Greater Sayville coverage is funded in part by The Shed, your scratch kitchen for brunch and dinner daily at 21 Main St. in West Sayville.
Enid Barton Jones — the only African American in Sayville High School’s graduating class of 1942 — shared memories of growing up in Sayville and her career challenges and success during a special online broadcast this week.
Jones, 96, was interviewed by Sayville school board member James Bertsch and Sayville Alumni Association President Hal Brown during a fascinating 90-minute event jointly organized by the Sayville Library, Sayville Alumni Society, Sayville Historical Society and Sayville Schools.
She recalled winning a spelling bee in middle school, the friendly reception she received from her classmates when she moved to Sayville from Harlem in sixth grade, and the business award she earned in high school.
Check out the video below.
Jones enjoyed a successful career as a high-ranking civilian employee with the U.S. Air Force. During the interview, she also speaks about her older brother, the late Alton Burton, a Tuskegee Airman who in the 1960s served as the chief engineer for the construction of the World Trade Center.
The virtual event was well-attended and included many students in the audience.
Viewers shared their thoughts during the video, posting more than 150 comments.
“Thank you so much, Enid. You are the pride and joy of our town,” one commenter wrote, as read by Brown.
