Vivian Wheeler Jones
Abstract
In this interview, Vivian Wheeler Jones describes her work as an educator in Calvert County, Maryland. Jones discusses the differences in the schools where she taught over the years, from boarding schools and multiple-room schools to one-room schoolhouses in Calvert County. Jones shares commentary on the communities surrounding the schoolhouses; speaks about Harriet Elizabeth Brown's case for equal pay and the effect it had on her own wages; and her transition from teacher to administrator.
Dates
- 1993 February 2- March 10
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use.
Biographical / Historical
Vivian Wheeler Jones attended Tuskegee University in Alabama, and then taught in Alabama and Georgia. Jones's move to Maryland was spurred by the possiblity of being closer to family in Pennsylvania. She explains in her oral history that she believed Maryland to be the closest place to Pennsylvania where she could teach as a Black woman. Jones began teaching at Prince Frederick School in Calvert County, Maryland, in 1947, making $1,300 a term. She credits her salary to Harriet Elizabeth Brown's case for equal pay. Jones also taught at the Appeal School and Mount Hope. In 1955 Jones obtained her Masters degree from the University of Pittsburg, and became a principal of the Appeal School. She then became the principal of Brookes Island Elementary School, becoming the first Black principal of an integrated school. She retired in 1981.
Extent
1 Items (50-minute audio recording.)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Scope and Contents
This collection includes 15 oral history interviews, conducted by Sally Douglas, Doug Bevins, Betty Gross, and Barbara Rose Bowen Elliot.
The interviews describe the layout and conditions of the schools, day-to-day experiences, teacher salaries, integration, and favorite moments among other memories of the one-room schoolhouses of Calvert County, Maryland.
Repository Details
Part of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library Repository
H. Furlong Baldwin Library
Maryland Center for History and Culture
610 Park Avenue
Baltimore MD 21201 United States
4106853750
specialcollections@mdhistory.org