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Oral Histories

In addition to the below oral histories conducted by Harrisonburg community members, the Celebrating Simms project is currently working with local K-12 educators to launch a student-led oral history collection project that will help preserve community memories of the Lucy F. Simms School and will support local middle and high school History and English curricula. Check back soon for more updates!

Related local oral history collections include the Lucy F. Simms Remembered collection, the African Americans in Harrisonburg collection, and Integration: the African American Experience in Harrisonburg, Virginia collection.

Cheryl Metz Interview with Mary Awkard Fairfax, 2005

In 2005, Cheryl Metz with the Massanutten Regional Library sat down for an interview with Mary Awkard Fairfax. Mrs. Fairfax was 93 years old at the time. The original interview, available here, was shared with the Celebrating Simms project for digitization and transcription by Mrs. Fairfax's family. The interview is also available at the Central Branch of the Massanutten Regional Library