Lavinia Norman (December 14, 1882 - January 22, 1983) was one of the sixteen original founders of

Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is an List of African American fraternities, historically African-American Fraternities and sororities, sorority. The sorority was founded in 1908 at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. Alpha Kappa Alpha ...

sorority, the first sorority founded by African-American women, at

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

. In addition Norman did graduate work and taught at Douglas High School in Huntington, West Virginia, for more than 40 years. When teaching was considered one of the most critical and prestigious careers for a developing nation. A devoted educator, Norman was a charter member of the Beta Tau Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha in Huntington.

Early life

Born as the eighth of sixteen children to Thomas Norman and Virginia Thomas, Lavinia Norman grew up in

Montgomery, West Virginia Montgomery is a city in West Virginia, United States, along the Kanawha River. Most of the city is in Fayette County, West Virginia, Fayette County, with the remainder in Kanawha County, West Virginia, Kanawha County. The population was 1,280 at ...

. Her elementary years were spent in West Virginia. When her father got a job with the

Postal Service The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal sy ...

, Norman's family moved to Washington, D.C. In 1901, she started secondary work at

's Preparatory School. She graduated in 1905 with a diploma.

Howard University and founding of Alpha Kappa Alpha

Lavinia Norman entered Howard University, the top historically black college in the nation, at a time when only 1/3 of 1% of African Americans and 5% of whites attended any college.James D. Anderson, ''

The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860–1935 ''The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860–1935'' is a history of African-American education in the American South from the Reconstruction era to the Great Depression. It was written by James D. Anderson and published by the University of N ...

''. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 1988, p.245 Norman drafted the constitution for Alpha Kappa Alpha with Margaret Flagg and Ethel Hedgeman. After the sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, Norman expanded the activities of Alpha chapter at Howard University. As a senior in 1909, she succeeded Ethel Hedgeman as head of AKA. Norman helped to plan ceremonies for the second Ivy Day celebration at the university. Norman graduated

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

with degrees in French and English in 1909.

Teaching

After graduating from Howard, Norman returned to West Virginia. There she taught Latin, French, dramatic arts, and English at Douglass High School in Huntington. In 1934 she earned a second

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree at

West Virginia State College West Virginia State University (WVSU) is a public historically black, land-grant university in Institute, West Virginia, United States. Founded in 1891 as the West Virginia Colored Institute. It is one of the original 19 land-grant colleges a ...

. In 1950, Norman retired after forty years in education, having taught generations of students. During her tenure as teacher, she acted as coach for the high school's drama team and was the adviser to the school's newspaper.McNealey 2006, op. cit., p. 42. She was also active in Alpha Kappa Alpha, in the Beta Tau Omega chapter in Huntington.

Later life

After retiring from teaching, Norman returned to Washington, D.C., where she affiliated with Alpha Kappa Alpha's Xi Omega chapter. In 1978, Norman was honored at the 70th celebration of the sorority's founding. The sorority unveiled a window honoring her and 19 other founders was unveiled in Rankin Chapel at Howard University. The sorority also helped to celebrate her 100th birthday. Having served Alpha Kappa Alpha for more than 75 years, Lavinia Norman died on January 22, 1983.

References

External links

Biography at Virginia Commonwealth UniversityHonoring the Past: Alpha Kappa Alpha FoundersCentennial Celebration: Founders
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norman, Lavinia 1882 births 1983 deaths African-American centenarians African-American history of West Virginia African-American schoolteachers Schoolteachers from West Virginia 20th-century American women educators Alpha Kappa Alpha founders People from Montgomery, West Virginia West Virginia State University alumni 20th-century American educators American women centenarians 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American educators