Dunbar high school opened in 1923 as the only all-black high school in Lexington
LEXINGTON, Ky (WTVQ)- Former high school basketball coach Bobby Washington remembers the ups and downs he’s had inside what was formerly known as the Dunbar High School gymnasium.
“I guess from the time I was in the seventh grade all the way up, my last year was ’65. It was a great experience. I learned a lot here. A lot of things that I learned was things that helped me throughout my life. Because I had many ups and downs with basketball. Basketball was a good tool for me,” says Washington.
Washington finished up his high school basketball career in 1965, two years before the school closed it’s doors.
Dunbar high school opened in 1923 as the only all-black high school in Lexington.
“In Lexington at the time, it was east end, west end, north end, and south end. And we all had our own areas that we lived in. Dunbar was something that we all could get together and share together,” says Washington.
The school closed in 1967 after the Fayette County Board of Education moved to racially integrate schools. The school was later bought by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and later became what is now a community center. But it’s the history of the school that was front and center over the weekend.
“Dunbar represents the best of the best. They supported their school, their community did like no other,’ says Ken Trivette, the chair of the Kentucky Basketball Hall of Fame.
On Saturday, fifty five years after the doors were closed, fans filled the gym once again with the Hall of Fame hosting a Heritage Game between Paul Laurence Dunbar and Louisville Central.
The center’s gymnasium was honored with the prestigious “Glory Road” award for its contribution and impact on Kentucky high school basketball.
“The glory road came from Adolph Rupp’s speech when he resigned as coach at UK,, talking about wanting to thank all of those who went down the glory road with me. Well, this glory road is all the gymnasiums across Kentucky that we’re gonna recognize as historical sites,” says Trivette.
Lexington mayor Linda Gorton also presented a proclamation. The game marked the first time a current Paul Laurence Dunbar high school team played in the gymnasium since its closure.
And as fans return for one more game, Washington hopes the now community center’s legacy continues.
“I hope we never lose this center. Things happen. Things change. I hope we never lose this center. This center is a good focal point for the black community here in Lexington, especially for those that lived, that grew up here,” says Washington.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
