The Randolph County Training School Scholarship Foundation (RCTSSF)

First Baptist Church (Riley St.) in Roanoke, AL

2013 RCTS Reunion

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The 1949 RCTS Building

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1934

Fourth and Fifth Grade Classes

Roll Call
1954

Students Celebrate Prom

Roll Call

The Randolph County Training School Scholarship Foundation

The Randolph County Training School Scholarship Foundation (RCTSSF) is a not-for-profit organization incorporated in the State of Alabama in 2005. Headquartered in Roanoke, AL, the foundation was organized to assist graduates of Randolph County Alabama high schools through scholarships awards. The Board of Directors consists of a Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary, and other board members.

History of The Randolph County Training School

The Randolph County Training School was a foundation for the African American community and its children for 51 years. Located on US Highway 431 just outside the city limits of Roanoke, Alabama, it was one of the area’s most important educational institutions. Prime centrally located land for the school was purchased from the Roanoke Guano Company between 1917 and 1918.
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RCTS Reunion (Bulldogs in Florida)

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History (Robert Robinson Taylor) Architect

Robert Robinson Taylor, the first African-American to graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

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RCTS Reunion (Bulldogs in Florida)

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Artist representation of the 1949 RCTS Main School Building

1949 RCTS Main School Building

The 1919 building was destroyed by fire in February 1943. The new 1949 school building served as the only high school for Blacks in Randolph County Alabama until the late 1950s when another high school for Blacks (Wedowee High School) was built at Wedowee, the county seat

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Remembering Emory LaMont Houston – RCTS Class of 1966

When the history of the Randolph County Training School is written, Emory LaMont Houston will be included among its most accomplished graduates. RCTS was a Rosenwald school that existed between 1919 and 1970.

Emory has joined our ancestors. We join all in extending condolences to his family and surviving 1966 RCTS classmates. His 1966 class motto, "There isn't a map which shows the road to success, you have to make it yourself," applies to his life.

LaMont was an anchor member of the RCTS band, basketball and football teams and president of his 1966 class. He graduated from Tuskegee University with a B.S. degree in Engineering before serving as a senior engineer with the Georgia Power Company.

He was among those who made generous donations to the RCTS scholarship fund. He was there from the beginning in 2005, donating the initial $1,000.00.

RCTS Scholarship 2026 – Deadline & A Legacy of Giving: Rev. Dr. James Hill & RCTS Scholars

The deadline for submitting applications for the 2026 RCTS scholarship is April 16, 2026. Applications can be downloaded from this site or our website (ww.rctsscholarshipfoundation.org). We recently received a very generous donation from Rev. Dr. James Hill to support the award of our 2026 scholarships.

Rev. Hill has consistently and generously donated to the RCTS scholarship fund since it was established in 2005. This photo collage includes Dr. Hill and his family, his father's RCTS class in 1936, Rev. Hill delivering a Mother's Day sermon and 2025 Handley High School RCTS scholarship recipients.

Dr. Hill is a RCTS descendant student with a rich RCTS legacy. His father and two older sisters graduated from RCTS. He graduated from Handley High School in 1978.

Honoring John Frank Houston (Class of 1970): A Legacy of Giving

Join me in wishing John Frank Houston a happy birthday. John was a member of the 1970 RCTS class, the last class to graduate from RCTS after 51 years of operation. I thank John for being among the most generous contributors to our RCTS scholarship fund since we established it in 2005. This year, with John's support, we will add to the 110 RCTS scholarships we have awarded since 2005. Behind These Silent Walls.

Women’s History Month: Honoring the Women Educators of RCTS

In recognition of Women's History Month, let's reflect on the RCTS women teachers who were essential to our development. Among them were Ms. Clark, Ms. Jackson, Ms. Trimble-Ingram, Ms. Robinson, Ms. Shumpert, Ms. Thigpen, Ms. Stevens, and Ms. Chapman. I thank all who have donated to our RCTS scholarship fund, which we use to ensure that the RCTS legacy is not erased. The 2026 RCTS scholarship application process is now open. Roanoke Superintendent of Schools, Greg Foster, is pictured here with 2022 Handley High School RCTS scholarship recipients. Since 2005, we have awarded one hundred and ten (110) scholarships to RCTS descendant students.

Remembering Mayme Heflin Garrett

We join our RCTS Bulldog family in extending condolences to Mayme's Heflin and Garrett families. As a 1969 graduate (a 69er) Mayme's footprint in the RCTS legacy is large. She graduated with honors from RCTS before matriculating at the Alabama State University. Mayme contributed significantly to our RCTS legacy, reunion and scholarship initiatives. In 2019, Mayme worked with her 1969 RCTS classmates to raise funds for one of the largest donations to the RCTS scholarship fund.

Remembering a Pillar of the RCTS Legacy: Tobie Clark ’57

Honoring the Legacy of Tobie Clark, RCTS Class of 1957

Tobie Clark, RCTS class of 1957, has joined the ancestors. He passed on December 18th in Samford, Connecticut. He was the last surviving son of Ms. Octavia Strickland Clark and Deacon Robert Clark, long-term residents of the historic Newtown community in Roanoke. May he rest in peace with God's grace and mercy.

He was the husband of Sarah Heard Clark, also a RCTS graduate. Tobie and Sarah were strong supporters of our RCTS Legacy (as a Rosenwald descendant school) and Reunion initiative and regularly attended reunions. Tobie was a member of the 1957 RCTS basketball team, which included Curtis Whitlow, Linnie Wright, Love Joy Moody, Walter Canady, and others.

1957 was an important year in the history of RCTS in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement, three years after the Brown vs. Board of Education school desegregation decision, the third year of the principalship of Ben A. Outland, and the year that the Civil Rights Act passed, creating the Civil Rights Commission. Tobie, Sarah, Dorothy Adams-Oliver, Curtis Whitlow, Mary Alford and the Fab-5 are pictured in this collage.

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RCTS Behind These Silent Walls Booklet Cover

2013 RCTS Reunion Commemorative Program

Valuable information on RCTS' history is contained in the 2013 RCTS Reunion Commemorative Program available for a donation of $20 (includes postage to U.S. addresses.) To Order the 2013 Reunion Souvenir Program, send check or money order to: RCTS Scholarship Foundation Attn: 2013 Souvenir Program P.O. Box 1411 Roanoke, AL 36274

Scholarship Application

Don't delay; take the first step towards your educational dreams and apply for the 2026 RCTS Scholarship on or before Thursday, April 16, 2026. It's easy, straightforward, and could bring you closer to a brighter future. Don't miss this opportunity: apply now!
To apply, download the application. Email or mail the application to The Randolph County Training School Scholarship Foundation, Post Office Box 1411, Roanoke, AL 36274. Visit www.rctsfoundation.org or email info@rctsfoundation.org for more information.

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Behind These Silent Walls

Behind These Silent Walls is the theme that binds Randolph County Training School alumni and friends. It is the title of the essay Ms. Hattie Peters Clark, RCTS 5th grade teacher, wrote in 1970 describing her concern about what would happen to the Black community and its children after the closure of RCTS in response to a federal district court order.

Behind These Silent Walls pictorial chronology

An Important Historical Document: James Awbrey Johnson

Historical document about James Awbrey Johnson and the American Union Relief Society

Dr. Thornton thanks Shirley Johnson Walker for sharing this important historical document about her father, James Awbrey Johnson. The document describes his 1943 certificate of membership in the American Union Relief Society and explores the Society's possible connection to RCTS and the emergence of Rosenwald schools in east Alabama.

The Relief Society was an example of the self-help and collective responsibility that helped the Black community survive. The document also provides a valuable window into African American community life and the institutions that supported families during segregation.

As noted by Shirley Johnson Walker, she and her siblings — Claxton, Rudolph, Juline, Tommy, Frances, Vinson, Edward, Sidney, and Shirley — attended Randolph County Training School.

Dr. Thornton also thanks the Johnson family for their generous donations to the RCTS Scholarship Fund. Their support has helped make it possible to award 218 scholarships to RCTS descendant students in Randolph County.

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Behind These Silent Walls: Fannie Riley and the History of East Roanoke

Fannie Riley historical newspaper article, Riley Family Homestead marker, and RCTS historical collage

The March 15, 2017, edition of the Randolph Leader included an article ("Backward Glances, 60 Years Ago") about the life and times of Fannie Riley. At the time referenced in the article, Fannie Riley was 85 years old. She was the wife of James A. Riley, who was among Randolph County's earliest educators.

James and Fannie Riley were the parents of Louise Riley, an RCTS librarian and a graduate of Atlanta University. James and Fannie Riley were longtime residents of the East Roanoke community. A street was named in their honor, and their remains are buried in the historic Bogger Hill Cemetery.

As the article notes, Fannie's grandmother, Amy McClendon, was an enslaved person living near LaGrange, Georgia. The home that James Riley built is marked as a historic site. The home is one of three historic sites in the East Roanoke community, along with the Randolph County Training School and the Clark Memorial Funeral Home.

Fannie's grandmother's enslavers threatened to sell her "down the river" to New Orleans as punishment. Selling our enslaved ancestors to the slave markets in New Orleans from Chambers County and other east Alabama counties was a highly profitable enterprise that helped build the economy of Louisiana.

This is history that should be known and taught. Behind These Silent Walls.