St Pauls College - Tiger Yearbook (Lawrenceville, VA)

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SCHOOL HISTORY SAINT PAUL’S COLLEGE HISTORY OF THE COLLEGE Infinitesimal in number, as compared to the humanity they serve, are the salient figures of history. One such figure was James Solomon Russell, founder and first Principal of the then Saint Paul’s Normal and Industrial School. The newly ordained deacon in the Protestant Episcopal Church arrived in Lawrenoeville, in Brunswick County, Virginia, March 16, 1882. Here he found a small group of Negro communicants in St Andrews Church, and organized them into a congregation. By February, 1883, the first St. Paul’s Chapel had been constructed and was ready for occupancy. Immediately a paixxhial school was organized in the Vestry room of this small frame chapel. Soon these quarters of the parochial school became too small for the increasing enrollment, and a three-room frame structure was built with funds contributed by the Reverend James Saul of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On September 24, 1888, with fewer than a dozen students, the Saint Paul’s Normal and Industrial School was started in the building known as the Saul Building. More students came, as word about the school traveled. The members increased to such an extent that the Founder, the Reverend James Solomon Russell, realized the need for a program of expansion and development. By an act of the General Assembly of Virginia, on March 4, 1890, the school was incorporated as the Saint Paul’s Normal and Industrial School, and by that name it was given a perpetual succession and a common seal. On March 11, 1907, Saint Paul’s became an affiliate of the American Church Institute for Negroes, an agency of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. The department of teacher training was accredited by the Virginia State Board of Education in 1926. As a result of this development, a large percentage of the teachers in the elementary and secondary schools of Virginia and the neighboring states of North Carolina and Maryland are graduates of Saint Paul’s. In 1928, the founder, the Venerable James Solomon Russell, archdeacon in the Diocese of Southern Virginia, retired with the title of Principal- Emeritus. His son, the Reverend Dr. J. Alvin Russell, was elected his successor and continued the work in the faith of the Founder. On December 30, 1941, the charter was amended and the name of the institution was changed to Saint Paul’s Polytechnic Institute. Authority to grant degrees based on a four year program gave to the institution opportunity for in¬ creased usefulness. At this time also, the chief administrator, Dr. J. Alvin Russell, was named the first President of the institution and served until his retirement in 1950. In the spring of 1950, Dr. Earl H. McClenney was elected president and became the third chief administrator. During the administration of Dr. McClenney, many notable improvements have been made. As a result, the College has been admitted to membership in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the United Negro College Fund, and the Association of Episcopal Colleges. At the annual meeting of the Board of Trustees held on February 27, 1957, a decision to change the name of the institution from Saint Paul’s Polytechnic Institute to Saint Paul’s College was reached. The Trustees also approved the reorganization of the curricula to include courses leading to the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science degrees. The College places strong emphasis upon building Christian character. By formal resolution of the Board of Trustees, the College is open to stu¬ dents and teachers of all denominations and races. Many religious faiths are represented among its students and faculty. Saint Paul’s is a member of Central Intercollegiate Athletic Asso¬ ciation, and since 1923 has been represented in all major contests in the field of athletics. From the beginning, Saint Paul’s has played an important part in the life of the community. In its early years the school supplied ice for the Southern Railroad, operating between Danville and Norfolk, Virginia, and supplied water and electricity for the town of Lawrenceville. Today, many buildings stand in Lawrenceville and Southside Virginia as mute testimonies to the industrial activity of Saint Paul’s trade students. The history of Saint Paul’s College and its development are reflected in the basic aims and the philosophy of the college as it stands today. The achievements of its graduates, throughout the world, give evidence of the zeal, sacrifice, and educational foresight which have characterized its work¬ ers and leaders through the years. 6

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THIS IS SAINT PAUL’S 5

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asr N. SENIOR CLASS PRESIDENT Edmund Henley Fellow Students: The years here at Saint Paul ' s have been dynamic, in that, we have seen changes which many before us had never thought possible. In their letters to you, they will tell you of the many glories of S.P.C.; Yet, I am charging you with the duty of remaining as dynamic in the future as you have been in the past. As black” people we must always be aware of our position in this nation or any nation. Saint Paul ' s has helped us to formulate standards by which we must live. It is these standards which we should never sacrifice for material gain or fame in this cruel world, because throughout history one can site instances where men have achieved greatness in a material sense only to be surpassed by another. However, few are those men of high conviction that have been surpassed. Their torches have been picked up by another and carried on thru the annals. Their stories are told in the Iliad and Odessey, Kubla Kahn, and the songs of Solomon. The words of our Alma Mater provide a fitting conclusion: She has faults, but why should we mind them, . . . And I ' d sooner next fall go back to Saint Paul ' s than to any old school that I know. 7