A Guide to the Records of Hoffman-Boston High School, 1948-2001 Hoffman-Boston High School, Records of RG 373

A Guide to the Records of Hoffman-Boston High School, 1948-2001

A Collection in Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History

Collection number RG 373


[logo]

Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History

Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
1015 N. Quincy Street
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 228-5966
Email: localhistory@arlingtonva.us
URL: https://library.arlingtonva.us/center-for-local-history/

© 2003 Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History

Heather Crocetto

Repository
Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
Collection number
RG 373
Title
Records of Hoffman-Boston High School, 1948-2001
Extent
1 box .
Collector
Pinkard, Ophelia Taylor (1917-2011)
Language
English

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Records of Hoffman-Boston High School, Collection # RG 373, Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History

Acquisition Information

Gift of Ophelia Taylor Pinkard, December 2001.

Historical Information

The history of Hoffman-Boston High School is, in some ways, a reflection of the larger happenings in America during the Jim Crow and later Civil Rights eras.

In the immediate years after the Civil War, a short-term refuge for freed slaves known as Freedman's Village was established in Arlington County. Since there was no school within the County for the children of freed slaves to attend, it fell to the inhabitants of Freedman's Village to educate them. Schooling originally took place in various homes within the Village, but as the population grew, the need for a separate school building arose.

Hoffman Boston School was built in 1916 by Noble Thomas, the first African-American to construct a public building in Virginia. Originally known as the Jefferson School, it was later renamed Hoffman-Boston after Edward C. Hoffman, the school's first principal, and Ella Boston, principal of Kemper Elementary School, which was another school serving Arlington County's Black community. In its early years, the school educated students from grades 1 through 8.

In 1930, Arlington County, in response to an increasing population, opened up its first high school, but its enrollment was limited to white children only. African-American students had no such opportunity until years later when, in 1942, a group of high school seniors became the first graduating class at Hoffman-Boston.

As the Civil Rights movement swept the county, the changing tide from a racially divided society to a more inclusive one began to take affect in Arlington County. In response to the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown vs. Board of Education against segregated public schools, the Arlington County School Board decided in 1956 that the County would comply with the ruling. The plan would be for integration to take place over the course of three years. As a result, the School Board later decided to close Hoffman-Boston High School as many of its students (and teachers) were transferred to other area schools, such as Yorktown and Wakefield. The 1964 graduating class became Hoffman-Boston's last.

Over the years reunions have brought alumni and former teachers back together again. These gatherings have served as a way to celebrate a school that, despite all odds, dedicated itself to educating the African-American residents of Arlington County.

Scope and Content

RG 373 contains a mix of textual and visual materials that were originally compiled into a binder (or notebook) by Ophelia Taylor Pinkard, a former teacher at Hoffman Boston High School. For archival purposes the binder is considered a scrapbook and is treated as such.

The textual materials consist of programs from events such as graduations, theatrical productions, memorials, news clippings, correspondence, a newsletter, conference notes and a copy of a code of ethics. There is a significant amount of material related to reunions of Hoffman-Boston students and teachers. The visual materials consist of photographs, both in black and white and in color, and range in size from 3x5 to 8x10. This collection is 1.55 linear feet and covers the years from 1948 to 2001.

Arrangement

RG 373 is arranged according to the original organization of the scrapbook (binder). There are four series which correspond directly to the four sections in the binder. Similarly, each folder in the collection matches up with each page of the scrapbook.

There are photographs interspersed with the textual materials throughout the collection. The photographs, for preservation reasons, have been photocopied onto acid-free paper. The originals have been removed and filed together in one folder at the end of the collection, in a separate series.

There are also several files that consist entirely of oversized materials. These folders are filed with other oversized materials from RG 7, Arlington County Public Schools. Separation sheets have been placed with removed materials. Please see Box List for more information.

Index Terms

    Subjects:

  • African American schools
  • African Americans -- Education (Secondary)
  • African Americans -- Education -- History.
  • African Americans -- Education -- Southern States.
  • African Americans -- Segregation.
  • African Americans -- Virginia
  • Arlington (Va.)
  • Arlington County (Va.)
  • Segregation in education.

Significant Places Associated With the Collection

  • Arlington (Va.)
  • Arlington County (Va.)

Contents List

Series 1: Hoffman-Boston High School Information
  • Box 1
    File 1: Materials from Ophelia Taylor Pinkard - donation inventory, commencement program and list of French courses at Hoffman-Boston, 1955-2001
  • Box 1
    File 2: Hoffman-Boston Class of 1956 Reunion Program, French Language Course Listing, Event Program in French, 1954-1956
  • Box 1
    File 3: Hoffman-Boston Class of 1959 Senior Booklet, 1959
  • Box 1
    File 4: Hoffman-Boston Senior Class Photograph (photocopied), n.d.
  • Box 1
    File 5: Hoffman-Boston Commencement Programs, 1955-1957
  • Box 1
    File 6: Photocopies of Photographs and Letter to Ophelia Taylor Pinkard, 1961
  • Box 1
    File 7: Hoffman-Boston Commencement Programs, 1955-1957
  • Box 1
    File 8: The Scope , Hoffman-Boston Newsletter, June, 1960
  • Box 1
    File 9: Thank You Note to Ophelia Taylor Pinkard and Report from Hoffman-Boston, June 5, 1960
  • Box 1
    File 10: Promotion Exercises at Hoffman-Boston Programs, 1963-1965
  • Box 1
    File 11: Commencement Exercises Programs at Hoffman-Boston, 1964
  • Box 1
    File 12: Ninth Grade Promotion Exercises Program, June 10, 1964
  • Box 1
    File 13: Photocopied Photographs of Student Projects in English Literature Class, n.d.
  • Box 1
    File 14: Photograph of Students Painting a Mural at Hoffman-Boston (photocopied), n.d.
  • Box 1
    File 15: Thank You Note and Retirement Party Invitation for George Richardson to Ophelia Taylor Pinkard, 1979
  • Box 1
    File 16: Thank You Letters to Staff at Hoffman-Boston, 1965
Series 2: Hoffman-Boston School Reunions
  • Box 1
    File 1: Hoffman-Boston Class of 1951 Twenty-Fith Reunion Program, June 12, 1976
  • Box 1
    File 2: Hoffman-Boston High School Family Reunion Weekend Program, June 12, 1976
  • Box 1
    File 3: Hoffman-Boston High School Reunion 1916-1964 Program, June 9, 1990
  • Box 1
    File 4: Photographs of Former Students of Hoffman-Boston at a Reunion (photocopied), n.d.
  • Box 1
    File 5: Hoffman-Boston High School Reunion Materials and Letter, 1992
  • Box 1
    File 6: Hoffman-Boston High School Reunion 1916-1964 Program, September 22, 2001
Series 3: Arlington County Public Schools
  • Box 1
    File 1: Newsletters and Newspaper Clippings about Former Students from Hoffman-Boston, n.d.
  • Box 1
    File 2: Obituaries and Memorial Service Programs for Arlington Public School Employees
  • Box 1
    File 3: Code of Ethics - Arlington Public Schools, 1963
  • Box 1
    File 4: Newspaper Clippings about Teacher's Code - Arlington Public Schools, August 30, 1962
  • Box 1
    File 5: Hoffman-Boston Junior High School Parent-Teacher Association Bulletin, May 21, 1964
  • Box 1
    File 6: Arlington County Public Schools Teacher Installation Banquet Program and Teacher Orientation Program, 1950-1960
  • Box 1
    File 7: "And Gladly Teach" Musical Program, March 25-27, 1965
  • Box 1
    File 8: Ophelia Taylor Pinkard's Notes from the Ninth Annual Convention fo the International Reading Assocation, May 5-8, 1965
Series 4: Wakefield High School
  • Box 1
    File 1: Wakefield High School Commencement Program, 1966
Series 5: Photographs
  • Box 1
    File 1: Photographs from Hoffman-Boston High School:
    • R373-0001: Class photograph
    • R373-0002: Early English Literature and French language student projects bulletin board
    • R373-0003: Early English Literature and French language student projects bulletin board
    • R373-0004: Student mural, Declaration of Independence
    • R373-0005: Student presenting French language project bulletin board
    • R373-0006: Reunion - Mrs. Ophelia T. Pinkard, Mr. Raymond Robinson, Mrs. Gwendolyn P. Griffin, and Mrs. Grace Dupree
    • R373-0007: Two women at Hoffman-Boston High School reunion
    • R373-0008: Woman posing for camera at Hoffman-Boston High School reunion
    • R373-0009: Man smiling for camera at Hoffman-Boston High School reunion
    • R373-0010: Woman at Hoffman-Boston High School reunion
    • R373-0011: Man in conversation at Hoffman-Boston High School reunion
    • R373-0012: Woman smiling at Hoffman-Boston High School reunion
    • R373-0013: Woman laughing at Hoffman-Boston High Schol reunion
    • R373-0014: Woman speaking at Hoffman-Boston High School reunion
    • R373-0015: Man smiling for camera at Hoffman-Boston High School reunion
    • R373-0016: Man smiling at Hoffman-Boston High School reunion
    • R373-0017: Scene at NCO Ballroom, H-B 50th year reunion, Ft. Myer, Virginia, September 2001
    • R373-0018: Mr. Roy Hardmore and Mrs. Gwendolyn Griffin at the H-B 50th year reunion, Ft. Myer, Virginia, September 2001
    • R373-0019: Mrs. O.T. Pinkard speaking on behalf of HB teachers at NCO Ballroom, H-B 50th year reunion, Ft. Myer, Virginia, September 2001
    • R373-0020: Mrs. Gwendolyn Griffin, Mrs. Ophelia T. Pinkard, and Mrs. Beatrice See Richardson at the H-B 50th year reunion, Ft. Myer, Virginia, September 2001
OVERSIZE MATERIALS
  • RG 7 - OV5:
    • File 4: Newsletters
    • Also, folders for Series 1, Files 7, 16, and 18, and Series 3, File 1
*The following files contain photographs:
  • Series 1, File 4: Image R373-0001
  • Series 1, File 6: Image R373-0002 to R373-0004