BEDFORD – “Way up on a hill, flushed with the sky, there is a lovely school called Susie Gibson High.” These words of the school song of Susie Gibson High, which graduated its last class in 1970, ring with fondness in the hearts of its former students. Harriett Nellums-Hurt, President of Susie G. Gibson Legacy, Inc., along with other alumni, are taking a pause to reflect as the legacy of their alma mater has been entrusted into new hands. Hurt is optimistic that Gibson’s legacy will live on under the new administration.
On January 25, 2021, Principal Troy Doss a veteran with Bedford Public School System took over the helm as Principal at Susie G. Gibson Science & Technology Center. Today the school is a trade schools that hosts automotive, construction, cosmetology, early childhood education, science, and medical curriculums for student and adult learners. In the fall of 1954 when schools were segregated, Susie G. Gibson High School, located on the hill at the end of Edmond Street in the town of Bedford, opened its doors to serve the Black community.
Susie G. Gibson High was named for and dedicated to the late Susie G. Gibson who served as Jeanes Supervisor for Negro Schools in Bedford County and Town. The Jeanes Supervisor position was to the Black schools what the Superintendent of Schools was to the white schools. She was a dedicated educator who believed that quality education was key to success in life.
John I. Jones, the first and only principal of Susie G. Gibson High School, served as “leader” and “watchful headmaster” for the entire fifteen years of the schools’ existence as a high school. Principal Jones is remembered for his favorite two words, “you people” and for the fact that he was probably related to everyone who attended Gibson at the time. He was loved for his leadership, guidance, persistence, and ability to help students follow the rules and take pride in their school – Gibson High – Purple and Gold forever!
Fifty years after Gibson’s name was stripped from the school, which took on the revised name of “Bedford Education Center,” Gibson’s name was restored to the building. The school is now “Susie G. Gibson Science & Technology Center.” At the time that Gibson’s name was restored to the school, Kim Halterman was the principal. Halterman was well thought of by Gibson’s alumni. She was a committed ally of Susie G. Gibson Legacy, Inc., and supported their mission “to continually educate generations through the legacy of Susie G. Gibson.”
Today, the legacy of Gibson and the enduring impact of Principal John I. Jones rests in the capable hands of the now Principal, Troy Doss who has been an educator for 27 years, having worked with public school students on all three levels – elementary, middle, and high school. Doss has worked in administration and as an athletic director and spent 11 years as Assistant Principle at Jefferson Forest, who had this to say about his new position.
“I have a passion for young people. My goal is to lead youth in the right direction. If there is any one thing I would like my legacy to be it is that I left a positive impact on the students who attend Susie G. Gibson Science & Technology Center and that I provided excellent leadership to the teachers serving here.”
As for the history of the school, Doss said, “I’m excited about the history of the school and about working with Susie G. Gibson Legacy, Inc. It is wonderful that the school is steeped in such a rich history. I also think that the outstanding technical education opportunities that the school currently offers are wonderful as well. I have heard stories about the work of the dedicated teachers and administrators who served at Susie G. Gibson High School years ago. I am proud to stand in the shoes of such great educators. I am also proud of the staff that currently works with our students today. From its inception, students who have attended this school have benefited from the expertise of the staff and administrators who have served here. I believe it’s because we are standing on the shoulders of giants who set the bar of educational excellence very high.”
Principal Doss’ focus is job readiness. The school’s science and technology programs are designed to prepare students to be hired in good paying jobs upon graduation. “I believe that Mrs. Gibson and Principal Jones would be proud, because of what we are doing here, Doss said. I think that it is very likely that this is the fulfillment of their vision of producing prepared students who are ready for the world.”
Fannie E. Spinner-Crider, who graduated from Susie G. Gibson High School in 1962, had this to say about the 1st principal of the school. “Principal John I. Jones was a supportive person who knew the students by name. He had a 6th sense as it related to educating children and a higher standard that spoke to the spirit that still exists at Gibson. His heartbeat was for excellence. Knowing Mr. Jones as I did, I think that he would be really excited about the progress being made here. He would be in full support of the science and technology focus of the school and the enthusiastic approach that Principal Doss is taking.”
