New Dominion Bookshop to host talk about Jackson P. Burley High School

New Dominion Bookshop in Charlottesville will host a book talk and signing with author Lucille Stout Smith on Saturday, April 23.

Smith will be speaking about her new book, Unforgettable: Jackson P. Burley High School, 1951–1967.

This event will be cosponsored by Virginia Humanities and will be free to attend and open to the public. The bookshop recommends arriving early for the best seating.

During the era of segregation, two localities, the City of Charlottesville and the County of Albemarle sought to achieve equal educational facilities for African American students. Absent any pending legal challenges, which were common throughout the state of Virginia during the 1940s, an agreement between the City of Charlottesville and neighboring Albemarle County was reached in 1946 to build, own, and jointly operate Jackson P. Burley High School, which opened in September 1951.

Unforgettable highlights how the three area African American high schools—Jefferson High School, Albemarle Training School, and Esmont High School—united to become Burley High School.

Smith is a native of North Little Rock, Ark. After a 34-year career in information technology, she retired from the U.S. Army National Ground Intelligence Center. She spends much of her time volunteering with boards, committees, and groups, and working at her church.

Many years ago, she began researching family histories, and the great joy that followed motivated her to continue writing. She believes history is educational and inspirational, and reveals much about a time gone by.

Her husband, Rauzelle, is a 1966 graduate of Burley High School. They are the parents of two children: Crystal, an attorney who lives in Denver, and Brandon, a marketing and advertising manager who lives in San Francisco.