FORT SMITH, Ark. — Lincoln High School, which was Fort Smith Historic African American School, had a reunion Aug. 30 to Sept.1. The reunion is hosted by the Lincoln Alumni Association and happens every two years.
"We started the organization for a legacy. We wanted a legacy of that school that was demolished in 1966," said Paula Releford, Lincoln Alumni Association President. "A lot of the former Lincoln High School students are still living and so they come home, and they socialize, and they tell stories."
What Releford calls "Affiliates" are also invited to get involved. It's people who graduated from other Fort Smith schools. Releford graduated from Northside High School in 1970, after Lincoln was no longer in use due to integration.
"Lincoln wasn't like an ordinary school," Releford said. "We joined the alumni because we wanted to be a part of them, and we want this legacy to continue. We are currently enrolling all the classes in Fort Smith."
She said she was looking forward to going to Lincoln her whole life and felt nervous going to Northside.
"When I was a kid, I would see the teenagers and the majorettes and the band and the football team and I wanted to grow up and go to Lincoln," Releford said. "We were kind of terrified because that was all new to us, and we didn't know what to expect."
Now, Releford is dedicated to keeping Lincoln's legacy alive through events like this.
"They booted out some amazing people out of there, doctors, lawyers, engineers, CEOs, and the list goes on and on, they had a very high standard, very high, and they demanded a lot out of their students," Releford said. "I started to study the history of Lincoln, and it's like a fairytale."
A monument designed by a former Lincoln student now stands in its place near 9th Street and N Street in Fort Smith. The Lincoln Childcare Center is in the old 7th grade building.
The reunion lasts throughout the weekend with a Meet & Greet, an Alumni Award Banquet, a picnic, numerous speakers, and stories.
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