THIS STORY COURTESY THE GREENEVILLE SUN
BY TOM YANCEY
STAFF WRITER
Sun Photos by Phil Gentry
Wanda and Leroy Ripley, in foreground, unveiled a historical marker for George Clem School on Friday. The marker is located on Summer Street. In the background, from left, are: Stevie Hughes, Alderman Sarah Webster, Eva White, who taught at the school, Fannye Jones, who also taught there, former Mayor Darrell Bryan, who supported the application, County Commissioner Bill Dabbs, and Mayor Laraine King (in light suit).
An official Tennessee Historical Commission marker was unveiled Friday on West Summer Street to commemorate George Clem School and its predecessor schools for black students dating back more than 120 years.
The first educational institution at the site was organized as Greeneville College in 1887, and successor schools for black students continued to exist in the same area until 1965, when the local public schools were racially integrated and what had been George Clem School became the administrative headquarters of the Greeneville City School System.
Interestingly, the original educational institution at the site, Greeneville College, had the same name as the college established by the Rev. Charles Coffin in 1794 on Richland Creek a few miles south of Greeneville on what is now East Allens Bridge Road.
That Greeneville College, the first institution of higher learning in Tennessee, merged with Tusculum College after the Civil War to form what is today Tusculum College.
BEGAN IN 1887
The THC historical marker unveiled Friday notes that, "In 1887, with assistance from the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, the George Clem School was organized as Greeneville College."
In 1922 a new block building was constructed, and "In 1932, the Greeneville Board of Education leased the property to provide public education for Negroes.
"Three years later, George Clem was appointed principal ..." of what was then known as Greeneville College High School, which was at first a 10-grade school. In 1938 it became a 12-grade accredited high school.
Clem died in 1939, and the same year the Greeneville Board of Mayor and Aldermen renamed the school in his honor.
In 1949-50 the existing George Clem School was replaced by a new brick structure with the same name.
That school was operated as a 12-grade school for black students until 1965, when Greeneville schools were racially integrated.
The building was then used as the city school system's central office until it was succeeded by the Kathryn W. Leonard Administrative Office, on West Depot Street.
Two former teachers at the former George Clem School were on hand Friday when a Tennessee Historical Marker was unveiled to commemorate the historically black institution. Shown from left are: Wanda Ripley, former teachers Eva White and Fannye Jones and Leroy Ripley. The Ripleys led the push for the marker, a five-year effort.
FIVE-YEAR EFFORT
Efforts to obtain the Tennessee Historical Commission marker to commemorate the school began five years ago, said LeRoy Ripley, who, with his wife, Wanda, unveiled it Friday.
Former Greeneville Mayor Darrell Bryan recalled when Ripley came to see him about the marker and obtained his support.
"I supported it," Bryan said. "I thought it was a good idea to commemorate the school, and I appreciate the hard work that he and his group put into getting the marker."
Ripley said he sought to have the George Clem Multicultural Association take on the project, but, though it was discussed, no one was designated to head up the project.
When he saw no action going forward, Ripley said, "I did it anyway," along with his wife, Wanda. "She got it done," he said.
MARKER LOST, THEN FOUND
Ripley said he was notified several years ago by the Tennessee Historical Commission that the marker had been approved.
But it never went up.
"Nobody knew where it was," Ripley said.
Nothing happened, he said, until his wife, a member of the Greene County Heritage Trust, brought up the subject at a meeting.
Another member of the Greene County Heritage Trust, Stevie Hughes, began making telephone calls.
Hughes and another Heritage Trust member, Bobby Blue, eventually learned that the marker was in a Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) warehouse in Johnson City.
"The Heritage Trust was very active to jump on the ball," Ripley said.
Ripley said the marker, still in its unopened crate, was sitting in a TDOT storage area in Johnson City.
Ripley said a TDOT official said that such a crate is normally opened and the code on the top tells where the marker is to be erected, but in this case, that had not happened.
"After five years in limbo," Ripley said, TDOT brought the marker to Greeneville last week to let him and Mrs. Ripley look at it.
The department then placed it on Thursday near the intersection of Summer Street and Floral Street, but left it covered up for Friday's unveiling.
"It was a blessing getting it done," Ripley said.
FORMER TEACHERS ATTEND
"Another blessing," he said, was the fact that two former teachers at the old school were present to see it. He said those teachers were Fannye Jones and Eva White.
"I'm thankful they were there to see it happen," Ripley said.
Greene County Commissioner William Dabbs spoke briefly, saying that Friday was "a great day for the community."
Dabbs noted that he went to George Clem School for two years before moving on to Andrew Johnson School. He said it was "an honor and a privilege to be a part" of the dedication.
Dabbs said he remembers with fondness his two teachers at George Clem School, Grace Bradley and Anna Lee Manuel, each of whom instilled in him an understanding of the importance of education.
Greeneville Alderman Sarah Webster, chairman of the Greeneville Historical Zoning Commission and a longtime Heritage Trust leader, spoke briefly.
She noted that that, within a two-month period, two educational institutions, the former Roby Fitzgerald School -- the first public school in Greeneville -- and now George Clem School, had been commemorated, evidence of the importance of education in Greeneville.
Mayor Laraine King said it was an honor to be present for the unveiling, since George Clem School "has been a centerpoint and a place of pride and learning for the neighborhood" known as Wesley Heights.
King also praised the Ripleys for "lots of hard work" in obtaining the marker and then getting it placed.
Greene County Mayor Alan Broyles also thanked Ripley for getting the marker, pointing out the "five-year effort."
Broyles said the marker was "long overdue and I'm glad to see it happen."
SIGNS 'TELL WHOLE STORY'
Lizzie Watts, superintendent of the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, also spoke.
Watts said that, in her work at various national parks commemorating historic sites, she has learned "how important it is to tell the whole story," and historical markers help with that important effort.
She said there was no direct connection that she is aware of between Johnson and George Clem, but both of them "believed very strongly that the way to move the United States forward was education."
She said Johnson, someone who did not have the advantage of formal education, and Clem, an educator who taught many students who later became teachers, would have found much on which to agree.
Watts also noted that many of the students educated at Greeneville College were freed slaves, some of whom may have either been owned by Johnson at one time, or been descended from former Johnson slaves.
At the time that Greeneville College was founded in 1887, Watts said, many similar institutions were started across the South for the same reason that that institution was established.
"That whole generation realized that education was the key to prospering in the United States," Watts said, perhaps more so than today's generation, and they acted on that belief.
"The goal was to educate freed slaves," Watts said, "so that those educated former slaves could prosper and make a better life for their children, who could continue that process and eventually create a better way of life for all."
