Roosevelt Junior College ArchivesRoosevelt Junior College, Palm Beach County’s first institution of higher education for African-Americans, opened its doors to students in the fall of 1958. Britton G. Sayles served as the president of the college as well as the principal of the all-black Roosevelt High School, which shared its campus with the junior college for the first year. Over its seven-year history, the college grew in stature and in size, gaining accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and membership in the American Association of Junior Colleges. The college became an educational and cultural pillar in the community, creating opportunities for black students to advance their education and enrich their lives. The push for integration prompted the Board of Public Instruction to close the school in 1965 and send its students and some faculty to Palm Beach Junior College (now Palm Beach State College). Forty-eight years later, Roosevelt Junior College lives on in the hearts and minds of its alumni, employees and the community.
