Aug 2, 2017 Orange County Review
Several years ago, a couple attended an auction at a local storage unit and came away with a box of unknown content. Once they returned home and could inspect the material enclosed they discovered potential gems and decided to hold on to it for the time being.
Yesterday, I became the recipient of those gems: two photos taken by Carl Goad of Goad’s Studio in Culpeper and a paperback edition of a 1949 high school yearbook. Okay, so some of my stalwart readers probably are rolling their eyes and sighing a rather loud, “ho hum,” but I have not shared the full story.
These few treats were from George Washington Carver Regional High School! Yes, the very same that is located just off Route 15 between Orange and Culpeper which currently is undergoing the development of a small museum. I believe they now have all the yearbooks, but I will certainly share this one and the photos, just in case.
For those of you who may not know the story of GWC, I’ll offer a very brief overview.
Prior to 1948, when segregated schools were the order of business in Virginia, there was no high school for Black students in the Culpeper, Orange, Madison and Rappahannock counties. If one from those areas wished to continue their education beyond the sixth or seventh grade, the closest opportunity was Manassas. Obviously, they would not be able to commute and would be required to stay with friends, family or in the limited housing provided by the school. For those without resources, the opportunities were slim to none.
That is until George Washington Carver Regional High School was opened in the fall of 1948.
The bus ride to and from was, for many, a lengthy trip, as the school served the counties of Rappahannock, Madison, Culpeper and Orange. Initially, Greene County was also included in the list, but later aligned with a similar situation in Albemarle County.
But can you imagine the joy and pride, despite the long days and the constant call on parents and friends to provide funding for the numerous scholastic and athletic offerings that did not come from local or state funding? It must have been grand and it is no wonder the alumni wish everyone to share that experience via the new museum.
The foreword in the school annual states, “this is our first attempt to publish an annual.” The yearbook is much like other yearbooks from any high school with individual photos of members of the senior class, group photos of each of the lower classes—eighth grade through 11th grade—athletic teams, clubs and faculty. There also is the traditional class history, will, and prophecy. But when one reads through the pages, there is unquestionably something else exhibited.
This group of young people comprising the yearbook staff have captured the pride, loyalty and love for the school and this is not a tradition one finds in many other high school yearbooks.
Think about the deprivation that existed prior to 1948—the challenges that these students would continue to face in decades to come and the remarkable dedication to overcoming disenfranchisement with perseverance, patience, sacrifice and a commitment to education—and you may hear the words to the school song a bit differently.
Old Carver High we love
you,
In springtime and in fall.
Tho days may come and
days may go,
We love thee best of all.
Chorus:
We sing thy name with
greatest praise,
In accent loud and clear,
For love and friendship
always meet
At Carver, our school so dear.
Stay tuned for a list of the 58 seniors and their prophecies.
A special thank you to Ada Foster for preserving and sharing.
Until next week, be well
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