Mrs. Susie Morris
Susie Morris, later known as Sue Cowan Williams
Faculty photo of Mrs. Susie Morris (later known as Sue Cowan Williams), while head of the English Department at Dunbar High School, prior to her dismissal due to her salary equalization law suit.
Jennifer Pierce
5/4/11
Arkansas Baptist College
Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock (Pulaski County); circa 1930. It is located at 1621 Dr Martin Luther King Dr
Little Rock, Arkansas
Arkansas Baptist College (ABC) in Little Rock (Pulaski County) is a four-year historically black liberal arts institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and affiliated with the Consolidated Missionary Baptist State Convention of Arkansas. Arkansas Baptist College was founded in 1884 by the Colored Baptists of the State of Arkansas. The school opened in November 1884 at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Little Rock and was named the Ministers’ Institute. The primary objective was to raise the educational level of the African-American ministry while valuing the teaching principles of Jesus Christ. The college was committed to academic and cultural excellence in educating future African-American ministers. The secondary objective was to aid the state in making higher education available to young black men and women. Most of the school’s students were trained in the ministry. In August 1885, the college’s name was changed to Arkansas Baptist College, and the school moved to 16th and High Street (now Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive), where the campus remains today.
Susie Morris contracted work with Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock after being fired from her teaching position at Dunbar High School.
Jennifer Pierce
Sue Cowan Williams
Sue Cowan Williams
Sue Cowan Williams at the annual National Association for the Advancement of Colored People affirmative (NAACP) action dinner in Little Rock (Pulaski County); 1980.
Jennifer Pierce
Dunbar School Newspaper
The Bearcat, Dunbar's school newspaper, January 1935
The school newspaper was called The Bearcat, named for Dunbar High School's mascot. Mrs. Williams is listed as a faculty sponsor. Dunbar's mascot is now the bobcat and the school no longer has a school newspaper.
Jennifer Pierce
Tribute to Sue C. Williams
Tribute to Mrs. Williams by Dunbar Alumni Association.
Tribute to Mrs. Williams by Dunbar Alumni Association, found in the pamphlet for the class of 1979 reunion, "Tribute to our Beloved Teachers 1929-1955"
Jennifer Pierce
Mt. Zion Baptist Church
Mt. Zion Baptist Church is located at 908 S. Cross Street in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Mt. Zion Baptist Church is affectionately known as the "The Mount." Mrs. Williams was a member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church and became the church’s first youth director. The church is still active in the Dunbar Community and website reads "It is our desire to minister to the total person, reach every generation, bridge generational gaps, and make a difference in the community at large."
Jennifer Pierce
Dunbar Alumni Association, Inc. Reunion of the Classes 1979 Pamphlet
Dunbar Alumni Association Reunion, of the Class of 1979, pamphlet "Tribute To Our Beloved Teachers 1929-1955"
Pamphlet from the Dunbar Class of 1979 reunion sponsored by the Dunbar Alumni Association, which honors teachers from Dunbar for the years 1929-1955.
Jennifer Pierce
Dunbar Magnet Middle School (formerly Dunbar High School)
Dunbar Magnet Middle School is located at 1100 Wright Avenue in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School opened in 1929 and offered a comprehensive education for black students in Little Rock. Mrs. Sue Cowan Williams taught English here from 1935 to 1943, when she was abruptly fired. She resumed teaching here in 1952 when she was offered her job back and taught until her retirment in 1974. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Dunbar architecture and curriculum were adapted to fit the Tuskegee model. The new building housed classrooms for grades seven through twelve and also had a wing for Dunbar Junior College, a two-year institution with an emphasis upon training teachers. Extracurricular activities included athletics (football, basketball, baseball, track and field, volleyball, and tennis), music, drama, debate, and a chapter of the National Honor Society.
The Little Rock School District as of 2011 is still using the Dunbar building as an active school, known as Dunbar Magnet Middle School.
Jennifer Pierce
Williams Library
Williams Library, located at 1800 Chester Street in Little Rock, Arkansas
Williams Library is the tenth library in the Central Arkansas Library System and was dedicated on March 22, 1997, in honor of Sue Cowan Williams. It was the most expensive building constructed to date in the library system and appropriately serves the community near the historic Dunbar High School building. In addition to a wide selection of books and audio/visual items, the 8,500-square-feet facility offers public Internet access and a public meeting room.
Jennifer Pierce
4/18/11
Former home of Sue Cowan Williams
Sue Cowan Williams lived with her father in this home at 1518 Cross Street while teaching at nearby Dunbar High School.
Jennifer Pierce
Jennifer Pierce
March 2, 2011
Kathleen Pate
JPEG 766 KB