Cecil Preston
Cecil Preston was 17 years old when he died in a dormitory fire at the Arkansas Negro Boys Industrial School in Wrightsville, Pulaski County, on March 5, 1959. Twenty-one boys died in the blaze, and the Encyclopedia of Arkansas says the doors were reportedly locked from the outside. An Arkansas Department of Correction account from 2019 says the boys were locked in their dormitory when the fire started, and that the department dedicated a memorial with each of their names that year. Preston is listed among the victims buried in Haven of Rest Cemetery in Little Rock.
Cause of death, as reported: Died in an accident (neglect alleged). State officials attributed the deaths to a dormitory fire, and reports say staff had locked the boys in their dormitory from the outside.
Reported by: state officials at the reform school; news reporting on the fire.