Former Kimball High School Reunion Set for Indianapolis

53rd Annual Gathering Labor Day Weekend, August 29 – September 1, 2025

Labor Day weekend, alumni from across the country gathered in Indianapolis, Indiana to celebrate the proud legacy of Former Kimball High School in McDowell County, West Virginia. The 53rd Annual Reunion, hosted this year by the California Chapter, will bring together hundreds of former students, teachers, and families for a weekend of fellowship, remembrance, and giving back. The Host Hotel, soon to be announced, will serve as the reunion headquarters.

A School Born of Segregation, Remembered in Legacy

Founded in 1914, Kimball High School was created to serve Black students during an era of rigid segregation. For decades, the school stood as a beacon of education and community in the coal mining region of McDowell County.

Following the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, the school transitioned into a junior high in 1966 and eventually closed its doors in 1985. Yet the spirit of Kimball High has never faded. 

Read more about the history of Kimball High here →

The Alumni Association: From Detroit to the Nation

In 1971, twenty-five graduates met in Detroit, Michigan to establish the Former Kimball High School Alumni Association. Their mission: scholarship, human services, and fellowship. Officially chartered in Michigan, the first reunion was held in Detroit in 1972.

Since then, reunions have rotated among its 14 active chapters, spread across major cities nationwide. The 2023 reunion, hosted by the North Carolina/Virginia Chapter in Charlotte, NC, drew hundreds of attendees. This year, the California Chapter is preparing to welcome more than 200 alumni, teachers, and descendants, continuing a tradition that often sees attendance upwards of 400.

Black Traditions of Gathering

For Black West Virginians, reunions like Kimball’s are more than social events, they are acts of cultural preservation. Even as families migrated north, west, and beyond in search of work or opportunity, they carried with them traditions of church homecomings, family reunions, and alumni associations.

These gatherings keep alive the memory of schools and communities that shaped them, ensuring that the sacrifices and triumphs of earlier generations are not forgotten. The Kimball High reunion demonstrates how West Virginians may scatter, but they always find ways to gather, renewing bonds of kinship, celebrating Black history, and passing forward stories to younger generations.

For BBG readers, this mirrors broader Black Appalachian traditions where place, memory, and identity endure—even when celebrated far from home. 

A Tradition of Giving Back

Reunion weekend is more than just a homecoming. It is an engine of educational opportunity. Each year, the Alumni Association awards $10,000–$15,000 in scholarships to college-bound descendants of Kimball graduates. Candidates go through a rigorous selection process overseen by the National Programs Committee.

Beyond scholarships, each of the 14 chapters contributes to their local communities year-round, sponsoring service projects, supporting families in need, and maintaining a sense of solidarity rooted in Kimball pride.

Leadership and Legacy

At the helm is National President Joe Fitts (Class of 1952), supported by an elected, volunteer staff of 25 members representing all 14 chapters. Together, they maintain a database of more than 1,000 alumni, ensuring that the legacy of Kimball High is not only remembered but passed forward.