RI Academy alumni to hold banquet meeting
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| Towles Hall at Rappahannock Industrial Academy housed the girls dormitory and administration building. |
This annual event celebrates the history and legacy of the RI Academy, a church-run school for African-Americans that operated from 1902 to 1948. A special feature of this year’s event will be a round table discussion in which alumni of the school will share their recollections of school days.
The Rappahannock Industrial Academy began operation at a time when there were no public high schools in the area for African-American students. A private boarding school run by the Southside Rappahannock Baptist Association, it served students from Essex, King and Queen, and Middlesex counties.
RI Academy no longer stands but was on Route 17 in Essex County at what was then called Ozeana. The site is approximately halfway between Center Cross and Dunnsville. There are markers erected by the alumni association that note the site.
Formed in 1975, the RI Academy Alumni Association awards scholarships to high school seniors in those counties. Students who were awarded $1,000 scholarships in 2010 are Terae Harris (Middlesex), Jasmine Fauntleroy (Essex) and John Mercer (King and Queen). These students will have the opportunity to renew their scholarships for their sophomore year at college.
Tickets for Saturday’s banquet are $20, and the public is invited. For further information, call 804-758-5163.
Tax-deductible contributions to support the RI Academy Scholarship Fund may be directed to Rappahannock Industrial Academy Alumni Association Scholarship Fund, c/o The Community Foundation, 7325 Beaufont Springs Drive, Suite 210, Richmond, VA 23225.
