Talk:Staunton Military Academy

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[edit] Military academies and the Civil Rights Act

I attended Staunton Military Academy in my sophomore and junior years, 1963-65. During that time, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, which mandated racial integration in federally-funded programs. SMA's trustees subsequently voted against compliance. As I recall, their decision was based on the school's charter, which included a provision that "no Negro boy" shall ever be permitted to enroll. As a consequence, the school gave up its Junior ROTC affiliation. It was this, in combination with the societal changes of the 1960s, that led to SMA's demise. For example, many other Virginia military schools, including Fishburne, Fork Union, Massanutten, and Randolph-Macon, complied with the federal law, retained their JROTC status, and are still operating today.

One exception was Augusta Military Academy. AMA admitted its first black students following the enactment of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and remained a JROTC affiliate. Despite this, the school struggled over the next decade and became a non-profit organization in 1977. AMA finally closed in December 1983. An interesting account of the events surrounding these developments, including several references to SMA's closing, can be found at the AMA Alumni Association's site (http://www.amaalumni.org/history_1.htm).Allreet 23:59, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

I'm not sure how to incorporate this into the SMA article, but it is a notable facet to be considered when a subsection on the school's last years is written. Thank you for sharing this. --Oddharmonic 02:31, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for your kind reply. A couple suggestions for research. While the school's records are probably lost to time, the Kabelgram newsletter in May or so of 1964 carried a lead article on the school's refusal to follow the Articles of Compliance. That edition and other issues of the Kabelgram would be invaluable. The alumni association would probably be the best place to start. But I came across an even better source. Col. Robert Wease, who taught Government at SMA from the late 50s through the school's closing, is still on the faculty at Fishburne Military School! There is no email address listed for him, but his telephone number is 540-946-7767. Col. Wease, by the way, was a brilliant teacher, and if he'd be willing, I'm sure he'd have a wealth of information to offer.Allreet 23:22, 12 July 2007 (UTC)