My Genealogy Home Page:Information about Dorothy Louise Jones
Dorothy Louise Jones (b. July 28, 1917, d. July 24, 1997)
Dorothy J Harris |
Dorothy Louise Jones (daughter of Earnest Alonzo Jones and Lillian Bysshe Somerville) was born July 28, 1917 in portsmouth, va, and died July 24, 1997 in south hill, va.She married Robert Otis Harris on 1939, son of Charles Johnson Harris and Laura Belle Pulliam.
Notes for Dorothy Louise Jones:
Mrs. Harris, the third of four children, was the daughter of Lillian and Earnest A. Jones and was born on 28 July 1917.She was a graduate of I.C. Norcum High School in Portsmouth, VA.She received her undergraduate degree in math from Talledega College, Talladega AL in 1934.She received her masters degree from Virgina State University, and she did further study at George Peabody College in Nashville, TN.
She began a career as an educator in Mecklenburg County VA in 1937 when she began teaching at Mt. Ararat School near Clarksville, VA.In 1940, she was named the principal of West End High School, at the time, she was the first woman to serve as a school principal at a black school in the State of Virginia.
She held the position of principal at the school with the exception of the two years she took a leave for the birth of her children, (during those two years, her husband, Robert served as the principal)Lillian and Charles until the school was consolidated during integration in 1973.Subsequently, she served as the principal of Bluestone Junior High School until her retirement in 1979.
Throughout her career, she was active in local educational, civic, religious, community and social activities.
She was initially recognized as a member of Who's Who of American Women in 1959.In 1973 she was appointed by the then Governor of Virginia, Linwood Holton to serve on the Advisory Council of Vocational Education for the State of Virginia.She subsequently was appointed to a 6 year term on the Board of Visitors for Virginia State University in Petersburg, VA.For the period of 1987 though 1995 she served as a member of the Board of Visitors for St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville, VA.She served a 20 year term as treasurer of the American Red Cross, she also served for more than 25 years as the local fundraising coordinator for the United Negro College Fund.She was also an active member of the Lott Carey Convention.She was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, where she served as the local chapter president.She was active in the Virginia Retired Teachers Association, served as the secretary of the Bluestone Baptist Missionary Association and she served as the organist for Second Baptist Church in Clarksville, VA for nearly 40 years.
Upon her retirement, she traveled extensively including trips to China, and India
(source obituary 26 July 1997)
Subj: Re: Mt. Arrat School - Clarksville
Date: 2/16/2003 1:00:31 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Sent from the Internet (Details)
>Another notion on how the school was funded and why DJH was there in the
>first place.
HAVE WE GIVEN UP ON THE IDEA THAT SHE MAY HAVE COME THERE BECAUSE OF DAD?I
DO NOT REMEMBER WHEN SHE ARRIVED IN THE COMMUNITY HOWEVER, HE GRADUATED FROM
VA. STATE IN JUNE, 1934 (Source:His Diploma)I know that this was also the
year that West End enrolled its freshman class.
Do you remember what she did after finishing at Talladega?It seems to me
that she went to Va. State.I do know that the reason that she was able to
move into the position as high school principal was that she already had her
Master's by 1943-44 or thereabouts.
I FOUND A NEWSPAPER CLIPPING FROM 5/25/1994 FROM THE SOUTH HILL ENTERPRISE
IN WHICH MOM WAS INTERVIEWED. IT NOTES, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THAT SHE
GRADUATED FROM TALLADEGA IN 1937.IN EXPLAINING HOW SHE GOT TO MECKLENBURG
COUNTY SHE SAID "A FRIEND OF MINE FROM PORTSMOUTH RETURNED HOME FROM A
TEACHING JOB IN MECKLENBURG COUNTY WHERE HE WAS MAKING $50.00 A MONTH.HE
SAID THAT HE COULDN'T MAKE ENDS MEET WITH THAT AND WANTED TO KNOW IF I WOULD
BE INTERESTED IN THE JOB.I CERTAINLY WAS!"SHE BEGAN HER FORMAL TEACHING
CAREER AT MT. ARARAT SCHOOL (TWO ROOMS) $15 OF THE $50 WENT TO ROOM AND
BOARD IN A HOUSE WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF THE SCHOOL
IN 1939 SHE TOOK A JOB IN SOUTH HILL, AT THE MECKLENBURG COUNTY TRAINING
SCHOOL (East End??).AROUND THEN, SHE GOT MARRIED AND THEN LEFT TO GO TO VA
STATE TO GET HER MASTERS.
OF WELL--SO MUCH FOR MY ROMANTIC THEORIES OF DJH IN MECKLENBURG!!!
Mt. Arrat may have been a school that was in part funded by
>the Rosenthal Foundation.Julius Rosenwald, former CEO of Sears Roebuck in
>additon to his support of the legal system, had established a separate fund
>that was used for the advancement of blacks in education and the lively
>arts.
GOOD THOUGHT ABOUT THE SCHOOL FUNDING.LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU COME UP WITH.
WHO KNEW THAT THIS FAMILY HISTORY PROJECT WOULD TURN US INTO SOCIAL
HISTORIANS AS WELL?
THE SAME ARTICLE SAID THAT THE SCHOOL BOARD PUT UP $20 YEARLY PER CLASSROOM
FOR FIREWOOD FOR THE SCHOOL/CLASSROOM.THE PARENTS AGREED TO PROVIDE THE
FIREWOOD SO SHE ASKED THE SCHOOL BOARD IF THE MONEY ($40) COULD BE USED FOR
BOOKS INSTEAD AND THEY AGREED.
TALK ABOUT BEING ABLE TO WORK THE SYSTEM
Peace
More About Dorothy Louise Jones:
Burial: July 26, 1997, family farm cemetary plot - Red Oak, VA.
Education 1: Tallegega College .
Education 2: Masters - Virginia State College.
Occupation: Teacher / High School Principal.
Religion:baptist.
More About Dorothy Louise Jones and Robert Otis Harris:
Marriage: 1939
Children of Dorothy Louise Jones and Robert Otis Harris are: