A dedication ceremony for the Fayette Lincoln School Monument is scheduled for next Saturday, Sept. 4, beginning at 11 a.m. Ceremonies will take place at the site of the former Lincoln School on East Hackberry Street. The public is invited to attend.

Bernard Ashcraft, former Fayette resident, Lincoln School graduate and chief organizer of the monument project, will be the keynote speaker.

Ashcraft graduated from Lincoln School in 1959 upon completing the 10th grade, the highest grade level offered at Lincoln School. He fondly remembers the graduation ceremony: “It was a bigger deal to me than when I received my master’s degree,” he told the Fayette Advertiser. “Graduating from Lincoln was an achievement against great odds. Our teachers were so very dedicated and helpful. They loved us and really wanted to prepare us for the world even though they had to work with less resources, second-hand books and no recognition of their skills.”

Ashcraft went on to graduate with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from San Diego City College and National University, both based in San Diego where he worked as director of a civil rights agency for 22 years.

He currently serves as chief operating officer of the Bay Area Business Roundtable in Oakland, Calif., providing workforce and business development assistance in 11 states.

Dr. Paul Schoephoerster, local physician and school board president, and Tim Jackman, vice president of the school board, will also be featured speakers.

The Fayette city council and the school board issued proclamations on May 30 to show support for the monument to be built in recognition of the history and contributions of Lincoln Public School. The school served students through the 10th grade.

A committee of Lincoln School alumni raised the money needed to build and dedicate a monument in memory of the teachers and students who attended Lincoln between 1871 and 1966. The project has been spearheaded by former Fayette resident Bernard Ashcraft.

After the Fayette schools were desegregated, the property was sold for use as a storage facility for a second hand store. Later it was torn down to make way for public housing.