Alice Reid Calloway was a reserved, soft-spoken woman. At the same time, she had no trouble standing up in opposition of injustice. “At times, when it was necessary, she was assertive in a way that commanded your attention,“ said longtime friend Thomasina T. Binga. “When she felt very strongly about an issue, she certainly could address it with aplomb.“

A symposium yesterday at the state Capitol on the Massive Resistance era in Virginia highlighted the struggles of young students—and the heroes and villains in the struggle to integrate the state’s public schools in the 1950s and beyond. In his 1970 inaugural address, Gov. Linwood Holton declared that the policy of Massive Resistance—a concerted effort by the state and local governments to resist integration—was over. Holton later sent his children to public schools in Richmond.

With continued academic woes and pressing budget concerns in mind, Richmond school administrators are asking the School Board to close Chandler Middle School. A public forum to discuss the proposal starts today at 10 a.m. at the school. The school has historical significance—in 1960, it was the first city school to be integrated.