Fifty-five years after integration forced the closure of the county's all-Black high school, officials are putting its name on the campus again. Archive photos recall the school's brief but rich history.
Published April 27
Pinellas High School's "Top 10 of '61" pose for a photo on June 1, 1961. Seated from left, the graduates are Ella Jenkins, Lillie Spann, salutatorian Marye Davis, Emmi Dale McCarey and Mary Williams. Standing from left are Charles Rutledge, Larry Walker, valedictorian Noble Burney, Robert Henry and Frederick Dixon. Times (1961)
An aerial view of Pinellas High after its completion in 1954. The all-Black school on Palmetto Street enrolled about 300 students from the Clearwater area that year. It was constructed at a cost of $436,005. Times (1954)
Protesters stand in front of a Pinellas County school bus transporting Pinellas High students to John F. Kennedy Junior High on Jan. 3, 1968, in Clearwater. Many in the Black community said Pinellas High students unfairly shouldered the burden for desegregating schools during that era. Times (1968)
The Pinellas High School Majorettes participated in a Clearwater parade in January 1961 marking the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln. Times (1961)
Students in the 65-member Pinellas High Band play for a capacity audience on May 2, 1960. The selections that day included "Yellowstone Suite," "The Lord's Prayer," "A Night at the Ballet" and "Porgy and Bess." The band and the school chorus were directed by Samuel L. Hayward. Times (1960)
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The 40-member Pinellas High mixed chorus is pictured at a concert in the school's auditorium on May 2, 1960, in Clearwater. The performance opened with Handel's "Hallelujah, Amen" and featured spirituals and folk songs including "Done Paid My Vow," "Jacob's Ladder," "Home in Dat Rock" and "Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel?" Facing the group is director Samuel L. Hayward. Accompanist Bennie F. Hill is at the piano. Times (1960)
Seniors at Pinellas High process into the auditorium for the school's last commencement ceremony on June 8, 1968, in Clearwater. Times (1968)
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/FXCZ4WWMT5HUDI7EZYPHWJ7A5A.JPG "Pinellas High School's \"Top 10 of '61\" pose for a photo on June 1, 1961. Seated from left, the graduates are Ella Jenkins, Lillie Spann, salutatorian Marye Davis, Emmi Dale McCarey and Mary Williams. Standing from left are Charles Rutledge, Larry Walker, valedictorian Noble Burney, Robert Henry and Frederick Dixon.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/WGJ2TIWRCBHFLCXA3ZZ4CP4PJQ.JPG "An aerial view of Pinellas High after its completion in 1954. The all-Black school on Palmetto Street enrolled about 300 students from the Clearwater area that year. It was constructed at a cost of $436,005.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/JB2A74XMIREGVBJBZXC7MZXJ5A.JPG "Protesters stand in front of a Pinellas County school bus transporting Pinellas High students to John F. Kennedy Junior High on Jan. 3, 1968, in Clearwater. Many in the Black community said Pinellas High students unfairly shouldered the burden for desegregating schools during that era.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/KLRSA45BRNGC7OWBGJDKFXAELQ.JPG "The Pinellas High School Majorettes participated in a Clearwater parade in January 1961 marking the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/IRCKERROUJFDDNPJ2QP2YBFB4I.JPG "Students in the 65-member Pinellas High Band play for a capacity audience on May 2, 1960. The selections that day included \"Yellowstone Suite,\" \"The Lord's Prayer,\" \"A Night at the Ballet\" and \"Porgy and Bess.\" The band and the school chorus were directed by Samuel L. Hayward.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/MXD46CSWMVE75OJXN4HZ6KG5TM.JPG "The 40-member Pinellas High mixed chorus is pictured at a concert in the school's auditorium on May 2, 1960, in Clearwater. The performance opened with Handel's \"Hallelujah, Amen\" and featured spirituals and folk songs including \"Done Paid My Vow,\" \"Jacob's Ladder,\" \"Home in Dat Rock\" and \"Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel?\" Facing the group is director Samuel L. Hayward. Accompanist Bennie F. Hill is at the piano.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/XENSF66FKRCR5LXN7EKT4HPJA4.JPG "Seniors at Pinellas High process into the auditorium for the school's last commencement ceremony on June 8, 1968, in Clearwater.")
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