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The Atlantic Highands Asbury and Wesley Avenue Black College Story by Charles Mills and five A.H. families Since the inception of Atlantic Highlands High School, it has always been small in size and low in the number of students. Often the school housed less than 200 students. This being the case, the ball teams were also composed of smaller players in stature, size and number. Even though our numbers were small, our athletic teams had to compete with such giant teams in the areas of Neptune, Red Bank, Matawan, Freehold and Leonardo, known as Middletown. The results were sometimes devastating in football. I can remember from elementary school on many occasions after a football game, three or four of our football players would break down and cry because they felt so bad about losing. I would often cry myself even though I was only a spector. My first objective in life was made at this time. I promised myself that I would work hard o become and excellent athlete and get revenge by doing my best to help beat these teams that had traditionally beat the devil out of my school district team, The Atlantic Highlands Tigers. However, I want to mention here that in Basketball and Baseball we were competitive with the other schools in the area. Prior to my enrolling in the high school, "The Tigers" had one very outstanding team in basketball. The team came in second place in the New Jersey State Tournament. Four of the excellent ballplayers on that team were: Louis Papa, Spike Morse, Abraham Pleasant and Lester Lenox. When I entered the second grade, I met two friends from the opposite side of town. They wee identical twins by the names of Alex and Benny Jones Alex and Barry were crazy about high school sports. Every Saturday during football season we would attend either the home or the away Atlantic games without having to pay the entrance fee. We accomplished this in a most unique method. The home football games were always played at Leonardo High School. Alex, Barry and myself would run to Leonardo to get there before the team and we would wait there until the gates swung open for the team to enter. We would then get in the middle of the pack, and since we were concealed and almost impossible to spot from the players, we were never caught. When the football games were away, we would get on the players bus before the coach and hide in the back using the equipment of the players to shield us. There was always a number of parents with cars at the games who would deliver you safely to Atlantic Highlands after the game. The twins, Alex and Barry, along with their brother Percy, were such avid sports fans, that they constructed a basketball frame with the rim in their backyard. We would go to the court on the weekends and play basketball from 8:00am to 8:00pm. In addition, we would cut school on occasions to play basketball. The school grounds provided us with a place to play football, softball, or baseball. On this side of town we could play all the ball we wanted; not so on the Asbury and Wesley Avenue side of town. One day we decided going all the way across town to play was just too much. My brother Ollie Mills and I, Charlie Mills, decided to build our own backboard and rim to play basketball. The wood to construct the basket came from our backyard. The basket was erected in Mr. Scott's lot opposite 69 Asbury Avenue. It was not a thing of beauty, but it served our purpose. After putting up the basket, we decided to clear the whole lot so we could use it for football, softball and baseball. The balls and other equipment were left out each night so that anyone could play ball if they felt like it. We played ball on the lot through our elementary, high school and college days. We learned to play ball so well on this field that in high school we virtually beat almost every team in basketball, football and baseball. In football during my last year we beat all the schools except Middletown. In 1948 we came in second in the Shore Conference and then went on to win a State Championship in basketball. The town people were so proud of us that they sent a contingency of fire trucks to meet us in Belford and parade us all over town. That day we made sports history for the Atlantic Highlands "red and black". After winning the Central Jersey Basketball Title 3 years in a row and the State Basketball Championship, we almost beat Wildwood in the semifinals the next year - 1949. We lost by 2 points. Had we won we probably would have been State Champions two years in a row. OUR OBJECTIVES WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN COMPLETED HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR OUR COACHES, PRINCIPALS AND PARENTS. We give thanks to the following:
Since I, Charles Mills, was the first in our group to be approached about college, I said yes to Coach Arch Shaw. He sent me to the college he graduated, Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. The next to follow to Pennsylvania were Olvin Mill, may brother and my good friend Sterling Keyes. The Reed boys, Herbert and Maynard were the next to attend Shippensburg. Coming at a much later time was Fred Keyes, Sterling Keyes younger brother. This meant a total of (6) blacks from two blocks enrolled in Shippensburg AND GRADUATED. Wyndom Reed, the youngest of the Reed Family enrolled in Morgan University. His sister, Gretchen Reed attened Rider College. Some years after this, my sister's child, Joanna Brooks set her sails for Hampton University. Wayne Brittingham enrolled in Johnson & Whales College. The earliest graduate on our block wa Bobby Brittingham, who attended N.Y.U. A total of 14 black students from two small blocks in Atlantic Highlands had attended AND GRADUATED from (4) four-year Universities. We are proud to have grown up in Atlantic Highlands and to have atteneded what we thought was an excellent education facility. We would like to add that we all came from hard working families. We achieved and llived productive lives because of our parents, teachers, administrators, relatives and friends. My father, Charles Mills Sr, had very little education, but he said to me "Son, if you get a good education, it can't be taken away from you." He also said that "without an education, you would be working sad everyday, working eight hours a day doing something you didn't want to do for the rest of your life." Charles and Olvin Mills, Stan & Fred Keyes and Herbert Reed continue to send students to Shippensburg University. To date, approximately FIFTEEN students have been referred to that institution. Most received degrees. Coach Arch Shaw is gone, but due to his efforts, students are still being referred to his Alma Mater. Even though some of our parents are no longer with us, their memories will forever live in our hearts. We would like to say to all blacks that YOU ARE IMPORTANT, you can achieve, and become worthy and productive citizens of the nation. We leave you with this: To be young, gifted and Black. Respectfully, The Keyes Family, The Mills Family, The Reed Family, the Brittingham Family and the Brooks Faamily
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