Editors note: This is of series focused on historical tidbits about Prince William County, Va. written by the Prince William County Historic Preservation Division
Fannie Wilkinson Fitzgerald was born in Amelia County, Virginia on July 27, 1930. She was the youngest of eleven children. Her parents Reverend Isaiah and Lavinia Wilkinson instilled in their children a reverence for God, love for their fellow man, and the importance of education.
Fitzgerald attended Virginia Union University where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education in 1952. Her first teaching position was at a two-room school in Amelia County with no cafeteria or indoor plumbing.
After teaching for three years, Fitzgerald relocated in an effort to better her life. She applied for graduate school but was denied entry to Virginia Universities because of the color of her skin. She was however granted a full scholarship to attend Columbia University in New York City where she completed a Master’s in Special Education in 1960.
Before completion of the degree, Fannie was offered a job at Antioch-McCrae school for African-Americans in western Prince William County. After completion, she began teaching at the Jennie Dean School in Manassas.
Fitzgerald was a pioneer during the integration of Prince William County Public Schools. In 1964 she was appointed by the county board of education to transfer from Antioch-McCrae to Fred Lynn Elementary and Middle School in an effort to integrate not only students but teachers as well.
Fitzgerald and three of her peers became known as the Courageous Four, Prince William County Public Schools. Steps such as this lead to a fully integrated school system by September of 1965. When asked about being one of the first teachers to integrate in Prince William County, Fannie replied “Children are children. It doesn’t matter what color they are.”
In 1968 Fannie was selected to be the first black elementary supervisor of the integrated schools in Prince William County. From 1971-1988 Fannie’s service was to the students of Dale City Elementary School.
She taught 4th Grade and was a learning disabilities specialist. Because of her outstanding work with special needs students, she was placed in a supervisory role of special needs programs for all Prince William County Schools.
Fannie retired in June of 1988 but continued to serve the children of Prince William County as a volunteer and community leader tutoring students and spearheading community events. As a result of Fannie Fitzgerald’s contributions to Prince William County Public Schools, the board of education voted unanimously to name an elementary school after her.
Located on Benita Fitzgerald Drive, a street named for her oldest daughter, an Olympic Gold Medalist, Fannie W. Fitzgerald Elementary School stands as a testament to academic excellence and her service to the community. Fannie suffered several years from the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and died on April 7, 2016 at age 85.
