LHRTC Prepares Inventory Collection for the Alumni Room
Lincoln High School opened in 1907 at 1835 Tracy, but that building proved inadequate for the Black students in Kansas City. Consequently, a new building was erected in 1936 at 22nd and Woodland Avenue. Lincoln High School moved into that building.
R. T. Coles Junior High and Vocational School opened in the building vacated by Lincoln for the 1936-37 school year. It was closed in 1954 and later demolished in 1965. The two schools were considered the “educational jewels” of the Black community. The legacy of Lincoln and R. T. Coles have been collected over time and inventory, preservation, and maintenance is underway to make the collection accessible to the public. Students from Lincoln College Preparatory Academy are teaming up with the Lincoln High/R. T. Coles National Alumni Association to start that inventory.
In preparation for the task of the alumni room, students from LCPA toured the Black Archives of Mid-America on Friday, February 25th. They were introduced to the collections behind the scenes as well as the objects that are on display from the collection in the permanent exhibition entitled “With Eyes No Longer Blind”.
Students were led by Dr. Carmalita Williams (Executive Director of the Black Archives of Mid-America) and accompanied by Principal Foster of Lincoln College Preparatory Academy, Mr. Ronald Walton (President) of the Lincoln High/R.T. Coles National Association, and Ms. Geri Sanders who is the volunteer historical consultant of the association. The students will be instructed on how to inventory the collection in the National Alumni Room. Housed at LCPA, the collection consists of several artifacts, newspaper articles, photographs, and trophies donated to the National Alumni Association. The LCPA students, as part of community service, will work to make these objects and artifacts accessible to the public.
We thank the students and Principal Foster for their hard work in helping the association prepare for the launch of the National Alumni Room which has an anticipated opening of late Spring 2022.
Ronald Walton, President, L. H. /R. T. Coles National alumni Association