Dr. Linwood Jacobs is credited with spearheading the establishment of Black fraternities and sororities at the University of Virginia.
And later he focused on student development as the dean of students at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College and helped start a mental health services company based in Gilpin Court.
The old schoolhouse doesnât look like much now â weather-beaten and worn, it stood neglected for decades before an effort to save it kicked into gear two years ago, and now there also is the worrying possibility of having a landfill nearby â but it holds fond memories for Alfred L. Austin, who grew up on a Cumberland County farm 3 miles away.
âI used to get up in the morning, milk six cows, walk to school, spend the day at school, then walk home and milk six cows again,â he said. âAmong other things.â
In the era of segregation in the 1950s, school was a prized opportunity for Austin and other Black children in this section of Cumberland. The county provided a school for Black students, but it was 10 miles from Austinâs home and, without transportation, he simply couldnât attend.