the state Department of Education by Christmas. It applied for rating by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools before Easter and was approved for admission to North Central before the end of its first school year.
The size of Southeast Junior-Senior High School grew from 423 and 16 teachers during the 1958-59 school year to 983 pupils and 40 teachers during the 1965-66 school year. Our largest faculty number was 45 during the 1968-69 school year. We had only 935 students during the 1968-69 term.
Other areas of pride and promise for Southeast were: In the area of athletics, Southeast has an outstanding history beginning with Coach U.S. Grant in 1958–1961; Coach John E. Eubanks, 1962–1964 and Coach Donzell Young 1965–1970. Southeast participated in the all Negro Big 10 Conference from 1958–1967, at which time we emerged champions in ’59–’60, ’64-’65 and ’66-’67.
The Rev. Jesse Turner is with the Southeast Panthers Historical Society LLC Communication Committee.