Booker T Washington High School - Washingtonian Yearbook (Norfolk, VA)

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EDWINA ALSTON Miss HOMECOMING GWENDOLYN EVANS Miss SENIOR

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At Booker T . , an Identit By Ron Logan DAVE VANEMBURG ltd Allan Richardson lused for a moment, sen climbed out of their ir and walked towaid Booker T. Washington iiigh School. I vu are firmmit in sq, tilt-,gitttgtty temlwr and they were the lirst white students to show up at the predominantly black high school for the fall semester. A group of black students moved toward the pair. Both boys were a little nervous, but they kept on walking The students in thefrontd the group reached out their 5612072 :lu magazine for young modems Saturday hloveinber 14,-l-570 Page 2 5 - ' --1 .. ,. ., Y ,.. ..-.. V ,.-....-,-,-. .... right hands, smiled and said, Welcome to Booker T. 'Iberia hasn't been a tense mo- ment since then for VanEm, burg, Richardson or the other four white athletes who are the first d their race to wear the maroon and white football uni- form of Wadtington High. There have been name call- hg incidents, crude signs and student walkouts at some of N0rlolk'l hip: schools. but not at Booker T. The increaseof Booker T.': white student pop ulation from seven last year to about Ill this fall hasn't creat- ed the tension which soaks the schools from which the new Bookers came. Allan and I were the only white students out for football for die first three days of prac- tice, laid VanF.mburg, a na- tive of Willingboro, N.J., who moved to Norfolk two years ago. If there was any worry at first, it didn't last long Ev- eryone has been beautiful. We expected no beignored until time guys got to know uc. but it wasn't that way at all Almost everyone made it a point to let us know we were wclcorne. Things are tight now. I'm super good friends with all of the players. Richardson says the students at Booker T. have a serious in- terest in sports, and there!! good reason. An athletic schol- arship is the only dance some of them have to attend college. Pm .lad we're here, lid Richardson. When a chatol started in September a lotof my old friends at Lake Tayloa' would kid me about my new school. They'd yell 'Hey Book- er T.' every time they saw me. l didn't like it at first, but, you know, it wasn't long before it didn't matber. l'm happier here than they are at their school. l'm just a third team linebacker and a member ofthe sperinlty teams, but l've never lx-en tempted to leave Bwkbl' T. Both would rather talk about football. Getting along at Booker T. isn't a problem, and questions about the situation there just draw smiles. lt took me a. While logtt started, said Vanlimburg. I started as a reserve guard, but l uas too slow. Then I was moved to tackle, but the coach- es decided I was too light tl85J. Finally I shifted to cen- ter aud made the first warn. 'I would have started SDI- er, but it takes me a month be- fore I stan htting anyone lltlrtl Wht-ther the new Booban are starters like Vanfimburg or reserves like Richardson, David Armitage, or Stanley Rygli, they have the sung thing going for thern-identity. 'Ihey all lx-long. Wt 35

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