It is easy to forget the continuous, slow, often difficult path that the May 17, 1954 Brown decision of the Supreme Court has taken and the many small--and often forgotten--problems that have been faced in the past 22 years. Delaware had some warning in 1952 that desegregation might occur and what it might involve. Most school districts received requests in 1954 that they immediately desegregate their schools. Prior to the court orders, all of Delaware maintained separate schools for white and blacks. Those people who expected something to happen in the fall of 1954 were wrong. The schools of Delaware proceeded almost as if the 1954 decision had not occurred. In September 1956 most schools in Delaware had still not begun any serious desegregation. However, most had submitted tentative plans and were developing programs in their own communities for implementation. Finally, on October 16, 1958 the Supreme Court announced its refusal to grant a review of the desegregation cases. The State Board received the Order on November 19, 1958. Beginning with first grade, and moving on all other grades the following year, a voluntary registration was enacted. A considerable number of black parents accepted the opportunity to enroll their children in the previously all-white schools. (Author/JM)