Dabney S. Lancaster Explained

Dabney S. Lancaster
Office:1st Chair of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
Term Start:August 21, 1956
Term End:June 30, 1964
Succeeded:Sol W. Rawls Jr.
Order2:17th
Office2:President of Longwood University
Term Start2:July 1, 1946
Term End2:July 1, 1955
Preceded2:Joseph L. Jarman
Succeeded2:Francis Lankford Jr.
Order3:10th
Office3:Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction
Term Start3:September 1, 1941
Term End3:June 15, 1946
Preceded3:Sidney B. Hall
Succeeded3:G. Tyler Miller
Birth Name:Dabney Stewart Lancaster
Birth Date:12 October 1889
Birth Place:Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Death Place:Lexington, Virginia, U.S.
Resting Place:Hollywood Cemetery
Spouse:Mary Tabb Crump
Children:4

Dabney Stewart Lancaster (October 12, 1889 – March 11, 1975) was an American educator and government official. A native of Richmond, Virginia, he attended the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech and went on to serve as Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1941 to 1946, as the president of Longwood College (now Longwood University from 1946 to 1955, and as the first head of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.[1] In 1967, the state honored him by naming its new community college in Clifton Forge after him, and he died in Lexington on March 11, 1975.[2] While Lancaster was previously described as a moderate on racial issues, relative to his contemporaries, advocating for equal pay for white and black teachers, his support of race-based segregation in public schools during his career and the discovery of his involvement with the Anglo-Saxon Clubs of America, a white supremacist organization, prompted state officials to change the name of Dabney S. Lancaster Community College to Mountain Gateway Community College, effective 2022, in the wake of the George Floyd protests.[3] [4]

Notes and References

  1. News: Dabney S. Lancaster, Educator, Succumbs. Richmond Times-Dispatch. March 12, 1975. 124. 71. Richmond, Virginia. Lexington, Virginia. B4. April 24, 2024. Newspapers.com.
  2. News: Dabney Lancaster, Va. Educator, Dies. The Roanoke Times. Associated Press. March 12, 1975. 177. 70. Roanoke, Virginia. Lexington, Virginia. 5. April 24, 2024. Newspapers.com.
  3. News: Sara. Weissman. Dabney S. Lancaster Community College Will Change Its Name. Inside Higher Ed. June 22, 2021. April 24, 2024.
  4. News: Will. Thomas. Mountain Gateway Community College name change becomes official. WDBJ7.com. June 30, 2022. Roanoke, Virginia. Alleghany County, Virginia. April 24, 2024.