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| Warwick Junior High School / Ferguson High School Photo courtesy of Newport News Public Library |
Land Acknowledgement
The lands that Warwick Junior High School/Ferguson High School/Ferguson Center for the Arts stand on were originally those of the Kecoughtan peoples, part of the Powhatan Chiefdom.[1]
Land Condemnations
Here is the information I was able to find on the land parcels that eventually made up the school’s property:
Parcel #1: owned by John Abbitt (husband), Olga Abbit (wife), & Randolph D. Rouse (“unmarried”)
- Race: white
- Address noted for Abbitt in court documents: Hilton Village area
- Address noted for Rouse in court documents: Washington, D.C.
- According to Warwick Junior High School’s site clearing plan, it noted this and Parcel #2 had “dwellings, barns and out buildings,” but unlike Parcel #2, Parcel #1’s buildings were not drawn on the plan.
- This was the last parcel purchase to be acquired. In May 1955, the Daily Press reported that “The Circuit Court of Warwick dismissed a plea in abatement following negotiations” between the city and the parcel owners. Abbitt also withdrew a motion to reopen the cases on Parcel #4 and #5, as he held an option on each of those.
- Received $13,500 for 6.96 acres ($1,939.65 per acre)
- Race: Black
- Address noted for Richards in court documents: White Plains, New York
- According to Warwick Junior High School’s site clearing plan, this property had a one-story frame house, garage, and stables on it.
- A guardian ad litem was appointed for “Parties Unknown”
- Received $15,000 for 9.86 acres ($1,521.30 per acre)
- Race: Black
- Address noted for Morton in court documents: Downtown Newport News
- Received $21,000 for 9.87 acres ($2,127.66 per acre)
- Race: Black
- Address noted for Francis in court documents: “Box 2299, Warwick Road” [now known as Warwick Blvd]
- John Abbitt held an option on this property
- Received $6,332.37 for 1.59 acres ($3,982.62 per acre)
- Race: Black
- Address noted for Francis in court documents: “Box 2299, Warwick Road” [now known as Warwick Blvd]
- John Abbitt held an option on this property
- Received $14,555.65 for 2.01 acres ($7,241.62 per acre)*
* I don’t understand why Ivy would receive so much per acre compared to everyone else. My current theory is that there was a house on his land parcel. According to Warwick Junior High School’s site clearing plan, there are no structures present on their parcels – but based on Parcel #1’s structures not being shown on the map, that puts doubt into my head whether everything was noted on that map. **
** Hi, okay, short digression. While searching through old newspapers, I found that Ivy Lee Francis was a local craftsman/carpenter. Notably, he had sculpted a several hundred-pound concrete horse on one of the corners of Warwick and Shoe in 1938 [I have not been able to confirm which corner]. It was commissioned by Mrs. R.W. Mitchell, who operated the Briarpatch Riding Academy, to help mark which road to turn down to reach her academy. The horse’s name was Bob White, after a favorite horse of Mrs. Mitchell’s. The concrete Bob White became a well-known local landmark. This led to some pranks and vandalism, including being painted like a zebra, and being knocked over from time to time. In 1955, there was a news article that stated it was planned to be moved to the entrance of Paddock Drive, a recently-built residential street nearby. After that, I have not been able to find any further articles on Bob White.[2]
Indigenous Artifacts
In 1957, Mrs. Margaret “Peggie” Phelps presented Warwick Junior High School with her late husband’s collection of Indigenous artifacts. Asa Gray Phelps, Sr. had had a lifelong hobby in amateur archaeology. He dug and took hundreds of artifacts from nearby Indigenous sites in Virginia and North Carolina. The collection included “tomahawks, arrow heads, spearpoints, celts, sciney [sic] stones, hammerstones, stone axes, potsherds, beads, ceremonial discs and rugs.” Mr. Phelps wanted the collection to be “placed somewhere where they could be most used.” The junior high was selected over several colleges that had vied for the collection. The artifacts were displayed throughout the school in display cases.[3] I could not locate the collection’s present whereabouts.
George Washington from the SS George Washington
The Mariners’ Museum presented a 6’x 8’ portrait of George Washington to Warwick Junior High School in 1957. It was painted by Aldo Lazzarini for the ocean liner SS George Washington. The SS George Washington was a 1908 German-made ocean liner. She was distantly involved in the RMS Titanic disaster and participated in both World Wars. She was laid up in 1947 and scrapped in 1951 after a fire onboard. The portrait itself was removed from the ship in 1947 and given to the Mariners' Museum.[4] I could not locate the portrait’s present whereabouts.
Nuclear Alert
A 1959 news clipping reported Warwick Junior High School’s air raid siren started going off early one evening, worrying nearby residents. After 10-15 minutes, the police were able to reset the warning system and stop the alarm. Police explained it was either a short circuit or “an unknown radio operator had triggered off the siren by operating his transmitter on the same radio frequency used to activate all Civil Defense sirens in the northern section of the city.”[5]
A Planetarium?!
In November 1962, one unique aspect of the shelved Roy’s Lane high school was briefly considered to be added to Ferguson High: a planetarium. Planetariums were very popular in the 1950’s and 60’s due to the Space Race. Many were built during this period for educational uses, receiving funds from the federal government to do so. When the Newport News School Board considered building their new high school at a site more northern than the Roy’s Lane site, they briefly discussed adding the planetarium onto Ferguson High School’s future Main Gym expansion. I assume this was in an effort to keep the planetarium centrally located in the city. The school board minutes never brought the idea up again. This is most likely due to the fact the following year, planning began for a nature center in Newport News. This center would also include a planetarium. In 1966, the Junior Nature Museum & Planetarium opened up just down the road from the school in Deer Park. The Peninsula received its planetarium! This institution is still around, now known as the Virginia Living Museum. Their planetarium is still in operation.[6]
Anchors Aweigh!
In 1963, Ferguson’s Student Cooperative Association (SCA) was looking to make the school’s identity more prominent outside. One initiative was to erect a school sign. Another was to acquire and display an anchor. SCA committee head Skipper Joyce arranged for the Mariners’ Museum to loan the school an extra Danforth anchor from their collection. This style of anchor was relatively new, developed in 1939 by Richard S. Danforth. Many Danforth anchors had been created for World War II landing craft. The school's anchor sat in front of the building until 1996.[7] After that, I do not know what became of the anchor. I’ve checked with Newport News Public Schools, CNU, the Mariners’ Museum, and the City of Newport News, but have not been able to locate the anchor’s present whereabouts.
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| Ferguson anchor under the school sign, FHS Mariner yearbook 1964 Courtesy of Newport News Public Library |
The Blooper that made it into the Yearbook
One of my favorite Ferguson High School yearbook photos is the group photo below from 1963. Through the glass doors behind the group, you can see other students waving through the windows, photobombing their way into the shot! It cracks me up.
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| Ferguson High Junior Band. From FHS Mariner yearbook 1963. Courtesy of Newport News Public Library. |
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| Close up of previous photo, with photobombers outlined in orange. From FHS Mariner yearbook 1963. Courtesy of Newport News Public Library. |
Labor Acknowledgement
Black people helped build this segregated white school.
Black people used their physical, mental, and emotional labor to clean, cook, and teach at this segregated white school.
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| Black construction workers building 1962 Ferguson expansion projects, names unknown. From FHS Mariner yearbook 1962. Courtesy of Newport News Public Library. |
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| Black construction workers building 1962 Ferguson expansion projects, names unknown. From FHS Mariner yearbook 1962. Courtesy of Newport News Public Library. |
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| Black housecleaning staff, names unknown, with Mr. West (the white man in the front). From FHS Mariner yearbook 1962. Courtesy of Newport News Public Library. |
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| Cafeteria Staff: (front row) Elvira McIver, Idell Brown, Carrie Batts, Margaret Knight, Emma Walker. (back row) Jennie Jenkins, Frances Whitley, Margie Jones, Lois Hooker, Evelyn Campbell, Mrs. [Alice] White. From FHS Mariner yearbook 1966. Courtesy of Newport News Public Library. |
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| Ferguson Maintenance Staff, 1966-67. Pictured: (top left) Herbert Stiff, (top right) Joseph Brown [Head Custodian], (bottom left) Rosetta Good, (bottom right group shot, front row) Mr. Brown, Rosetta Deloach, Geraldine Hawks, (bottom right group shot, back row) Abbott Graves, Joe Kesee, Willie Serfford. From FHS Mariner yearbook 1967. Courtesy of Newport News Public Library. |
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| The 1966-67 school year appears to be the first year Black teachers taught at Ferguson. From left to right, Miss Gladys M. Fortune, Earth-Space Science; Mrs. Helen Clark Thomas, General Math, Algebra; Mr. John B. McCallum, Metal Shop. From FHS Mariner yearbook 1967. Courtesy of Newport News Public Library. [Pictures grouped by me into one collective image] |
The Daily Press wrote an article on Ferguson’s cafeteria operations in 1965. Here are some samplings:
“The cafeteria, in a week’s time, requires 60 pounds of butter, 1,000 pounds of flour, 100 pounds of cheese, 12 pounds of peanut butter, 530 pounds of hamburger, 380 pounds of turkey, 190 pounds of round rump roast, 50 pounds of perch, 8,000 half - pints of milk, 200 pounds of cabbage, 250 pounds of tomatoes, 10 crates of lettuce, 362 dozen packages of ice cream products and 402 pounds of greens.”
“At Ferguson the favorites, in order, are milk, mashed or French fried potatoes, tossed salad, hot rolls, spaghetti, fried chicken, hamburger, turkey and hot dogs, with the least popular item being baken [sic] ham. Cherry pie and chocolate cake take the honors as most favorite desserts … One of the big favorites, hot rolls, is prepared in the cafeteria in the amount of 3,000 per day.”
“All the food, with the exception of the ice cream and crackers, is prepared at the school by the 18 full – time employes, [sic] most items being prepared the same day they are served.”
“Mrs. White [Ferguson’s cafeteria manager] estimates there also are about 2,000 dirty dishes and 4,000 pieces of dirty silverware to be cleaned by the five dishwashers who work noon to 3 p.m. on the task.”
“The Ferguson cafeteria only one of 31 cafeterias operated in the schools and is the furthest in the black in on the ledger. Cafeterias are expected to pay their way, for the most part. The Ferguson cafeteria is listed on the January report as $13,508 in the plus side of the books. Other cafeterias run down to $3,651 in the red ink.”
“ “Cafeteria work is hard work, but if you like it, it is fascinating and very rewarding,” she [Mrs. White] said.”[8]
Motorcycle Mayhem
“In 1966, a senior class assembly in the Ferguson High School auditorium was disrupted when a student named Ray Carrithers drove a motorcycle onto the stage. Carrithers was a senior with a reputation for stunts, pranks, being sent to the principal's office and general indifference in school, said one former Ferguson administrator who recalls the motorcycle incident.”[9] What a student assembly to be at!
School Lunch Anniversary
“The 1966-1967 school year marked the twentieth anniversary of the school lunch program in Newport News. This was commemorated at Ferguson with the celebration of each Mariner’s birthday on one day. A special birthday lunch was prepared and the faculty and Mrs. Passage were presented cakes.”[10]
Victor Hundley
Victor Hundley (Class of 1967) was one of the first Black students to attend Ferguson High School. The Hampton Roads Oral History Project conducted an oral history interview with him in 2016. Listen in...
Ferguson’s Ghost
Like any good historic building, the Ferguson does have its own ghost lore.
The origin of the tales came from a real-life death at the school. On January 17, 1968, sophomore Rebecca Sue Fisher collapsed from an undiagnosed heart condition while waiting in line in gym class. She was pronounced dead upon arrival to nearby Riverside Hospital.
Ferguson’s Ghost
Like any good historic building, the Ferguson does have its own ghost lore.
The origin of the tales came from a real-life death at the school. On January 17, 1968, sophomore Rebecca Sue Fisher collapsed from an undiagnosed heart condition while waiting in line in gym class. She was pronounced dead upon arrival to nearby Riverside Hospital.
A little bit on Fisher. She was born in 1952. “The girl, known as Becky to her classmates, was a 10th grade honor student at Ferguson,” said her obituary, “… A native of Newton, Iowa, she had been a resident of Newport News for the past two years and was a member of Hidenwood Presbyterian Church.”[11] According to the 1968 Mariner yearbook, she was part of Ferguson’s all-girl Future Teachers of America club. Following her death, her body was brought back to Iowa to be buried in Newton Union Cemetery.[12]
Drug Bust
In 1982, there was a school-wide drug bust, with several students arrested. The principal had brought in a detective to secretly enroll in the school to find those involved.[19]
$10 for 30+ Acres
In 1985, the Newport News City Council was reviewing the titles it held, and discovered it had erroneously been deeded a couple school properties, including the 31.12 acres Ferguson High sat on. The city sold the Ferguson deed to the school board for $10.[20]
This occurrence by itself is humorous, but nothing too momentous. Well, except the Daily Press chose to highlight the event as a milestone of note in their 1996 Ferguson High retrospective. It was one of the three milestones that didn’t involve Ferguson’s acquisition by CNU.[21] That retrospective is one of the first results that pop up when you Google search Ferguson High School, so many subsequent Ferguson papers and news articles have mentioned this event. Due to the 1996 article not explaining all the context of the land sale, only that a land sale happened, many of these later papers and articles were left to figure out what it meant, often erroneously. Overall, the 1996 retrospective is not the best resource, with errors (listing the wrong opening year for Warwick Junior High School) and omissions (segregation/busing).
Book Banning
In 1986, Ferguson Principal John Kilpatrick made a formal complaint regarding the 1983 novel The Color Purple being available in the school’s library. His main concern was that the book contained passages of “obscene and profane words.” After an evaluation from a school media committee, it was removed from the open shelves and placed in Ferguson’s professional library. The professional library was only available to teachers, 18-year-olds, or younger students that had written parental permission. This decision to remove the book created a loud public reaction, with many people vocally agreeing or disagreeing with the choice. It was noted in the papers that this was an unusual case, as it was the first book complaint initiated by a principal, rather than by a parent. The ruling was only for Ferguson High – the other Newport News high schools kept The Color Purple on their shelves. As of 1996, no other reading material in Newport News schools had received a complaint.[22]
Missing Ferguson Trophies
During the community auction of Ferguson High School memorabilia in 1996, 70 awards were kept out of the auction. These awards, including the 1978 state basketball trophy, were planned to be placed into a permanent display case in Heritage High School.[23] When I visited Heritage High School in the mid-2010’s, they were not on display. The Heritage High staff I have reached out to do not have any recollection of the collection. I also reached out to the NNPS Warehouse. They said there had been some trophies stored there, but weren’t sure where they were from. These were disposed of three years ago. Here's hoping they weren’t Ferguson’s. If you have any information on the Ferguson trophies, please let me know!
Ferguson’s Unbuilt Fine Arts Wing Part 1
I love seeing concept art of design ideas that never got built. Below is a photo of the 1998 Center for the Arts model, focused on the planned fine arts wing along the backside of the building.
I.M. Pei Clarification
I. M. Pei had nothing to do with the design or construction of the Ferguson Center. The center was designed by the architectural firm that he had been a founding partner of, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. Pei had retired from the firm in 1990.[24] That has not stopped people mistakenly associating the man with this project. Henry Cobb, another founding partner of the firm, was actually the lead on the Center for the Arts project.
Over the years, there were a couple student attempts to bring back the Shoebox – none of which made much traction. The space stayed locked up until 2019, when it finally received an extensive renovation. It reopened in 2021 as a music rehearsal hall.
The legacy of the Shoebox Theatre lives on in many different ways. The Ferguson’s Phase I came with the Light Lab, a similarly small, black space with a lighting grid, used for specialty tech classes, rehearsals, and intimate/experimental performance experiences. The CNU Theater Alumni Chapter has also brought back the Shoebox Follies monkier, using it a couple times for their on-campus showcases. [27]
I find something really special about the Shoebox Theatre. While the space was a crudely-converted gym that was only open for 3-4 years, it left a huge mark on so many theater students of the time. It’s not often that students are allowed to create a space on a college campus, and then continue to have a majority stake/control of it. Ferguson Hall was the right amount of expendable, experimental, and short-term limbo that could allow for things like that. I wish the Shoebox was still around.
1st Alternate: Ferguson Hall
The Captain’s Log reported in Fall 2000 that the Freeman Center, CNU's new sports center, was delayed in opening: “ “I feel badly for our volleyball team,” [Coach C.J.] Wollum said. “They have to open their season in the Ferguson gym, but we’ve made several improvements to make it more tolerable.” The gym has been used heavily for practices by many of the other sports teams, leaving it in rough condition. However, fans can expect to see refinished floors and renovated bleachers. New sleeves for the volleyball court were installed and a portable P.A. and part of the scoreboard in Ratcliffe were moved to Ferguson.”[28]
Spooky Sculptures
Currently on display in the Trible Library are a series of bronze sculptures of prominent Indigenous figures. These were created by Norfolk-based artist Griffin Chiles. In October 1999, the Falk Gallery held an exhibition of her work. At the opening reception, she gifted 23 of these to CNU. As to why, “I thought the university would be interested in having them for the Center for the Arts,” explained Chiles. After the Falk Gallery exhibit, the sculptures moved around a bit, including a stint at Ferguson Hall. Due to their lifelike detail, one of the Ferguson housekeeping staff was frightened by them one night and subsequently quit.[29]
CNU’s Chiles collection now contains over 50 busts. To learn more about her and her works, visit https://cnu.libguides.com/chiles.
The Ferguson from Space!
As CNU President Paul Trible recalled, “In one of my early conversations with a representative of the press, I got a bit carried away when I was talking about the Pei colonnade. And I said, you know, when the astronauts are flying across space and they look down, they’re going to see two man-made objects. They’re gonna see the Great Wall of China, and they’re gonna see the colonnade at Christopher Newport University.”[30] Neither the Great Wall of China or CNU’s colonnade are viewable from space.[31]
Visiting the Center On-Line!
CNU offered a virtual tour online of the yet-to-be-named Center for the Arts in 2003. A press release excitedly described the experience: “Traverse The Colonnade, a 900-foot walkway and plaza facing Warwick Boulevard. Travel through the Main Lobby, a spectacular public gathering space that will accommodate over 1,000 people; gaze up at the five-story glass atrium or explore the 1,700-seat Concert Hall and find out which of the three seating levels provides the best views.”[32]
Dyeing for you to Enroll
From a September 2004 Daily Press article: “Executive Director William R. Biddle proudly points out that the center includes many "extras" not found in most university performing spaces. An elaborate dyeing vat backstage could almost serve as a marketing tool, he said, in attracting prospective students who want to learn that special costuming theater craft.”[33]
Andrea Bocelli Booking Shenanigans
There's a whole article on the hoops the center had to jump through to get Bocelli to perform at the Ferguson. Check it out!
Abandoned Ferguson
When the originally-planned Fine Arts gallery complex did not come to fruition, CNU closed off the two disused gym spaces and their support spaces. They were allowed to decay. There were holes in the roof, broken windows, bird poop, buckling wooden gym floors, expired paint, disused Concert Hall carpeting, broken drumsticks, and murals of Mariners from the building’s high school days. For many years, curious students found ways to break in. After a while, CNU caught on and boarded up many of the entrances to deter such activities. These abandoned spaces were finally dealt with in 2019, when one gym was demolished, and the rest was renovated into a usable rehearsal hall and offices.
The following photos were all taken in the early 2010's:
Yoder Barn Theatre
I’ve previously written the history of the Yoder Barn Theatre, check it out!
From Masonic Lodge to Hook-less Statue
Some may seem confused why I don’t write about the Christopher Newport statue that sits on the corner next to the Ferguson Center. Well, that corner was never part of the high school’s land. In November 1954, the Warwick Freemasons bought 2 acres on the corner to build their Lodge. In 1956, the Warwick School Board approached the Freemasons to propose exchanging land in order to straighten the border between the properties. They offered 6,315 square feet for 24,932 square feet of the Mason’s. The Masons sent back a counteroffer with a more equal exchange of land. The Board rejected the offer, and so that was that. The Masons built their Lodge in 1963. In 2003, they sold the building due to the Warwick Boulevard widening project “and the expansion of Christopher Newport University campus.” They moved into a room at the Newport News Scottish Rite Center. Their former Lodge building was demolished soon after being sold. The two-armed Christopher Newport statue was installed on the plot of land in 2007.[34]
Elements
Installed in 2008 on the roundabout next to the Ferguson Center is the lovely marble sculpture titled Elements.
Along with the above video, learn more about the sculpture HERE.
The George Joseph Hillow III Arts Garden
Go on a video tour of the Arts Garden c. 2010 with its namesake and co-creator, George Hillow!
The Peninsula Fine Arts Center Merger to CNU
[I kept going back and forth on how much of the story of the Torggler Center (and the Peninsula Fine Arts Center) should be included in my main paper. As I’ve been working on this paper on-and-off for 9 years, the Torggler changed from a Ferguson expansion to its own separate building. Only once I started writing about the Torggler’s grand opening did I realize that it no longer had much to do with the Ferguson. It now has its own separate history in a separate, yet neighboring, building. At one point, all of the below information would have been very relevant to include. Now, not so. Here are the cut portions of the paper.]
The success of the Ferguson Center and other CNU building projects led to additional expansions across campus. CNU eventually looked back at the Ferguson to revive its plans for a fine arts center in the complex. In the summer of 2013, CNU approached the nearby Peninsula Fine Arts Center (PFAC) and started negotiations to merge together. CNU had previously approached PFAC in the late 1990’s, offering the arts organization to move into the Center for the Arts, but PFAC had rejected this offer. In 2013, with the art center’s recent rocky financial times and CNU’s proven track record by then, PFAC reconsidered. A memorandum was drafted and was voted on by members of the arts center. While members were told verbally in presentations what the merger would entail, the actual memorandum was not actively shared. PFAC members who did wish to view the document had to sign a non-disclosure agreement that they would not speak of what they had read. Only 30 members ultimately read it prior to the vote. At the PFAC meeting to decide the merger, 231 members were present. The merger passed. Once the merger was officially agreed upon, the memorandum was publicly revealed. PFAC employees would have to reapply to work at the new center. The name Peninsula Fine Arts Center would only stay as long as the center was located at its current building. CNU would continue PFAC’s core programs and community initiatives at the new Center, but was not obligated to fund them.
To get ready for the opening of the Torggler Center, CNU closed and dissolved PFAC at the end of 2020, after its 48 years as a community hub for the fine arts. The relationship between the institutions had worked well for the first few years after agreeing to merge, but had ended bitterly for PFAC. Their Executive Director Courtney Gardner had not been hired, there was still uncertainty of the continuation of community programs, and it was unclear how the legacy of PFAC would be remembered in the new building.[41] “We basically agreed to a dissolution of the Peninsula Fine Arts Center into joining into a potential partnership with Christopher Newport University,” said Gardner, “That has not worked out as we thought, though there is a beautiful facility being built on the campus and it will house a wonderful gallery and classrooms. We are happy that some fine arts center will still exist on the Peninsula.”[42]
Ferguson Memorial Mural
During my final semester in 2015, I started tossing around an idea for a physical memorial for Warwick Junior High/Ferguson High. Usually, when a school building is reused or replaced, its past is memorialized in some way. I wanted to honor the building’s past service and alumni, and to give character and art to my favorite campus building. I gathered support and was able to get approval to bring my dream to fruition.
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| Rebecca "Becky" Sue Fisher Memorial Page in FHS Mariner yearbook 1968. Courtesy of Newport News Public Library. |
As the years passed, rumors grew that the auditorium, drama classroom, and music classrooms were haunted. Beloved Ferguson High drama teacher Pat Quinn spun stories around the unexplainable phenomena that occurred – plastic plants “growing,” glowing eyes seen in the darkness, chairs moving by themselves.[13] The stories were passed down, evolved over the years, continuing on into the building’s college years. One version of the story was recounted in Christopher Newport University's student newspaper The Captain’s Log in 2006:
“A young woman fell off of a balance beam and broke her neck while practicing with the school’s gymnastics team. According to this story, she did not want to be on the gymnastics team at all, but desperately wanted to be a part of the school choir. Her mother supposedly forced her daughter to join the team, resulting in her untimely death. As a result, the young girl’s specter is said to spend all of her time in the area where chorus practices took place – the old auditorium.”[14]
A slightly different version of the story came from a CNU security cop who attended Ferguson High:
“The cop claimed the student wanted to have the lead in a school play, however the drama teacher didn’t believe she would be right for the part. The student, also a member of the gymnastics team, fell while performing and broke her neck. Since the accident the cop said the drama teacher had seen the young student waiting, as she always did, outside the auditorium on the steps.”[15]
During my college years, the ghost origin stories had faded away, but it was still common knowledge that a ghost was said to haunt the building. There were stories of apparitions, cold spots, and lights unexpectedly turning off. Theater students said the ghost “Hailey” resided in both the Studio Theater and Peebles Theatre. Music students also said a ghost hung around the music practice rooms.
Post-Script: I recently read that after Ferguson High School closed, Pat Quinn became the drama teacher at Woodside High School, and Rebecca reportedly followed her there. Even though Quinn has now retired, the legends continue on, and paranormal phenomena are still said to take place at Woodside to this day... [16]
Computers are the Future!
I love reading about technology updates. Here are two from Ferguson’s newspaper, The Windjammer:
I love reading about technology updates. Here are two from Ferguson’s newspaper, The Windjammer:
1974 – “The Ferguson Computer Club received a new computer this summer, a Data General NOVA 1200. Presently the machine is restricted to a very simple operation, such as addition and self-testing programs. Mr. Robert Ackerman, the club’s sponsor, is trying to get the School Board to purchase some extra equipment so that the machine will become a complete data-processing center. … This year the club hopes to complete the memory section of the computer it built last year, to construct an interface to allow the teletypes to control the new computer, and to begin writing and using programs for the new computer.”[17]
1983 – “Four TRS 80 Model 3 computers have been placed in the periodical room of the library. They were bought with business department funds in order to develop a computer curriculum for high school students. The computers are capable of basic input-output operations. They have 48 ks of memory, places to store information, and 2 disc drives built in. … Computers have been purchased for all four city high schools. This course will help students stay ahead of most school systems in the state. The administration hopes to be starting classes in computers in order for students attending college and taking computer science courses will not fall behind students who have had a computer curriculum in their high school.”[18]
Drug Bust
In 1982, there was a school-wide drug bust, with several students arrested. The principal had brought in a detective to secretly enroll in the school to find those involved.[19]
$10 for 30+ Acres
In 1985, the Newport News City Council was reviewing the titles it held, and discovered it had erroneously been deeded a couple school properties, including the 31.12 acres Ferguson High sat on. The city sold the Ferguson deed to the school board for $10.[20]
This occurrence by itself is humorous, but nothing too momentous. Well, except the Daily Press chose to highlight the event as a milestone of note in their 1996 Ferguson High retrospective. It was one of the three milestones that didn’t involve Ferguson’s acquisition by CNU.[21] That retrospective is one of the first results that pop up when you Google search Ferguson High School, so many subsequent Ferguson papers and news articles have mentioned this event. Due to the 1996 article not explaining all the context of the land sale, only that a land sale happened, many of these later papers and articles were left to figure out what it meant, often erroneously. Overall, the 1996 retrospective is not the best resource, with errors (listing the wrong opening year for Warwick Junior High School) and omissions (segregation/busing).
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| Aerial view of Ferguson High School, prior to the Main Gym being built. (Construction in the bottom-right corner is for the original Christopher Newport Hall of Christopher Newport College.) From FHS Mariner yearbook 1965. Courtesy of Newport News Public Library. |
Book Banning
In 1986, Ferguson Principal John Kilpatrick made a formal complaint regarding the 1983 novel The Color Purple being available in the school’s library. His main concern was that the book contained passages of “obscene and profane words.” After an evaluation from a school media committee, it was removed from the open shelves and placed in Ferguson’s professional library. The professional library was only available to teachers, 18-year-olds, or younger students that had written parental permission. This decision to remove the book created a loud public reaction, with many people vocally agreeing or disagreeing with the choice. It was noted in the papers that this was an unusual case, as it was the first book complaint initiated by a principal, rather than by a parent. The ruling was only for Ferguson High – the other Newport News high schools kept The Color Purple on their shelves. As of 1996, no other reading material in Newport News schools had received a complaint.[22]
Missing Ferguson Trophies
During the community auction of Ferguson High School memorabilia in 1996, 70 awards were kept out of the auction. These awards, including the 1978 state basketball trophy, were planned to be placed into a permanent display case in Heritage High School.[23] When I visited Heritage High School in the mid-2010’s, they were not on display. The Heritage High staff I have reached out to do not have any recollection of the collection. I also reached out to the NNPS Warehouse. They said there had been some trophies stored there, but weren’t sure where they were from. These were disposed of three years ago. Here's hoping they weren’t Ferguson’s. If you have any information on the Ferguson trophies, please let me know!
Ferguson’s Unbuilt Fine Arts Wing Part 1
I love seeing concept art of design ideas that never got built. Below is a photo of the 1998 Center for the Arts model, focused on the planned fine arts wing along the backside of the building.
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| Fine arts wing entrance, Center for the Arts concept model by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. A glass-ceiling entrance unifies the three former gyms. Courtesy of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners |
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| Ferguson Center gym cluster, 2011. The entrance to the fine arts wing would have been approximately where the green fence was placed. (The gym on the left-hand side has since been demolished) |
I.M. Pei Clarification
I. M. Pei had nothing to do with the design or construction of the Ferguson Center. The center was designed by the architectural firm that he had been a founding partner of, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. Pei had retired from the firm in 1990.[24] That has not stopped people mistakenly associating the man with this project. Henry Cobb, another founding partner of the firm, was actually the lead on the Center for the Arts project.
Also to note, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners designed the Concert Hall and colonnade. Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas + Company, the architect of record on the project, designed Peebles Theatre and the older building renovation aspects. The Center’s general contractor was W.M. Jordan. [25]
Shoe Lane Car Accident
One of CNU’s points about the necessity of the Shoe Lane reroute was about pedestrian safety crossing from the main campus to Ferguson Hall. A month after the first Shoe Lane reroute approval in November 1998, the point was unfortunately proven. On December 2, 1998, sophomore Trang Quach was walking on the crosswalk from main campus to Ferguson Hall when she was hit by a car. A student who lived nearby said “It just happened to be her. All of us have had close calls.” Quach sustained a concussion and multiple fractures from the accident, but no brain damage. She was able to recover.[26]
The Shoebox Theatre
During the 1999-2000 school year, theater students Justin Willcox and Tim Morgan came together for a joint senior thesis project. They would create a show and venue from scratch, with Morgan heading up the writing and directing parts, and Willcox taking lead on the production and venue elements. Why a venue? “Many of us theater students really wanted another outlet to produce performance art that was more free form and outside of the conventional programming of the main stage theater department programming,” explained Willcox. At the time, CNU’s theatrically-available venues were the Gaines Theater in the Student Center and Ferguson Hall’s auditorium, both very traditional proscenium theater spaces, and a couple lecture halls. After several discussions, CNU granted the pair permission to create a new venue out of one of Ferguson Hall’s smaller gyms. Prior to CNU’s ownership, this gym had been divided with a wall and became two classrooms, but it still had its original wooden floors. One side would become a costume storage/greenroom/drafting space. The other side would become the venue.
Planning, fundraising, and gathering materials took about a semester to assemble, with the space mostly put together during the following semester. TheaterCNU even pitched in funds, excited for another theater space on campus. Recalled Willcox, “The budget was shoe string. I rehabilitated old lighting, sound, and repurposed pipes to install a pipe grid that gave us a lot of flexibility to configure the space however we wanted.” The space was named the Shoebox Theatre after its small size, shape, and its “shoe string” budget.
The Shoebox became an integral part of the theater community on campus. Many performances, both student and faculty-led, took place within its walls. At other hours, the theater was used for rehearsals, theater classes, and late-night student hang-outs. One regular event held there was the Shoebox Follies, a student-run variety show with skits, acts, and the Chubby Bunny marshmellow contest. The space was beloved by all. “[The Shoebox Theatre] had such a ‘no rules’ kind of feel,” recalled TheaterCNU alumna Denise Santomauro, “It was made for the students, and was used primarily by us.” “The space was our comfort zone, a sanctuary,” added alumnus Allen Brooks.
It is unclear what the future of the Shoebox was to be following Ferguson Hall’s conversion into the Center for the Arts. The center’s plans were always shifting, so the Shoebox’s future never fully solidified. CNU leadership discussed at various times converting the space into a band room, art gallery, or a second dance studio, among other ideas. Theater students wished the space would continue as a performance venue. However, all plans were ultimately given a rain check. Whether by human error or the natural wear and tear of a 40+ year-old building, the roof started to leak badly during the summer of 2003. The space was damaged by water, most noticeably causing the wooden floors to warp and buckle. The Shoebox was deemed unusable and closed off. When theater students returned for the fall semester, they held a vigil for their lost space. Since the Ferguson’s Phase I was still a year away from completion, CNU replaced the Shoebox with Plaza One, a temporary rehearsal space in an office park the University had purchased for future school expansions.
Shoe Lane Car Accident
One of CNU’s points about the necessity of the Shoe Lane reroute was about pedestrian safety crossing from the main campus to Ferguson Hall. A month after the first Shoe Lane reroute approval in November 1998, the point was unfortunately proven. On December 2, 1998, sophomore Trang Quach was walking on the crosswalk from main campus to Ferguson Hall when she was hit by a car. A student who lived nearby said “It just happened to be her. All of us have had close calls.” Quach sustained a concussion and multiple fractures from the accident, but no brain damage. She was able to recover.[26]
The Shoebox Theatre
During the 1999-2000 school year, theater students Justin Willcox and Tim Morgan came together for a joint senior thesis project. They would create a show and venue from scratch, with Morgan heading up the writing and directing parts, and Willcox taking lead on the production and venue elements. Why a venue? “Many of us theater students really wanted another outlet to produce performance art that was more free form and outside of the conventional programming of the main stage theater department programming,” explained Willcox. At the time, CNU’s theatrically-available venues were the Gaines Theater in the Student Center and Ferguson Hall’s auditorium, both very traditional proscenium theater spaces, and a couple lecture halls. After several discussions, CNU granted the pair permission to create a new venue out of one of Ferguson Hall’s smaller gyms. Prior to CNU’s ownership, this gym had been divided with a wall and became two classrooms, but it still had its original wooden floors. One side would become a costume storage/greenroom/drafting space. The other side would become the venue.
Planning, fundraising, and gathering materials took about a semester to assemble, with the space mostly put together during the following semester. TheaterCNU even pitched in funds, excited for another theater space on campus. Recalled Willcox, “The budget was shoe string. I rehabilitated old lighting, sound, and repurposed pipes to install a pipe grid that gave us a lot of flexibility to configure the space however we wanted.” The space was named the Shoebox Theatre after its small size, shape, and its “shoe string” budget.
The Shoebox became an integral part of the theater community on campus. Many performances, both student and faculty-led, took place within its walls. At other hours, the theater was used for rehearsals, theater classes, and late-night student hang-outs. One regular event held there was the Shoebox Follies, a student-run variety show with skits, acts, and the Chubby Bunny marshmellow contest. The space was beloved by all. “[The Shoebox Theatre] had such a ‘no rules’ kind of feel,” recalled TheaterCNU alumna Denise Santomauro, “It was made for the students, and was used primarily by us.” “The space was our comfort zone, a sanctuary,” added alumnus Allen Brooks.
It is unclear what the future of the Shoebox was to be following Ferguson Hall’s conversion into the Center for the Arts. The center’s plans were always shifting, so the Shoebox’s future never fully solidified. CNU leadership discussed at various times converting the space into a band room, art gallery, or a second dance studio, among other ideas. Theater students wished the space would continue as a performance venue. However, all plans were ultimately given a rain check. Whether by human error or the natural wear and tear of a 40+ year-old building, the roof started to leak badly during the summer of 2003. The space was damaged by water, most noticeably causing the wooden floors to warp and buckle. The Shoebox was deemed unusable and closed off. When theater students returned for the fall semester, they held a vigil for their lost space. Since the Ferguson’s Phase I was still a year away from completion, CNU replaced the Shoebox with Plaza One, a temporary rehearsal space in an office park the University had purchased for future school expansions.
Over the years, there were a couple student attempts to bring back the Shoebox – none of which made much traction. The space stayed locked up until 2019, when it finally received an extensive renovation. It reopened in 2021 as a music rehearsal hall.
The legacy of the Shoebox Theatre lives on in many different ways. The Ferguson’s Phase I came with the Light Lab, a similarly small, black space with a lighting grid, used for specialty tech classes, rehearsals, and intimate/experimental performance experiences. The CNU Theater Alumni Chapter has also brought back the Shoebox Follies monkier, using it a couple times for their on-campus showcases. [27]
I find something really special about the Shoebox Theatre. While the space was a crudely-converted gym that was only open for 3-4 years, it left a huge mark on so many theater students of the time. It’s not often that students are allowed to create a space on a college campus, and then continue to have a majority stake/control of it. Ferguson Hall was the right amount of expendable, experimental, and short-term limbo that could allow for things like that. I wish the Shoebox was still around.
1st Alternate: Ferguson Hall
The Captain’s Log reported in Fall 2000 that the Freeman Center, CNU's new sports center, was delayed in opening: “ “I feel badly for our volleyball team,” [Coach C.J.] Wollum said. “They have to open their season in the Ferguson gym, but we’ve made several improvements to make it more tolerable.” The gym has been used heavily for practices by many of the other sports teams, leaving it in rough condition. However, fans can expect to see refinished floors and renovated bleachers. New sleeves for the volleyball court were installed and a portable P.A. and part of the scoreboard in Ratcliffe were moved to Ferguson.”[28]
Spooky Sculptures
Currently on display in the Trible Library are a series of bronze sculptures of prominent Indigenous figures. These were created by Norfolk-based artist Griffin Chiles. In October 1999, the Falk Gallery held an exhibition of her work. At the opening reception, she gifted 23 of these to CNU. As to why, “I thought the university would be interested in having them for the Center for the Arts,” explained Chiles. After the Falk Gallery exhibit, the sculptures moved around a bit, including a stint at Ferguson Hall. Due to their lifelike detail, one of the Ferguson housekeeping staff was frightened by them one night and subsequently quit.[29]
CNU’s Chiles collection now contains over 50 busts. To learn more about her and her works, visit https://cnu.libguides.com/chiles.
 |
| CNU's Chiles collection on display in the Trible Library, 2019. |
The Ferguson from Space!
As CNU President Paul Trible recalled, “In one of my early conversations with a representative of the press, I got a bit carried away when I was talking about the Pei colonnade. And I said, you know, when the astronauts are flying across space and they look down, they’re going to see two man-made objects. They’re gonna see the Great Wall of China, and they’re gonna see the colonnade at Christopher Newport University.”[30] Neither the Great Wall of China or CNU’s colonnade are viewable from space.[31]
Visiting the Center On-Line!
CNU offered a virtual tour online of the yet-to-be-named Center for the Arts in 2003. A press release excitedly described the experience: “Traverse The Colonnade, a 900-foot walkway and plaza facing Warwick Boulevard. Travel through the Main Lobby, a spectacular public gathering space that will accommodate over 1,000 people; gaze up at the five-story glass atrium or explore the 1,700-seat Concert Hall and find out which of the three seating levels provides the best views.”[32]
Dyeing for you to Enroll
From a September 2004 Daily Press article: “Executive Director William R. Biddle proudly points out that the center includes many "extras" not found in most university performing spaces. An elaborate dyeing vat backstage could almost serve as a marketing tool, he said, in attracting prospective students who want to learn that special costuming theater craft.”[33]
Andrea Bocelli Booking Shenanigans
There's a whole article on the hoops the center had to jump through to get Bocelli to perform at the Ferguson. Check it out!
Abandoned Ferguson
When the originally-planned Fine Arts gallery complex did not come to fruition, CNU closed off the two disused gym spaces and their support spaces. They were allowed to decay. There were holes in the roof, broken windows, bird poop, buckling wooden gym floors, expired paint, disused Concert Hall carpeting, broken drumsticks, and murals of Mariners from the building’s high school days. For many years, curious students found ways to break in. After a while, CNU caught on and boarded up many of the entrances to deter such activities. These abandoned spaces were finally dealt with in 2019, when one gym was demolished, and the rest was renovated into a usable rehearsal hall and offices.
The following photos were all taken in the early 2010's:
I’ve previously written the history of the Yoder Barn Theatre, check it out!
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| Yoder Barn Theatre |
From Masonic Lodge to Hook-less Statue
Some may seem confused why I don’t write about the Christopher Newport statue that sits on the corner next to the Ferguson Center. Well, that corner was never part of the high school’s land. In November 1954, the Warwick Freemasons bought 2 acres on the corner to build their Lodge. In 1956, the Warwick School Board approached the Freemasons to propose exchanging land in order to straighten the border between the properties. They offered 6,315 square feet for 24,932 square feet of the Mason’s. The Masons sent back a counteroffer with a more equal exchange of land. The Board rejected the offer, and so that was that. The Masons built their Lodge in 1963. In 2003, they sold the building due to the Warwick Boulevard widening project “and the expansion of Christopher Newport University campus.” They moved into a room at the Newport News Scottish Rite Center. Their former Lodge building was demolished soon after being sold. The two-armed Christopher Newport statue was installed on the plot of land in 2007.[34]
Elements
Installed in 2008 on the roundabout next to the Ferguson Center is the lovely marble sculpture titled Elements.
Along with the above video, learn more about the sculpture HERE.
The George Joseph Hillow III Arts Garden
Go on a video tour of the Arts Garden c. 2010 with its namesake and co-creator, George Hillow!
The Peninsula Fine Arts Center Merger to CNU
[I kept going back and forth on how much of the story of the Torggler Center (and the Peninsula Fine Arts Center) should be included in my main paper. As I’ve been working on this paper on-and-off for 9 years, the Torggler changed from a Ferguson expansion to its own separate building. Only once I started writing about the Torggler’s grand opening did I realize that it no longer had much to do with the Ferguson. It now has its own separate history in a separate, yet neighboring, building. At one point, all of the below information would have been very relevant to include. Now, not so. Here are the cut portions of the paper.]
 |
| Peninsula Fine Arts Center building |
For the time being PFAC would continue their day-to-day operations with some CNU assistance.[35] CNU would start raising money to build its new arts center.
[Time jump to 2016…]
On the fine arts front, CNU received an initial $49 million in state funds to build its new Fine Arts Center. During the design process, the center’s proposed location along the backside of the Ferguson Center was determined to be too tight to fit everything that would be needed. It was then decided to move the Fine Arts Center to the right of the Ferguson, where a parking lot was located. This new plot not only had enough space for everything the Fine Arts Center needed, but it would allow for the Ferguson Center’s colonnade to extend to the length that Pei Cobb Freed & Partners had originally envisioned.[36]
On the fine arts front, CNU received an initial $49 million in state funds to build its new Fine Arts Center. During the design process, the center’s proposed location along the backside of the Ferguson Center was determined to be too tight to fit everything that would be needed. It was then decided to move the Fine Arts Center to the right of the Ferguson, where a parking lot was located. This new plot not only had enough space for everything the Fine Arts Center needed, but it would allow for the Ferguson Center’s colonnade to extend to the length that Pei Cobb Freed & Partners had originally envisioned.[36]
The Fine Arts Center was designed by Glavé & Holmes, a Richmond-based architectural firm that had designed much of CNU’s classically-inspired buildings and its current campus master plan. The building would straddle the border of architectural styles of the campus – the campus-facing side would exhibit a three-story Neo-Georgian façade with columns, while the Ferguson-facing façade would match the performing arts building’s modern contemporary style and sweeping colonnade. Serving as a complimentary endpoint to the Concert Hall’s glass lobby, the Arts Center’s entrance would be marked by three glass domes. These would be reminiscent of spinnaker sails and the CNU logo. Inside would be galleries, a lecture hall, specialized classrooms and studios, and more. Its groundbreaking was held in January 2019, with an opening set for 2021.[37]
[Time jump to 2020…]
Largely unhindered by the 2020 global pandemic, construction on the Fine Arts Center continued at a steady pace. In October 2020, it was announced the new Center’s Executive Director would be Holly Koons. Holly Koons had previously been the Executive Director at the Arlington Arts Center in Northern Virginia.[38] A few months later came the announcement the Center would be called the Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center. ““It is fitting that the center bears the name of Mary M. Torggler, an artist and collector who is deeply engaged with the visual arts in her own life,” Koons said, “The Torggler Center will embrace beloved programs formerly offered by the Peninsula Fine Arts Center while also presenting exciting new opportunities.”[39] The Center had its ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 23, 2021 over livestream, with an in-person grand opening celebration planned for September. [This later got pushed back a month due to the rise of the COVID-19 Delta variant.] [40]
Largely unhindered by the 2020 global pandemic, construction on the Fine Arts Center continued at a steady pace. In October 2020, it was announced the new Center’s Executive Director would be Holly Koons. Holly Koons had previously been the Executive Director at the Arlington Arts Center in Northern Virginia.[38] A few months later came the announcement the Center would be called the Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center. ““It is fitting that the center bears the name of Mary M. Torggler, an artist and collector who is deeply engaged with the visual arts in her own life,” Koons said, “The Torggler Center will embrace beloved programs formerly offered by the Peninsula Fine Arts Center while also presenting exciting new opportunities.”[39] The Center had its ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 23, 2021 over livestream, with an in-person grand opening celebration planned for September. [This later got pushed back a month due to the rise of the COVID-19 Delta variant.] [40]
To get ready for the opening of the Torggler Center, CNU closed and dissolved PFAC at the end of 2020, after its 48 years as a community hub for the fine arts. The relationship between the institutions had worked well for the first few years after agreeing to merge, but had ended bitterly for PFAC. Their Executive Director Courtney Gardner had not been hired, there was still uncertainty of the continuation of community programs, and it was unclear how the legacy of PFAC would be remembered in the new building.[41] “We basically agreed to a dissolution of the Peninsula Fine Arts Center into joining into a potential partnership with Christopher Newport University,” said Gardner, “That has not worked out as we thought, though there is a beautiful facility being built on the campus and it will house a wonderful gallery and classrooms. We are happy that some fine arts center will still exist on the Peninsula.”[42]
 |
| A plaque honoring PFAC's memory has been installed on the Torggler Center's second floor [It erroneously lists 2021 as its last year of operation. PFAC closed to the public late December 2020.] |
Ferguson Memorial Mural
During my final semester in 2015, I started tossing around an idea for a physical memorial for Warwick Junior High/Ferguson High. Usually, when a school building is reused or replaced, its past is memorialized in some way. I wanted to honor the building’s past service and alumni, and to give character and art to my favorite campus building. I gathered support and was able to get approval to bring my dream to fruition.
The Memorial Mural is above Ferguson High School’s original main staircase. The stairs are now located in the classroom section of the Ferguson Center. The design is based off of the 1982 Mariner yearbook cover. The time depicted on the clock (10:04) was suggested by alumna Laura Johnson on the Ferguson HS Alumni page: “the clock was stopped at that time for as long as I can remember.”[43]
 |
| Ferguson Memorial Mural |
Thanks to former CNU VP Bill Brauer for CNU operations support, Dr. John Nichols for guidance, and Emily-Grace Rowson and Kathleen Veer for painting it with me!
Ferguson's Unbuilt Fine Arts Wing Part 2
Before the Torggler became a separate building, Glavé & Holmes initially designed the fine arts wing to be placed along the back of the Ferguson Center. Here is what that was planned to look like: |
| Fine arts wings concept art, circa 2016 by Glavé & Holmes Image courtesy of CNU OCPR. |
Colonnade Fun Facts
When the Ferguson colonnade was extended in 2020, I asked CNU’s Executive Vice President Bill Brauer for some fun facts about them:
Money Talks
The Torggler Fine Arts Center cost $60 million, more than the original Ferguson Center, which was $57.6 Million. However, if you factor in inflation, the Ferguson’s $57.6 Million in 2005 would have been nearly $78 Million in 2021. Inversely, the $60 Million Torggler Center would have cost $44 Million in 2005.[45]
Atrium Naming
When the Ferguson colonnade was extended in 2020, I asked CNU’s Executive Vice President Bill Brauer for some fun facts about them:
- The 2020 colonnade pieces were constructed in Michigan.
- It took 3 days to fabricate each piece, which would then cure for 5-7 days.
- The pieces traveled around 700 miles to reach CNU.
- Each support leg of the colonnade archway weighed 13,550 lbs.
- It took about a day and a half to get an entire archway section (four leg pieces and the roof) installed on site.
- If the colonnade was built as a complete circle, its radius would be 329’ 8.5”![44]
 |
| Lifting a piece of the colonnade into place, July 2020 |
 |
| A photoshopped imagining if the colonnade was a complete circle Map Data: Google Earth |
The Torggler Fine Arts Center cost $60 million, more than the original Ferguson Center, which was $57.6 Million. However, if you factor in inflation, the Ferguson’s $57.6 Million in 2005 would have been nearly $78 Million in 2021. Inversely, the $60 Million Torggler Center would have cost $44 Million in 2005.[45]
Atrium Naming
Only after I had posted the history article did I hear that the concert hall's lobby had been recently christened. Whoops! On May 9, 2022, the lobby was named the Jane Susan and Joe Frank Atrium. Read More...
Acknowledgements
This trilogy of articles would not be here without a lot of special people.
Firstly, thank you to Dr. Laura Grace Godwin, for throwing out the idea for a write-up on the history of the Ferguson Center during a one-on-one back in 2013. Nine years later, here it finally is, a larger and more-expanded version than what either of us ever expected!
Thank you to M. Baxter Vendrick, Jr., who encouraged me almost two years ago to refocus my efforts on finishing the paper after I had taken a break from it. Thank you also for being my contact for coordinating the paper's release with CNU. What's next?
Thank you to those who aided me immensely on my research quest -- Kim Hinton with Newport News Public Schools, the late Amy Boykin at the Trible Library, and Chrystal Bucchioni with Newport News Public Library. So many of my sources came from the resources and tools you all were able to share with me. Thank you so much.
Thank you to my proofreaders/editors, Chrystal Bucchioni and my parents; and to my sensitivity reading consultant Sereia Spinner! I always try to write
Finally, thank you to all the alumni and staff from Warwick Junior High School and Ferguson High/Hall/Center that I have come into contact with. Thank you for sharing your memories and insight on this building's storied past.
Companion Articles
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[1] Native Land interactive map, retrieved 4 October 2021. https://native-land.ca/ ; We Have a Story to Tell - The Native Peoples of the Chesapeake Region. National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institute. 2006. Retrieved 4 October 2021. https://americanindian.si.edu/sites/1/files/pdf/education/chesapeake.pdf
[2] “Obstacles Cleared For New Warwick Jr. High School,” Daily Press, 7 July 1955; “5 Suits Filed For Warwick School Site,” Daily Press, 5 January 1955; “ ‘Bob White’, Concrete Horse Patiently Serves The Public,” Daily Press, 14 June 1954; Knight, J.H. “Court To Decide Fair Price For Proposed School Site,” New Journal and Guide, 15 January 1955; “Board Acquires Last Acreage Needed For Warwick School Site,” Daily Press, 27 May 1955; Mayo, Samuel N. Warwick Junior High School, Site Clearing Plan. 22 July 1955. CNU Architects’ Office; City of Warwick, Virginia, Deed Books (42: 201-210, 473-475; 43: 489-490; 50: 537-541; 53: 401-403), 1955. Via City of Newport News Circuit Court; U.S. Census Bureau (2022). 1950 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 01 April 2022. https://1950census.archives.gov/search/?county=Warwick&page=1&size=100&state=VA
[3] Damron, Robert S. “Indian Artifacts Given To School,” Daily Press, 19 May 1957
[4] “Junior High Gets Washington Picture,” Daily Press, 9 February 1957; “SS George Washington,” Wikipedia. Retrieved 17 September 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_George_Washington; "Special Washington Exhibit To Be Held At Mariners' Museum," Daily Press, 19 February 1950.
[5] “Short Circuit Triggers Civil Defense Alarm,” Daily Press, 6 November 1959.
[6] “A History of Planetariums,” YouTube, uploaded by American Museum of Natural History, 12 March 2020. https://youtu.be/mggqA0FcepI; Newhouse, Kara “A brief history of school planetariums in Lancaster County,” LancasterOnline, 3 January 2016, updated 6 December 2016; School Board of the City of Newport News. Regular Meeting. 29 November 1962; “VLM’s Founders: the Life behind the Living Museum,” Virginia Living Museum. Retrieved 25 April 2021. https://thevlm.org/vlms-founders-the-life-behind-the-living-museum/
[7] Willoz-Egnor, Jeanne. Mariners’ Museum email correspondence, December 2014; Joyce, Skipper. Ferguson High School Class of 1963 phone correspondence. 7 May 2021; “Students Give Anchor New Home,” Daily Press, 31 March 1963; “Danforth, Richard S., 1885-1962,” Dartmouth Library Archives & Manuscripts. Retrieved 16 February 2022. https://archives-manuscripts.dartmouth.edu/agents/people/1933
[8] Keyser, Seridan T “Running A School Cafeteria Is Difficult But Rewarding Local Manager Asserts,” Daily Press, 22 February 1965.
[9] Chernicky, David “Men Suspected in Drug Ring been Acquainted for Years,” Daily Press, 15 July 1989.
[10] Ferguson High School. The Mariner, 1967. Print. Virginiana Room, Newport News Public Library.
[3] Damron, Robert S. “Indian Artifacts Given To School,” Daily Press, 19 May 1957
[4] “Junior High Gets Washington Picture,” Daily Press, 9 February 1957; “SS George Washington,” Wikipedia. Retrieved 17 September 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_George_Washington; "Special Washington Exhibit To Be Held At Mariners' Museum," Daily Press, 19 February 1950.
[5] “Short Circuit Triggers Civil Defense Alarm,” Daily Press, 6 November 1959.
[6] “A History of Planetariums,” YouTube, uploaded by American Museum of Natural History, 12 March 2020. https://youtu.be/mggqA0FcepI; Newhouse, Kara “A brief history of school planetariums in Lancaster County,” LancasterOnline, 3 January 2016, updated 6 December 2016; School Board of the City of Newport News. Regular Meeting. 29 November 1962; “VLM’s Founders: the Life behind the Living Museum,” Virginia Living Museum. Retrieved 25 April 2021. https://thevlm.org/vlms-founders-the-life-behind-the-living-museum/
[7] Willoz-Egnor, Jeanne. Mariners’ Museum email correspondence, December 2014; Joyce, Skipper. Ferguson High School Class of 1963 phone correspondence. 7 May 2021; “Students Give Anchor New Home,” Daily Press, 31 March 1963; “Danforth, Richard S., 1885-1962,” Dartmouth Library Archives & Manuscripts. Retrieved 16 February 2022. https://archives-manuscripts.dartmouth.edu/agents/people/1933
[8] Keyser, Seridan T “Running A School Cafeteria Is Difficult But Rewarding Local Manager Asserts,” Daily Press, 22 February 1965.
[9] Chernicky, David “Men Suspected in Drug Ring been Acquainted for Years,” Daily Press, 15 July 1989.
[10] Ferguson High School. The Mariner, 1967. Print. Virginiana Room, Newport News Public Library.
[11] “Student, 15, Dies In Class At Ferguson,” Daily Press, 18 January 1968.
[12] Ferguson High School. The Mariner, 1968. Print. Virginiana Room, Newport News Public Library; “Rebecca Sue Fisher,” Iowa Gravestones. Retrieved 24 July 2021. https://iowagravestones.org/gs_view.php?id=654498
[13] Homer L Ferguson High School Alumni Facebook Group Page [now known as Ferguson & Woodside High Schools Thespian Troupe 1629 Alumni -- NN, VA]. Discussion thread re: Rebecca Fisher, Facebook, 8 October 2020, 2:26pm. https://www.facebook.com/groups/fergusonhighalumni. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
[12] Ferguson High School. The Mariner, 1968. Print. Virginiana Room, Newport News Public Library; “Rebecca Sue Fisher,” Iowa Gravestones. Retrieved 24 July 2021. https://iowagravestones.org/gs_view.php?id=654498
[13] Homer L Ferguson High School Alumni Facebook Group Page [now known as Ferguson & Woodside High Schools Thespian Troupe 1629 Alumni -- NN, VA]. Discussion thread re: Rebecca Fisher, Facebook, 8 October 2020, 2:26pm. https://www.facebook.com/groups/fergusonhighalumni. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
[14] Bahr, Katie “Rumors float about Ferguson H.S. ghost,” The Captain’s Log, 25 October 2006.
[15] Staryk, Cory “Possible supernatural appearances in Ferguson Hall investigated,” The Captain’s Log, 26 October 1998.
[16] Ferguson & Woodside High Schools Thespian Troupe 1629 Alumni -- NN, VA Facebook Group Page. Discussion thread re: Pat Quinn traditions and rituals, Facebook, 18 March 2022, 8:02am. https://www.facebook.com/groups/56548334263. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
[17] “Computer Club NOVA 1200,” The Windjammer, 31 October 1974.
[18] “FHS Enters Computer Age,” The Windjammer, March-April 1983.
[19] Stephens, LaShone “Update: Drug Bust,” The Windjammer, February 1982.
[20] Avdlette, Larry “Council to consider curbs on residential construction,” Daily Press, 22 October 1985.
[21] “Ferguson High School Closing: Ferguson Memories,” Daily Press, 9 June 1996.
[22] Seward, Angela “Then and now,” Daily Press, 8 July 1996; Loepp, Donald “Principal follows through on attempt to ban book from school,” Daily Press, 23 July 1986; Leopp, Donald “’Color Purple’ fails to entice student readers,” Daily Press, 16 June 1987.
[23] “Buying a part of NN history,” Daily Press, 9 June 1996.
[24] “I. M. Pei,” Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, retrieved 1 August 2021. https://www.pcf-p.com/about/i-m-pei/
[25] Gardner, Linwood. Interview 2014; Nicholson, David “Cnu Expects To Open New Concert Hall On Time,” Daily Press, 3 September 2005.
[26] Strube, Richard “Student Struck on crosswalk,” The Captain’s Log, 7 December 1998; Strube, Richard “Update: Shoe Lane accident victim recoving and thankful,” The Captain’s Log, 15 February 1999.
[27] Willcox, Justin, Facebook Messenger correspondence to author, 7-15 March 2022; Christopher Newport College. Ferguson High School Acquisition Report. 1990. Newport News, VA; Sweet, Tanya, Email to author, 24 May 2021; Downs, Adam, Email to author, 1 January 2013; Devlin, Danny, Email to author, 28 December 2012; Santomauro, Denise, Email to author, 28 December 2012; Brooks, Allen, Email to author, 28 December 2012.
[28] Bailey, John “Convocation Center Update,” The Captain’s Log, 5 September 2000.
[29] “Griffin Chiles Native American Statues: Gallery” LibGuides, CNU. Retrieved 8/23/2021. https://cnu.libguides.com/chiles; “Artist’s love for American Indians inspires work of art,” The Mariner [CNU Magazine publication], February/March 2000; Gardner, Linwood. Interview 2014; Brauer, Bill. Interview 3 October 2019.
[30] Trible Jr., Paul “State of the University 2017,” YouTube, uploaded by ChristopherNewportU, 5 September 2017. https://youtu.be/kSsLyl22bS0.
[31] “China’s Wall Less Great in View from Space,” NASA, 9 May 2005. Accessed 25 March 2022. https://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/workinginspace/great_wall.html
[32] Yancey, Margaret “CNU Launches Virtual Tour of Center for the Arts,” CNU News Release, 31 January 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20040423110845/http://explore.cnu.edu/universityrelations/mediaservices/newsreleases/2003/0103virtualtour.html. Accessed 16 February 2022.
[33] Nicholson, David “Opening Night Venue has World-Class Potential,” Daily Press, 1 September 2004.
[34] “Lodge Buys 2-Acre Plot On Route 60,” Daily Press, 11 November 1954; City of Warwick School Board. Regular Meeting. 8 August 1956; City of Warwick School Board. Regular Meeting. 12 September 1956; “Lodge History,” Warwick Lodge No. 336, A.F. & A.M., https://warwicklodge336.wordpress.com/lodge-history/; Barisic, Sonja “Historians: Give Newport statue the hook,” Richmond Times-Dispatch, 14 September 2007.
[35] Erickson, Mark St. John “Arts center weighs move to CNU,” Daily Press, 21 February 2000; Chiglinsky, Katherine “Arts merger cited as strategic move,” Daily Press, 24 July 2013; Pawlowski, Sarah J. “CNU reveals merger contract with Peninsula Fine Arts Center,” Daily Press, 15 August 2013; Jones, Matt “Peninsula Fine Arts Center will close at end of year as CNU takeover enters final stages,” Daily Press, 4 September 2020; Jones, Matt “Peninsula Fine Arts Center will close at end of year as CNU takeover enters final stages,” Daily Press, 4 September 2020.
[36] Trible Jr, Paul “State of Christopher Newport,” YouTube, uploaded by ChristopherNewportU, 16 August 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keSV8F9BMOc; Holmes Jr, H. Randolph “Fine Arts Center Sneak Preview” YouTube, uploaded by ChristopherNewportU, 1 October 2020, https://youtu.be/cH9csXXfQSI; Trible Jr, Paul “State of The University,” YouTube, uploaded by ChristopherNewportU, 5 September 2017, https://youtu.be/kSsLyl22bS0.
[37] Holmes Jr, H. Randolph “Fine Arts Center Sneak Preview” YouTube, uploaded by ChristopherNewportU, 1 October 2020, https://youtu.be/cH9csXXfQSI; Jones, Matt “CNU breaks ground on $57.6 million fine arts center,” Daily Press, 15 February 2019.
[38] Hanchett, Jim “Inaugural Fine Arts Center Director Appointed,” CNU Newsroom, 12 October 2020.
[39] Hanchett, Jim “University Names New Fine Arts Center for Mary M. Torggler,” CNU Newsroom, 14 December 2020.
[40] Baker, Barrett “Torggler Center Eyes September Opening Date,” Peninsula Chronicle, 5 April 2021; personal recollection.
[41] Jones, Matt “Peninsula Fine Arts Center will close at end of year as CNU takeover enters final stages,” Daily Press, 4 September 2020.
[42] Maisey, Jeff “SURREAL: Pfac Goes Out on Top,” VEER Magazine, 20 November 2020.
[43] Homer L Ferguson High School Alumni Facebook Group. Laura Johnson comments on A.J. Jelonek post, 1 March 2015, 12:22pm. https://www.facebook.com/groups/fergusonhighalumni. Retrieved on 1 August 2021.
[44] Brauer, Bill, Email to author, 27 July 2020.
[45] Inflation Calculator. Retrieved 25 April 2021. https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/
[15] Staryk, Cory “Possible supernatural appearances in Ferguson Hall investigated,” The Captain’s Log, 26 October 1998.
[16] Ferguson & Woodside High Schools Thespian Troupe 1629 Alumni -- NN, VA Facebook Group Page. Discussion thread re: Pat Quinn traditions and rituals, Facebook, 18 March 2022, 8:02am. https://www.facebook.com/groups/56548334263. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
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[21] “Ferguson High School Closing: Ferguson Memories,” Daily Press, 9 June 1996.
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[26] Strube, Richard “Student Struck on crosswalk,” The Captain’s Log, 7 December 1998; Strube, Richard “Update: Shoe Lane accident victim recoving and thankful,” The Captain’s Log, 15 February 1999.
[27] Willcox, Justin, Facebook Messenger correspondence to author, 7-15 March 2022; Christopher Newport College. Ferguson High School Acquisition Report. 1990. Newport News, VA; Sweet, Tanya, Email to author, 24 May 2021; Downs, Adam, Email to author, 1 January 2013; Devlin, Danny, Email to author, 28 December 2012; Santomauro, Denise, Email to author, 28 December 2012; Brooks, Allen, Email to author, 28 December 2012.
[28] Bailey, John “Convocation Center Update,” The Captain’s Log, 5 September 2000.
[29] “Griffin Chiles Native American Statues: Gallery” LibGuides, CNU. Retrieved 8/23/2021. https://cnu.libguides.com/chiles; “Artist’s love for American Indians inspires work of art,” The Mariner [CNU Magazine publication], February/March 2000; Gardner, Linwood. Interview 2014; Brauer, Bill. Interview 3 October 2019.
[30] Trible Jr., Paul “State of the University 2017,” YouTube, uploaded by ChristopherNewportU, 5 September 2017. https://youtu.be/kSsLyl22bS0.
[31] “China’s Wall Less Great in View from Space,” NASA, 9 May 2005. Accessed 25 March 2022. https://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/workinginspace/great_wall.html
[32] Yancey, Margaret “CNU Launches Virtual Tour of Center for the Arts,” CNU News Release, 31 January 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20040423110845/http://explore.cnu.edu/universityrelations/mediaservices/newsreleases/2003/0103virtualtour.html. Accessed 16 February 2022.
[33] Nicholson, David “Opening Night Venue has World-Class Potential,” Daily Press, 1 September 2004.
[34] “Lodge Buys 2-Acre Plot On Route 60,” Daily Press, 11 November 1954; City of Warwick School Board. Regular Meeting. 8 August 1956; City of Warwick School Board. Regular Meeting. 12 September 1956; “Lodge History,” Warwick Lodge No. 336, A.F. & A.M., https://warwicklodge336.wordpress.com/lodge-history/; Barisic, Sonja “Historians: Give Newport statue the hook,” Richmond Times-Dispatch, 14 September 2007.
[35] Erickson, Mark St. John “Arts center weighs move to CNU,” Daily Press, 21 February 2000; Chiglinsky, Katherine “Arts merger cited as strategic move,” Daily Press, 24 July 2013; Pawlowski, Sarah J. “CNU reveals merger contract with Peninsula Fine Arts Center,” Daily Press, 15 August 2013; Jones, Matt “Peninsula Fine Arts Center will close at end of year as CNU takeover enters final stages,” Daily Press, 4 September 2020; Jones, Matt “Peninsula Fine Arts Center will close at end of year as CNU takeover enters final stages,” Daily Press, 4 September 2020.
[36] Trible Jr, Paul “State of Christopher Newport,” YouTube, uploaded by ChristopherNewportU, 16 August 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keSV8F9BMOc; Holmes Jr, H. Randolph “Fine Arts Center Sneak Preview” YouTube, uploaded by ChristopherNewportU, 1 October 2020, https://youtu.be/cH9csXXfQSI; Trible Jr, Paul “State of The University,” YouTube, uploaded by ChristopherNewportU, 5 September 2017, https://youtu.be/kSsLyl22bS0.
[37] Holmes Jr, H. Randolph “Fine Arts Center Sneak Preview” YouTube, uploaded by ChristopherNewportU, 1 October 2020, https://youtu.be/cH9csXXfQSI; Jones, Matt “CNU breaks ground on $57.6 million fine arts center,” Daily Press, 15 February 2019.
[38] Hanchett, Jim “Inaugural Fine Arts Center Director Appointed,” CNU Newsroom, 12 October 2020.
[39] Hanchett, Jim “University Names New Fine Arts Center for Mary M. Torggler,” CNU Newsroom, 14 December 2020.
[40] Baker, Barrett “Torggler Center Eyes September Opening Date,” Peninsula Chronicle, 5 April 2021; personal recollection.
[41] Jones, Matt “Peninsula Fine Arts Center will close at end of year as CNU takeover enters final stages,” Daily Press, 4 September 2020.
[42] Maisey, Jeff “SURREAL: Pfac Goes Out on Top,” VEER Magazine, 20 November 2020.
[43] Homer L Ferguson High School Alumni Facebook Group. Laura Johnson comments on A.J. Jelonek post, 1 March 2015, 12:22pm. https://www.facebook.com/groups/fergusonhighalumni. Retrieved on 1 August 2021.
[44] Brauer, Bill, Email to author, 27 July 2020.
[45] Inflation Calculator. Retrieved 25 April 2021. https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/
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