GB29 Lucy Addison

GB29 Lucy Addison

Lucy Addison was born enslaved in Fauquier County, Virginia on December 8, 1861. After graduating from the Quaker-run Institute for Colored Youth in Philadelphia in 1882 with a degree in teaching, Addison began her life-long career as an educator. In 1886 she relocated to Roanoke, Virginia to take a teaching position at the Gregory and Gainsboro Schools. She was promoted to Assistant Principal in 1888 and accepted a position as Principal for Harrison School in 1917. After expanding the curriculum to include high school classes at Harrison, Addison repeatedly lobbied the Virginia Board of Education for full accreditation. Addison’s efforts were finally recognized in 1924 when the Virginia Board of Education accredited Harrison School as a secondary school. In 1927 Addison retired from Roanoke City Public Schools. A year later Lucy Addison High School was built and named in her honor. Lucy Addison High School served as Roanoke’s only African American high school until desegregation, finally closing as a high school in 1973. During her life, Addison served on several advisory boards including the Board of Trustees for the Burrell Memorial Hospital and the Advisory Board for the Gainsboro Library. Addison died in Washington D.C. on November 13, 1937.

George C. Davis

Roanoke Public Libraries

Unknown

Gainsboro Branch of Roanoke Public Libraries

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GB29

Gainsboro

Photograph