PINE FORGE >> Pine Forge Academy alumni celebrated 70 years as a school this weekend, and for many, the celebration was deeply rooted in historical significance.
The Academy began its celebration on Saturday morning as old friends reunited amid a crowd representing decades of Pine Forge Academy alumni. Among those present were members of the class of 1966, one of the first classes at Pine Forge Academy to ever benefit from the policies of the Lyndon B. Johnson administration.
“I was here as a young man going through the civil rights movement, which meant everything in my life,” said Bryan Akil Marshall, president of the class of 1966. “You have hopes, dreams and aspirations and then to see someone significant, being President Johnson, do what he did, it was significant to me as a young boy to have him make the decisions he did which changed history.”
Following introductions and prayer, the school welcomed Lynda Bird Johnson Robb, eldest daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson, to speak to the classes and be honored for her family’s contribution to the success of Pine Forge students.
During a short session of questions, Johnson Robb discussed her father’s frequent use of the phrase, “Come, let us reason together,” noting that it was through collaboration and understanding that he was able to make a difference in people’s lives.
“One of the things that he talked about was that we all need to come together,” said Johnson Robb. “Blacks, whites, people of different religions, we all need to come together. And if we can talk to each other, if we can accept other people and their opinions then we’ll be able to become a better country.”
Following the discussion, the Pine Forge Academy class of 1966 presented Johnson Robb with a plaque commemorating the legacy of her family.
“I am always delighted with anybody who remembers my father and recognizes how hard he tried. He didn’t solve all the problems of the world but he made a difference in the lives of a lot of people,” Johnson Robb told The Mercury after receiving the plaque. “For senior citizens it was with Medicare and Medicaid. He made a lot of difference in the lives of people of color. He was the first to put federal aid into education with the exception of things like the GI Bill. It made it possible for schools that were poor and were never going to get better because of the tax rates in the area, to put money in for those children.”
Those types of contributions helped many of the school’s alumni achieve their dreams and move on to forge impressive resumes of accomplishments.
“My concern is that people have forgotten about his great legacy,” said Rockefeller Twyman, valedictorian of the class of 1966. “There never would have been a Barrack Obama president or a possible Hillary Clinton if it hadn’t been for those equal opportunity laws. I think this is just so critical that we don’t forget their tremendous contribution. We as the class of 1966, we’re successful because of those equal opportunity laws.”
As the ceremony continued, the choir performed musical selections and alumni addressed the guests about the bond among Pine Forge students that has allowed them to create “a legacy of excellence.”
“I know people whose lives have been changed by the laws of the 1960s and I’m honored that there are people who remember him and the difference he made,” said Johnson Robb. “I think Daddy would be delighted.”
