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Virginia Roberts Parrott Williams began her teaching career making $35 a month as a high-school English instructor in a school on the Northern Neck.
"She lived in a hotel and her salary covered room, board and maid service," said her daughter, Anne Barton of Prescott, Ariz. "She had some boys in class who were older than she was, and her principal was concerned that she would want to date some of her students."
Mrs. Williams graduated in 1935 from the University of Virginia, where she later earned a master's degree in reading.
She also taught and was an interim principal in Goochland County.
Mrs. Williams, whose career spanned more than 35 years, died Tuesday in her sleep at her residence in Charlottesville. She was 92.
"At one of her schools, they didn't have a baseball coach, so she did it," Barton said. "During her first game, she was standing behind the pitcher and got hit by a ball. So they put her behind the catcher. Whenever she had a question about a play, she would ask the catcher."
After marrying, she worked for a time as a welfare department employee in the Charlottesville area. She returned to teaching as a single mother around 1946 in Albemarle County at a small elementary school in White Hall that closed during the early 1950s.
Mrs. Williams also taught sixth grade at Crozet Elementary School and then seventh and eighth grades at J.T. Henley Middle School before becoming a visiting teacher-school social worker.
"At the time, if you got pregnant while you were in school, you had to leave," Barton said. "Mother thought that was grossly unfair because the boys [who were the fathers] could complete their education.
"She persuaded the school superintendent to let her start a program for pregnant girls. They had academic classes in the morning and in the afternoon worked with public health nurses to learn about mothering and health and other important things. And they got to go back into regular classes after they had their babies."
A woman with a deep voice and a dramatic flair, Mrs. Williams loved to read and "read to students, even as old as in the sixth grade," said a niece, Carol Anderson of Lynchburg. "I remember her reading to me. I was always spellbound. She made me feel like was I right there."
She retired in 1975 to help nurse her sister, Beverly, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
She was the widow of Robert Williams, who died about 10 years ago.
The retired educator never lost her desire to keep learning. To the end of her life, she followed the presidential primaries, the stock market and the housing situation.
A celebration of her life will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at Mount Moriah United Methodist Church in White Hall, the village northwest of Charlottesville where Mrs. Williams was born. A private burial will be held in the church cemetery.
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William Wyche “Dub” Wilkins Jr.
Mr. William Wyche “Dub” Wilkins Jr. of 2083 Wilkins Road, Alton, Va., died Saturday, February 23, 2008, at the age of 91 at his home, Lynwood, where he was born January 10, 1917.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Mt. Carmel Presbyterian Church, where he will lie-in-state from 10 a.m. until the time of the service. Rev. Richard Henderson, Rev. Jeaux Simmons and Rev. Michael Texiera will officiate. Burial will be in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends at his home following the services.
He was a retired rural mail carrier and worked out of the Alton Post Office for 32 years.
Additionally, he was a tobacco and cattle farmer all of his life, and he proved that Turbeville cantaloupes could be successfully grown on the “wrong side of 58.” He was a charter member of the Halifax Livestock Producers Association, and was recognized for outstanding service from them, as well as from the Halifax Soil and Conservation District. In 1976, he received the Sertoma Service to Mankind Award.
Dub was a very proud graduate of VPI in Blacksburg. He graduated in 1938 with a BS in agronomy and a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army. In 1988, he became a lifetime member of the Old Guard.
During World War II, he served as Battery Commander of Headquarters Battery, 489th Anti-Aircraft Battalion, 4th Armored Division, 3rd Army with General George Patton in the battles of Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes, and Central Europe.
Among other awards, he received five battle stars for the European Theater, one Purple Heart, a Bronze Start with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Unit Presidential Citation. For the past 61 years, he has attended or hosted the annual reunion of his fellow military veterans.
An active lifetime member of Mount Carmel Presbyterian Church in Turbeville, Dub has held numerous positions within his church for the past 70 years. At the time of his death, he was an elder and a trustee.
Dub was very active in his community. He was a charter member of the Turbeville Men’s Social Club, the Turbeville Fire Department, the Turbeville Ruritan Club, and the Turbeville Hang-down Club. He also was an active member of the American Legion Post 8 and the Sons of the Confederacy.
A strong believer in education, he encouraged the youth in his community to always do their best. He served as the PTA President of the old Turbeville High School before he had children, and was a boy scout and a 4-H club leader through the years. He went on to serve for 16 years on the Halifax County School Board and 10 years on the Danville Community College Board.
Dub was a son, husband, soldier, father, grandfather, and friend to one and all. He loved people and always welcomed them into his home. “Bullbat time” was enjoyed every night at 5 p.m. with whoever was there. He always was interested in what others had to say and responded with the familiar “sho-nuf!” He was a true officer and a gentleman and enjoyed sharing his war experiences and his love of the outdoors with “the younger generation”.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Margaret “Stuff” Granger Wilkins, daughter Marsha W. Owen and husband Tom of South Boston, son William W. Wilkins III and wife Donna of Alton, sister Louise Shelton of Atlanta, Ga., brother Bailey Wilkins and wife BJ of Amherst, Va., sister-in-law Margaret E. Wilkins of Virginia Beach, grandsons Ben Owen, Zach Owen, and William W. Wilkins IV and wife Sarah, granddaughters Maggie Wilkins and Elizabeth Wilkins. He was preceded in death by his father, William Wyche Wilkins Sr. and his mother, Eva Byerley Wilkins.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Halifax County Cancer Association, PO Box 875, South Boston, Va. 24592, Mt. Carmel Presbyterian Church, 4227 Turbeville Road, South Boston, Va. 24592 or Halifax Regional Hospice, 2204 Wilborn Ave. South Boston, Va. 24592.
Online condolences may be sent to brooksfh@embarqmail.com
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