Ralph Bunche High School was a school constructed in 1949 as a result of Civil Action 631 to provide "

separate but equal Separate but equal was a legal doctrine in United States constitutional law, according to which racial segregation did not necessarily violate the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which nominally guaranteed "equal protec ...

" education for African-American students in King George County, Virginia. The school operated until 1968 when

King George High School King George High School is a high school in King George County, Virginia, United States. It has been the only high school in the county since 1968, when the county's schools were integrated and Ralph Bunche High School was closed. In 2006 groun ...

was completed and the county's schools integrated. The school was named for Ralph Bunche, an African-American educator, diplomat and

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

winner.

Architecture

The building continued to be used for various school uses until 1998, including at times as an elementary school, for several specialized programs, including secondary and pre-school, and for School Board administrative offices and some School Board meetings. Ralphe Bunche High School alumni formed a preservation committee in 1998 after plans to demolish the building were discussed. In August of that year, the King George County School Board approved a resolution to preserve the building allowing it to be registered as a historical site. In May 2007, the Ralph Bunche Alumni Association unveiled a commemorative plaque to be placed on the building. The building is currently on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. In 2016, efforts were underway to turn the old school building into the Ralph Bunche Museum and Cultural Centre.

School

Notable alumni

Al Bumbry Alonza Benjamin Bumbry (born Alonza Benjamin Bumbrey; April 21, 1947) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder who played for the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres from 1972 through 1985. Bumbry was the 1973 American League Rookie o ...

, former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

who played for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

and

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

References

School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Buildings and structures in King George County, Virginia Defunct schools in Virginia Historically segregated African-American schools in Virginia National Register of Historic Places in King George County, Virginia Educational institutions established in 1949 1949 establishments in Virginia {{Virginia-school-stub

Architecture

School

Notable alumni

See also

References