PECK PRIDE by Mandy Haynes

PECK PRIDE by Mandy Haynes

With the chance to share the history of Peck High School with an exhibit at the Peck Center, a group of alumni called ALL ABOUT PECK was formed to coordinate the effort.

In February last year, I wrote a story about Peck High School’s amazing history. After meeting with eight former students in the Willie Mae Hardy Ashley auditorium of what is now the Peck Center, I asked them one last question: “Why isn’t there any of the history you all just shared with me displayed here?”

Neil Frink, one of the former Peck students, asked me to come out into the lobby and pointed to a painting of Martin Luther King, Jr. “Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is an important part of Black history, but why is his portrait bigger than the portrait of the man this building is named after?”

Frink pointed to the much smaller portrait of Professor William Henderson Peck then back to the large painting hanging in clear view.

“Before anyone heard of Martin Luther King Jr., we had strong, independent, outspoken, role models and mentors inside these walls,” Frink said.

Frink graduated from Peck High School in 1959. I did the math; that was four years before the March on Washington, where Dr. King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Shortly after my article on the history of Peck High School was published, Neil Frink and I met with Dale Martin, City Manager for Fernandina Beach, to see how the former students could have the history of Peck High displayed in the building.

He agreed wholeheartedly that Peck High School’s history needed to be recognized and suggested that former Peck students organize a committee to start gathering information that they thought should be displayed.

Within days, the ALL ABOUT PECK group was formed and growing, including members of the Peck Alumni Association and former students who now live out of state.

Two months later, they received some exciting news. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Lorelei Jacobs, Grants Administrator for the city, a grant for $50,000 was received to fund the Amelia Island Museum of History’s creation and installation of a Peck High School historical exhibition to be permanently located at the Peck Center, as well as a separate grant to take care of much-needed repairs.

“The Historic Peck Center, A Rosenwald School Heritage Education Project” and “The Saving Peck High School” exterior repairs project were sponsored in part by the Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, and the State of Florida in collaboration with the City of Fernandina Beach, the Peck Alumni Association, and the Amelia Island Museum of History.

Members of the ALL ABOUT PECK group worked nonstop, using social media, participating in events like the annual Juneteenth Celebration, and making calls to spread the word and collect contact information of family members of former students who would like to get involved.

The group also met at the Amelia Island Museum of History and worked with the staff to add important documents, photos, and information to the Peck High School archives, which were thought to be lost during the renovation.

They also updated information on file by identifying and giving names to people and places in photos that were listed as unknown.

On August 13, sixteen months after their first meeting, everyone celebrated with a reception at the Willie Mae Hardy Ashley Auditorium for the unveiling of the New Peck Exhibit. The exhibit is located in the Elmo Myers/Nassau County Development Corporation Reception Room. Two interactive displays, as well as four free-standing displays, are portable so they can be moved when meetings are scheduled in the room. You can visit the exhibit at the Peck Center Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

And there’s more exciting news from the city. Salvatore J. Cumella, Preservation Planner for the City of Fernandina Beach, has reinitiated a nomination to list the Peck Center (Peck High School) in the National Register of Historic Places.

In the meantime, members of the ALL ABOUT PECK group have plans for a quarterly Storytelling Series and other events in 2023 to be held at the Peck Center to share their stories and make connections with people in the community who want to learn more about Peck High School’s amazing history. Stay tuned!

SHERRY CARTER