Evening star., 1950-07-12
CentruI's History


Those Of us who are attached to the
traditions of Central High School ap-
preciate your two-page pictorial display
On The Last Days Of Central" in The
Sunday Star Magazine on July 2. I hope
I viii not seem ungrateful If follow
that brief statement with a lengthier
effort to correct an error of dating which
has repeatedly appeared in accounts of
Centrals history. and for which The
stars writer is therefore not really to
be blamed.
The wrong date is 1880 for the open
ing OF the building at Seventh and o
streets NV. as the Washington High
School. That building was actually
opened to pupils in September, 1882, and
think the earlier date is merely typo
graphical error made in some statement
OF perhaps several years ago, which 9TH
ers unfortunately even the farewell!
issues of the Central student newspaper
and yearbook followed without knowing
1t was wrong.
The Stars article stated that the
school is So years old, and then endeav-
ored to reconcile that figure with the
1880 date by referring to merger of
the Washington High School with the
Girls High School two years later to
form Central. The merger in 1882 was
between the Boys High School and the
Girls High School, and it did not be-
come Central by name until 1890, when
the formation of Eastern, Western. and
Business High Schools necessitated some
distinctive name for the original O
street institution.
Central, under one name or another.
has lived through "a or 68 scholastic
years according to whether the two
forerunners are included (as they actu-
ally are in the membership of the Gen.
trail Alumni Association. Some scattered
postgraduate classes in the girls gram
mar schools were brought together as
the Advanced Grammar School for Girls
in the fall of 1876. and similar groups Of
boys dncluding The Stars late presi-
dent, Frank B. Noyes, and my father,
Howard L. Hodgkins, as two of the num-
ber) were brought together a year later.
It happened that, in 1880, the two
schools made bold to drop the cautious
titles with which they had started and
became officially high schools by name,
but they did not change their character
and were still two-year schools ninth
and tenth gradeS and in makeshift
quarters until they merged in building
Of their own in 1882.
Some of us object also to the phrase
ology, seen in print elsewhere of late
as well as in your article, that next
fall Central will become Cardozo" The
fact is merely that the building long
occupied by Central will, be occupied by
another school. and Central itself is not
becoming anything for the present.
Central Is the name of an institution
rather than building, especially to the
many who have known it intimately in
two buildings leach occupied. as it hap
pens, for exactly "a years. and to some
living alumni who have even known it
before 1t took the name of Central.
We wanted to move out of the former
structure because it was outmoded and
outgrown. and because we had worked
very hard to get fine new one 10 take
its place. We wanted to keep the second
34-year home because it is still a fine
one, and even more because there is no
place given us to move to. Many of us
hope that some way will still be devised
to have Central heritage go on (not too
much harmed by brief suspended
animation if need be) as vital part of
some live unit in the Washington school
system.
George w. Hodgkins.