Washington ? The Bush administration on Friday named a commission to mark the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling that ended school segregation.

The Brown v. Board of Education commission will meet Nov. 13 at Howard University in the nation’s capital to begin planning for the May 17, 2004, anniversary.

Ideas for the celebration include a series of public lectures, writing contests or efforts to convince history textbook publishers to include more about the Brown case.

The panel’s members are from the states in which the lawsuits decided by Brown were originally filed, as well as Massachusetts, where the first such legal challenge was filed.

“I am sure the commission will highlight the contributions of pioneers from all of these states in the commemoration,” said Cheryl Brown Henderson, daughter of the lead plaintiff in the case and a member of the new commission.

Her father, Oliver Brown, became involved because he wanted to enroll another daughter, Linda, in a white elementary school near their home in Topeka, Kan. But the case had been brewing for decades and involved several other black families in Topeka and across the nation.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People had recruited Topeka parents for a federal lawsuit that eventually was combined with cases from Delaware, South Carolina, Virginia and the District of Columbia and brought before the court.

“The Supreme Court’s 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education dramatically opened the doors of opportunity to countless numbers of Americans, including me,” Secretary of Education Rod Paige said.

Paige and Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft announced the commission members Friday. Leading the panel will be Gerald Reynolds, assistant secretary of education for civil rights, and Ralph F. Boyd Jr., assistant attorney general for civil rights.

Congress created the commission earlier this year at the urging of Henderson and members of the Kansas delegation.

“Kansas played a pivotal role in the epic struggle for racial equality,” said Rep. Jim Ryun, R-Kan. “This commission will ensure that the gains made through the Brown decision will never be forgotten.”