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.Fellow Addisonians,

      It has been  two and one-half years since the Lucy Addison website was launched.  I am very encouraged by the reception it received during that time.  It's clear that  Roanokers and ex-Roanokers  take pride in their membership in the Addison family.  Appreciative e-mails and enthusiastic guestbook comments are my reward for the time spent on research and production. With each bit of Addison High School's heritage that is uncovered, it becomes increasingly clear that the school's story is well worth composing and telling, not only to the Addison family, but to city, state and national audiences as well. 

    In that inaugural editorial in April 2004, I  recognized a very small number of family members who had distinguished themselves in shaping the Addison tradition.  Miss Lucy Addison, the one individual credited with conceiving and launching  that tradition, was rightfully the centerpiece of that editorial.  Also mentioned, though only briefly, were Addison graduates who went on to become Tuskegee Airmen - Leroi Williams, Eugene Williams, and Ralph Claytor. ( I have since learned that yet and other Addison graduate, Teddy Wilson, also earned his wings into that illustrious group).    At that time, there were only seven or eight graduates listed in the Who's Who section of the website. Today,  that section has now grown  to fifty-six  graduates - each one of whom  makes Miss Addison and  fellow graduates proud.  There are too many of these achievers to try to acknowledge here.  However, I'll mention a few who carry a special significance to me.

   Edward R. Dudley '29,  to my knowledge unrelated to me, was one of the earliest and brightest stars of our Addison family. He died in early 2005 in New York after an illustrious career in law and politics. He was President of  Manhattan Borough when I enrolled in Columbia University in 1961.  Later, he ran for the office of New York State Attorney General on the Democratic ticket but lost. Still later, he served as judge.  On several different occasions, I tried to  contact his family in New York without success.  I appeal to anyone in contact with them or who has photos and/or a biography of Mr. Dudley to contact me.

    On my last visit to Roanoke, in April of this year, I spoke via telephone  to Mrs. Sallye Coleman, wife of former Loudon School principal, William Coleman.  Mr. Coleman also passed away recently and will be added to the Who's Who section in the near future.  ( Mrs. Coleman  informed me that Teddy Wilson, who died in late 2005, had also served as a Tuskegee Airman ).  Any photos or biographical information of Mr. Wilson would be greatly appreciated.

    On that same visit to Roanoke, I spoke with Dr. Walter Claytor who has been a big fan of this  project.  The fact that Dr. Claytor had, that same week, won his long-standing lawsuit against the City of Roanoke made the conversation all the more pleasurable.  I cannot say enough about the contribution of two generations of the Claytor family toward establishing and furthering the Addison tradition. One glance through the Who's Who section clearly reveals them to be a very distinguished family of achievers - both producers of and products of the Addison tradition.

   The Addison graduates mentioned above are but a few of many I encountered in my quest to piece together the Addison story.  With the mining of their biographical "veins of gold" and placement in  The Who's Who section, the Addison website comes ever closer to being the treasure trove that I initially envisioned. It serves both as an acknowledgment of  Lucy Addison's legacy and as a celebration of the individuals who embellished that legacy early as students, and later as parents, teachers, and mentors..    Collectively, these biographies are Roanoke's treasure; we all share these nuggets as proof of Miss Addison's vision and aspirations for Roanoke's black communities. By all accounts, these individuals made early life choices entirely consistent with both her vision and her legacy of high standards, commitment, hard work and achievement.  The fact that most of these individuals followed her lead long after she passed from this earth is a tribute to her and to her proteges. There are many other students yet  to be identified whose personnae graced the halls of Lucy Addison High School and whose achievements merit recognition on this website.  I will continue to seek them out in order to add their stories to the Addison saga.  I welcome nominations from other Addison graduates who are willing to submit photos and biographies of graduates who met those high standards.

   My ultimate goal is to document the Addison story by recognizing the entire family in an appropriate manner.  In the future, I hope to list graduates of every class by year and name.  I will continue searching for graduation and casual photos depicting the feel and fabric of the Addison experience .  I plan to make  announcements soon about one or more locations in Roanoke that will have  facilities allowing contributors to electronically scan personal photos, articles and mementos from Addison's past.  Scanned images could then be sent to me as  e-mail attachments without cost the sender and without risk of loss or damage to  prized originals.  I encourage all of my Addison peers to visit this site often, as I expect to increase the level of content well beyond where it stands today.  

I look forward to hearing from any of you willing to share the Addison heritage via phone,  e-mail or letter.  Alternately, you may follow the guestbook instructions to have your comments posted. It is the best way possible to share your thoughts  or personal information with the entire Addison family.

     Class Of 1961