Last year, for its inaugural Founder’s Day program, Thomas Hunter Middle School focused on the building’s namesake and the school itself, an institution that provided many of Mathews County’s black residents with an education and a shot at a better life in the days of racial segregation.

This year, the spotlight is being turned on principal J. Murray Brooks, the man who helped guide that school from its earliest days to the cusp of the modern era.

The second annual Thomas Hunter Founder’s Day will begin at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 2, in the school’s multi-purpose room. Prior to the program, starting at 5:30 p.m., the school will hold a barbecue dinner, prepared by Nelda Gibbs and her cafeteria staff. The cost is $7. The school will hold its book fair and Founder’s Day displays will be set up, starting at 6.

When Brooks grew up in Mathews, unless you had a family member who lived in an area where there was a black high school, your educational opportuni...