The Sumner Story

Dr. Wilma F. Bonner, Director of Teacher Education at Howard University, worked thirty-seven years in the District of Columbia Public Schools. She served as principal, Assistant Superintendent of Senior High Schools and Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction. She supervised the adoption of standards in reading, mathematics, social studies and science and spearheaded the development of new promotion and graduation requirements for the District. Sandra Freelain, earned her MA in Public Administration. She served as Desk Officer and Enforcement Analyst for the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development for 20 years. As part of the Sumner Writing Team she gained a much deeper respect and renewed gratitude for the contributions of those who founded, and sustained Sumner High School. Sandra is enjoying her recent retirement. Dwight D. Henderson, was elected president of the class of 1963. He received a basketball scholarship to Kansas State Teacher's College. Dwight received his law degree from the University of Kansas with a specialization in contract and labor law and worked as project attorney for Standard/Amoco/British Petroleum Oil Company until his retirement. Johnnieque Blackmon "Johnnie" Love's professional career spans forty-three years of public education. A former president of the Sumner High School Alumni Association, published writer of articles assessing diversity in the academic library, and dedicated historian of Sumner High School, Love lives in Beltsville, Maryland with her family. Eugene M. Williams' professional career spans 40+ years as a language arts instructor on the high school and college level and as administrator of two federal programs (Teacher Corps and Upward Bound). For the District of Columbia Public schools, Williams served as Co-Director of Values Education. He also served as educational consultant with the Saudi Arabian government in both Riyadh, SA as well as at the Saudi Embassy in Washington, D. C. More recently, has worked as career transition counselor for the Geo-Spatial Administration (GSA) and the U. S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) in Washington, D. C.

Chapter 1- Introduction
Chapter 2 - Sumner: Historical Backdrop
Chapter 3 - Sumner High School’s Early Beginnings and Evolution
Chapter 4 - What Kept Sumner Together
Chapter 5 - Memories, Reflections, and Perspectives
Chapter 6 - Fruit Yielded
Chapter 7 - African-American High Schools: Other Portals to Success
Chapter 8 - Closing Thoughts
Epilogue