Wendell Phillips Academy High School
Encyclopedia
Wendell Phillips Academy High School is a public 4-year high school
located in the Bronzeville
neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States
. It is part of the Chicago Public Schools
and is named for the noted American abolitionist
Wendell Phillips
. It was the first predominately black high school in Chicago.
(JAFROTC) program and a health clinic to serve the needs of its students. Enrollment is open to students living in its attendance area; if space is available, students outside the area may apply.
(1811–1884), the staunch abolitionist and advocate for Native Americans
. He was one of the leading members of the American Anti-Slavery Society
. The High School traces its history to 1875, when South Division High School was opened as the South Side's first public high school. When its new Phillips campus opened in 1904, the school was still predominately populated by the wealthy children of Chicago's South Side mansions but this soon changed with the changing demographics brought about by the great migration
. By 1907, 90 black students had enrolled at Phillips. Early yearbooks portray a racial mix in the student body, but by 1920 the school had become Chicago's first predominately African-American high school. During this period, the school's winning basketball team was drafted by Abe Saperstein
, a Chicago Parks and Recreation employee, to form the nucleus of a group that later became the Harlem Globetrotters
. They were initially called "the Savoy Big Five", taking their new name from Bronzeville's Savoy Ballroom. Those players included Tommy Brookings, Hillary Brown, George Easter, William "Razor" Frazier, Roosevelt Hudson, Inman "Big Jack" Jackson, Lester Johnson, Byron "Fat" Long, William "Kid" Oliver, Al "Runt" Pullins, Randolph Ramsey, Ted Strong and Walter "Toots" Wright, all of whom were formerly students at Phillips High.
In 1929, the Board of Education voted to build a new Wendell Phillips High School at 49th and Wabash Avenue. Economic conditions during the Great Depression
slowed the work on the building; it was finally completed February 4, 1935. The old school "mysteriously" caught fire January 28, 1935, making it necessary for the students to move to the new school in February 1935.
Now located at 244 E. Pershing Road in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, the school has produced a number of notable African-American alumni, including Nat "King" Cole, singing legend and charter member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
the late Sam Cooke
, and George E. Johnson, Sr.
, founder of Johnson Products (a cosmetics manufacturer and the first African-American owned firm to be listed on the American Stock Exchange
).
The school building was constructed in 1904 in the Classical Revival style, and was designated a Chicago Landmark
on May 7, 2003 in time for its 100th anniversary.
, a school Newspaper Club, the Book Club, the Culture Club, a Music Production Project, an Entrepreneurial Project, Junior Achievement
, yearbook
, and a debate Team.
, Illinois Institute of Technology
, Ada S. McKinley Educational Talent Search, Dawson Skills Center, Carnegie Learning, Field Museum, Kaplan, Center for New Horizons, and Project Strive.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in the Bronzeville
Douglas, Chicago
Douglas, located on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois is one of 77 well-defined Chicago community areas. The neighborhood is named for Stephen A. Douglas, a famous Illinois politician, whose estate included a tract of land given to the federal government...
neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of the Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians and officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, is a large school district that manages over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois...
and is named for the noted American abolitionist
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
Wendell Phillips
Wendell Phillips
Wendell Phillips was an American abolitionist, advocate for Native Americans, and orator. He was an exceptional orator and agitator, advocate and lawyer, writer and debater.-Education:...
. It was the first predominately black high school in Chicago.
Curriculum
Phillips is a High School Transformation and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) school and offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses as well as honors courses as part of its academic curriculum. It provides a positive learning environment through an academic curriculum promoting literacy and inquiry-based learning. AP courses are offered in U.S. history, environmental science and English. Honors courses are offered in 15 subjects. Education To Careers (ETC) programs are offered in fashion design, graphic communications, and drafting. Phillips also features a Junior Air Force Reserve Officers Training CorpsJunior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a Federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools across the United States...
(JAFROTC) program and a health clinic to serve the needs of its students. Enrollment is open to students living in its attendance area; if space is available, students outside the area may apply.
History
Phillips opened September 5, 1904 and was named for Wendell PhillipsWendell Phillips
Wendell Phillips was an American abolitionist, advocate for Native Americans, and orator. He was an exceptional orator and agitator, advocate and lawyer, writer and debater.-Education:...
(1811–1884), the staunch abolitionist and advocate for Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. He was one of the leading members of the American Anti-Slavery Society
American Anti-Slavery Society
The American Anti-Slavery Society was an abolitionist society founded by William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan. Frederick Douglass was a key leader of this society and often spoke at its meetings. William Wells Brown was another freed slave who often spoke at meetings. By 1838, the society had...
. The High School traces its history to 1875, when South Division High School was opened as the South Side's first public high school. When its new Phillips campus opened in 1904, the school was still predominately populated by the wealthy children of Chicago's South Side mansions but this soon changed with the changing demographics brought about by the great migration
Great Migration (African American)
The Great Migration was the movement of 6 million blacks out of the Southern United States to the Northeast, Midwest, and West from 1910 to 1970. Some historians differentiate between a Great Migration , numbering about 1.6 million migrants, and a Second Great Migration , in which 5 million or more...
. By 1907, 90 black students had enrolled at Phillips. Early yearbooks portray a racial mix in the student body, but by 1920 the school had become Chicago's first predominately African-American high school. During this period, the school's winning basketball team was drafted by Abe Saperstein
Abe Saperstein
Abraham M. Saperstein was an owner and coach of the Savoy Big Five, which later became the Harlem Globetrotters...
, a Chicago Parks and Recreation employee, to form the nucleus of a group that later became the Harlem Globetrotters
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...
. They were initially called "the Savoy Big Five", taking their new name from Bronzeville's Savoy Ballroom. Those players included Tommy Brookings, Hillary Brown, George Easter, William "Razor" Frazier, Roosevelt Hudson, Inman "Big Jack" Jackson, Lester Johnson, Byron "Fat" Long, William "Kid" Oliver, Al "Runt" Pullins, Randolph Ramsey, Ted Strong and Walter "Toots" Wright, all of whom were formerly students at Phillips High.
In 1929, the Board of Education voted to build a new Wendell Phillips High School at 49th and Wabash Avenue. Economic conditions during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
slowed the work on the building; it was finally completed February 4, 1935. The old school "mysteriously" caught fire January 28, 1935, making it necessary for the students to move to the new school in February 1935.
Now located at 244 E. Pershing Road in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, the school has produced a number of notable African-American alumni, including Nat "King" Cole, singing legend and charter member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
the late Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
, and George E. Johnson, Sr.
George E. Johnson, Sr.
George Ellis Johnson, Sr. is an African American entrepreneur and the founder of Johnson Products Company, an international cosmetics empire headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.-Early life:...
, founder of Johnson Products (a cosmetics manufacturer and the first African-American owned firm to be listed on the American Stock Exchange
American Stock Exchange
NYSE Amex Equities, formerly known as the American Stock Exchange is an American stock exchange situated in New York. AMEX was a mutual organization, owned by its members. Until 1953, it was known as the New York Curb Exchange. On January 17, 2008, NYSE Euronext announced it would acquire the...
).
The school building was constructed in 1904 in the Classical Revival style, and was designated a Chicago Landmark
Chicago Landmark
Chicago Landmark is a designation of the Mayor of Chicago and the Chicago City Council for historic buildings and other sites in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Listed sites are selected after meeting a combination of criteria, including historical, economic, architectural, artistic, cultural,...
on May 7, 2003 in time for its 100th anniversary.
Principals
- Spencer R. Smith (1904–1917)
- Charles H. Perrine (1917–1921)
- Albert W. Evans (1921–1926)
- Chauncey C. Willard (1926–1935)
- William H. Page (1935–1937)
- William Abrams (1937–1939)
- Maudelle B. Bousfield (1939–1950)
- Virginia F. Lewis (1950–1961)
- Robert E. Lewis (1961–1965)
- Alonzo A. Crim (1965–1968)
- William Finch (1968–1971)
- Daniel W. Caldwell (1971–1975)
- Ernestine D. Curry (1975–1990)
- Juanita T. Tucker (1990–1997)
- Beverly LaCoste (1997–2001)
- Bertha Buchanan (2002–2004)
- Euel Bunton (2004–2010)
- Terrence A. Little ( 2010–Present )
Extra Curricular Activities
In addition to its longstanding sports progran, Phillips offers students the opportunity to participate in Student CouncilStudent council
Student council is a curricular or extra-curricular activity for students within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most public and private K-12 school systems across the United States, Canada and Australia these bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student...
, a school Newspaper Club, the Book Club, the Culture Club, a Music Production Project, an Entrepreneurial Project, Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement or JA or JA Worldwide is a non-profit youth organization that was founded in 1919 by Horace A. Moses, Theodore Vail, and senator Winthrop M. Crane. JA focuses on educating kids in K-12 about the free enterprise system...
, yearbook
Yearbook
A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a book to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school or a book published annually. Virtually all American, Australian and Canadian high schools, most colleges and many elementary and middle schools publish yearbooks...
, and a debate Team.
Sports
Phillips athletic teams have had a history of success. In 1975, the boys basketball team won the state Class AA title. The boys track & field team won the 1962 state title.Community Partners
Phillips community and university partners include the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly called Illinois Tech or IIT, is a private Ph.D.-granting university located in Chicago, Illinois, with programs in engineering, science, psychology, architecture, business, communications, industrial technology, information technology, design, and law...
, Ada S. McKinley Educational Talent Search, Dawson Skills Center, Carnegie Learning, Field Museum, Kaplan, Center for New Horizons, and Project Strive.
Notable Alumni
- Gwendolyn BrooksGwendolyn BrooksGwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks was an American poet. She was appointed Poet Laureate of Illinois in 1968 and Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1985.-Biography:...
, first African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
to win the Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City... - Archibald Carey, JrArchibald Carey, JrArchibald J. Carey, Jr was an American lawyer, judge, politician, diplomat and clergyman from the south side of Chicago. He was an alderman for many years under the patronage of powerful African-American politician William L. Dawson. For many years Judge Carey was a major figure in Chicago's...
, lawyerLawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, judgeJudgeA judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
, politicianPoliticianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, diplomatDiplomatA diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and clergyman - Nat "King" Cole
- Sam CookeSam CookeSamuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
Pop and gospel recording star - Osiris EldridgeOsiris EldridgeOsiris Eldridge is a former player of Illinois State's basketball team. As a freshman, he won the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year award, and as a sophomore, he was runner up in MVP honors while leading ISU to its most wins in school history with 25...
, professional basketball player - Marla GibbsMarla GibbsMarla Gibbs is an American television and film actress and singer. She is best remembered for playing Louise and George Jefferson's sarcastic maid, Florence Johnston, on The Jeffersons and spinoff Checking In...
, actress, singer - Chris HintonChris HintonChristopher Hinton is a former American football tackle and guard who played thirteen seasons in the National Football League, mainly with the Indianapolis Colts. He was traded from the Denver Broncos for John Elway. He went to seven Pro Bowls, six with the Colts and one with the Atlanta Falcons...
, NFL player, (Baltimore ColtsHistory of the Indianapolis ColtsThe Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....
) - Paul Des JardienPaul Des JardienPaul Raymond "Shorty" Des Jardien was an American football, baseball and basketball player. He played for the University of Chicago where he was selected as the first-team All-American center in both 1913 and 1914 and also pitched a no-hitter for the baseball team...
, Member of College Football Hall of Fame - George E. Johnson, Sr.George E. Johnson, Sr.George Ellis Johnson, Sr. is an African American entrepreneur and the founder of Johnson Products Company, an international cosmetics empire headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.-Early life:...
Founder, Johnson Products, the first African-American owned company listed on American Stock ExchangeAmerican Stock ExchangeNYSE Amex Equities, formerly known as the American Stock Exchange is an American stock exchange situated in New York. AMEX was a mutual organization, owned by its members. Until 1953, it was known as the New York Curb Exchange. On January 17, 2008, NYSE Euronext announced it would acquire the... - Lee Roy MurphyLee Roy Murphy-Amateur career:Murphy had an amateur record of 157-17, winning the 1979 Light Heavyweight National Golden Gloves and earning a spot on the 1980 United States Olympic team...
, professional boxer - Alonzo S. Parham, the second African-American to attend West Point
- Al Pullins: Original member, Harlem Globetrotters
- Ted ‘‘Double Duty’’ RadcliffeTed RadcliffeTheodore Roosevelt "Double Duty" Radcliffe was at his death thought to be the oldest living professional baseball player , one of only a handful of major league players who lived past their 100th birthdays, and a former star in the...
: Member of Baseball Hall of Fame - William Clintard "Bill" RobinzineBill RobinzineWilliam Clintard "Bill" Robinzine was an American professional basketball player.Born in Chicago, Illinois, Robinzine grew to be a 6' 7" forward from DePaul University. He played seven seasons in the NBA, competing for the Kansas City Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, and Utah Jazz...
, NBA (1975–1982) - Dinah WashingtonDinah WashingtonDinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...
, legendary recording artist