WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY) — Lois Hornsby — local education, equality, and diversity activist — passed away at 92 on Wednesday.
Hornsby was known in the Williamsburg community for her many roles counseling children, encouraging racial reconciliation, and her time in the ministry.
“Her ongoing interest in world peace and cultural harmony energized her involvement in the international movement ‘Up With People.’ She organized local youth into an interracial musical group called ‘Sing Out Williamsburg’ that would fill the stages of school auditoriums to sing choreographed songs about patriotism, morality, and racial equality,” said her announcement of passing.
Hornsby, who is the mother of musician Bruce Hornsby, worked with her husband Bob to counsel students at the College of William and Mary for twenty years. They worked as advisers to the Christian Science college organization. They also hosted many foreign students from the countries of Chile, Argentina, Sweden, and Japan.
“Lois Saunier Hornsby was a force for education, diversity, and community-building whose impact on the Williamsburg community will be felt for years to come. As an activist for equality and inclusion, she put her beliefs into action by opening the doors to her home to many in the community, including William & Mary students.
“As passionate about education as she was about equality, she endowed a lecture series and helped establish the Virginia Shakespeare Festival on campus. Although we honored Lois while she was living with the Prentis Award and Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, we will continue honoring her by furthering her work to create a more just and inclusive community,” said a William and Mary representative in a statement released on Saturday.
She also chaired numerous PTA councils and was directly involved in minority teacher recruitment for the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools. Hornsby was a founding member of “All Together Williamsburg” — a community organization bridging racial, ethnic, and cultural lines.
In 2010, her distinguished background and work within the community led to her name being selected for the new Lois S. Hornsby Middle School in Williamsburg.
“On behalf of the school board and the entire WJCC Schools family, I would like to offer our heartfelt sympathy to the Hornsby family. Lois S. Hornsby was an unwavering advocate for public education and the arts in our community. She personified the motto ‘service before self,’ and we are all deeply saddened by her passing,” said School Board Chair Lisa Ownby.
“We are proud that one of our schools bears the name of this great woman and we remain committed to the issues of equality, bridging racial gaps, and the recruitment of minority teachers that Mrs. Hornsby championed throughout her life.”
The middle school posted to its website that in her 92 years, Hornsby was driven by faith and her commitment to making the community a better place everyone.
“Mrs. Hornsby was a role model for our students, an advocate for equity, and a compassionate supporter of our school,” said Jessica Ellison, principal of Hornsby Middle School. “Her legacy of service and respect for others will live on at our school and in the hearts of all who learn and work at Lois S. Hornsby Middle School.”
Lois is survived by her sons and their wives Bobby and Ann of Williamsburg, Bruce and Kathy of Williamsburg, and Jonathan and Paige of Charlottesville. She is also survived by seven grandchildren and a great-grandchild named for her.
