Ullman High School
| Ullman High School | |
| |
| Active | 1937–1960s |
|---|---|
| School type | Public |
| District | Birmingham City Schools |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Colors | green & gray |
| Mascot | Wolfpack |
| Location | 1205 6th Avenue South, (map) Birmingham |
Samuel Ullman High School is a former Birmingham City Schools high school for African-American students from Southside and Titusville. It opened in 1937 in the former Ullman School building at 1205 6th Avenue South, facing 12th Street.
The school, which previously served white students, had been named for long-serving Birmingham Board of Education member Samuel Ullman. The high school was greatly enlarged with a new three-story classroom wing in 1957. The new wing obscured the original front facade of the school.
Notable faculty members at Ullman included Birmingham Civil Rights Institute founder Odessa Woolfolk and Reverend John Wesley Rice, father of Condoleezza Rice, who was the school's guidance counselor. Jazz musician Wilson Driver organized the first Ullman High School Band.
The school's athletic teams were known as the Wolfpack, and their colors were green and gold.
Ullman High School closed in 1970 as a result of the racial integration in the 1960s. Students were transferred to Ramsay High School. The property was sold to the University of Alabama in Birmingham, and has been known since then as the Ullman Building. The school's eastern annex, housing the auditorium and gymnasium, was dedicated as the Bell Building, honoring Ullman principal George Bell, on May 16, 1971.
Principals
- C. P. Underwood, 1923–1924
- George Bell, 1937-1970
Notable alumni
- Mary Kate Bush, finance professional
- Joseph Gayles Jr, physicist and Talladega College president
- Taylor Weldon Green, educator
- Freeman Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County
- Larry Kenon, professional basketball player
- Larry Naves, Chief Judge for the Denver, Colorado municipal courts
- Woody Peoples, Pro Bowl offensive lineman
- Doris Powell, Fountain Heights community leader and Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority chair
- Rickey Powell, Broadway and jazz vocalist
- Nathan Hale Turner Jr, Birmingham News copy editor and author
- Cynthia Wesley, victim of the bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church
- Mary Esterlyn White, chemist
References
- Cruikshank, George M. (1920) History of Birmingham and Its Environs (2 vol.) Chicago: Lewis Publishing.
- Spencer, Thomas (January 2, 2008) "UAB opens its first new academic building for undergrads in 25 years." The Birmingham News
- Jackson, Harold (January 15, 2012) "Recalling a school closing that opened a new world." The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Debro, Anita (May 27, 2016) "Preserving the memories of Ullman High." Weld for Birmingham
External links
- Ullman High School football history from ahsfhs.org website