For those of you who like local history, the cover story of the current edition of the Georgia Historical Quarterly is entitled "Three Who Cared: Beulah Rucker, E. E. Butler and Ulysses Byas - Twentieth-Century Trailblazers in Education for African Americans in Gainesville, Georgia." It is a scholarly historical article, well documented, and written by Winfred E. Pitts - a person I don't know but would like to - who is an assistant professor at Southeast Missouri State University, in Cape Girardeau.
Let me tell you ... this 30 page story is a classic, and it is written about three people who deserve to be remembered in the history of Northeast Georgia. It's obvious we cannot cover the full 30 pages, but let me summarize it by quoting the last paragraph:
"These three African Americans, Beulah Rucker, E. E. Butler, and Ulysses Byas, left indelible prints on the educational landscape of Gainesville and Hall County," Pitts says. And he goes on to say: "At a time when African Americans in northern Georgia had very few opportunities for formal education, the courageous Beulah Rucker sacrificed to provide educational access for `those who would have no other chance for an education.' E. E. Butler, as an African American community leader and school board member, no doubt opened the door for future black Gainesville individuals such as mayors John Morrow and Myrtle Figueras. And, although in 1969 Ulysses Byas was not chosen to be the principal of the newly integrated Gainesville High School, his leadership has been an example to the several black principals who have since served in the city schools system. Citizens of Gainesville and Hall County, both black and white, owe a debt of gratitude to these three who cared enough to blaze a trail for others to follow."
To which I say to brother Pitts: Amen. And thank you for taking the time to write it so it will be a permanent part of the recorded history of this town of ours.
This is Gordon Sawyer, from a window on historic Green Street.
Thursday
August 7th, 2025
8:43PM
