The Festus R-6 School District and the city of Festus recently made significant gestures to recognize Black history in the region.
The Festus R-6 Board of Education voted unanimously during a Nov. 21 closed meeting to donate Shropshire Park to the Douglass Alumni Association, which works to keep alive the memory of the old Douglass Cooperative High School that enrolled Black students during the segregation era. The association also has a scholarship fund.
Earlier in the year, the Festus City Council voted to rename South Adams Park in Festus after William Earl Cook Sr., the city’s first Black mayor.
Shropshire Park
Shropshire Park, on South Fourth Street in Festus, was the site of the former Douglass school. The park is named after Arthur Shropshire, the first principal of the Douglass Cooperative High School that operated from 1939 to 1955.
The city of Festus had leased Shropshire Park from the Festus School District for $1 a year for many years.
R-6 Superintendent Nicki Ruess said board members decided to donate the park to the city because of the property’s historical significance.
“This decision reflects our commitment to honoring the rich legacy and cultural significance of Douglass High School, a cornerstone of our community’s history,” Ruess said. “While the district no longer has an immediate need for the property, the board recognized its historical value and the importance of preserving this space in partnership with the Douglass Alumni Association.
“We believe this transfer will ensure that Shropshire Park continues to serve as a place of connection, celebration and remembrance for generations to come. The Douglass Alumni Association has been a steadfast partner in fostering community pride and preserving the legacy of Douglass High School. We are confident their stewardship of Shropshire Park will enrich the lives of alumni and community members alike.”
Ron Herrington Jr. of Festus, president of Douglass Alumni Association, said he appreciated the school district’s donation.
“The school board – Dr. Ruess and (board member Brent Abrams) – approached us about it,” Herrington said. “I thought it was great. I had long assumed the city had owned it, but the city leased it from the school district for $1 a year.
“It’s the only thing we have left of Douglass School. It’s where the school actually was.”
Herrington said the property will remain a park. The park currently offers a basketball court, but has little else.
“We intend to keep it as a park and put in some playground equipment, redo the basketball court,” he said. “We will apply for a Jefferson Foundation grant. In the spring, we’ll do fundraisers, when the weather is better. We’ll also have a ceremony for it (around that time).
“It will remain a public park. It’s just the city won’t have responsibility for it. We will maintain it.”
Herrington said association members hope to eventually put in a public restroom facility, as well as a museum dedicated to the history of Douglass Cooperative High School.
“It’s in the planning stages now,” he said.
Ruess said the Festus board members felt it was appropriate to turn the property over to the association.
”We extend our gratitude to the Douglass Alumni Association for their ongoing dedication and look forward to seeing Shropshire Park flourish as a testament to our shared history and values,” she said. “Together, we continue to celebrate the past while building a brighter future for our community.”
She said she did not have an estimated value for the 5-acre park property because the district did not have it assessed.
A plaque at Shropshire Park says Douglass Cooperative High School served Black students from a huge area, including Festus, Crystal City, Ste. Genevieve, Potosi, Ironton and Farmington, among other cities in the area.
South Adams Park
The Festus City Council approved a motion in September to rename South Adams Park, at 300-398 S. Adams St., to the William Earl Cook Sr. Park.
William Earl Cook Sr. Park, formerly South Adams Park, in Festus.
Cook, who went by his middle name and died in 2020, was elected in 2009 as the first and only Black mayor of Festus. He previously was a member of the Festus City Council, and he served on many other civic and charitable organizations, including the Festus Tourism Commission, the Cultural Diversity Committee and the Giving Something Back to the Community organization. He also served in the U.S. Marines.
“Earl now has a park named after him and it attests to his community service,” said Sam Richards, the current Festus mayor.
City Administrator Greg Camp said a ceremony to rename the park will be held later.
Several of Cook’s relatives, including his widow, Rhonda Abbas-Cook, attended the September meeting when the park was renamed.
Abbas-Cook said she and Cook’s children – Earl Cook Jr., Chikosi Cook and Tamyka Cook – appreciated the gesture.
“I think it’s incredible because Earl lived on South Adams his whole life, except when he was in the Marines,” said Abbas-Cook, who now lives in Wentzville. “His last words were he wanted to die on South Adams. Now, the park will be named after him.
“I just think he’s very deserving of the honor. Most of all, he was a great father and a wonderful husband. I miss him every day.”
Abbas-Cook said a lot of people did not realize how involved her husband was in community service.
“He was on the City Council, but was also in many other organizations,” she said. “He was on the park board and the water district board. He was president of the Cultural Diversity organization. He was a member of Giving Something Back to the Community. He was a 32nd Degree Mason.
“A lot of people didn’t know these things. He was so humble.”
Cook served as the Festus mayor from 2009 to 2010.
According to information from the Festus R-6 School District, Cook attended the old Douglass High School before integrating the Festus Schools, and he graduated from Festus High School in 1957, the first year an integrated class graduated from the school.
Cook was inducted into the Festus R-6 School District Hall of Fame in 2021.
Herrington also has a tie to the William Earl Cook Sr. Park in that the pavilion in the park is named after his father, Ron Herrington Sr.
“I would think they’ll continue to keep it the Ron Herrington Pavilion,” he said. “I think it’s great they named the park after Earl.”