Fred Douglass Alumni Return to Read to Young Scholars

Fred Douglass School alumni walked the familiar halls of their school on Feb. 25 and shared memories as they participated in Fred Douglass Early Childhood Center’s Black History Month celebration of legacy and literacy.

“Our campus has been a landmark of education since 1879,” said FDECC principal Torie Washington. “Inviting our African American alumni who once walked these halls as high school students during and after segregation in Sherman to return and read allows us to connect generations through literacy, pride, and community.”

Alumni from some of the last classes to stroll the purple and gold read to classrooms, shared stories, and answered questions from students. The campus has undergone multiple changes since its founding. At one point, the school had three stories and held multiple grade levels.

“We were reminiscing up and down the halls,” said Exa Savage, graduate from the Fred Douglass Class of 1967, which was the last class before integration. “You had Mrs. [Pauline] Neblett teaching typing on manual typewriters, and Mr. [Percy] Neblett’s office was in the front.”

The school building, though changed over the years, stands as a reminder of Sherman’s history.

“This is the building we graduated from,” Savage said. “As long as we can ride down the street and see this building, it is extremely important to us.”

The school’s rich history inspired Washington to host the event. She reached out to Savage, who has stayed in touch with other alumni and helped spread the call for volunteers to read.

“The response was incredible,” Washington said. “Alumni were excited to come back, read to our students, and be part of something meaningful for our campus.”

Retired teacher and alum Glenna Eugene also volunteered, having taught at Fred Douglass during segregation. She taught for 31 years in Sherman before retiring in 1992 from Crutchfield Elementary.

“Coming back brings back a whole lot of memories,” Eugene said. “It was lovely and just a joy reading to the kids.”

And not only did the event help bring back memories, it created new ones for students.

“When alumni return to read, it creates joyful early memories around books, builds positive feelings about school, and helps children see that they are part of something bigger,” Washington said. “At this age, it’s less about history lessons and more about creating a warm, inspiring environment where literacy feels exciting and important.”

Alumni in attendance were: Exa Savage, Glenna Eugene, Mary Gail Walters, Barbra Chaney Reed, Mary Ann Holland, Mariann Casey, Gwendolyn Whitfield, Gwendolyn Crump, Jan Reed Austin, and Lee Hill.