By MIKE BILLINGTON
The News Journal
05/14/2006
Walter Walker leaned on his cane in the hallway outside the auditorium at Wilmington's Howard High School of Technology Saturday evening, waved to a few old friends, shook a few hands and smiled broadly.
"I am glad that they have finally recognized Howard," he said. "It was always a special place. We had opera here, great sports teams ... everything."
Walker, a 1953 grad, was among some 200 people who attended Saturday's unveiling of a plaque formally identifying the school, which has roots going back to 1867, as a National Historic Landmark.
The celebration -- which featured songs by students Shablina Bateman and Tracy Scott, a tour of the school, speeches and a reception -- was a long time coming. The National Park Service first announced that Howard might be eligible for landmark status in 2000. Since then a team, including keynote speaker Flavia Rutkosky, has worked hard to get Howard recognized, Principal Evelyn Edney said. "In fact, were it not for her, we wouldn't even be here this evening," she said.
Howard High was a central issue in the 1953 Belton vs. Gebhart lawsuit that became part of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case that overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine in American schools, Rutkosky noted Saturday. She said that while the school was underfunded and overcrowded in those days, its reputation as a learning and cultural center was widespread.
"Those of us who went here back then always knew that," said Velma Wheeler, a 1950 graduate. "This was a touching ceremony, and it's a good feeling to know that others know how special Howard is as well."