“Prior to the association, there was a Booster Club, which began with the opening of the old school.” Booze, a 1968 graduate, recalls that “older members were so proud to be graduates from the original school on Summit Street (which later became MacFarlane Middle School, now closed).
“My aunt and all of my mother and father’s families graduated from the original school. My grandmother was proud of all that had been achieved by alumni, but we were never taught about those achievements.
“I started in the Booster club in the ‘70s, then moved to California, and when I returned in ‘87, it had become an official alumni association, sparked by former principal David Williams Sr.
“By then, so many alumni were leaving or passing away, and then the movie ‘Hidden Figure’ got me moving. I found out about Phyliss Bolds, a 1950 graduate and class valedictorian, who graduated from Central State with e degree in physics magna cum laude. She became a physicist, working for the United States Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. She had patents, books — nothing we’d ever been told about — so I got her history and she’s now on the Wall of Fame, one of the first inductees. She passed in 2018 but was so happy to be recognized by her alma mater the year before.”
The school holds an annual Christmas party for all alumni, “and older graduates would start telling us their stories, what they had to go through, how the community came together and had dinners, bake sales and other fundraisers to help pay for Welcome Stadium and needs of the school.
“As I discovered more accomplishments by our graduates from them, I asked myself ‘Why weren’t we told about the members who were Tuskegee Airman, pro athletes, activists during the Civil Rights Movement, so many who had done great things?’ We want our children to know, as they pass the wall, and to understand our legacy and all we’ve accomplished.”
Booze got in touch with James Pittman, an alumnus of the oldest Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in the United States, opened in 1870 in Washington, D.C., where Dunbar worked in the Library of Congress with Frederick Douglass. “At one time, he came here, visited the school and the Dunbar House, and was so impressed with the legacy we kept.”
The concept of the wall was developed and became reality with funds from donations, special events and the annual Christmas luncheon.
“The first year of the wall, 2017, we had 14 inductees, in 2019 10, and just four this year, but we’ve only just begun — there are so many more who deserve to be on the wall.”
Booze (1968), a retired Montgomery County hearing officer in child support, is being inducted this year, in part for her research and pioneering efforts to help guarantee that the association continues and thrives.
Morton Branham Jr. (1978) is being inducted for his community activism, work with youth, and his involvement in founding Citizens of Greencaste, a group that’s working to clean up Greencastle Cemetery, and other service work. He worked in the Department of Taxation for the State of Ohio.
Alicia (Earley) Brooks (1996), is being inducted for her career in the Air Force, receiving one of its highest achievement awards as a Senior Airman, and is now an air traffic controller and trainer.
Alesia (Capers) Gillison Ed. D. (1982) was selected for her work in education. Currently assistant principal and chief academic officer for the Pickerington Local School District, she began her teaching career at Dunbar, where she was also assistant track coach.
Merit awards, for former staff, this year will recognize Tara Boone, a former nurse at Dunbar who became district director of Health Services for DPS and Dr. Sean Henry, a former principal at the school.
This year’s induction ceremony will be held at the Presidential Banquet Center in Kettering on Friday, Sept. 15, from 6 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person (tables seat eight). For tickets, contact Elaine Foster at 937-239-7045, Booze at 937-239-7045, or Frances Winborn at 937- 470-9781.
The association’s Annual Christmas Luncheon will be held on the first Saturday of December. Check the alumni website, www.pldunbardaytonalumni.com, for other activities and information.
Contact this writer at virgburroughs@gmail.com
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