Will Smith, Wilt Chamberlain, Guion Bluford and other trailblazers across multiple industries attended the same Philly high school turning 100 this year. — TRIBUNE FILE

Before Will Smith ever reached the classroom door, screams of delight echoed through the empty hallways of Overbrook High School.

During a surprise visit four years ago, the Hollywood megastar, class of 1986, slipped back into the school unannounced. No press conference. No red carpet. Just a West Philadelphia native walking the same hallways he walked as a teenager in the 1980s, pausing to say “Wow! Wow!” as if the building itself had caught him off guard.

He signed yearbooks. He shook hands. He told digital media students, gathered in a room he once might have sat in himself, to protect their dreams. Then he pledged to help fund a redesign of the school’s fifth floor for students pursuing careers in the arts and entertainment, an investment in the next generation of a pipeline that, whether Overbrook advertises it or not, has been running for a century.

As Overbrook High School approaches its 100th anniversary, the West Philadelphia institution remains a symbol of academic achievement, civic leadership, arts, athletics and opportunity for generations of students, many of whom have become legends: Smith; Guion Bluford, class of 1960, the first African American to travel into space; Wilt Chamberlain, class of 1955, who is considered one of the greatest centers in NBA history; Colman Domingo, class of 1987, the award-winning actor, producer and playwright and Stan Lathan, class of 1963, the noted film director and television producer.

An Overbrook High School 100th year celebration was held Saturday, Sept. 19 at the Sheet Metal Workers Union Hall, 1301 Columbus Blvd. beginning at 6 p.m. Graduates have become doctors, scientists, educators, lawyers, business leaders, judges, executives, pastors, community builders and more.

Retired teacher Joyce Abbott, namesake of the hit ABC television series “Abbott Elementary,” was honored by district and elected officials in September 2023 at her alma mater, Overbrook High School. — TRIBUNE PHOTO/ABDUL SULAYMAN

“There is such a level of prestige that has been created going to this school, and I want to pass that along to our current and future students,” said Principal Julian Graham, who has led the school for three years and has spearheaded the restoration of the school’s marble hallway into a wall of fame honoring former students.

Among those featured are educator Joyce Abbott, class of 1977, the inspiration for the name of the Emmy Award-winning television show “Abbott Elementary”; The Delfonics, one of the most popular R&B/soul vocal groups of the late 1960s and early 1970s and hip-hop icon and radio pioneer DJ Wendy “Lady B” Clark, class of 1979, among many others.

“Our students need to see the people who walked the same hallways as them and what they have become,” Graham said.

The Philadelphia Tribune is marking Overbrook’s centennial by tracing how this West Philadelphia public school has produced a slew of talent and become one of the more consequential feeder schools in Black American culture.

Located at 5898 Lancaster Ave., Overbrook’s origins can be traced to a 1920 municipal expansion project to build what would become Philadelphia’s largest public high school when it opened. The cornerstone was laid in 1924, and the school officially opened its doors in September 1926 under the leadership of Parke Schoch, former principal of West Philadelphia High School for Girls.

Known as the “Castle on the Hill” because of its distinctive architecture, Overbrook was designed by architect Irwin T. Catharine, who supervised the construction of more than 100 Philadelphia public schools. The building cost more than $2 million and had the capacity to house 4,000 students.

Arts and entertainment

Colman Domingo, raises his hand July 4, during a ceremony where Mayor Cherelle Parker, right, gave him a 2026 Philadelphia Freedom Award. —WHYY PHOTO/EMMA LEE

Ask Domingo for a specific memory of Overbrook High School, and the name that comes up first isn’t a fellow student; it’s his French teacher, Madame Bruckner.

“She was tough,” said the award-winning actor, producer and playwright. “She really was. She had such pride and rigor about the French language and French culture.

That rigor, he says, planted something that never left him.

“I believe that is the reason I have developed a certain affinity for French culture, due to her enthusiasm for food, music, and style. It shaped me. It shaped me very much so.”

That talent and style have shaped Domingo into someone many consider among Hollywood’s elite. He was not an anomaly walking the halls of the West Philadelphia high school; he is part of a pattern. Long before Domingo earned a best actor Academy Award nomination in 2023 for playing civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, Overbrook had already sent voices into Black radio, names into the music industry and faces into Hollywood, quietly and steadily, one graduating class after another, without ever becoming known as a “performing arts school.” It’s the kind of institutional through-line that’s easy to miss until you start listing names, and then impossible to ignore.

In the late 1970s, the culture had shifted, and so had Overbrook. Wendy Clark, known to Philadelphia radio audiences as Lady B, graduated into a city on the leading edge of hip-hop and became one of the genre’s first female DJs, spinning early rap records on WHAT 1340 AM before taking her “Street Beat” show to Power 99 and helping introduce a new sound to a mainstream audience. If the ‘60s alumni had given Overbrook a foothold in pop radio, Lady B gave it a foothold in what pop radio was about to become.

Then came the 1980s and the name that eventually eclipsed all the others. Will Smith graduated in 1986, already performing as the Fresh Prince. His classmate and lifelong collaborator, James Lassiter, class of 1983, now a film producer and talent agent, graduated a few years earlier. The two would go on to found Overbrook Entertainment in 1997, naming their production company deliberately, after the hallways they’d walked as teenagers and building a slate of films that grossed billions of dollars worldwide. It’s a detail that’s easy to skip past, but it says everything: When Smith and Lassiter needed a name that meant home, proof or where their journey started, they didn’t reach for Hollywood. They reached for West Philadelphia.

Will Smith, an award-winning entertainer, stands under his photo in Overbrook High’s Hall of Fame in November 2022. Smith graduated from Overbrook in 1986. — SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA PHOTO

The generations that followed have continued the thread, albeit more quietly. Emmy-winning actor Domingo and neo-soul duo Kindred the Family Soul’s Fatin Dantzler, extended the lineage into prestige film and contemporary R&B. A century in, the pattern holds: Overbrook doesn’t produce a star every generation by accident. Overbrook produces stars because it has consistently done so over the years.

Dantzler, class of 1992, didn’t arrive at Overbrook set on music. He transferred from the High School for Creative and Performing Arts as a saxophone player, expecting to keep playing the instrument. Instead, he found his voice, literally, in the choir room.

“Overbrook was a special place,” Dantzler recalled. “In my opinion, the music department felt like a magnet school. I transferred from Creative and Performing Arts as a saxophone player, only to discover my voice in the choir.”

Math and science

Overbrook High School alumnus Guion Bluford wears his NASA spacesuit before becoming the first African American to travel into space aboard the space shuttle Challenger in 1983. —NASA PHOTO

Overbrook’s legacy extended well beyond the arts. In Bluford’s case, it extended beyond the planet.

Bluford’s path from Overbrook led him to become the first African American to travel into space. He served as a mission specialist aboard the space shuttle Challenger. By the time he retired in 1993, he had logged more than 5,200 hours in high-performance jets and 688 hours in space across four space shuttle missions.

In a 2019 interview with The Philadelphia Tribune, Bluford said his experiences at Overbrook helped shape his career path.

“In the classroom, my favorite subjects were math and science,” he said. “My father was a mechanical engineer, so I was exposed to the technical field at a very young age. However, it wasn’t until I was a student at Overbrook that I decided I wanted to be an aeronautical engineer.

“While I was there, I participated in different activities and was involved with various science clubs, but it was at that school that I really started to see the vision for my future,” Bluford added. “I truly believe that my experience at Overbrook fostered my interest in going into a technical field.”

Athletics

Wilt Chamberlain is arguably the greatest basketball player to ever play the game. Chamberlain, a 7-1 center, led Overbrook to three Public League championships from 1953-55. He also guided the school to two city championships. In 1955, Chamberlain averaged 47.2 points per game. He finished his high school career with 2,252 points with a career high 90 points in one game. Chamberlain teamed up with some notable players like Vince Miller, Ira Davis, who participated in three Olympics, Jimmy Sadler, Marty Hughes, Mel Brodsky and others.

After his Overbrook tenure, Chamberlain played for the University of Kansas where he was an All-American with the Jayhawks and led Kansas to the NCAA championship game in 1957. Chamberlain started his college career on the Jayhawks’ freshmen team. He tallied 42 points with 29 rebounds and four blocks in his first scrimmage against the varsity team.

Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors stretches for a basket against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Philadelphia Arena in 1961. — AP Photo/Warren M. Winterbottom, File

Kansas head coach Phog Allen was very impressed with Chamberlain’s exploits. In a 1955 Sporting News article, Allen said, “(Chamberlain) easily has greater possibilities than any player we ever had here. He has coordination, can run and can jump. He can do everything.”

The Overbrook grad moved into the professional ranks in 1958 playing one year with the Harlem Globetrotters prior to joining the Philadelphia Warriors. Chamberlain averaged 37.6 points and 27.0 rebounds per game his inaugural year in the league. In addition, he was chosen as Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player his first NBA season.

On March 2, 1962, Chamberlain set an NBA record with 100 points against the New York Knicks in Hershey, Pa. The Warriors defeated the New York Knicks, 169-147. The year Chamberlain tallied 50.4 points a game, which is still a single-season mark in the NBA.

Chamberlain, a Hall of Famer, concluded his NBA career in 1973 with 31,419 points and 23,924 rebounds. Chamberlain died on Oct. 12, 1999.

Jackie Moore

Before Chamberlain’s dominance in Philadelphia high school basketball, Jackie Moore, class of 1950, was a magnificent player at Overbrook. Moore, an All-Public League standout, led the Panthers to three consecutive league championships from 1948-50. After starring at Overbrook, he became a trailblazer for African Americans in basketball, becoming the first African American to play for La Salle and the NBA’s Philadelphia Warriors.

Jackie Moore is a product of Overbrook High, class of 1950. — SUBMITTED PHOTO

“You know, the strange thing is I didn’t even think of being the first or being a pioneer,” Moore said in a 2008 interview for ESPN.com. “I was just doing something I liked to do. There weren’t many Blacks playing when I came up. When I played at La Salle, I rarely played against another Black player. I was the only Black player on the court most of the time. It was the same way with the Warriors.”

The 6-foot-5-inch forward played for La Salle University from 1951-54, on the Explorers’ 1952 NIT championship team and for the Warriors from 1955-57. Moore helped the Warriors win the NBA crown in 1956. He passed away on April 9.

Hal Lear, class of 1952, had an outstanding basketball career at Overbrook and in 1952, averaged 17.9 points a game. He was selected first team All Public League. Lear played his college basketball at Temple in the same backcourt with Hall of Famer Guy Rodgers. Lear and Rodgers led the Owls to the NCAA Final Four during the 1955-56 season. He scored 48 points against SMU establishing a then NCAA tournament mark and was selected MVP of the Final Four. Lear died on June 25, 2016.

Overbrook’s 1957-59 team won three league championships and three city titles and featured one of the most talented teams in city history: Wayne Hightower, Ralph Heyward, Wali Jones, Walt Hazzard and Bobby Jones.

Hightower averaged over 20 points a game on two of the team’s championship teams and an All-American coming out of high school. Like Chamberlain, he played at Kansas and in 1959-60, he tallied 21.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game leading the Jayhawks to the NCAA tournament.

Hazzard and Jones formed one of the best backcourts in Public League history and in 1959, both received All Public League honors.

Other hoops greats included, in 1967, the Overbrook team that brought home a league championship. That squad had Mike Gale, who following his scholastic career, attended Elizabeth City State in Elizabeth City, N.C. where the 6-foot-4-inch guard, was an All-CIAA and a NAIA All-American and led Elizabeth City State to a CIAA title in 1969.

Gale played in the National Basketball Association and the American Basketball Association. He played with the Kentucky Colonels and the New Jersey Nets. In 1974, Gale won an ABA championship with the Nets. Gale passed away on July 31, 2020.

Track and field

While Overbrook High School has been well known for its impressive basketball legacy the school has received recognition in other sport as well. For example, the school’s track and field program. Overbrook has produced some great athletes under some outstanding head coaches such as Vernon Young, Jonas Harding, Fred Rosenfeld and veteran assistant coach Mervin Jones.

Young coached the Panthers from 1958-68 winning nine Public League championships and one city title. He won three straight league crowns (1958, 1959, 1960).

Harding followed Young from 1969-76. He coached track stars Jason Grimes and Paul Jordan while winning seven league and seven city championships.

After that, Rosenfeld stepped in and coached 24 years at the school. He also coached the cross-country teams. In 1979, his cross-country team won a city title while the 1988 team recorded the only perfect score in Public League championship history. In track and field, he guided the Panthers to 11 league championships from 1977 to 1985. In 1989, 1998 and 2004, he was named Pennsylvania Track Coach of the Year.

Overbrook’s track and field teams produced Olympic standouts Ira Davis, Irv Hall, Paul Jordan and Jon Drummond.

On the women’s side, the Panthers have had some sensational athletes like Toya Brown, class of 1993, who was an All-American at the University of Texas, a member of the 4x400 meter championship team from 1995-98.

Ce’Aira Brown, class of 2012, 800-meter runner, had a great career at Hampton University being named an All-American three times and inducted into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame in 2023.

Baseball

Baseball has a special place in Overbrook’s sports history. Bill Cash and Mahlon Duckett played for the Philadelphia Stars of the Negro League. Cash was a catcher with the Stars from 1943-49 and selected to two East-West All-Star teams in the Negro League. Duckett played from 1940-49 for the Stars and also for the Homestead Grays for one season (1949-50). Duckett was an infielder who could play third base, shortstop and second base. In 1940, he received Rookie of the Year honors in the Negro League.

Jeffrey Leonard, a 1973 All-Public League first team selection, played 14 seasons of Major League Baseball (1977-1990). Leonard signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1973 as a free agent.

During his playing days, he spent time with the Dodgers, Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants and the Seattle Mariners as an outfielder. Leonard, class of 1973, played in two all-star games in 1987 and ’89. He was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the National League Championship Series with the Giants in 1987. He finished his career with a .266 batting average. He also amassed 144 home runs and 723 RBI.

The next chapter

Overbrook High School began its centennial year in late August with Principal Julian Graham doing what he does best: building for the future.

Overbrook’s alumni have also played an important role in supporting the school. The Overbrook High School Alumni Association awarded $29,000 in scholarships to students last year, and Graham established an office for the group inside the school to bring alumni closer to current students.

“They have banquets and various events throughout the year,” Graham said. “They are heavily involved in everything that we do, so they need to be in the school building. They also play a significant role in the success of our students.”

The school’s restored marble hallway serves as a wall of fame honoring former students, giving current students a visible connection to Overbrook’s legacy.

“I tried to restore it to make it a prestigious place,” Graham said. “Our students need to see the people who walked the same hallways as them and what they have become.”

As the school begins its next chapter, Graham wants today’s students to understand that they, too, can leave a lasting mark on the school and the communities they will go on to serve.

“I just want our students to be the best version of themselves,” he said. “Real success doesn’t happen overnight. If you can dream it, then you can achieve it. You just have to work hard, be relentless and persistent.”

Editor’s note: The Philadelphia Tribune has three current employees who are Overbrook High School graduates: Eugene Cliett, chief financial officer, class of 1963; Daphne Davenger, administrative secretary, class of 1967; and Victor Smith, HR and compliance manager, class of 1971. Daryl Bell, a former Tribune editor, class of 1978, was also an Overbrook graduate.

Home

Kathia Woods

Philly's Overbrook High School turns 100. Meet some of its luminaries including Will Smith, Wilt Chamberlain and Colman Domingo.