Posted by DEAN SKIP RUTHERFORD – In anticipation for the upcoming 50th Anniversary Commemoration of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School, I decided to visit my good friend, Principal Nancy Rousseau, as she prepares for the global spotlight on America’s most famous high school. Before I parked in front of the school, I drove around the neighborhood and noticed some changes: the ongoing construction of the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Pediatric Clinic and the new Central High Visitor Center which will open on September 24; tourists flowing in and out of the restored 1957 Mobil Station, the current Visitor Center; and several houses being renovated in the neighborhood. While there is much work to be done, it was reassuring to see progress.
Walking up the front stairs, I had flashes of President Bill Clinton, Governor Mike Huckabee and Mayor Jim Dailey holding the door open for the Little Rock Nine as they entered the building on the 40th Anniversary in 1997. Having three children graduate from Central High, I have walked through these doors hundreds of times, and yet, I still catch this 1927 building’s aura every time. Nancy and her staff were working in high gear, preparing for the opening of school and the numerous September events. I very much appreciate her taking the time to share with me all the school updates and plans. I also took my first ride on the “tigervator” — the school’s elevator which now makes the historic building accessible for the physically challenged.
As a former member of the Little Rock School Board (1987-1991) and as a board president (1989-90), from first hand experience, I know urban public education is always a work in progress. Little Rock continues to have more than its share of current controversy including a very divided school board. Returning to Central today, however, reaffirmed my own commitment to quality desegregated public education. Hopefully the upcoming 50th anniversary commemoration of the largest constitutional crisis since the Civil War will help bring our school board and our city together.