Sam Stockard, The Murfreesboro Post, March 15, 2016
Jason McGowan can remember his late grandfather, Willie McGowan, working tirelessly – mornings and nights – on the campaign to restore Bradley Academy, leaving him to wonder “Why?”
“He told me that Bradley was a place where black children could receive an education, and it was a literal hub for the black community. He stressed to me that Bradley was a source for black empowerment,” the younger McGowan says.
As supporters of old Bradley prepare for the Willie McGowan Banquet celebrating the 20th anniversary of efforts to preserve Bradley Academy Museum and Cultural Center, McGowan’s grandson says the significance goes beyond its physical structure.
“Bradley holds a cornucopia of memories, passions and sentiments that transcend time,” he says. “Bradley is a reminder of a time when inequality was the status quo. Bradley is an aide-memoire reminding us that black collaboration can conquer incredible odds.”
The theme of this year’s banquet is “Honoring the Legacy of Our Unsung Heroes,” a salute to those who played a critical part in preserving and restoring the building on 415 S. Academy St. in downtown Murfreesboro.
Tickets are on sale for the March 26 event set for 7 p.m. at MTSU’s James Union Building. Tickets are $40 for adults over 18 and $20 for all others. A table of eight can be reserved for $300.
They can be purchased through March 18 by cash or check at the museum during operating hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Checks for tickets or donations can be made to City of Murfreesboro/Friends of Bradley Academy Museum. For information, call (615) 962-8773.
A wine and cheese event is scheduled March 25 from 6-8 p.m. at the museum featuring jazz music, local artists, a museum video presentation and tours.
Rutherford County native James Oscar Simmons of Florida, a 1953 graduate of Holloway High School in Murfreesboro, will be the banquet’s keynote speaker. He is retired president and founder of the Pinellas County Urban League in St. Petersburg, Fla., and has helped open several charter schools there to help at-risk youths earn high school diplomas.
Bradley was attended by James K. Polk, the nation’s 11th president, in the 1800s and then became a school for Murfreesboro’s black children before it closed in 1955 after Brown v. Board of Education. Over time, the city used it primarily for office and storage space and it faced demolition after falling into disrepair.
Willie McGowan recognized its potential demise and started a movement in the 1990s of former students, teachers and community supporters, including Fred Beneby, to restore the building.
Beneby, who now resides in Florida, was among those who helped form the initial Bradley Academy Historical Association and gathered seed money from Nissan for the effort as well as a donation from NationsBank to organize a commemorative brick and memorial brick courtyard to raise money. Others threw in volunteer work.
Bradley was largely forgotten at the time as a former focal point of the black community, with most recognition going to Holloway High Schools, Beneby points out.
“I felt like this would be one way of convincing the entire community to get behind a historical building because the 11th president of the United States, James K. Polk, had attended there, and the Murfree family had donated the land,” Beneby says. “But more importantly I thought the young people of Murfreesboro needed to have some idea of what kind of things we did collectively back in the old days.”
MTSU administrator Gloria Bonner, who is chairing the coming event, says Bradley is important because of the “education legacy” it represents for several generations of black residents, in addition to the distinction of attendance by President Polk.
“There is some real historical significance to Bradley Academy that we celebrate and honor,” Bonner says, noting this year’s event focuses on those who played a role in its preservation.
Honorees include Rebecca Carney Temple No. 798 and E.A. Davis Elks Lodge No. 1138, MTSU Center for Historic Preservation represented by Carroll Van West and Caneta Hankins, retired assistant director, MTSU Department of History, represented by Chairman James Beeby and professor Brenden Martin, Shacklett Photography represented by Bill Shacklett and Gloria Shacklett Christy and the Christy-Houston Foundation represented by Bob Mifflin.
Bradley Museum is in its first year being overseen by the city of Murfreesboro, and supporters are working to increase its role as a museum and learning tool.
“Unfortunately, there are few places, in Murfreesboro, that accommodate the preservation of African Americans’ magnificent and beautiful history,” says Jason McGowan. “Growing Bradley as a community center and maintaining it as a functional museum chronicling the struggles and triumphs of Murfreesboro’s black population is not only a priority but a moral imperative as well.”
Sam Stockard can be reached at [email protected].