95 Years Is A Mighty Long Time - Lockerman Schools 95th Anniversary
95 Years Is A Mighty Long Time
The Lockerman Schools Association Inc. Celebrates Its 95th Anniversary
by Melissa Prunty Kemp
Earlier this year, the Lockerman Schools Association, Inc., a vibrant group of African American Eastern Shoreans, approached the Chesapeake Heartland team to assist them in their historical preservation efforts by documenting oral histories from key elders who shaped the legacy of Lockerman. The stories we captured are being preserved in the Chesapeake Heartland Digital Archives. They could serve as the foundation for the Association’s online presence.
95 years is quite a long time to retain memories of glee clubs, sneaking away to attend the church revival, or the never-ending smell of the charred ruins of an airplane that crashed into the principal, Mr. Hammond’s house, burning it to the ground. Yet, the memories of life in Caroline County, Maryland and school attendance at the Joseph Harrison Lockerman School during their formative years has burned an indelible impression into the lives and memories of hundreds of African American students and faculty.
Serving as Caroline County’s only school for African Americans, Lockerman educated the likes of engineers, superintendents, pilots, and ministers from 1930 to 1966. As the only high school for African Americans in a 320-square-mile county that sits 42 miles southeast of Annapolis, what students received through their Lockerman attendance was unparalleled and unforgettable.
Eight of them who attended from 1942 through 1966 graciously provided experiences of their teachers, principals, the student body, memorable events and the boon to their careers and lives that a Lockerman education fostered. Regardless of the necessity for some students to ride a bus as many as 25 miles to reach the school in Denton from their homes in locations like Denton, Federalsburg, Ridgely, Marydel, Greensboro, Preston, and Goldsboro, all students agreed that they were unbothered by the ride. They enjoyed the days with their friends, teachers, and neighbors.
Bessie Pope Walker, Betty L. Ricks-Jarman, Emanuel Maurice Taylor, Ira Tyrone Nichols, Jr., Loretta Sharp McCray, Mary Helen Mason, Rev. Dr. Ruth Anna Cain Evans, Thomas Norton Mcknight, Jr. spent anywhere from eight to thirteen minutes recalling the “greatest hits” of their time at Lockerman. Ms. Ricks recalls sneaking out of school to attend a church revival up the road. She intended to return before she was discovered, but she didn’t quite make it. But who could be upset with a child who snuck off to attend a prayer meeting?
Mr. Taylor recalls how he extolled the virtues and beauty of his home room teacher Miss Adams’ fox fur stole, which she always hung on the back of her chair, and which he donned to express his love one day when she left the room to attend a meeting. As his classmates laughed at what he thought were his entertaining expressions of undying affection, it was Miss Adams standing behind him watching his antics with amusement that captured their giggles.
It was through Principal Hammond’s announcement over the intercom that Ira Tyrone Nichols, Jr. learned of the shocking assassination of President John F. Kennedy. And, it was the staunch tutelage and strict oversight from math and science teachers that challenged both Thomas Norton McKnight, Jr. and Emmanuel Maurice Taylor to become Air Force servicemen. McKnight, Jr. became a pilot and Taylor became a mechanic. These fine soldiers are both veterans of the Vietnam War, and McKnight, Jr. is the grandson of an original Tuskegee Redtail Airmen.
The Lockerman 95th Anniversary Celebration was more than a gathering of former classmates. It was a day of recognition of living and deceased alumni, a time for families to reconnect, and a program of honor and valour for the Lockerman student body that continues to promote its history to Denton and surrounding Caroline County residents. Being present to collect the oral histories of these African American Eastern Shore students was a particular honor for me as the Starr Center Digital Historian because of the exceptionally perilous times for historic preservation in which we live. To Black alumni of schools like Lockerman, Kennard in Centerville, and Garnet in Chestertown, recitations of events and activities at reunions and anniversaries are the life blood that safeguards this history.
These events also become a beacon for the younger generations who may not recognize how significant and day-to-day events uniquely shaped the lives of their ancestors in unexpected ways. An example comes from a current Washington College student, Kim Andrews, a first-year international scholar who serves as an intern for the Chesapeake Heartland. When asked about her impressions of the event, she stated,
“I thought it was a very good event. We were even able to discover a connection between Ms. Airlee (Ringgold Johnson) and a man who graduated from Lockerman in '52! It was just so nice to see how much pride they hold in their school. So many of them mentioned how much they felt seen before schools became integrated and this really stood out to me. For me, this event served more as a reminder to me as the next generation to take pride in my work and education. I also had some time during the event to reflect on how different education looked for me, Ms. Airlee and all the other adults. It was special.” The opportunity to connect seasoned and youthful experiences and perspectives in venues like this is always priceless.”
Creating transformative connections like these among students, the larger community, and our Chesapeake Heartland staff and community curators is the highest mission-driven work that the archives can offer to our patrons. This experience reminds us and our students of why we collect and preserve these histories and who benefits today and tomorrow from this work. Because of the inroads we have made from our starting point of Chestertown and Kent County to the Kennard African American Center for History and Culture in Centreville and now, the Lockerman Schools Association, Inc., the Starr Center can continue its forward charge to collect and care for the history of African American life on the Eastern Shore. We will continue to bring life to the stories of outstanding African Americans on the Shore.