Category: Education

Happy Black History Month

“The Other Alexandria’s Column,” in the Alexandria Times Newspaper

For Black History Month, I would like to highlight two articles that I wrote. The second article written this month in February 2022; I wrote an article on Mr. Holland who was a teacher at Parker-Gray School. He wanted the students to have the same activities that were available in the white high schools. Mr. Holland volunteered as a coach and recruited other teachers until funding was allocated for a full-time coach.

Mr. Holland taught at Parker-Gray from 1933 to 1965. He retired in 1966 but did not stop teaching. He became a substitute teacher staying in the school system until he was 82-years old.

You can read my article on Mr. Holland in:

The Other Alexandria: The first coach of Parker-Gray High School

Sarah A. Gray

Behind the scenes of the article titled, “Sarah A. Gray: Principal of Hallowell School.”

Sarah A. Gray was one of two people that Parker-Gray School was named after. She was a remarkable woman who was educated as well as a talented pianist and an organist.

Sarah A. Gray

Due to the death of her father, William Gray and two lawsuits, Sarah started experiencing health issues. Her father, William Gray died in 1891.

Sarah filed two lawsuits against Reverend Robert H. Robinson’s son, Reverend Robert B. Robinson, for slander. The other lawsuit was against her stepmother and relative, Alfred Peters concerning her father’s estate. Due to these heavy burdens, Sarah died in 1893 – just two years after her father.

A detailed article is available in the Alexandria Times dated, September 9, 2021 on, “Sarah A. Gray: Principal of Hallowell School on pages 17 and 18 at

https://alextimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/September-9-2021.pdf. A small correction in the article is that Sarah’s father died in 1891 not 1892. In addition, the above article incorrectly had Sarah teaching at the public school in 1871. She started in the 1870 school year.

His Name Lives On – Charles Hamilton Houston

Charles Hamilton Huston, Esq.

Over 70 years ago, Charles Hamilton Houston died from a heart attack. He was the godfather of the Civil Rights Movement. Attorney Houston knocked down one segregation case after another. He and a team of lawyers, which included his former student, Thurgood Marshall, worked on the Brown vs. Board of Education case. This case was based on segregation in the public school system.

Charles was the lead lawyer who took the case all the way to the Supreme Court; but he did not live to see the final Supreme Court decision. Charles Hamilton Houston died in 1950 and the Supreme Court decision on Brown vs. Board of Education was made in 1954 disbanding segregation in the school system.

You can read more about Charles Hamilton Houston in how he affected Alexandria, Virginia in the article, “His Name Lives On – Charles Hamilton Houston” in the Alexandria Gazette Packet on page 8 at http://www.alexandriagazette.com/news/2021/mar/06/other-alexandria-his-name-lives-charles-hamilton-h/.

Behind the Scene – “Giving Back to the Youth: Joyce Casey Sanchez”

Mrs. Joyce Sanchez was born to a very strong and independent mother, Ada Virginia Casey. Joyce’s father died when she was young. Ada raised her four children in the close knitted community in the West End of Alexandria known as Seminary area.

Ada Virginia Casey raised her children to be strong, independent and leaders. Joyce took her mother’s teachings to heart and became a strong advocate for the youth. She not only prepared herself for the challenge, she exceeded in all her studies in high school as well as college. By getting her education, she prepared herself for the challenge of educating the youth in Alexandria. What she could not accomplish as a teacher, she accomplished through the many organizations that she was a member.

She always had her eyes on making the Alexandria youth the best they could be with the right educational tools.

You can read more about Joyce Casey Sanchez in the Alexandria Gazette newspaper dated October 14, 2020 on page 7 at http://connectionarchives.com/PDF/2020/101420/Alexandria.pdf.