Remembering Prentice High School, Part II
Ed. note: On March 22, 2026, former Prentice Dragons and their kin gathered outside Montevallo Middle School to dedicate a marker honoring Prentice High School, the all-Black school which stood there until closed by integration in 1970. Following the dedication, folks gathered at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church across the street to share memories of the storied high school. Former students spoke with pride of Prentice as a powerful force in their lives and in Black life in Montevallo. We are delighted to be able to share some of their stories with you.
“The school maybe has changed, but the legacy still remains the same.”
Mr. McClain: I think I would speak for us. When I see you all, it makes me feel good. And I also wanted to mention the fact that we said very little about sports. But the players, now, we had some great basketball players, and we sent some great players to the high school. And I can name a few. Butch Lilly was drafted by a pro team. Charles Kemp might be another professional. Herb Monroe. Charles Kemp might be the best dribbler out of the city. So Prentice had greatness, and for a boy that came from down on the river down in the swamps. I came here. I loved what I was doing. And I stayed here. But anyway, I'm glad that you all are having this occasion so that a lot of things will not be forgotten. Thank you.
Sam Reno: I didn’t graduate from Prentice High School, but I have brothers and sisters that graduated from Prentice High School, and so in a sense, I'm a product of Prentice High School. And being a product of Prentice High School, a lot of great things happened from that, and there was something that helped shape and build this community that was formed out of members from Prentice High School, people like the Butch Lillys and the Frank Gilberts and Ronnie McCarys.
Back in that time they formed a team, a softball team that lasted by over thirty years in this community, playing softball here in the community, playing softball in other areas, even going out of state. But during that time, they named that softball team Dragons, from Prentice High School Dragons, and those colors were green and gold, and they represented well. We represented well. We played over thirty some years. We didn't win all games, but we didn't lose them all either. Some tournaments we won. We played as many as anywhere from sixty to seventy games a year, just that much.
And doing it, we built bonds with a lot of teams, and from that, other teams built teams from us and assisting with themselves after this Prentice High School team, because when that time, they were athletes, those guys could really play, and they allowed me an opportunity and a chance just to be a part of that. I just want to let you know that even though the school maybe has changed, but the legacy still remains the same.
Linda Fields McCray: Good afternoon. I'm on this picture here, class of 1969. I wanted to say a couple of things. One to Reverend Dukes. Your nephew, your uncle, in the twelfth grade. Mrs Coger told him one day, Chapman, get up, hit the lights. He didn't move. She sat there, still writing. She said, Chapman, didn't I tell you to get up. Hit the lights. He didn't move. So she's pulled a paddle out. He jumped up, went to the light switch. Hit it. Went and sit down. She meant for him to turn it on. [Sentence gets lost in laughter.] I mean, she got him with the paddle. He paid for that. Yes he did. He was shorter than he is now. He jumped up to the light switch to hit it. So that was, I never forget that. It was so funny that everybody just sitting there quiet because we knew she was going to do something and that’s what she did.
The last thing I wanted to point out the thing about our basketball team, our seniors, the male teams. Did we have girl’s basket? I don't mean to remember that. But the boys, they would always play well. Like he said, they would always make it to the State. They would not always win at the State, but they were good. Those who have played hard won us by all the games that they played. And they were in the Shelby County reporter all the time because they played so well. And I have clippings of the old clips. There were a lot of clippings that acknowledge what the Prentice High School dragons were doing. And we do appreciate them.
And I just want to say, as I end, I want to do a little cheer. It was so funny. It goes, “Well listen everybody, / If you want to hear / About the midnight ride of Paul Revere / He rode up the alley and down the street / Saying Dragon Boys, Dragon Boys / Can’t be beat.”
James Salter: I just want to say that my mother was the cook at Prentice High School, and so when there was biscuits left over, she would bring them home to us. And you would think I would be a little bit bigger, but I was a picky eater. That's why. My first cousin was at Prentice High School. That was Miss Craig, and eventually my older sister was a teacher when it became the middle school, Mary Salter, as well. Of course, I ended up staying with Miss Coger after her husband died, so I couldn't get away with anything. Those days were good days. I was only able to spend one year at Prentice before the school system were integrated. That was in the seventh grade. But that time, I did enjoy. That’s all I have to say on that. Thank you.
If you have a Prentice memory you’d like to share, contact us at Montevallolegacy@gmail.com. Submitted by Kathy King and James Salter.