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In honor of Women's History Month, which celebrates the contribution of women in American history, RELIC is honoring those who contributed to the field of education in Prince William County. Lucy Walsh Phinney was a Civic leader in her community and the author of the book "Yesterday's Schools."
According to her obituary published in the Washington Post on May 1, 1996, Lucy Walsh Phinney was born in Syracuse, NY, and graduated from Tufts University. She was a high school English teacher in Pittsford, NY, from 1962-1965 and moved to Virginia in 1973. She lived in Woodbridge for over 30 years. Her contributions to the county include being the founder and serving two terms as president of Historic Prince William Inc., acting as the chairwoman of the Prince William County Historical Commission and serving on the board for 13 years, volunteering at Potomac Library for 18 years, and being a Brownie leader for three years. In education, she volunteered at the Godwin Middle School, founded the Prince William County School's annual spelling bee, volunteered with the Gar-Field High School history department, and was a member of the Prince William Schools Gifted and Talented Advisory Council.
She received the Outstanding Citizen Award from the Dale City Jaycees and the Chamber of Commerce Cultural Arts Award. In 1993, Mrs. Phinney published "Yesterday's Schools." It is an extensive history of Prince William County Public Elementary Schools from 1869 to 1969. The book is organized with a listing of each school, a history, and a picture of the school when one was available. According to the preface, she wrote that it took three years to complete and that the research became "both an obsession and a frustration." She collected numerous documents, pictures, videos, receipts, school board minutes, and so on.
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