Duke School and the Birth of the High School (Part I of IV)
By Sion H. Harrington III The information you are about to read was extracted from several sources in addition to the "Principal's Report for 1920-1921 for Duke High School and will be expanded in two future offerings. The Principals Reports are preserved in the State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC. Duke High School was in its infancy when Sprinkle took the helm. It had a relatively short lifespan not because of anything wrong on the part of Sprinkle, but because the U.S. Post Office decreed that as of January 1, 1926, the small town of Duke would have to change its name to avoid mail delivery confusion with Duke University in Durham. The powerful and extremely rich Duke family of Durham and New York, had offered tiny Trinity College of Randolph County more money than it ever dreamed existed if they would re-locate to Durham and rename their school "Duke." Money DOES talk! It is unknown at the time of this writing exactly when the "Graded School" ...
