Sarah A. Gray

Sarah A. Gray (c. 1847 – January 8, 1893) was an American educator from the U.S. state of Virginia.

Biography

Sarah A. Gray was born in Alexandria, Virginia to parents William and Laura Dundas Gray. As her father was free and her mother was emancipated, she was able to attend St. Francis School in Baltimore (an opportunity which was not afforded to most African Americans at the time, under slavery).[1] She began teaching at age 14.[2]

As the Civil War progressed, many former slaves fled to Alexandria. To address the educational needs of their children, Gray and colleague Jane A. Crouch founded the St. Rose Institute, which remained open throughout the war.[1][3] Gray established the Excelsior School in 1867, and became a teacher at Alexandria's first public school for black girls, Hallowell School, in 1870.[4] She was named Hallowell's principal in 1883. During her tenure, she traveled to Northern states to study new educational methods and added high school classes to Hallowell's curriculum.[1]

She retired in 1892 for health reasons, and died in 1893.[4][5]

Honors

In 1920, Hallowell School for Girls was consolidated with Snowden School for Boys. The combined institution was named Parker-Gray School, in honor of Sarah A. Gray and fellow African American educator John F. Parker.[1] After this closed, a new Parker-Gray High School was established in 1950. This remained open until 1965, when all Alexandria schools were integrated. In 1983, T. C. Williams High School's stadium was renamed Parker-Gray Memorial Stadium.[4] The original school also lent its name to the surrounding neighborhood.[6][7]

In 2016, Sarah A. Gray was honored by the Library of Virginia's Virginia Women in History program.[1][8]

References
  1. "Sarah A. Gray". Virginia Women in History. 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  2. Branch, Carla (February 23, 2011). "Finding Parker And Gray". Alexandria News. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  3. Snodgrass, Mary Ellen (April 8, 2015). Civil Disobedience: An Encyclopedic History of Dissidence in the United States. Routledge. p. 271. ISBN 9781317474401. Retrieved October 31, 2016 – via Google Books.
  4. "History of Alexandria's African American Community". City of Alexandria, Virginia. January 9, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  5. "City School Board". Alexandria Gazette. February 3, 1893. p. 3. Retrieved April 4, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-04-26. Retrieved 2015-05-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Parker-Gray Historic District". alexandriava.gov. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  8. Calello, Monique (April 26, 2016). "Library features outstanding Virginia women". The News Leader. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
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