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“Junior high was an angry year.”
Corlis Turner Anderson
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burnley-Moran Elementary, Walker Elementary, and Lane High School
Steve Runkle
Lane High School“First day you go to lunch, and you sit there, and you’re sitting there by yourself.”
Frankie Allen
Venable School, Lane High School, Albemarle High School
David Wyant
Albemarle High School
David Wyant
Albemarle High School“Now it’s together, and let’s try to do a little bit on the equal part.”
Chip German
Albemarle High School“She would send little notes home in my backpack to my mother to share the type of day that I had.”
Charles Alexander
[Forthcoming]
Garwin DeBerry
Lane High School, Burley High School, and Charlottesville High School“Do not be caught in Lee Park after dark.”
Robert King
Jefferson Elementary School, Venable Elementary School, Lane High School“It was done completely wrong, I think.”
Jimmy Hollins
Jefferson Elementary School, Burley High School“We all wanted to be their best friends.”
Byrd Leavell
Venable School, Lane High School“I don’t feel that this was right. I want to support.”
Bernadette Whitsett Hammond
[Forthcoming]
Darlene Quarles Robinson
Rose Hill Elementary School, Stone Robinson Elementary, Jack Jouett Junior High School, Albemarle High School“It just wasn’t no discussion. That was the school I was going to.”
Charles Alexander
[Forthcoming]“The change from Greenbrier to Jefferson widened the range of people that I had encountered.”
Chip German
Albemarle High School“Shut the door, start the engine, and let’s get out of here.”
Brock Strickler
Venable School, Lane High School“I think sports did help overcome racial tensions.”
Roland and Ronald Woodfolk
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burley High School, Lane High School
Tom Stargell
Scottsville School“I just think the coach didn’t want a Black kid on the team.”
David Wyant
Albemarle High School“We tried to help out, but we weren’t feeling the brunt of it all.”
Byrd Leavell
Venable School, Lane High School
Lloyd Snook
Venable School, Lane High School“The whites never crossed Sixth Street. Blacks never came up into Belmont.”
George Foussekis
McGuffey Elementary School, Lane High School“If there were no sports, I think the integration that occurred would have been way more painful.”
Rod Gentry
Venable School, Lane High School
Tom Stargell
Scottsville School“The coaches would buy our cleats.”
Veronica Jones
Jefferson, McGuffey, Venable, Walker, Burley, Lane.“I remember I just wanted to go to school.”
Robert King
Jefferson Elementary School, Venable Elementary School, Lane High School“You keep on reporting what’s wrong.”
Julia Shields
Lane High School and Charlottesville High School“We just all got along great.”
Keith Franklin
Lane High School“Rock Hill parents did not want any kind of mixing with any other group.”
Rod Gentry
Venable School, Lane High School“Theodose, you just -- you knew he didn’t have an ounce of prejudice in him.”
Mark and Nancy Tramontin
[Forthcoming]“I’ve always been, what I call, a people’s person.”
Donald Byers
Jackson P. Burley High School“You guys just, were just tolerated.”
Roland and Ronald Woodfolk
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burley High School, Lane High School“And that was a very difficult time for integration.”
Byrd Leavell
Venable School, Lane High School“There was no preparation that I remember.”
Robert King
Jefferson Elementary School, Venable Elementary School, Lane High SchoolRoland and Ronald Woodfolk
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burley High School, Lane High School“We just all got along well I thought, but of course, I could have just been blind to it all.”
Keith Franklin
Lane High School“I was considered a threat to the Virginia school system.”
Charles Alexander
[Forthcoming]“When they closed down Burley, I cried, I mean literally cried.”
Veronica Jones
Jefferson, McGuffey, Venable, Walker, Burley, Lane.“We went with a list of grievances.”
James Bryant
Jefferson Elementary School, McGuffey Elementary School, Walker Elementary School, Lane High School“When you got a part to be on that team, your blood runs red just like theirs do.”
Nathaniel Garland
[Forthcoming]
Jim Blackburn
Albemarle High School
Lloyd Snook
Venable School, Lane High School“To see that I was just as human, I was just a person, just like they were.”
Darlene Quarles Robinson
Rose Hill Elementary School, Stone Robinson Elementary, Jack Jouett Junior High School, Albemarle High School“I was getting my books out of my locker, and he called me the N-word.”
James Bryant
Jefferson Elementary School, McGuffey Elementary School, Walker Elementary School, Lane High School
Rod Gentry
Venable School, Lane High School“Poor kid tried like hell, but she would never ever ever acknowledge him.”
Mark and Nancy Tramontin
[Forthcoming]
Garwin DeBerry
Lane High School, Burley High School, and Charlottesville High School“They were in charge of everything at Burley before, and now they have nothing.”
Kent Merritt
Lane High School
James Bryant
Jefferson Elementary School, McGuffey Elementary School, Walker Elementary School, Lane High School“We were very aware that we were white and they weren’t.”
David Sloan
Lane High School
David Sloan
Lane High School“It was enjoyable to have them there.”
Brock Strickler
Venable School, Lane High School“Black people stayed in their place. White people ran everything.”
Garwin DeBerry
Lane High School, Burley High School, and Charlottesville High School“We had a lot of pride at Jefferson.”
James Bryant
Jefferson Elementary School, McGuffey Elementary School, Walker Elementary School, Lane High School“There was very little interaction, Black and white in the community at the time.”
Wade Tremblay
Lane High School, Fork Union Military Academy, Albemarle High School“I went and sat with the Black students in the back of the bus.”
Chip German
Albemarle High School“He was scared to death about his first day at Clark Elementary School.”
David Sloan
Lane High School“I think it worked itself out over a few years.”
Byrd Leavell
Venable School, Lane High School“Suddenly I realized that all these people are sitting in the back of the bus.”
Rod Gentry
Venable School, Lane High School“I think just from where I am now, it seems like these kids were just dropped into the stew.”
Clare Rannigan
Lane High School, Albemarle High School
Bernadette Whitsett Hammond
[Forthcoming]“They don’t think we need a Black football coach here.”
Garwin DeBerry
Lane High School, Burley High School, and Charlottesville High School“They had a lot of resistance in Charlottesville.”
David Wyant
Albemarle High School“I would just turn my head away from the class because I’d have tears coming down.”
Robert King
Jefferson Elementary School, Venable Elementary School, Lane High School
Phylissa Mitchell
Virginia L. Murray Elementary School, Stone Robinson Elementary School, Burley High School, Albemarle High School“Sports can be really on the vanguard of positive racial relations.”
Jim Blackburn
Albemarle High School“There just were not many Black teachers there during my time.”
Bernadette Whitsett Hammond
[Forthcoming]“And so it was always kind of a neat feeling that you got an apple.”
Keith Franklin
Lane High School
Mary Johnson
Jefferson School, Burley High School“Well, whenever you’re feared and hated any time you walk in somewhere, it starts to wear on you.”
Nathaniel Garland
[Forthcoming]“We were going to do something that everybody would always remember Jackson P. Burley High School.”
Donald Byers
Jackson P. Burley High School
William Redd
Jefferson Elementary School, Burley High School
Vincent Kinney
Keswick Elementary School, Burley, and Albemarle High School
Lloyd Snook
Venable School, Lane High School
Mark and Nancy Tramontin
[Forthcoming]“You didn’t realize there was a lot of turmoil.”
Donald Byers
Jackson P. Burley High School“Lane was a wonderful school, but it was falling down compared to Burley.”
Dickie Tayloe
Lane High School“My experiences will be different from the white population.”
Vincent Kinney
Keswick Elementary School, Burley, and Albemarle High School“That’s a tough transition for all.”
David Wyant
Albemarle High School“A joyous occasion when we would get out and travel with the band, watch the game.”
Vincent Kinney
Keswick Elementary School, Burley, and Albemarle High School“They became real good friends of mine.”
David Wyant
Albemarle High School“It was bigger than a football field.”
Kent Merritt
Lane High School“Now, do I have to show you everything in black and white?”
Julia Shields
Lane High School and Charlottesville High School“The incident caused the schools to shut down because of the racial tensions.”
James Bryant
Jefferson Elementary School, McGuffey Elementary School, Walker Elementary School, Lane High School“I was disappointed, because I wanted them to play for me, and the administration turned them down.”
Tommy Theodose
Lane High School“Adults put us through that, and none of us should have had to sacrifice.”
Vincent Kinney
Keswick Elementary School, Burley, and Albemarle High School
Lloyd Snook
Venable School, Lane High School“The conventional wisdom at the time was that the white school had better facilities.”
Kent Merritt
Lane High School“The church was the cornerstone of our community, and we had the community.”
James Bryant
Jefferson Elementary School, McGuffey Elementary School, Walker Elementary School, Lane High School
Brock Strickler
Venable School, Lane High School“The only racist problem I had was that one year we was playing Albemarle High School.”
Veronica Jones
Jefferson, McGuffey, Venable, Walker, Burley, Lane.“She was still teaching after we left, and she did the black students the same way, gave ‘em Es”
Roland and Ronald Woodfolk
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burley High School, Lane High School“Not a lot of people know about the Hospital Boys Club.”
Robert King
Jefferson Elementary School, Venable Elementary School, Lane High School
Dickie Tayloe
Lane High School“We felt like a unit. I really felt like it was a wonderful experience for me.”
Corlis Turner Anderson
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burnley-Moran Elementary, Walker Elementary, and Lane High School
Kent Merritt
Lane High School“I got up, I went out in the hall, and I boo-hooed and cried, in the tenth grade.”
James Bryant
Jefferson Elementary School, McGuffey Elementary School, Walker Elementary School, Lane High School“She was just a wonderful, wonderful individual to have as an instructor and as a role model.”
Bernadette Whitsett Hammond
[Forthcoming]“He could be in the band, but he could not perform with the band.”
Bernadette Whitsett Hammond
[Forthcoming]“I was actually frightened to go into a class with all white kids.”
Garwin DeBerry
Lane High School, Burley High School, and Charlottesville High School“Burley had pretty good football teams, but we never played against each other.”
Tommy Theodose
Lane High School“You could go to any school you wanted — just choose and shut up — go!”
Steve Helvin
Lane High School
Kent Merritt
Lane High School“If he were coaching today the way he coached then, he would be in jail.”
David Sloan
Lane High School
Tom Stargell
Scottsville School“We were all bunched together.”
Roland and Ronald Woodfolk
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burley High School, Lane High School“They got all the good books, all the new books. We got the hand-me-downs.”
Garwin DeBerry
Lane High School, Burley High School, and Charlottesville High School“I don’t ever remember any scuffles or anything at school.”
Keith Franklin
Lane High School“It was the first time I had experience white hostility in such an organized fashion.”
Phylissa Mitchell
Virginia L. Murray Elementary School, Stone Robinson Elementary School, Burley High School, Albemarle High School“Don’t you dare start getting Black athletes on our football team.”
Jim Blackburn
Albemarle High School“The marching band was thought to be top drawer, absolutely.”
Wade Tremblay
Lane High School, Fork Union Military Academy, Albemarle High School“I just want to shake the hand to the guy whose feet never touches the ground.”
Roland and Ronald Woodfolk
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burley High School, Lane High School“I didn’t know white people had the same birthdays as Black people.”
Darlene Quarles Robinson
Rose Hill Elementary School, Stone Robinson Elementary, Jack Jouett Junior High School, Albemarle High School“The Daily Progress called us the Lane Lonesome 11.”
Steve Helvin
Lane High School
Darlene Quarles Robinson
Rose Hill Elementary School, Stone Robinson Elementary, Jack Jouett Junior High School, Albemarle High School“Things were pretty separate back then.”
Kent Merritt
Lane High School“It was really hard to get any sense of community.”
Clare Rannigan
Lane High School, Albemarle High School“That was the one thing I was about as a kid. If you hurt me, I was going to get you.”
Nathaniel Garland
[Forthcoming]“We were just kind of oblivious.”
Steve Helvin
Lane High School“If you don’t let go of that privilege, we are just going to be mired here.”
Phylissa Mitchell
Virginia L. Murray Elementary School, Stone Robinson Elementary School, Burley High School, Albemarle High School
Kent Merritt
Lane High School
George Foussekis
McGuffey Elementary School, Lane High School“Hardly be anybody at Lane. Everybody would be over at Burley.”
David Wyant
Albemarle High School
Dickie Tayloe
Lane High School“I don’t remember any issues over race. I’m sure it would be different if I was black.”
Larry Kent
[Forthcoming]“And it was an integrated neighborhood.”
Jimmy Hollins
Jefferson Elementary School, Burley High School“I think it was separate but equal, to borrow an old term.”
David Sloan
Lane High School
Julia Shields
Lane High School and Charlottesville High School“I never told my mother. I felt like it was my burden at that age to carry.”
Corlis Turner Anderson
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burnley-Moran Elementary, Walker Elementary, and Lane High School“And in Venable, that’s my first brush with discrimination.”
Kent Merritt
Lane High School“They went home and they told their daddy, and the daddy came to school looking for me.”
Charles Alexander
[Forthcoming]
Kent Merritt
Lane High School“There was a lot of ugliness going on. And that was just reality.”
Lloyd Snook
Venable School, Lane High School“The boys’ rooms were dens of iniquity.”
Wade Tremblay
Lane High School, Fork Union Military Academy, Albemarle High School“Bingler just cracked up, he thought that was the funniest thing, so Coach had a sense of humor.”
Roland and Ronald Woodfolk
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burley High School, Lane High School“Miss Perry, very influential. She was very nice, very encouraging.”
Nathaniel Garland
[Forthcoming]
Chip German
Albemarle High School“They can’t come to Charlottesville to play because it’s against the law.”
Peyton Humphrey
Venable Elementary School, Johnson Elementary School, Lane High School“The university had a lot of influence in this town. Good and bad, I’m sure.”
Andy Minton
Albemarle High School
Vincent Kinney
Keswick Elementary School, Burley, and Albemarle High School“I thought that race was where people drove in a circle.”
Phylissa Mitchell
Virginia L. Murray Elementary School, Stone Robinson Elementary School, Burley High School, Albemarle High School“There was only one or two Blacks in the class, which didn’t bother me.”
Veronica Jones
Jefferson, McGuffey, Venable, Walker, Burley, Lane.“And we didn’t care about race or color, only if you could help the football team win.”
George Foussekis
McGuffey Elementary School, Lane High School“It was a good experience for me personally.”
Brock Strickler
Venable School, Lane High School“I mean you just didn’t associate with them.”
Peyton Humphrey
Venable Elementary School, Johnson Elementary School, Lane High School
Lloyd Snook
Venable School, Lane High School
Kent Merritt
Lane High School“It really disrupted and destroyed school life for a semester.”
Peyton Humphrey
Venable Elementary School, Johnson Elementary School, Lane High School
Garwin DeBerry
Lane High School, Burley High School, and Charlottesville High School“When we went to Lane, the nurturing part was not there.”
Roland and Ronald Woodfolk
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burley High School, Lane High School
Frankie Allen
Venable School, Lane High School, Albemarle High School“We didn’t have a lot of all racial bias or conflict in the North Garden area.”
Donald Byers
Jackson P. Burley High School“You’ve done something bad. That’s taboo.”
Nathaniel Garland
[Forthcoming]“I think he was trying to keep the racial balance.”
Frankie Allen
Venable School, Lane High School, Albemarle High School“She was on the field cheerleading, and they were just calling her the N-word.”
James Bryant
Jefferson Elementary School, McGuffey Elementary School, Walker Elementary School, Lane High School
Peyton Humphrey
Venable Elementary School, Johnson Elementary School, Lane High School“Don’t you ever look at me that way.”
Veronica Jones
Jefferson, McGuffey, Venable, Walker, Burley, Lane.“We had other classes in different buildings, but you had five hours of class.”
Peyton Humphrey
Venable Elementary School, Johnson Elementary School, Lane High School“If this thing is going to work, then we had to be not as good as, but we had to be better.”
Frankie Allen
Venable School, Lane High School, Albemarle High School
Rod Gentry
Venable School, Lane High School“I’m always taught you should get the grade that was beholden to your effort.”
Roland and Ronald Woodfolk
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burley High School, Lane High School“You had to fight to present yourself as: I am worthy.”
Corlis Turner Anderson
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burnley-Moran Elementary, Walker Elementary, and Lane High School“I do think athletics helped.”
Julia Shields
Lane High School and Charlottesville High School“I feel like we are regressing.”
Donald Byers
Jackson P. Burley High School“There was nothing going on here. There was no reason to come to Scottsville after dark.”
Tom Stargell
Scottsville School“It was when movement was going on, going up the steps, and you had this going on, stuff like that.”
Steve Runkle
Lane High School“Did integration help, or did it hurt? That’s something you really have to think about.”
Corlis Turner Anderson
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burnley-Moran Elementary, Walker Elementary, and Lane High School“I got a locker to myself. Why would I care?”
Phylissa Mitchell
Virginia L. Murray Elementary School, Stone Robinson Elementary School, Burley High School, Albemarle High School
Mark and Nancy Tramontin
[Forthcoming]“Teachers expected you to excel, and teachers were part of the community.”
James Bryant
Jefferson Elementary School, McGuffey Elementary School, Walker Elementary School, Lane High School
Darlene Quarles Robinson
Rose Hill Elementary School, Stone Robinson Elementary, Jack Jouett Junior High School, Albemarle High School“I remember Burley had some great teams, and we all rooted hard for them.”
Kent Merritt
Lane High School“Didn’t I understand how nervous he felt being one of only two Black kids in the class?”
Julia Shields
Lane High School and Charlottesville High School“I can’t say anybody was really happy about it.”
Phylissa Mitchell
Virginia L. Murray Elementary School, Stone Robinson Elementary School, Burley High School, Albemarle High School“The way your parents raised you and their thoughts carried into one generation or another.”
George Foussekis
McGuffey Elementary School, Lane High School
Bernadette Whitsett Hammond
[Forthcoming]“I came here when I was four years old because I had asthma, and I was 30 miles from the doctor.”
Mary Johnson
Jefferson School, Burley High School“Everybody else is the white sea all around us.”
Garwin DeBerry
Lane High School, Burley High School, and Charlottesville High School“I liked Burley because I liked the sports and I always liked physical ed and stuff like that.”
Mary Johnson
Jefferson School, Burley High School“Student athletes socializing and hanging out together. I don’t recall that when I was at Lane.”
David Sloan
Lane High School“Integration, you know, far as they were concerned didn’t even exist.”
Tommy Theodose
Lane High School“It was the only integrated team in the state.”
Brock Strickler
Venable School, Lane High School
William Redd
Jefferson Elementary School, Burley High School
Vincent Kinney
Keswick Elementary School, Burley, and Albemarle High School
Tommy Theodose
Lane High School“You do what you have to do and we’ll do what we have to do.”
Charles Alexander
[Forthcoming]
Kent Merritt
Lane High School“I wanted to just walk off the field right then but I said, “That’ll really cause a scene.””
William Redd
Jefferson Elementary School, Burley High School“I look back and the crowd that was in the stand is attacking the players from Maggie Walker.”
William Redd
Jefferson Elementary School, Burley High School
Larry Kent
[Forthcoming]“The neighborhood was like one big happy family.”
Veronica Jones
Jefferson, McGuffey, Venable, Walker, Burley, Lane.“The Blacks had the churches that they attended and the Whites had churches they attended.”
Donald Byers
Jackson P. Burley High School“Other communities had gangs, we had football games.”
Robert King
Jefferson Elementary School, Venable Elementary School, Lane High School“You know how you sense somebody behind you? I look up. There’s a police officer.”
William Redd
Jefferson Elementary School, Burley High School“A lot of it was based on fear and hatred.”
Kent Merritt
Lane High School
Julia Shields
Lane High School and Charlottesville High School“When I was a child, we always played with white kids and everything.”
Mary Johnson
Jefferson School, Burley High School“Coach was the cohesive part that kept everybody together.”
Roland and Ronald Woodfolk
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burley High School, Lane High School“Didn’t know it then, but clearly it was racism that was a part of that.”
David Sloan
Lane High School“Let’s put our arms around them. We’re all friends now.”
Wade Tremblay
Lane High School, Fork Union Military Academy, Albemarle High School“And the black kids sat with other black kids.”
Larry Kent
[Forthcoming]“It was an example of having to get to know a person before you judge them.”
Bernadette Whitsett Hammond
[Forthcoming]“It was hard playing football for Tommy Theodose and Joe Bingler.”
David Sloan
Lane High School
Jimmy Hollins
Jefferson Elementary School, Burley High School“It was very traumatic for the poor kids that were there.”
Steve Runkle
Lane High School“The whole is greater than the sum of the parts, clearly.”
Byrd Leavell
Venable School, Lane High School“I was suspended from the squad.”
Corlis Turner Anderson
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burnley-Moran Elementary, Walker Elementary, and Lane High School“I dimly knew that there was something called segregation, but I didn’t know what it meant.”
Julia Shields
Lane High School and Charlottesville High School“It’s really hard to reach any idea of equanimity or equity unless you understand your history.”
Phylissa Mitchell
Virginia L. Murray Elementary School, Stone Robinson Elementary School, Burley High School, Albemarle High School“Is he good enough to be on the team?”
Frankie Allen
Venable School, Lane High School, Albemarle High School“I think we were still fairly successful, and after even losing the number of kids to Rock Hill.”
Tommy Theodose
Lane High School“They’d rather shut down than change.”
Mark and Nancy Tramontin
[Forthcoming]“They said they couldn’t guarantee my safety.”
Roland and Ronald Woodfolk
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burley High School, Lane High School“It was just a long process to get more representation.”
Julia Shields
Lane High School and Charlottesville High School“We could tell my grandmother anything.”
Roland and Ronald Woodfolk
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burley High School, Lane High School
David Sloan
Lane High School“I started seeing just how ridiculous it was.”
Steve Helvin
Lane High School“We used to play in different parks and stuff, went out of town, played games.”
Mary Johnson
Jefferson School, Burley High School“They had signs up, no colored, that sort of thing that was really strange.”
Jim Blackburn
Albemarle High School“We had a fairly large Black team.”
Robert King
Jefferson Elementary School, Venable Elementary School, Lane High School“I don’t recall any really interactions, either positive or negative.”
Jim Blackburn
Albemarle High School
Julia Shields
Lane High School and Charlottesville High School
Steve Runkle
Lane High School“People that was influencing my life, was the neighbors.”
Roland and Ronald Woodfolk
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burley High School, Lane High School“At Burley, there never was an empty seat.”
Jimmy Hollins
Jefferson Elementary School, Burley High School“There wasn’t any sense of segregation.”
Jim Blackburn
Albemarle High School“There was no bus to take you home after activities.”
Donald Byers
Jackson P. Burley High School“And it was organized, we weren’t screaming and hollering and cursing and using profanity.”
James Bryant
Jefferson Elementary School, McGuffey Elementary School, Walker Elementary School, Lane High School“For whites for whatever reason, it’s an emotionally charged issue.”
Rod Gentry
Venable School, Lane High School“Officer, why is he Mr. Chauncey, and I’m Vincent?”
Vincent Kinney
Keswick Elementary School, Burley, and Albemarle High School“It truly was insensitive, but we didn’t realize it then.”
Steve Helvin
Lane High School“We got out of the town in the dark before the subpoena could be served.”
Mark and Nancy Tramontin
[Forthcoming]“I don’t mean no harm or disrespect, but the band at Lane just sucked.”
James Bryant
Jefferson Elementary School, McGuffey Elementary School, Walker Elementary School, Lane High School“To some people, they were different.”
Jimmy Hollins
Jefferson Elementary School, Burley High School
Darlene Quarles Robinson
Rose Hill Elementary School, Stone Robinson Elementary, Jack Jouett Junior High School, Albemarle High School“Places that we knew that we couldn’t go, we didn’t go.”
Roland and Ronald Woodfolk
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burley High School, Lane High School“UVA had no Black football players. And then here I come and others.”
Kent Merritt
Lane High School“As he goes out, the second shotgun blast. Pellets hit him all in his back.”
William Redd
Jefferson Elementary School, Burley High School
Chip German
Albemarle High School“This is something that we have to do as a Black race.”
Veronica Jones
Jefferson, McGuffey, Venable, Walker, Burley, Lane.“It was a Black-and-white-type thing.”
Frankie Allen
Venable School, Lane High School, Albemarle High School“There was a corporate culture that I could never take part of.”
Vincent Kinney
Keswick Elementary School, Burley, and Albemarle High School“She said, “We’re going to keep you,” and that’s how I went to school.”
Nathaniel Garland
[Forthcoming]“I tell you, two really good little ballplayers.”
David Wyant
Albemarle High School“I had never been in a situation before where I was the only Black in the classroom.”
Corlis Turner Anderson
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burnley-Moran Elementary, Walker Elementary, and Lane High School
Tommy Theodose
Lane High School“This is not right. But no one prepared us for that.”
Garwin DeBerry
Lane High School, Burley High School, and Charlottesville High School“My mother was from a very racist family.”
Steve Helvin
Lane High School“I don’t remember the football games as being especially hostile.”
Chip German
Albemarle High School“How am I going to give you back that? There’s no justice there.”
Steve Helvin
Lane High School“And that was like culture shock, you know?”
Peyton Humphrey
Venable Elementary School, Johnson Elementary School, Lane High School
Bernadette Whitsett Hammond
[Forthcoming]“How come we gotta go to Lane?”
Roland and Ronald Woodfolk
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burley High School, Lane High School“We became the Cox’s Row Red Devils. We had our own team.”
William Redd
Jefferson Elementary School, Burley High School“So they were gradually, you know, bringing transfers in from Burley, which I think was smart.”
George Foussekis
McGuffey Elementary School, Lane High School“And far as the Black and White kids playing, they got along great.”
Tommy Theodose
Lane High School“I didn’t see any prejudice on the team.”
Byrd Leavell
Venable School, Lane High School“Let’s do a petition to the school.”
Chip German
Albemarle High School“I don’t know what could have been done better, but it should’ve been done better.”
Kent Merritt
Lane High School“I think the legacy is that a community was destroyed.”
Clare Rannigan
Lane High School, Albemarle High School“There was just kind of a sadness.”
Kent Merritt
Lane High School“Eighth grade was awful because you couldn’t play sports.”
Frankie Allen
Venable School, Lane High School, Albemarle High School“There was just so much every day, it was just drama every day.”
James Bryant
Jefferson Elementary School, McGuffey Elementary School, Walker Elementary School, Lane High School“I just never felt like I belonged. I didn’t feel like there was any group that welcomed me.”
Clare Rannigan
Lane High School, Albemarle High School“He said, “You can’t sit here. The whites only section is down on the 10.””
Dickie Tayloe
Lane High School“And the mother yanked me aside real quick and said, “You don’t say mam or sir to those people."”
Mark and Nancy Tramontin
[Forthcoming]
Steve Runkle
Lane High School“Burley was more than just a sports school.”
Donald Byers
Jackson P. Burley High School“Some neighbors had called concerned because all these Black kids were running around.”
Jim Blackburn
Albemarle High School“Honestly, what was said was woefully, poorly done. I mean, there was no fight.”
Tom Stargell
Scottsville School“We had to get out of there in a hurry.”
Keith Franklin
Lane High School“I am proud of what we had done.”
Brock Strickler
Venable School, Lane High School“I was leaving all of my Black friends and I was leaving the teachers.”
Robert King
Jefferson Elementary School, Venable Elementary School, Lane High School“We had a really good squad that year.”
Corlis Turner Anderson
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burnley-Moran Elementary, Walker Elementary, and Lane High School“I don’t remember any instances, but for some reason, I was wary.”
Byrd Leavell
Venable School, Lane High School“We were the first family in Charlottesville to integrate a neighborhood back in ’65.”
Kent Merritt
Lane High School
Larry Kent
[Forthcoming]
Darlene Quarles Robinson
Rose Hill Elementary School, Stone Robinson Elementary, Jack Jouett Junior High School, Albemarle High School“It’s the people out there meeting the challenge on a day-to-day basis that make the change.”
Vincent Kinney
Keswick Elementary School, Burley, and Albemarle High School“Don’t let anything get you down.”
Mark and Nancy Tramontin
[Forthcoming]“As long as you were promoting these teams, everybody was cheering for you.”
Corlis Turner Anderson
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burnley-Moran Elementary, Walker Elementary, and Lane High SchoolRoland and Ronald Woodfolk
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burley High School, Lane High School
Lloyd Snook
Venable School, Lane High School
Tommy Theodose
Lane High School“The situation won’t change overnight.”
Byrd Leavell
Venable School, Lane High School“I remember recognizing for the first time that Black patrons of the theater entered from the side.”
Chip German
Albemarle High School“I went home and told my mother what I’d done, and she burst into tears.”
Clare Rannigan
Lane High School, Albemarle High School“We had to move on and do things right. Integrate schools.”
Robert King
Jefferson Elementary School, Venable Elementary School, Lane High School“We were all there all the time. And it was a very positive bonding experience in that way.”
Lloyd Snook
Venable School, Lane High School“We just recognize that we’re a part of that history.”
Kent Merritt
Lane High School“I saw her throw his plate and silverware in the trash can.”
Rod Gentry
Venable School, Lane High School“He was not interested in tokens.”
Jim Blackburn
Albemarle High School“As a result of my experiences, I have empathy.”
Darlene Quarles Robinson
Rose Hill Elementary School, Stone Robinson Elementary, Jack Jouett Junior High School, Albemarle High School“It’s like a job, you go do your job, and you go home.”
Roland and Ronald Woodfolk
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burley High School, Lane High School“Intimidation. Things like that happened all the time.”
William Redd
Jefferson Elementary School, Burley High School“My father, though a devoted golfer, quit Farmington when Farmington refused to integrate.”
Lloyd Snook
Venable School, Lane High School“We might have no meat on the thing, but it was okay.”
Veronica Jones
Jefferson, McGuffey, Venable, Walker, Burley, Lane.“But what’s embarrassing, I didn’t put myself in their place.”
Andy Minton
Albemarle High School“I wasn’t the only student that was talking.”
Veronica Jones
Jefferson, McGuffey, Venable, Walker, Burley, Lane.“We’d get dressed for the game and everything.”
Mary Johnson
Jefferson School, Burley High School
Nathaniel Garland
[Forthcoming]“So yeah, we had helmets. It’s all whatever you could find.”
Robert King
Jefferson Elementary School, Venable Elementary School, Lane High School
Nathaniel Garland
[Forthcoming]“The whole time I was at Albemarle, the students rode a separate bus.”
Vincent Kinney
Keswick Elementary School, Burley, and Albemarle High School“I went and marched with them the next day.”
Vincent Kinney
Keswick Elementary School, Burley, and Albemarle High School“When there was a football game everybody was focused on cheering for the team.”
Rod Gentry
Venable School, Lane High School
Andy Minton
Albemarle High School
Rod Gentry
Venable School, Lane High School“You’re the best player, you play. That’s the way it should be.”
George Foussekis
McGuffey Elementary School, Lane High School“I never asked my parents how I ended up in a private school.”
David Sloan
Lane High School“That was a eye-opener because there were White kids there that were roughly the same size as me.”
Nathaniel Garland
[Forthcoming]
Jim Blackburn
Albemarle High School
Corlis Turner Anderson
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burnley-Moran Elementary, Walker Elementary, and Lane High School“It would have been more difficult if we didn’t have such boosters in the Black community.”
Phylissa Mitchell
Virginia L. Murray Elementary School, Stone Robinson Elementary School, Burley High School, Albemarle High School“Separate and equal wasn’t working.”
Vincent Kinney
Keswick Elementary School, Burley, and Albemarle High School“We didn’t win a lot, but we had no problem.”
Steve Helvin
Lane High School“The only reason you’re here is because the governor said we have to do this.”
Corlis Turner Anderson
Jefferson Elementary, Venable Elementary, Burnley-Moran Elementary, Walker Elementary, and Lane High School
Wade Tremblay
Lane High School, Fork Union Military Academy, Albemarle High School“It was just nothing there where Vinegar Hill had been.”
Kent Merritt
Lane High School“Very few people showed up so we were snitching as much food as we possibly could.”
Mark and Nancy Tramontin
[Forthcoming]“This was their place, their team. You weren’t necessarily welcome there.”
Wade Tremblay
Lane High School, Fork Union Military Academy, Albemarle High School“He opens up his coat and he’s got a pistol in his hand.”
William Redd
Jefferson Elementary School, Burley High School
James Bryant
Jefferson Elementary School, McGuffey Elementary School, Walker Elementary School, Lane High School“Cismont Braves. I remember attending one of those games.”
Darlene Quarles Robinson
Rose Hill Elementary School, Stone Robinson Elementary, Jack Jouett Junior High School, Albemarle High School“A lot of restaurants wouldn’t take us because we had a Black athlete.”
Tommy Theodose
Lane High School“It was a very nice school, and I liked Jefferson School.”
Mary Johnson
Jefferson School, Burley High School“The purpose of athletics is to teach young people the lesson of working hard to achieve a goal.”
Phylissa Mitchell
Virginia L. Murray Elementary School, Stone Robinson Elementary School, Burley High School, Albemarle High School“She would be worried about whether I was going to get beat up on the bus.”
Chip German
Albemarle High School“As I’ve gotten older, I realized what they were going through.”
George Foussekis
McGuffey Elementary School, Lane High School“High school was a tougher place back in those times.”