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Board pledges support for Patrick Central School historical marker after dozens of alumni testify
Summary
The Patrick County Board of Supervisors voted to provide a letter of support for a highway historical marker commemorating Patrick Central School after multiple former students and community members described the school's role in the county's African American educational history.
The Patrick County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to provide a letter of support for a highway historical marker recognizing Patrick Central School after a lengthy public-comment segment featuring former students and community members.
Mary Frances Sawyers, who said she manages Patrick Central alumni social media and has organized reunions, asked the board for support for a marker “to ensure that Patrick Central school legacy would never be forgotten.” She introduced former students who described the school’s founding and role in the county’s African American community. Former students recalled Patrick Central opening in 1952, operating through the 1960s and serving as an educational and social center for the county’s Black community. James Hines said Patrick Central opened in 1952 on a dirt road in a neighborhood where running water was scarce, and he recounted improvements alumni secured, including road paving before the school closed.
Other speakers included Vera Smith Reynolds, Annie Hilton, Regina Watkins Brim, Lillian Penn Mance and several others who offered personal recollections of teachers and the school’s role as a community hub. “The contributions of African American educators and Patrick Central students has always kept my interest,” Sawyers told the board. Regina Watkins Brim emphasized the broader legacy, including alumni who went on to higher education and military service.
After public comment, a supervisor moved to provide a letter of support for an application to the highway historical marker program. A second was recorded and the board voted unanimously: Supervisors Marshall, Kendrick, Perry and Overby voted yes, and the presiding supervisor also voted yes. The board chair asked whether donors could remit contributions to help fund the marker; presenters said they could collect donations and provide a contact for contributions.
Speakers repeatedly said the request was for a letter of support, not funding from the county at this time. The board’s action will allow the applicants to submit the formal marker application with local support documented.
