When the city of Jenkins was established in 1912 there were many schools built to segregate the Black and White students. There were only elementary or graded schools built for the Black students.
These schools only educated the Black students up to the seventh or eighth grade. There were schools in Burdine, Jenkins, Dunham and later McRoberts was included in the school system on April 26th, 1915.
Dunham High School was a school established for Black students under the Jenkins Independent School System
in 1931. Before the high school was established in 1931,
there weren't any high schools in Letcher County for Black students.
The 1954 Supreme Court ruling on Brown v. Board of Education declared segregated school
to be illegal. In 1964, Jenkins Independent School System, 10 years after the Supreme Court's ruling was forced to close Dunham High School.
Because of its significance to history on May 2, 2019, Dunham High School was awarded a Historical Marker.
#1768 #207 Colored School Building
Dunham Graded School
945 Colored School Building- Jenkins, Jan. 1921
Jenkins Graded School
#2121 Colored School (Tom Biggs) McRoberts. 10-7-21
Tom Biggs Graded School
Colored School, Shea Fork 12-3-23
#2114 Colored School at Burdine 10-72-21
#2019 Old Colored School at Tom Biggs Branch 10-6-21
Dunham had six principals from 1931 until the school was forced to desegregate in 1964.
William F. Mudd 1941-1945
Dunham High School and the elementary schools for Black students had many encouraging and dedicated
teachers over the years. They put forth great effort and devotion in these schools with lower curriculum
offerings, poor facilities and inferior materials. Through their
hard work and perseverance many of their students went on to be successful in their many endeavors.
The teachers at the graded schools encouraged the students to participate in a yearly fall festival,
speech festival, musicals, operettas, and May Day activities.
The wrapping of the Maypole was always the highlight of the year.
In 1945-46 under the leadership of G.W. Parks, Dunham High School was able to acquire a gym and
form a basketball team. They ended their first season with 5 victories.
The 46-47 season the Dunham Blue Devils had a won-loss record of 6-6.
Dunham High Basketball Team
Dunham High Cheerleaders
Prom
May Day 1936
Far right: Professor William F. Mudd
Class of 1935
Graduating class of 1935 (First graduating class)
This class was also the first 9th grade class in 1931
William Stovall
Kind Bell
Minnie Bell
Margaret Helmon
Mae E. Mahone
Jimmy Walker
Class of 1936
Cora Lee Batey
Alma Riggins
Helen Smallwood
Class of 1938
Jewel Crumpler
Lawyer Dawson
Tommie Lee Hooks
Lizzie Pippins
Margaret Thomas
Class of 1939
Louise Clark
Albert Crumpler
Louise Cummings
Gracie Hooper
Hartie Norwood
Sammie Lee Oden
Mattie T. Orum
Hartie Norwood
Clarence Peake
Annie Rhinehart
Frances Webster
Marjorie Wilburn
Clarence Wright
Class of 1940
Mary Clark
Howard Gray
J.T. Hooks
Jeanetta Keith
Gladys Sumlin
Bernice Townsend
Irene Webster
Troy Wright
Class of 1941
Willie Arrington
Eddie Lee Cooper
Inez Edwards
Howard Gray
Israel Hawthorne
Ruth Hunter
L.V. Jackson
James Moss
Lurlean Moss
Leehman Oden
Joe Earl Peters
Thelma Robinson
Janetta Tanksley
Beatrice Thomas
Class of 1942
Coleman Cummings
Willie D. Edison
James Galloway
Mildred Galloway
ebb Green, Jr.
W
Ruth Hunter
Mary M. Hunter
Joe Orum
Rosevelt Simms
Class of 1943
Annie Crumpler
Willie Pearle Mahone
Frankie B. Millender
Odell Sumlin
Class of 1944
Rebecca Cooper
Irene Cummings
Freeman Davis
Vira Drake
Ned Edison
Matilda Gordan
Catherine Green
Arthur Millender
Katherine Morrow
Helen Savanah
Jesse Thomas
Marjorie Wright
Class of 1945
Lula Mae Davis
Hattie Hawkins
Daisy Hill
Gertrude Jones
Louise Keith
Louise MaHone
Hattie Maxwell
Maggie McCaskey
Cleopatria Munn
Elizabeth Oden
Elizabeth Smith
Earnestine Thomas
Class of 1946
Lula Mae Chance
Grace Dawkins
Lindbergh Gordon
Gloria Gray
Loraine Sumlin
Willie Keith (drafted)
Margaret Mosby
Levora Oden
Katherine Peake
Annie Stoudmire
Mary Opel Thomas
Class of 1947
Standing left to right: William E. Brown, Eddie Joe Cooper, John Edward Adams, Spurgeon Mark Foster
Sitting left to right: Alberta Ellis, Eloise Glover
Class Motto: Our Aim, Success, Our Hope, to Win
Class Colors: Green and Gold
Class Flower: Sweet Pea
Class President: Alberta Ellis
Valedictorian: John Edward Adams
Salutatorian: William E. Brown
Class of 1948
Mildred Collier
Charles Davis
Goldie Foote
Earnest Hudson
Mae Emma Murry
Florence Robinson
Beatrice Tinch
Class of 1949
Curtis Crenshaw
Ruby Fisher
Margie Foster
Mary Gordon
Eloise Jordan
Edward Oden
Edward Osley
Claddis Tinch
Lillian Tucker
Class of 1950
Henry Baker, Jr.
Willie Coleman
Alma Clark
Mildred Duncan
Nancy Hooks
Louise Jones
Alice Jordon
Class of 1951
James Chance, Jr.
Lucille Holyfield
Hattie Keith
George Hinton
Geraldine Slone
Cleophus Thomas
Class of 1952
Tommy Bass
Viola Edwards
Willie Edwards
Jesse Foote
Wilma J. Harris
Donald Hudson
Ruth Oden
Laura Richardson
Odell Stepney
Book T. Thomas
Class of 1953
Willie Almond
Christine Cooke
Bobbie Eatmon
Lillian Epps
Richard Fisher
Herman Gray
James Gray
Collene Holyfield
Odessa Holyfield
Mildred Hooks
Donald Hope
Elliott Lamb
Jame Millender
Wilbur Oden
Floyd Powell
Dorothy Sumlin
Barbara Thomas
Class of 1954
Clarence Alexander
Albert Chance
Horace Curry
Thomas Foote
Willie Harris
Ralph Johnson (drafted)
Dorothy Leftridge
Mildred Motley
Anthony Osley
Sarah Richardson
Betty Sumlin
Mary Flym Walters
John Williams
Class of 1955
Della Alexander
Albert Bailey
Ernestine Ballard
Velma Chance
Marcella Cooke
James Cooper
Edward Gray
Geraldine Gray
Betty Holyfield
Beulah Lamb
Ruby Maxwell
Jake Slone
Bertha Thomas
Betty J. Wright
Class of 1956
Albert Cooper
Delores Eatmon
Arthur Gordon
Margie Gray
Bernice Thompson
Willie J. Slone
Class of 1957
Helen Cook
Naomi Hinton
Billie Ward
Class of 1958
Elizabeth Chance
Sidella Holyfield
Ernest C. Hutton
Augustine Sloane
Thomas Smith
Bobby Ward
Juanita Wright
Class of 1959
Ann R. Chance
James H. Clark
Theiller Cooke
Barbara Gordon
Florida Jackson
Wilma Jackson
Charles Motley
Johnny Osley
Willie L. Thompson
John H. Thomas
Shirley Walters
Elizabeth Ward
Class of 1960
Burnett Cooke
Marion Gray
Shirley Gray
Frazier Curry
Robert J. Hinton
Lavette Oden
Mary E. Osley
Willa A. Ross
Curtis Sloane
Shirley Thomas
Class of 1961
Ernestine Baxter
Lena F. Broach
Fred Cooke
Jacqueline Gray
Shirley Gray
Charles Holyfield
Jonathan Moss
Hardy Norwood, Jr.
Nancy Powell
Betty Shelton
John L. Sloane
Barbara Toodle
Joseph Walters, Jr.
Jimmy Willisams
Class of 1962
Geraldine Baxter
Willie James Brown
Archie Davis
John L. Motley
Cordell Peake
Priscilla Powell
Genevieve Ross
Eugene Stepney
Fleming Thomas, Jr.
Johnny Mae Thomas
Charles Ward
Class of 1963
Clyde Cooke
Mary E. Cooper
Laverne Davis
Phillip Gordon
Roy Gray
Peter Hairston
Sandra Oden
Flora Osley
Susie Osley
Wilburn White
Hazel Wood
Class of 1964
William Gray
Ben Jackson, Jr.
Audrey Faye Shelton
Doris Washington
Betty Joe Walters
Wilburn White
Betty Brown
Rose Cooper
Class of 1966
Lawrence Holyfield
Lunford Holyfield
Class of 1968
Carolyn Holyfield
Class of 1969
Norman Holyfield
Class of 1971
Willie Holyfield
Class of 1974
Melody Holyfield