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APPLETON - Exactly 20 months after Ron Dunlap, a longtime Appleton principal who was hailed as one of the most influential African Americans in Wisconsin, died, the Appleton School Board moved to rename Lincoln Elementary in his honor.
After months of tense community debate, the board voted 4-3 at its Monday meeting in favor of the proposal to rename Lincoln to the "Ronald C. Dunlap Elementary School, Home of the Lincoln Lions."
Speaking ahead of the board's vote on Monday, Yvette Dunlap urged the board to vote in favor of the proposal, saying her husband's contributions to the district and community are still blessings today. She also recounted how difficult it was at times for her husband to be a "groundbreaker" in the community, and he often questioned whether folks truly supported his work.