Join me in extending a special happy Veterans Day to Rudolph Johnson. He continues to be among the most generous contributors to our RCTS Scholarship initiative. He recently made a donation to support the award of our 2025 RCTS scholarships. Rudolph graduated with the RCTS class of 1956.

In this collage, Rudolph is pictured in 1958 at the age of 19 with his fellow Marines in Camp Kinser on Okinawa, Japan. Also included in the collage is a photo of Handley High School 2024 RCTS scholarship recipients.

Since 2005, with Rudolph's support and that of other RCTS alumni and friends, we have awarded 101 scholarships to RCTS descendant students.

Remember and Grow Stronger - Behind These Silent Walls. (Hattie P. Clark).

The Randolph County Training School (RCTS) opened in 1919 and closed in 1970 in response to a federal court school desegregation order.

In 1965, RCTS principal Herman Shaw traveled to Washington, D.C. to urge action by the federal government (then the Department of Health, Education and Welfare) to desegregate public education in the county.

Mr. C. D. Camp was the principal of RCTS between 1926 and 1937. In January of 1935, Professor George Washington Carver, chairman of the Chemistry Department at Tuskegee University, spoke at Handley High School to a large crowd. At the time, public school education in the city and county was segregated based on race.

The Leader Newspaper covered the event, highlighting Dr. Carver's status as one of America's most noted and accomplished scientists. Of special note was the fact that a group of RCTS students was permitted to attend Dr. Carver's speech but had to sit in the gallery section of the auditorium.

Thirty-years would pass before students would be permitted to sit together in the auditorium unseparated by race and gallery and main floor designations.

The segregated seating arrangement in the auditorium separated the RCTS African American students from the essence of Dr. Carver's life of which they were a part. In the attached photo collage, I added Dr. Carver's picture to the article.

Behind These Silent Walls. History that should be taught.

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Dr. Clarence Lee and his wife are among the most consistent contributors to the RCTS scholarship Fund. They recently made another very generous contribution. The Fund is achieving its twin goal of supporting the educational aspirations of Randolph County, Alabama students, and institutionalizing the RCTS tradition and legacy.

RCTS was a Rosenwald descendant School that served the educational needs of African Americans students for 51 years (1919-1970). We are thankful for Dr. Lee generosity as a son of Alabama, Tuskegee University, and distinguished Howard University professor and Dean.

We are encouraged by the recognition that the RCTS Fund has received from Randolph County’s four high schools in Roanoke, Woodland, Wadley and Wedowee, Alabama. Terry O’Bryan and Kieauna Strickland are 2013 and 2015 RCTS scholarship recipients and Tuskegee University graduates.

Since 2005, we have annually awarded scholarships to students in Randolph County, Alabama to support their college aspirations. We have awarded 105 scholarships!

We hope RCTS alumni and friends will continue to support the RCTS Scholarship Fund and the educational aspirations of students in Randolph County, Alabama. Current updates about the RCTS Scholarship Fund are available at www.rctsfoundation.org. We also have an active Facebook Group (RCTS Legacy and Reunion) where scholarship information is posted. All donated funds continue to be awarded annually as scholarships. No funds are used for administrative or other purposes.