Henry Jones flew in from Chicago to make the Walk to Dorchester on Saturday — before flying to San Antonio.
It was the Riceboro’s native first time walking the path students used 100 years ago to get to the Dorchester Academy from the Briar Bay area. He vowed it will not be his last.
The annual Walk to Dorchester recreates what the students who lived in Riceboro did to reach the Dorchester Academy more than 9 miles away, just to attend the school.
“This is an occasion, but this is what they did all the time,” Jones said. “It blew me away.”
Jones made the walk with Liberty County Commissioner Gary Gilliard alongside, and the two discussed how
students generations before made that same walk. Jones said he also drew inspiration from the recently-released documentary on Dorchester Academy.
“I’ve learned more in the last two years than I’ve ever known,” Jones said. “It is one of those best-kept secrets that need to be told. The more people know and the more people understand, it will get the support that it needs on so many different levels. It’s a great story.”
The event raises money for the Dorchester Improvement Association, which is restoring the Dorchester Academy boys dormitory, one of the last buildings standing at the campus.
After the school closed in 1940, the building played a role in the civil rights movement, serving as a retreat and planning center for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders. It also was the seat for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s citizens education program, which instilled literacy and a knowledge of civil and voting rights among its students to spread across the South.
Jones, the chief executive officer of HG Jones Associates, stressed that current students in the area, and not just Liberty County, could benefit from visiting Dorchester.
“This is inspiring in so many ways,” he said. “We need to get the youth involved and this could help unify our community on a different level as well.”
Jones, a Bradwell Institute graduate, also said more Joneses will be making that walk next June.
“I will never miss another one,” he said. “My whole family will be coming here next year because they have to appreciate what’s been done.”