In the early 1950s, the Springfield area was a hotbed of new home construction. Sprawling suburban growth placed significant pressure on Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) because there was very little funding for school construction. In November 1956, the Fairfax County School Board filed an application for financial aid from the Federal government for six school construction projects, one of which was Edsall Park Elementary School. The project specification report indicated that Edsall Park would have 14 classrooms, a capacity of 420 students, and would cost approximately $385,400 to construct.

Construction Begins

Designed by architect Ray Pentecost of Norfolk, Virginia, Edsall Park Elementary School was built by the John L. Reid Construction Company. Construction began in the fall of 1957, when, on November 5, the School Board awarded the project contract to Reid, Inc. for $382,645. The building was officially given the name Edsall Park Elementary School by the School Board on February 22, 1958.

The First Year

During the summer of 1958, when it became clear that Edsall Park would not be completed in time for the opening of schools in September, the School Board directed that its students be housed temporarily at Springfield Estates Elementary School. In August 1958, Sam S. Willis, a graduate of Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee, was appointed Edsall Park’s first principal.

"I was part of the first 1st grade in 1958. I remember beginning the year at Springfield Estates because Edsall Park was not ready for occupancy. It was a “big day” when we moved into our new school. Mrs. Stull was my teacher (we had a 1st-2nd combo class) and she let us explore the classroom and open all the cupboards. It was also exciting because I could now walk to school instead of riding the school bus." ~ Joan Wilson, EP (Edsall Park) Gang Facebook Group

The First Addition

Thelma Grogan became the second principal of Edsall Park Elementary School in 1961. In June 1963, the School Board hired the architecture firm of Dixon & Norman to design an addition to Edsall Park. The addition was to include seven classrooms, storage space, and a teacher workroom. Preliminary plans were approved by the Board in February 1964, and the addition was completed shortly after the start of the 1964-65 school year. At that time, FCPS had an enrollment of about 87,000 students, 3,400 teachers, and 119 schools.

"Edsall Park School Sets Yule Program – “The Many Faces of Christmas,” a program of Christmas music and customs from ten foreign lands, will be presented tonight by the fifth grade classes of Edsall Park Elementary School. The program, coordinated by Mrs. Linda J. Hopkins and Mrs. Marguerite J. Ballenger, will be held in the school cafeteria." ~ The Evening Star, December 16, 1964

"The lunch served was a hot meal, fully cooked in the school kitchen. I remember the ladies wearing white uniforms and hair nets!  We went through the lunch line and got trays, actual melamine plates and real silverware. The menu was sent home each month and my brother and I would decide which days we wanted to buy and which days we would bring our lunch. Grilled cheese and tomato soup was one of my favorite lunches. The mac and cheese was great, too. At the end of lunch, students would take their trays up to a conveyor belt and send it back to the kitchen for the ladies to wash everything." ~ Joan Wilson, EP (Edsall Park) Gang Facebook Group

That Tragic Day

The events of November 22, 1963, the day President Kennedy was assassinated, loom large in the memories of Fairfax County Public Schools alumni. Former Edsall Park students shared their recollections of that tragic day.

"Mrs. Stull, third grade, 1963… I can still see her, with a tear in her eyes, wheeling the black and white TV into our classroom and turning on Special Report as Walter Cronkite reported on the assassination of President Kennedy. That was a true learning experience for a little kid." ~ Dwight E. Kiser, EP (Edsall Park) Gang Facebook Group

"I had Ms. Ross in 6th grade … wheeling in the black and white TV, also crying when JFK was assassinated. It was awful. Then I got home and my parents were crying too." ~ Helene K. Harvell, EP (Edsall Park) Gang Facebook Group

"I was in first grade with Mrs. Crane. Every teacher was crying as we watched on the tall TV. They let us out early. I remember it was a beautiful, clear chilly day." ~ Christopher Harmon, EP (Edsall Park) Gang Facebook Group

A Pilot Program

Prior to 1960, when FCPS opened its first intermediate schools, elementary school education in FCPS consisted of grades one through seven. The introduction of kindergarten in elementary schools occurred later in the decade. In 1967, FCPS piloted a kindergarten program in seven schools, one of which was Edsall Park Elementary School. The program proved so successful that kindergarten was adopted county-wide the following school year. Approximately 8,100 children enrolled in kindergarten classes in the fall of 1968.

"I adored Miss Sweetlik. First Grade. She had us sign some fabric at the beginning of the year, and at the end of the year came in wearing a dress made out of that fabric with our names on it!" ~ Joline Pinto Atkins, EP (Edsall Park) Gang Facebook Group

"At recess we played a lot of kickball, dodgeball, Red Rover and Steal the Bacon. The playground had swings, seesaws, pull-up bars, a jungle gym, and a large blacktop. Edsall Park Elementary was surrounded by woods and I remember picking sassafras and our teacher boiling it to make sassafras tea so we could all taste it." ~ Joan Wilson, EP (Edsall Park) Gang Facebook Group

Edsall Park Closes

In 1970, Thelma Grogan left Edsall Park to become the principal of Marshall Road Elementary School. She was succeeded by Helen McDowell, who had previously been the principal of Annandale and Columbia elementary schools.

From 1972 to 1978, the principal of Edsall Park Elementary School was Jay Regenia Dalton. She was succeeded by Mary E. Krash, who led the school until its closure. In 1977, Principal Dalton filed a report indicating how the classrooms at Edsall Park were being used. The school had a room for band and strings, a room for physical education for first and second graders and a separate dual P.E. classroom for the upper grades, two self-contained classrooms for students with learning disabilities, a reading lab, a speech therapy room, and a math resource room. Two classrooms were also being used by the FCPS Adult Education Apprenticeship Training Program.

"Miss Ward was my first grade teacher. I just remember how kind she was. I also remember walking to school from Montgomery Street with my brothers. It was such a big deal to me having to wait for the crossing guard and patrols to cross Edsall Road." ~ Jimmy Powers, EP (Edsall Park) Gang Facebook Group

In March 1978, Norma Wilson, a representative of the Edsall Park Civic Association, addressed the School Board and stated that the association was deeply concerned about the declining enrollment at Edsall Park Elementary School. The association requested an adjustment of the school’s boundaries to increase enrollment. Declining enrollment was not unique to Edsall Park. Many school communities in eastern Fairfax County that had seen rapid growth during the post-World War II baby boom were also faced with many empty classrooms.

Edsall Park Elementary School Enrollment

The following data comes from a report prepared by FCPS in 1980.

In March 1980, the School Board initiated a school closure study. Edsall Park was placed in a group of schools called Cluster C, which also included Annandale Terrace, Braddock, Bren Mar Park, Columbia, North Springfield, and Weyanoke elementary schools. In April 1980, Penny Gross, a member of the Cluster C Community Advisory Committee, advised the School Board that the committee’s major recommendation was the closure of Edsall Park Elementary School. On May 22, 1980, Edsall Park was one of seven elementary schools chosen for permanent closure by the Board at the end of the school year. Community members initiated a lawsuit in an attempt to overturn the decision but were unsuccessful.

A Fairfax County Circuit Court judge yesterday upheld the county school board's decision to close Edsall Park Elementary School. Though sympathetic with the citizens who tried to save their small neighborhood school, the judge could find no evidence the school board acted improperly. ~ The Washington Star, August 27, 1980

After the school’s closure, Edsall Park was converted into administrative offices and for many years housed personnel in the school system’s departments of Financial Services and Human Resources. In the mid-2000s, the building was repurposed into a classroom campus for the school system’s Adult and Community Education program.

What’s in a Name?

In September 2008, Edsall Park was renamed the Plum Center for Lifelong Learning. Watch this video to learn about Kenneth Plum, for whom the center was named, and about the history of adult education in Fairfax County.