Tobie Clark, RCTS class of 1957, has joined the ancestors. He passed on December 18th in Samford, Connecticut. He was the last surviving son of Ms. Octavia Strickland Clark and Deacon Robert Clark, long-term residents of the historic Newtown community in Roanoke. May he rest in peace with God's grace and mercy.

He was the husband of Sarah Heard Clark, also a RCTS graduate. Tobie and Sarah were strong supporters of our RCTS Legacy (as a Rosenwald descendant school) and Reunion initiative and regularly attended reunions. Tobie was a member of the 1957 RCTS basketball team, which included Curtis Whitlow, Linnie Wright, Love Joy Moody, Walter Canady, and others.

1957 was an important year in the history of RCTS in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement, three years after the Brown vs. Board of Education school desegregation decision, the third year of the principalship of Ben A. Outland, and the year that the Civil Rights Act passed, creating the Civil Rights Commission. Tobie, Sarah, Dorothy Adams-Oliver, Curtis Whitlow, Mary Alford and the Fab-5 are pictured in this collage.

Join me in extending a happy 101st heavenly birthday to Reverend Robert L. Heflin, a veteran of the United States Coast Guard and my father in-law. He was born on November 11, 1924, in Randolph County, Alabama, 92 years after the county was founded. His four children attended RCTS and he served on the county Superintendent's parents advisory board.

After his birth in 1924, forty years would pass before he would be able to access, largely because of the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, full Alabama and U.S. citizenship rights - an Act which Donald Trump and his enablers think was a mistake.

In this photo, Tamara Terry Thomas is presenting him the Heflin-Clark-Terry Community Service Award. He worked with Wilkie Clark, and Jesse and Roy Terry to remove limitations on the Civil Rights of African Americans in Randolph County imposed by the 1901 revised Alabama constitution, which stripped African Americans of their due process and equal protection rights. Let's do justice to his legacy as we in these difficult times protect our fundamental constitutional rights and democracy. He would be proud of the scholarships, now at 110, annually awarded annually to RCTS descendant students in Randolph County, Alabama.

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).