harsh treatment on the Alabama railroad. That action later prompted his superiors to relieve him of his duties as president of AAMU for one year. That experience may have helped alter his position on the proper role for a Black man to play in the South during that era, because afterwards, he advocated accommodation and acceptance of his "unctuous sycophancy", which prompted Washington to characterize him as "simply toadying to White people." He served at AAMU until 1909, although Solomon T. Clanton served as acting president in 1903 when Council was ill. Under his leadership, AAMU was second only to Tuskegee Institute in size among Alabama Negro industrial schools. Councill compiled the illustrated cultural history book Lamp of Wisdom; or Race History Illustrated in 1898. It was published by J. T. Haley of Nashville. Councill died on April 9, 1909, following a long illness. He was buried on the campus of AAMU, where he had served as president for 32 years. His wife Maria was buried alongside him after she died in 1910. Councill is celebrated every May at AAMU on Founder's Day, which includes events honoring his contributions to the university and African American education. Legacy The first public school for African Americans in Huntsville was named William Hooper Councill High School in Councill's honor. It began as Councill Training School in 1867. Civil rights leader Joseph Lowery is one of its alumni. The school closed during integration, with the last class graduating in 1966. The high school building is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. In 2018 the William Hooper Councill Alumni Association broke ground on the William Hooper Councill High School Memorial Park at the school's original site. The design mirrors the original floor plan of the school, with paths and benches incorporating bricks from the last school building that had remained on site. Initial work on the park began in 2019, and city officials have announced that in the future the park will feature sculptures of Councill as well as students from Councill High School. In 2020 AMMU announced the construction of the William Hooper Councill Eternal Flame Memorial, which was described as “a lasting tribute to the visionary founder of AAMU and his enduring fight for education that has positively impacted the United States and beyond.” The Memorial will include a new structure erected at the current gravesite, with the eternal flame