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William H. Keister Collection

SC # 3015

Carrier Library, James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807
Compiled by Mindy Tanner, January, 1991

Scope & Content
This collection of letters of appreciation to William H. Keister (1865-1962) occupies 1/2 Hollinger box, and dates primarily from 1941 and 1944.

These years marked the 47th and 50th years, respectively, of Keister's service in the Harrisonburg school system. The bound volume was presented to William Keister at the Mayflower Hotel in Lexington, Virginia on March 18, 1941. The letters of appreciation come from former students, friends, various education superintendents across Virginia, and from state officials. The collection also contains newspaper articles of ceremonies honoring Keister and personal letters to him. William Hampton Keister was born in Highland County, Virginia on August 18, 1865. At the age of twenty-five, he enrolled at what is now Washington and Lee University. Upon graduation, he took the position of principal to the Harrisonburg public school where he also taught. In 1900, he married Virginia Fletcher of Harrisonburg. Keister served as President of the Virginia Education Association in 1910 and in 1916 was appointed superintendent of the Harrisonburg city schools. While he was superintendent, the Harrisonburg school system grew tremendously with new buildings and more students. The quality of education also improved as Harrisonburg High School was the first high school of the south to be accredited by the New York State Board of Regents. Keister was also a member of various community organizations including the Rotary Club, the Masons, and the Presbyterian Church. He retired in 1947 at the age of eighty-two.

Provenance
On deposit from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society.

Bibliography
Wayland, John Walter. A History of Rockingham County. Harrisonburg: C. J. Carrier Co., 1972.
Wayland, John Walter. Men of Mark and Representative Citizens of Harrisonburg and Rockingham

County, Virginia; Portraits and Biographies of Men and Women. Staunton: McClure Co., 1943.

Wright, Melton. The Beloved Schoolmaster: A Biography of William Hampton Keister. Boyce, VA:

Carr Publishing Co., 1956.

Organization

Series I: Unbound Materials

Folder 1, Dated and Undated Letters

Folder 2, Miscellaneous

Series II: Newsprint

Folder 3, 1994 DNR Special Edition Newspaper

Series III: Bound Volume

Folder 4, Bound volume of letters, "Letters of Appreciation of William H. Keister"