All Saints' College (Vicksburg)
All Saints' College was an Episcopalian college for white women in Vicksburg, Mississippi, founded in 1908 and ceasing operations as a college in 1962 at which time it became an all girls boarding school (All Saints' Episcopal School or ASES). In 1970, it began accepting boys as a co-educational boarding and day college preparatory school for students in grades 7-12. From 1962 until 2006 the school transformed the lives of many students.
History
The College was founded in 1908 by Bishop Theodore Bratton of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi[1] and originally known as "All Saints' College for Girls."[2] The Diocese provided a loan of $50,000 to the new institution.[2]
Although All Saints' offered a two-year "junior college" program from its founding, in 1913, according to the evaluation of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, no students had completed the program and that therefore All Saints was, at that time, the equivalent of "a good preparatory school."[3]
The school admitted only white women[4] and, even after the Episcopal Church began to officially support desegregation in its educational institutions in the wake of Brown v. Board of Education, All Saints' remained segregated.[5]
Years as a College
From the beginning, All Saints' included a high school. In addition to science, mathematics and English, students could take 4 years of Latin, as well as courses in Greek, French, Spanish, and German. The College courses covered mathematics, history, English, science, Latin, French, Spanish, German, Greek, Italian, Bible, and Ethics. The school year consisted of 2 terms of 18 weeks each.
There were daily services in the chapel on campus, and Sunday services could be attended at any local church of the student's choice with a proper chaperon.
In the second school year, two intermediate years were added. Grades for 1910-1911 were 7 - 12 plus the college courses.
In 1911 Wellesley Smith, Agnes Scott, Sophie Newcomb, Randolph Macon and Vassar all spoke well of students accepted into their programs from All Saints. The high school was accredited this year and the a fore mentioned colleges accepted all college credits point by point.
In 1925 construction began on a dormitory that would become Johnson Hall in honor of Mrs. J. W. Johnson who gave the money for its construction. Another new tradition started when the intramural basketball team was divided into two groups: The Swamp Angels and the Knockouts. The teams would later be the Angels and the Devils and would divide the entire student body into two competitive teams.
In 1942 Fr. Christian got the idea that All Saints' should belong to Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas. The board of trustees was adjusted to reflect members from the three dioceses.
Years as a High School
The board voted to go co-educational in 1968.
Charlene Eichelberger "Miss Ike" was hired in 1968 to head the Rec Department. She remained with the school until 1992 and returned briefly in 2006-2007 to oversee the cleaning of the campus, buildings, and grounds until AmeriCorps could utilize part of the campus for its programs. Miss Ike is credited with bringing national recognition of the Rec Program to All Saints' and she lived on campus throughout her tenure.
Fr. Dickson's son, Charlie, also worked many years, along with his wife Cassie until the school closed in 2006. He was unable to attend All Saints' as it was still an all girls school when Fr. Dickson became Headmaster in 1968.
The school utilized the Level System (Levels 1-5 which dictated a student's privileges) rather than retaining the honor code from 1969 until 2002 at which time the Honor Code was introduced. In 2002, the campus went smoke-free. The trimester term was used from 1969-2006.
In 2003, the board voted to close the school but temporary financing and tremendous alumni support averted the close until 2006 when the board voted to close the school permanently.
Leadership
1909 - 1911 The Rev. William Mercer Green, Jr., Dean 1911 - 1912 Dr. Thomas Pearce Bailey, Dean 1912 - 1937 The Rt. Rev. Theodore DuBose Bratton, President 1937 - 1958 The Rev. William Gerow Christian, Rector 1958 - 1961 The Rev. John Maury Allin, Rector 1962 - 1967 The Rev. John Stone Jenkins, Rector 1967 - 1968 The Rev. A Dean Calcote, Acting Rector 1968 - 1983 The Rev. Alex Dickson, Jr., Rector and Headmaster 1983 - 1999 The Rev. David Luckett, Rector and Headmaster 2000 - 2001 Charles Craft, Interim Head 2001 - 2006 The Rev. Martin, Rector and Head
References
- ↑ Martha Stoops (1 January 1984). The Heritage: The Education of Women at St. Mary's College, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1842-1982. Saint Mary's College. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-9613833-0-5.
- 1 2 "New College Launched. Episcopal Diocese Provides Funds for the Vicksburg Institution.". Times-Picayune. May 9, 1908. p. 8.
- ↑ Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools (U.S.). Meeting (1910). Proceedings of the ... Annual Meeting of the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Premier Printing. p. 2.
- ↑ Works Progress Administration; Robert S. McElvaine (2009). Mississippi: The WPA Guide to the Magnolia State. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 122. ISBN 978-1-60473-289-4.
- ↑ Gardiner H. Shattuck, Jr. (1 October 2003). Episcopalians and Race: Civil War to Civil Rights. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 111–120. ISBN 0-8131-2772-6.