“Two months after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, four students left the familiarity of Immaculata High School to become the first African American students at John Carroll,” wrote Kay Vance in an issue of CarrollLife, the school’s official alumni publication. Those trailblazers who integrated the school were Madeliene Humphrey Dobbins, Robert Smith, Diane Tucker Murphy, and Frederick Tyson.

The integration, which was ordered by Archbishop Thomas J. Toolen, took place Sept. 1, 1964. All four students had been handpicked from Immaculata High School, the local black Catholic high school, by the school’s principal, their parish priest, and then Msgr. William Houck, John Carroll’s principal.

To mark the 60th anniversary of the very important milestone, John Carroll Catholic will be holding a celebration on Thursday, Sept. 5. The celebration, which will include a school-wide Mass at 9:15 a.m. and guest speakers following Mass, is open to the public.

The school has also created a Trailblazer Award to honor the four’s legacy. The award will benefit a graduating senior each year. To help raise funds for the endowed scholarship, the school has created a link at https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E109721&id=92. The first 20 donations of $250 or more will receive a special edition t-shirt signed by the four trailblazers. All donations of $200 or more will receive an unsigned t-shirt.