Nellie Brooks Quander: Educator and Principal

Nellie Brooks-Quander

Nellie Quander was appointed to several public school administrator positions including the assistant principal at Cora Kelly and Jefferson Houston Elementary Schools; Fairfax County’s Hybla Valley School principal (1972) and at other schools within the county.  During the years of integrating Virginia public schools, she became Assistant to the Fairfax County Schools Superintendent and an Area Coordinator.  In 1978, she was elected President of the National Association of Elementary School Principals and appointed to the State Board of Community College Governors.  She retired in 1989, after 37 years as an educator.  Nellie is the oldest sister of Major General Leo Brooks.

Alexandria Negro Public School Principals

African American Public Schools
1920-1965
Alexandria, Virginia

Henry White

Parker-Gray School

1920-

Wesley Elam

Parker-Gray School

1925-

William Pitts Sr.

Parker-Gray High School

1939-1965

Julia Pritchett

Lyles Crouch Elementary School

1931-

William Goddard: Emancipator

Born into slavery, Goddard, a mulatto, was able to buy his freedom by paying in installments. Throughout his life, he purchased or brokered the freedom of 22 enslaved people in Alexandria. He also purchased a parcel of land in the same block as Alfred Street Baptist Church. His date of birth is not known. He died in 1819.

Oliver Ellis: Athlete

Oliver Ellis

Ellis was a four-letter athlete at Parker-Gray High School.  He received national recognition on the football team at West Virginia State College as a senior.  Ellis was inducted into the Greater Washington Fast-Pitch Softball Hall of Fame in 1981 and into the West Virginia State College Sports Hall of Fame in 1984.  He was one of three Alexandrians to be selected for induction into the Black College Football All-American Team in 1949.

Dr. John O. Peterson, Sr.: Minister, Humanitarian, and Educator

Dr. John O. Peterson , Sr.

The Virginia Union valedictorian taught sciences in Warwick and Arlington, Virginia. He served as pastor at Alfred Street Baptist Church from 1964 to 2006, expanding membership by more than 1000%, and increasing the budget from $12,000 to $3.5 million. His involvement with the Baptist World Alliance led him to visit more than 27 countries and positioned him to play a significant role in negotiations with the rebels after the civil war in Liberia.  He also served on the Alexandria branch of the NAACP, the Northern Virginia Urban League, the Alexandria School Board, and other local and national organizations.

Dr. Arthur C. Dawkins: Educator and Musician

Dr. Arthur C. Dawkins

This Alexandria native began his pursuit of music by playing woodwinds at age 12. He served as vice principal at T. C. Williams High School. Dr. Dawkins is recognized for founding the Howard University Jazz Repertory Orchestra and as one of the first African-American musicians to play in major venues of post-segregation Washington. He also developed a curriculum of Jazz Oral History, which focused on masters of modern jazz and is housed at the Howard University’s Moorland Spingarn Research Center. For more than 25 years he served as the musical contractor for Arena Stage (Washington, D.C.).

Edward L. Patterson: Educator, Musician, and Pricipal

Edward L. Patterson

Patterson began his career at Parker-Gray High School as an instrumental music instructor and a social studies teacher.  In later years, he would become an Assistant Principal at the school.  He used his teaching position and contacts from his alma mater (Virginia State College) to motivate students to attend college and secure scholarships.  He was a member of the Trustee Board at Shiloh Baptist Church.  He also served in many civic organizations including the Alexandria Community Chest, the Northern Virginia Urban League, and N.A.A.C.P.