Alfred J. Griffin (seated), the Institute's first African American principal, arrived in High Point in 1897. A graduate of St. Augustine's Collegiate Institute in Raleigh, Griffin was recommended for the position by no less a figure than Booker T. Washington. Standing immediately behind Griffin is his wife, Ophelia Thompson Griffin, who also taught at the Institute. The other faculty members surround the couple.

Gift of Gwyn Davis.

1999.002.005