Framingham High to honor distinguished alumnus, Royal Bolling Sr.
“Royal is witty; Royal is wise; as class president, he takes the prize….” Philomath Annual,1940
Becoming the first African American class president of the mostly white Framingham High School in the 1940s marked a defining moment for the young man fresh from segregated Dinwiddie, Va.
Being accepted “for who he was” without consideration of the color of his skin laid a strong foundation for Royal Bolling Sr.’s work that lie ahead.
As appreciative as he was of winning, he knew he couldn’t rest on his laurels. He knew he was the exception and not the rule during this most turbulent time for African Americans in this nation.
His journey to high school president was also his first foray into the world of politics, starting with writing to thenMayor James Curley and then-Gov. Leverett Saltonstall, asking both to endorse his candidacy. They did.
Winning against the school’s popular white football star showed Bolling what could be. He would work all of his life for what could be.
Gregarious and armed with a great personality and a zeal for education, fairness and an understanding of the power of politics and public service, my late, great father in-law went on to make a difference in the lives of others.
Dubbed the “father of desegregation,” he authored the 1965 Racial Imbalance Act that led to the desegregation of the Boston Public Schools as a state representative.
He was instrumental in getting crucial funding for the just-launched METCO voluntary desegregation program that bused kids out of Boston to suburban schools.
He fought for his idea of siting a community college in Roxbury, when many said Charlestown’s Bunker Hill Community College was close enough. And he secured the seed money that got things “rolling with Bolling.” He was instrumental in establishing a scholarship to enable more disadvantaged students to attend the University of Massachusetts.
His two sons, Royal Jr. and Bruce, followed in his footsteps with equity and equality also their mantra. All three Bollings made Massachusetts political history, serving in all three of the city and state’s legislative bodies.
This Saturday, Royal Bolling Sr. will be posthumously inducted into the Framingham High Hall of Fame at 6 p.m. at the Sheraton Framingham hotel and conference center. Proceeds from the event will benefit the programs at his beloved high school that he credited with giving him a solid start and direction in life. That’s what good schools do when they focus on the development of the whole child, encouraging and inspiring them to be all they can be.