Virginia Randolph
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Virginia Randolph (06 August 1874-16 March 1958) Richmond, Virginia US was an African American educator. She was the third child of former slaves Sarah Elizabeth Carter Randolph and Edward Nelson Randolph. Randolph was the author of the Henrico Plan which became a reference book for southern schools. She was the overseer of twenty three elementary schools in Henrico County, Virginia where she trained black teachers worked on improving the curriculum of these schools. In 1915 Randolph opened the Virginia Randolph Training School and later expanded the facility to include dormitories for future teachers. It was later renamed to Virginia Randolph Education Center.
On March 30, 1908 Randolph founded the first Arbor Day Program in Virginia. She and her students planted twelve Sycamore trees. In 1976 they were named the first notable trees in Virginia by the National Park Service.
The Virginia Randolph Home Economics Cottage was made into a museum in memory of Randolph in 1970. In 1976 the museum was named a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of Interior, National Park Service. The Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission designated the museum a State Historic Landmark. Randolph is interred on the museum grounds.
Virginia Randolph Community High School in Glen Allen, Virginia is named after Randolph.
