Virgil Blossom (1907-1965)

Virgil Blossom was born in 1907 in Brookfield, Missouri. He attended college at Missouri Valley College where he majored in education, and received an athletic scholarship. He pursued education for several years after graduating in 1930, taking classes at the University of Arkansas and Northwestern University. In 1953, after having served as school system Superintendent in Oklahoma, he moved to Little Rock, Arkansas to become the Superintendent there. There, he was an advocate of integration. After the Brown v. Board of Education decision, plans went into effect to integrate Central High School in Little Rock. In 1957, nine African American children enrolled at Central and as Superintendent, Blossom played a major role during this time. He wrote a series of articles detailing the crisis. He continued to write after the crisis, which took him to New York, then San Antonio, Texas where he pursued education farther. He died in 1965.

Civil Rights Era

Blossom is revered for dedication to the cause of equality, particularly well illustrated in the "Blossom Plan" which was named after him, and pushed for incremental integration. The cautious outlook reflected his intentions to what would be most reasonable. Blossom's plan was meticulously detailed and suggested that it could take years, even decades, to fully integrate the Little Rock school system. Today he is remembered for his insight and determination.

Bibliography

Information for this biography was gathered from the following source:

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