Lucy Addison High School facts for kids
Lucy Addison High School was a special school in Roanoke, Virginia. It opened in 1928 for African American students during a time called Jim Crow. This was a period of racial segregation when Black and white people were kept separate by law.
The school was named after Lucy Addison. She was an important African American educator. She was also the first principal of the Harrison School, which was also segregated. Lucy Addison High School was the second high school in Roanoke just for African American students.
Over the years, the school was in two different buildings. From 1928 to 1952, it was on Douglas and Hart Avenues. Then, from 1953 to 1970, it was on Fifth Street and Orange Avenue.
In 1963, Roanoke began to end segregation in its high schools. By 1970, Lucy Addison High School became a school for all students, no matter their race. The city closed it as a high school in 1973. After that, it became Lucy Addison Junior High School. Today, the building is still used as Lucy Addison Middle School.
Contents
School History
How Lucy Addison High School Started
Lucy Addison (born December 8, 1861 – died November 13, 1937) was a very important African American teacher. She was the principal of the Harrison School in Roanoke, Virginia. In 1924, she created a high school program there. Before this, the Harrison School only went up to 8th grade.
After Virginia's Board of Education approved the high school program, the Harrison School had its first three high school graduates in 1924. Lucy Addison was the principal of Harrison School from 1917 until she retired in 1927.
New Name and New Buildings
In 1928, the City of Roanoke renamed the school after Lucy Addison. The first Lucy Addison High School building was built on Douglas and Hart Avenues in Roanoke. It was used from 1928 to 1952. Lucy Addison herself attended the official opening of the school on April 19, 1929. The school's first class graduated in 1929, during the Great Depression.
A second building for Lucy Addison High School was built in 1951. This new school was located on Fifth Street and Orange Avenue. It was right in the middle of the African American community. This new building opened for students in the 1952-1953 school year. Its first class graduated in 1953.
Becoming an Integrated School
Because of desegregation in the southern United States, schools like Lucy Addison High School changed. The school graduated its last high school class in 1973. After that, it became a junior high school.
In 2015, the Lucy Addison High School Alumni Association created a special monument. It has three parts and honors the school's founder, teachers, and former students.
School Leaders
Lucy Addison High School had several principals who led the school.
Principals at Douglas and Hart Avenue Location
- 1928-1934 - T. R. Parker
- 1935-1939 - Arnett G. Macklin
- 1939-1945 - Samuel Fischer Scott
- 1945-1946 - Sadie V. Lawson
- 1946-1948 - Henry Carpenter
- 1948-1949 - Lewis A. Sydnor Sr.
- 1949-1952 - Sadie V. Lawson
Principals at Fifth Street and Orange Avenue Location
- 1952-1968 - Edwin L Phillips
- 1968-1970 - Julian A. Moore
- 1970-1973 - Charles W. Day
Famous Former Students
Many students who attended Lucy Addison High School went on to do great things. Here are a few:
- Captain Ralph Claytor – He was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. These were brave African American military pilots. He was also a great basketball and football player at Addison High School.
- Lawrence Hamlar – He was a well-known African American community leader and businessman. He started the Hamlar Curtis Funeral Home in Roanoke, which was owned by African Americans.
- Oliver Hill – He was a very important civil rights lawyer. His work helped to end "separate but equal" laws. These laws made segregation legal. He went to the Harrison School when he was young.
- Don Pullen – He was a famous American jazz pianist and organist.
