Miami High First Commencement in 1904
The story of Miami High School's first graduation ceremony which took place on Friday, June 3, 1904. The inaugural class featured only three graduates on that day.
Miami High School held its first commencement ceremony on Friday, June 3, 1904, graduating a class of just three students in the auditorium of the Central School. Formal education in Miami dates back to October 21, 1896, when the city’s first school opened with 38 students in a modest storefront on what is now SE First Street.
In 1897, with support from Henry Flagler, Miami built its first formal school building—a two-story, four-room structure known as the Miami Grammar School—on land now occupied by the historic Federal Courthouse at 300 NE First Avenue. By 1904, the school had expanded the building to accommodate a growing student population from first through twelfth grade. A key addition was a large auditorium, which served as the venue for that first graduation ceremony. The inaugural graduates were Florence Stephens and siblings Grace and Ralph Radar.
The commencement affair took place in the event hall of the school and was filled to capacity to host the first graduation ceremony. An author from the Miami Metropolis described the occasion as follows:
“Long will the exercises be remembered by teachers, graduates and patrons. The spacious auditorium was filled to overflowing with humanity and many stood in the aisles and in the rear of the seats, thus indicating that the hall was not misplaced in erection and is a necessity for class services and other school events.
The stage was appropriately decorated for the occasion in greens and flowers, and in the rear hung a banner bearing the inscription ‘Class of 1904.’ The graduates occupied seats facing the audience, and all in all the stage was one of beauty and attractiveness; the Biscayne orchestra furnished music for the occasion.”
The ceremony opened with the orchestra performing Over Land and Sea, setting a celebratory tone for the occasion. Professor Hall then took the stage to deliver an address, reflecting on the significance of the commencement and its meaning for both graduates and guests. His remarks were followed by another musical selection from the orchestra, titled Autumn Buds.
Each of the graduates presented a speech on a topic of their choosing. Florence Stephens delivered a talk titled English, in which she spoke on the importance of literature, education, and cultural enrichment. Ida Grace Radar followed with a speech entitled A Woman’s Place in the World, offering her perspective on the role of women from childhood to adulthood. Her remarks reflected the prevailing attitudes and expectations of the early twentieth century—views that would differ notably from those expressed in a similar speech today.
Ralph Radar delivered a speech titled A Dream, which, according to a reporter from the Miami Metropolis, was presented “in a forcible manner.” In his address, Ralph reflected on the nature of time and memory, remarking that “we have all been dreaming, and that instead of a dream of 1904, it is a dream of 1954—fifty years hence, when recollections of the present will have matured and the sun of life is declining.”
Tragically, when the class of 1904 gathered for a reunion in 1953, Ralph was not alive to revisit the thoughts he had so poignantly shared on graduation day. The ceremony concluded with William Burdine—founder of the Burdines & Son department store and then-chairman of the school board—personally presenting diplomas to each of the three graduates.
Little is known about Ralph Radar’s life following graduation. His sister, Grace Radar, later married Thomas Overton, who, according to records from 1918, was employed as a clerk at the Post Office. Florence Stephens went on to serve as the secretary to the president of the Florida State College for Women—today known as Florida State University—and eventually returned to her alma mater as a teacher, coming full circle at the school where she had been among its first graduates.
Miami High School has come a long way since its early days in a modest wood-frame building on NE First Avenue, where its first commencement ceremony was held in 1904. In the years that followed, the school relocated several times—first to a dedicated high school building constructed behind the original Central School, then to a site near Lummus Park along the Miami River, and finally, in 1928, to the iconic building at 2450 SW First Street, where it remains today.
Remarkably, the original high school structure that once stood behind the Central School was later moved to the Brickell neighborhood, where it still stands in Southside Park as a testament to the school’s early history.
Resources:
Book: “The Stingaree Century”, Howard Kleinberg
Miami Metropolis: “Commencement Exercises at Miami High School”, June 4, 1904, p1.
Miami News: “First High School Graduate Recalls Changes”, May 22, 1953.
Miami News: “3 Grads in Miami High’s First Class”, June 21, 1984, p40.
Love this. Thank you