Massive Resistance: Schools are closed

Friday, Aug. 29, 1958, dawned gray, the shadow of Hurricane Daisy off in the Atlantic, as crowds made their way to the third floor of the federal courthouse.

School Board Chairman Paul Schweitzer stood before the judge and read a declaration approved by the board the night before:

"Contrary to what all of the members of the School Board and the division superintendent of schools honestly and sincerely believe is in the best interests of the applying children, the children in the affected schools and the public in general, but pursuant to law as interpreted by the court, the following children will be assigned to and enrolled... "

The courtroom was still as the names were called out.

Patricia Turner heard her name third; her brother, James "Skip" Turner, was next. Olivia Driver was called 15th, followed by Andrew Heidelberg. In all, there were 17 names.

Each of the students had originally been denied admission to white schools. Most had been rejected because the board said it feared increased racial tension, or because isolating one or two Negro students at a school would cause them emotional harm. But a judge had rejected both of those reasons.

One student, originally denied because the board said she did not meet academic standards, was accepted when officials realized she was applying for the seventh grade, not eighth.

All who could be turned down for other reasons were: 63 for missing the tests or interviews, one for living closer to a Negro school, 34 who did not file objections to being denied, 28 whose scores were low, and eight who would be closer to a new school being built and would have to transfer back when it opened.

Pat was pleasantly surprised when she heard her name called, but her joy was brief. Within moments, a School Board attorney stood to make another announcement: He was filing a motion to delay enrolling the 17 for a year.

During the next few days, the Turner kids stayed busy in the yard while their mother, Marjorie, read the papers for the latest out of Norfolk, Richmond and Little Rock, Ark.

Sometimes the news changed so quickly that she hardly had time to react. And matters were only getting uglier as Norfolk school and city officials fought to keep the schools segregated. The only certainty for Turner was that she wasn't about to back down. Her children didn't realize it, but they were at the forefront of history. She had clipped the newspaper articles from that summer, keeping them in neat piles:

Sept. 2: Judge Walter E. Hoffman denies the board's request to defer the enrollment of the 17 for a year but reserves the right to reconsider it after the Supreme Court rules in the Little Rock case. Superintendent J.J. Brewbaker then announces that the opening of school will be postponed from Sept. 8 to Sept. 22. While other Southern cities, including Greensboro, N.C., are opening integrated schools, about 42,000 Norfolk students and their parents wait.

Sept. 4: Virginia Gov. J. Lindsay Almond, holding his head in his hands, says he is sending state troopers to several school divisions, including Norfolk's, with letters telling them not to assign Negro kids to white schools.

Sept. 12: The Supreme Court refuses to delay desegregation in the Little Rock case, and the Norfolk School Board is now on its own.

Sept. 15: The state takes control of Warren County High in Front Royal and shuts out 1,000 students. Norfolk parents panic and talk about turning their living rooms into classrooms, just in case. But many people don't believe it will happen in the six Norfolk schools at issue: Too many children - 10,000 - would be involved.

The Norfolk chapter of Defenders of State Sovereignty and Individual Liberties, a staunch segregationist group, says it now has a number of churches willing to open their doors to hold classes for locked-out white students.

Sept. 18: With the Little Rock decision announced, Hoffman files a memorandum denying the Norfolk board's request to delay desegregation. Norfolk appeals. The Norfolk Committee for Public Schools announces it is rallying support to keep schools open.

Sept. 19: Norfolk pushes the opening of junior and high schools back again, to Sept. 29. Elementary schools, where no Negroes were assigned, will still open Sept. 22.

Many teachers call Assistant Superintendent E.L. Lamberth at home to ask permission to teach the tutoring groups being organized in homes and churches. He tells them yes.

Sept. 22: As Norfolk's segregated elementary schools open, the state assumes control of Lane High School and Venable Elementary in Charlottesville. The tally of Virginia students shut out of school because of Massive Resistance is now 2,700.

Eyes turn to Norfolk. Members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have been calling teachers and setting up a school at First Baptist Church Norfolk on Bute Street. Olivia, Pat, Skip, Andy and the other 13 Negro students were told they would have a place to go if the schools closed their doors.

Virginia is in turmoil. In Warren County, where the first school was closed two weeks earlier, a group of Negro parents tries to persuade others who are pushing desegregation to stop.

Sept. 26: Superintendent Brewbaker confirms that the governor is considering discontinuing only the grades to which the Negro students are assigned. That would leave only half of the expected 10,000 students out of schools. There's also news that another hurricane - Helene - is turning northward in the Atlantic and headed toward the North Carolina coast.

Sept. 27: The 4th Circuit upholds Hoffman's order and will not delay assigning the 17 students for another year.

The Norfolk School Board has finally run out of time. After meeting behind closed doors, members emerge and announce that seven Negro children have been assigned to Norview High, one to Granby High, one to Maury High, five to Norview Junior, two to Blair Junior and one to Northside Junior.

Within minutes, Gov. Almond issues a proclamation declaring that Norfolk schools are now under his control, and a trooper is dispatched to hand-deliver the letter to the School Board chairman. The order becomes effective Monday, Sept. 29.

The letter arrives at the doorstep of Paul Schweitzer about 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 28. A School Board messenger then delivers letters to the families of the Norfolk 17.

The first paragraph of the letter to Marjorie Turner confirmed that her children had been officially enrolled into Norview Junior High.

"Because of this action," it continued, "this school is automatically closed by operation of the state law and it will not be necessary or desirable for your child to report to the school until further notice."

Turner started laughing.

These parents are going to go crazy with 10,000 students let loose in the city, she thought. This won't last long.

Denise Watson Batts, (757) 446-2504, denise.batts@pilotonline.com

 TOMORROW: Fifty years later, both sides are still paying the price