The lasting impact of the 'Big Four'

Location: Malloy/Jordan East Winston Heritage Center

Interviews by Michael S. Williams
Video by Julia Wall

Alumni share lessons learned

Whether it was Depot Street Graded School or Fourteenth Street School, Black educational institutions in Forsyth County provided students a foundation that would provide solid ground long after graduation. Those institutions laid the foundation for the "Big Four,” a reference to the four Black high schools that overlapped in operation during the 1960s: Simon G. Atkins High School, Albert H. Anderson High School, Carver Consolidated School, and John W. Paisley High School. In this conversation at the Malloy/Jordan East Winston Heritage Center, alumni from the Black high schools share how their experiences and educators shaped their lives. The following alumni participated in the conversation:

• Dothula Baron, Paisley class of 1966

• James E. Gist, Atkins class of 1958

• Elwillie Byrd Jarrett, Carver class of 1965

• Norman Williams, Anderson class of 1967