Let me see. It must have been some time around 1950. I can’t even remember. Because we came here in 1942 and Bea was a little child. I didn’t start teaching right away. We came in ’42.

Yes, that was my best experience because I began when Bea was a little girl. I happened to have my mother, who lived next door to me. We persuaded Mama to come, to move from Hampton. We lived on the campus of Hampton, University.

My Mother was from Augusta, Georgia, and my dad was from Birmingham, Alabama. They met because Mama was a teacher and Papa was in agriculture. In fact, he was the first Black County Agent and they probably have that in some of the history of extension work.

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At Hampton we had to have double majors, so I was an English major first and then my second choice was Physical Ed because I had a lot of dancing from when I was a little girl.

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Mrs. Price talked to me, and she needed an English teacher. They had an opening, and Mrs. Price talked with me and wanted me to teach, and my husband did not want me to start teaching. He said I needed to be a housewife first. [laughs]

And that’s how I began. Through Mrs. Price knowing me because she came to Hampton. And I taught her. I was a Physical Ed major and Mrs. Price was older and she couldn’t participate like the youngsters. I had her as a special project so she could get her physical ed credits. So, I knew Mrs. Price and I came to her camp. A lot of us from Hampton came when she first opened Camp Winona. We just started in that manner with Mrs. Price

On integration:

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It seemed as though Ms. Price had made a foundation of race relations and they respected her. As teachers, because she had laid a firm foundation, we didn’t have any problems. Because of that faith we had in Mrs. Price, we didn’t have any problems, at all, we just smoothly went I don’t remember any problems.

No, they used the same contracts at the school board office that they had used before. We never knew there was any change of contract because of race. It went smoothly. Because we had good teachers.

Afterwards:

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I went to Richmond and then that changed a little bit when I came back because I went into guidance, and I had gotten my credentials from my alma mater in guidance. I didn’t intend, you know, to teach English forever and ever.

I had the position with Carver. Just about all of my teaching experience was at Carver. And then they asked me to come to Richmond. They had heard I was a good English teacher, and they had a position as a supervisor of English. But I didn’t like the idea of traveling throughout the state because I had to go way out to Bristol. There was a Mrs. Haley, Dr. Haley, who had been in the department, an elementary supervisor. She traveled; and I went with her. So that wasn’t a problem. And we went to places past Roanoke. She and I would go together. She was an elderly lady and well thought of.

 

 

On Teaching:

You know how campus kids get into things and participate. So, when I began teaching it was Physical Ed and of course I had the dancing in there and I had the drama. We had to have that. And my English classes, we would very often do some of the poetry or plays and I had the students to take part in it.

 

The students came up with some plays that they wanted to present. I had them do it in the classroom first and then we would go down to the auditorium. We had some wonderful, talented, good students. Bessie Williams, Eloise, I could name them. They could really perform. Eloise was quite a little dancer. She was so graceful. She would participate in all those dance routines. She could tap better than I could.

 

I had ballet growing up because I grew up on the campus of Hampton Institute, so I was able to have that. I had a few little students, and I would teach them the positions. I would incorporate that dance routine that I had when I was a little girl because I lived on the campus. My Dad was the first Black County Agent in the United States, so I just felt like I had an opportunity, and I took advantage of it, and I cooperated with my mother and dad. You know you have to do that in order to participate. If I was stubborn and didn’t want it, I wouldn’t have had it.

 

Let me see. I was with the – what did we use to call it – the Modernistic Club -- was a group of teachers – Ms. Hamlin, Ms. Hester Stevens – I could name -- Ms. Beasley. And we would meet – was it once a month? – I think we met once a month at the different homes. We were supposed to talk about school mostly and always had a delectable, tasty dinner that was served [chuckles]. And that was enjoyable, and we looked forward to that! And we tried to outdo the other one who had the nicest dinner, you know. That was a highlight, that Modernistic Club, and that existed until Ms. Stevens passed away. She was the last one.

 

Let’s see. We had that club. I was an AKA sorority through the years because I joined at Hampton. They had an active chapter in Lynchburg and Peggy Jordan, Mrs. Price’s sister, would go with me to the meetings, because they met so long, then we would come back and I was afraid I would have to drive, because Peggy didn’t want to drive. She could but didn’t want to. [chuckles] So it was participation like that. So that was the only social part I had going to AKA and all of that was things that I joined way back in college.

 

Let me see. No, we didn’t have anything but the clubs – you know, the Drama Club, we had that. And we would do plays in the Spring of the year because we had time in our English classes to rehearse. And that was about it. And Physical Ed. I did start a dance group but that took students into the evenings and parents would have to come for them and that was inconvenient for some of them.

 

Carver-Price:

I think it was one of the highlights of our existence because everything that was done socially would come through the school, really. Because we would draw upon the families and the children that we taught. I think that is how we really existed – was through participation with our wonderful students. I will never forget my students. They were so fine. And they would behave, you know. They would come in there and everything would just be so quiet. And I don’t know whether it was my manner or not; I didn’t – I wasn’t ugly!

 

Whenever you called upon parents, they were right there. And they got their children there. We would have to practice past regular school hours and they would come and pick their children up. That was no problem whatsoever. We always tried to not inconvenience the parents. They came first and we would work around their schedules. It was a wonderful experience.

 

I would tell them that we were very modern. We were very up-to-date and that was due to our leadership. Mrs. Price, you know, finished Hampton. I taught her Physical Ed. And she was older, and she couldn’t go through the gymnastics but I had her do shuffleboard and ping-pong and activities so she could get her credit. And I knew her because I came to her camp. A lot of us came from Hampton. She was a Hamptonian herself. She knew people at Hampton and that’s how we came to her camp. There was Geneva Box, Catherine Hayes, Ida Bassett, Rachel B– Oh, we filled her camp coming from Hampton and I was just in junior high then. Maybe before then. And that’s how we got to know Mrs. Price so well and she knew our parents. My Dad was the first Black County Agent. And he was well known. John B. Pierce, he’s in the history of extension work; my dad. Mrs. Price knew him and knew my mother and all of that. And so, we were able to come to her camp and brought some of the youngsters from Hampton. She really made us comfortable and had wonderful food. She would even cook herself. I don’t know how she did it. But she had some people that would come in and fix the meals for us and there must have been ten or fifteen of us who came from Hampton to her camp in the summer so that’s how we got to know Mrs. Price.

 

Mrs. Price was a pioneer. She was the first in education. I don’t remember anybody ahead of her. We know who Carver was. But everybody wouldn’t know who Price was. To have that joint name, it means a lot and it means a lot to each one of us. I am proud to say I taught at Carver-Price and if they don’t know it then I would like to tell them, you know, who she is.

 

You know, as the years go by it seems like we get further and further away from each other. But that’s natural, isn’t it? Because, unless you are into the activities that other people have, you don’t set yourself aside, but you are really not a part of it anymore – and yet you are. Yes, I’ll always be a part of your lives. (From a 2008 interview with Mrs. James)

 

And so shall she be!