Today in Wheeling History: July 24—Phillip Nathaniel Reed, educator and civil rights leader who guided Ohio County Schools through integration, passed away in Wheeling (1975).
Phillip Nathaniel Reed was born on July 16, 1914, in Luray, Virginia, to Rev. John H. Reed and Cornelia Johnson Reed. His family later moved to Wheeling, West Virginia, where he attended Lincoln Grade and High School, a segregated institution. Reed pursued higher education at Bluefield State College, specializing in English and social studies.
Returning to Wheeling, Reed began his career as a substitute teacher at Lincoln School in 1939. The following year, he became an upper elementary teacher at Dunbar School, the Black grade school for Triadelphia. By 1943, he was appointed Dunbar’s teaching principal, and in 1947, he became principal of Lincoln School, succeeding John Henry Rainbow.
Reed played a pivotal role in integrating Ohio County Schools following the Supreme Court’s 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. He oversaw Lincoln School’s transition into Wheeling’s public school system and later became principal of Washington Grade School in North Wheeling. His leadership helped ease racial tensions during the turbulent 1960s and 1970s.
Reed passed away on July 24, 1975, in Wheeling and was buried in Stone Church Cemetery. His legacy as an educator and advocate for equality remains significant in Wheeling’s history.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/yppxc6aw); Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/bddu54zk)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Find a Grave
Phillip Nathaniel Reed was born on July 16, 1914, in Luray, Virginia, to Rev. John H. Reed and Cornelia Johnson Reed. His family later moved to Wheeling, West Virginia, where he attended Lincoln Grade and High School, a segregated institution. Reed pursued higher education at Bluefield State College, specializing in English and social studies.
Returning to Wheeling, Reed began his career as a substitute teacher at Lincoln School in 1939. The following year, he became an upper elementary teacher at Dunbar School, the Black grade school for Triadelphia. By 1943, he was appointed Dunbar’s teaching principal, and in 1947, he became principal of Lincoln School, succeeding John Henry Rainbow.
Reed played a pivotal role in integrating Ohio County Schools following the Supreme Court’s 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. He oversaw Lincoln School’s transition into Wheeling’s public school system and later became principal of Washington Grade School in North Wheeling. His leadership helped ease racial tensions during the turbulent 1960s and 1970s.
Reed passed away on July 24, 1975, in Wheeling and was buried in Stone Church Cemetery. His legacy as an educator and advocate for equality remains significant in Wheeling’s history.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/yppxc6aw); Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/bddu54zk)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Find a Grave
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