An effort by Sumner High School alumni looks to elevate the school’s national significance

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – A pillar of The Ville neighborhood is reaching a milestone of 150 years in existence. It’s been in the current building for 115 years.

This weekend, alumni from Sumner High School are celebrating that anniversary with a gala.

The first Black public high school west of the Mississippi River that educated a notable list of alumni. Arthur Ashe, Tina Turner and Wendell Pruitt of the Tuskegee Airmen, to name a few.

For some of the graduates, they want to preserve its legacy.

“I’m getting goosebumps just talking about it because it means that much. It means that much,” said Patricia Murray, a co-founder and secretary of PFRC-Sumner, Inc. and class of 1977.

Murray is the third generation to graduate from the historic Charles Sumner High School.

Murray said, “The first day that my mother walked me into Sumner, it was September 2, 1973.”

She added, “Sumner means so much to me is because to me it’s a legacy school. My story is just one of thousands. My mother graduated in 57 and my grandmother in 36. You’ve had families that have had generations that went to this school. That makes my alma mater very important.”

The school that brings back so many memories, but it will sit empty this upcoming school year after the May 16 tornado caused damage to the building.

Murray was part of a group of alumni that formed in 2020 as PRFC (Protect-Restore-Forever Celebrate) Sumner Inc. when Sumner High School was slated for potential closure.

PRFC Sumner, Inc. President and Class of 1977 Michael Blackshear said, “Seeing some of the things that has happened to some of the other buildings, we didn’t want not only just the building but our legacy and our history to just die off.”

He added, ” Sumner High School is the epitome of Black excellence, Black excellence in education.”

While the school remained open, an idea that PRFC-Sumner thought of stuck. Obtaining a National Historic Landmark designation through the National Park Service and the US Department of the Interior.

Blackshear said, “The landmark designation is crucial because it defines a period in American history when many people who look like me, African Americans, weren’t able to secure an education, especially a secondary or post-secondary education. It was against the law in some places. The Missouri legislature found it important to make sure, coming out of the Civil War the African American constituency, specifically those in the City of St. Louis be provided an education.”

They initiated the process in March 2021 with a letter of inquiry.

“If you care anything about Sumner, whatever you can do, whatever you can contribute, we would gladly accept it and be forever grateful because we’re working hard to preserve the legacies and traditions of this school. It’s not just that the building is the oldest standing Black high school building,” said Murray. “It’s what happened in there. We had the best teachers, the best counselors, that really cared about the students. It went beyond your learning. They were concerned about your social wellbeing, your emotional wellbeing.”

Although the process is still in its early stages, those working on this project have seen recent progress. One of the primary things they need to demonstrate is the school’s national significance.

Blackshear said, “Sumner High School has been the beacon, and I keep using the word epitome because even in its early days, Sumner’s educators and administrators were a group of (Black) individuals who, many of them, were the first to get PhDs in this country. The type of educational nuances, skills and knowledge they would bring to the students at Sumner were the same as they would have received at these institutions at Yale, Harvard and these other places.”

According to Murray, the National Park Service has hired a historian to examine the contributions of Black public high schools to American history. That is an ongoing process where people are asked to provide their experience, stories and find significant historical themes. Murray said that it will provide the criteria for weighing the nomination.

Murray said, “What NPS told us is they’ve never had an all Black high school that sought significance. Even though we gave them a background of Sumner and history, they felt it was worthy, but they didn’t have a context. They kind of threw the ball in our court to set the pace to get the context. NPS hired a historian to look at all Black High Schools and to look at their contributions to American history. By us sending our letter about Sumner, we set a precedent.”

Locally, this project secured an intern this summer to assist with the historical fact-finding effort. This week, PRFC-Sumner shared that it received a National Park Service (NPS) African American Civil Rights Grant for $28,000. The grant will help fund the hiring of a qualified nomination writer to research, compose and submit an application identifying Sumner High School as worthy of National Significance and National Historical Landmark designation. Murray said they’ll still need to raise more money to hire the writer.

After those applications are submitted, action is needed on the state and federal levels for approval.

Murray said, “Presently, Sumner is of local significance (for its architecture). If we can get it raised to national significance, the national historic landmark status is usually an easier path.”

Murray said that with an NHL designation, it could open up preservation grant funding to help with preserving the 115-year-old building.

Murray said, “When I remember my time at Sumner, it was probably the best time of my life.”

PRCF Sumner said it is looking to share with alumni at the gala this weekend about this project and its efforts.

PRFC Sumner is hosting a golf tournament fundraiser on Sept. 19, 2025, at Florissant Golf Club.

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