A.J. Whittenberg Elementary recently presented two inaugural awards in honor of its namesake Abraham J. Whittenberg.
Whittenberg was a civil rights activist who successfully sued the School District of Greenville County in 1963 after his requests for black students to attend all-white schools were denied. As a result his daughter Elaine began attending Greenville Junior High (an all-white school) in 1964. Elaine Whittenberg-Boyce attended the celebration and helped to unveil the portrait.
A.J. Whittenberg Elementary also the “AJW Community Spirit Award” to Lillian Brock-Flemming and the “AJW Living Legacy” award to Mary Duckett. Duckett leads the Southernside Neighbborhood Association and rallied to have an elementary school built in her downtown Greenville Community.
During construction Duckett was invited to put some finishing touches on the robot on the school playground. She says she placed the eyes inside the robot. She told the children, “whenever you are on the playground I’ve got my eyes on you.”