Jackson Advocate

State's Largest

New Negro High

School Dedicated

Last Sunday

Capacity Crowd Of

2000 Fill Auditorium

For Ceremony

Canton, Miss. Oct. 27 - White and Negro educators and civic leaders joined here Sunday in a spirit of cooperation and mutual praise to dedicate the largest new Negro high school in the state.

From the platform of the 2000

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State's Largest
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capacity auditorium of Rogers Junior-Senior High School, Rev. E. A. Mays, pastor of the Central Methodist Church of Jackson, said in the chief address, "The people of the community of Canton have gone the second mile in the construction of this half-million dollar school."

The program began with City Supt. D. M. Allen introducing the white people on the platform, including present members of the board of trustees: L. G. Spivey, chairman; Mrs. Frances Stewart, secretary; Dr. Bele Smith and Dr. Robert Caraley; and former board members, Dr. C. M. Wells and Hester Fox.

Also introduced on the stand were Senator Earl Evans, president pro tem of the state senate, Representatives Elmo Anderson and Joe Richardson, and Mayor Percy Parker.

A. M. Rogers, for whom the building was named, said that in the 25 years he had served as principal of the Negro High School the enrollment had risen from 600 to 3,000. He called the building, which contains 64,000 feet of floor-space, the exemplification of the success of the Negro school and credited the success to the fact that he had never met with anything but the utmost kindness and consideration from the white school and city officials.

Jackson Architect Raymond Birchett, who designed the building, presented Prof. Rogers with a Bible and with the official key to the new building.

Rogers, now supervising principal of the new 32-classroom Negro school, responded by saying "I accept the key to the building and the key to the Kingdom."

Rogers added, "All of the friends of the school can depend on the Negro teachers to teach the children to be honest, because no matter how much education a person has, unless he is honorable he has missed the mark."

James Jones, Jr., principal of the school, paid eloquent tribute to Supt. Allen and the board of trustees. He also said, "This spacious and modern facility is a challenge for us teachers to do our very best work."

About 1200, including 150 white people attended the service, which was characterized by such an atmosphere of cooperation that Rev. Mays remarked during the program, "I'm glad to have seen what I have seen and heard what I have heard here today."

One section of the auditorium was filled with prominent white people, including Ernest Buttress, president of the Canton Chamber of Commerce; Dwight Maddox. president of the First National Bank; and members of the city board Johnny Hill, Frederick Edwards and William Crawford.

There were also several white ministers and representatives of white PTA organizations.

On the platform were about fifteen Negro school principals from over central Mississippi.

Music was furnished by the Negro High School Band and Chorus.

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the private school for use in teaching juniors and sophomores. Classes for the former start Tuesday, but 10th graders probably will not be able to begin studies before Nov. 3.