The RCTS SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION was created as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in late 2005 by a group of RCTS alumni and former RCTS teachers. Its articles of incorporation (State of Alabama) state its purpose as:

The purpose of the Randolph County Training School (hereafter referred to as RCTS) Scholarship Foundation is to raise scholarship funds and help promote the RCTS legacy and tradition through the development and distribution of historical information and documents. The Foundation will work cooperatively with the biannual officers and members of the RCTS Reunion to advance the RCTS legacy and tradition. Central to the Foundation's purpose is educating youth and the general public about the contributions that were made by RCTS and its graduates.
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View the RCTSSF
By-Laws

The RCTSSF Board of Directors:

Chairman

Alvin Thornton, PhD
Suitland, MD

Directors

Antonia Bell - Treasurer
Roanoke, AL

Mary Doris Alford
Gadsden, AL

Mary Sue Tatum
Roanoke, AL

Countess Chapman
Roanoke, AL

Gene A. Thornton - Secretary
Roanoke, AL

Joe Wayne Winston
Harvest, AL

Joe W. Winston and a group of dedicated volunteers organized and put on another superb RCTS Reunion. Several Bulldogs attended the Reunion for the first time and all who did said they are glad they did and will be back in 2009. Click Here to see photos of the picnic, banquet, and church services.

SITES

WE LIKE

University of Virginia
Library Special Collection
JACKSON DAVIS
COLLECTION
(Photos of Black Educational
Institutions in the South)

National Trust for Historic Preservation (Rosenwald Schools)

The RCTS 4th and 5th Grade Classes of 1936
Photo Courtesy Mr. Alfred Hill

Ms. Placidia Emily Thigpen, RCTS Principal and Dean of Women at Alabama A&M College, A Woman Trailblazer in Education

RCTS Bulldogs at the 2007 Picnic held in LaGrange, GA on June 1, 2007.

Shirley Johnson Walker, 2007 Keynote Speaker at West Georgia Technical College Callaway Center, LaGrange, GA, during the RCTS Bulldog Maroon and Gold Banquet

Read Shirley's Bio and Story.

Ms. Countess Chapman, former RCTS teacher, is awarded a "Lifetime Achievement Award" by Mary Morgan-Baker and Dr. Alvin Thornton, RCTSSF Board Chairman at the 2007 RCTS Reunion

RCTS Memorabilia

All proceeds from the sale of RCTS items go to the Randolph County Training School Scholarship Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization.

Jessica Trammell accepts a Bulldog T-shirt, cap, and 2005 scholarship from RCTSSF Treasurer Antonia Bell (left) and Board Director Countess Chapman

Each year the Foundation awards $500 scholarships to Randolph County Alabama high school graduates enrolled in post-high school educational programs

Scholarship Awardees

2005 - Jessica Trammell
University of Alabama, Birmingham

2006 - Jamal Ware
Alabama A&M Univ., Normal, AL

2006 - Shealissa Williams
University of Alabama, Birmingham

2007 - Robert Royston
Auburn University

2007 -Angelica Trammell
Huntingdon College, Montgomery, AL

2007 - Stari R. Morgan
University of Alabama, Birmingham

How To Apply for the 2008 RCTS Scholarship

If you had millions of dollars, what would you do with it? Would you give much of it away? Would you give money to help create almost 5,300 schools for the education of poor children? Read the story of Julius Rosenwald, a rich man who gave millions to help change the lives and fortunes of millions of Blacks in America's South.

Behind These Silent Walls DVD - is a 2-hour DVD pictorial history of an American Institution produced by four graduates of The Randolph County Training School (RCTS) located in Roanoke, Alabama. It documents the rich history of the School from its opening in 1919 until its closing in 1970. View hundreds of photos of the School's principals, administrators, teachers, advocates and mentors, bus drivers, buildings, athletic teams, bands, choirs, graduation and class exercises. The DVD also includes photos of historical sites, RCTS feeder schools constructed with help from the Rosenwald Foundation, and Black churches that served as the spiritual homes of RCTS students. Professionally narrated, this documentary tells the story of the School, originally named "The Roanoke Colored School", and captures the history of the School for future generations. Quantities are limited, so Order Your Copy, Today!

Behind These Silent Walls Book© - The history of The RCTS is also available in manuscript form. In addition to 100s of historical photos, this document also contains the names of all known graduates of RCTS. It makes a great coffee table book that will certainly start many interesting conversations.
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I or my relative(s) attended or graduated from the Randolph County Training School. I have photos of the school or school activities (band, choir, sports, graduation, etc.). I want to share them with other RCTS Bulldogs. Tell me how I can submit the photos. Note: All photos will be returned to the sender in their original condition.
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Did you know the original 1919 RCTS building was built with help from the Rosenwald Foundation? RCTSSF is currently researching this connection at Fisk University where the Rosenwald Foundation papers are housed.

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