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Remembering Thomas Oxendine

First Native American Navy Pilot

Long-time Arlington resident Thomas Oxendine became the first Native American Navy pilot when he enlisted in 1942 following the attack on Pearl Harbor and U.S. entrance into World War II. His distinguished Navy career would bring him to Arlington in 1965 to work at the Pentagon and, later, for the Bureau of Indian Affairs during a period of intense American Indian activism in the 1970s. In 2007, he discussed his fascinating life and career in an oral history interview with the Center for Local History. 

Please note that the phrases “Native American,” “Native,” “American Indian,” and “Indian” are used interchangeably in this blog post. This is aligned with Oxendine’s own use of these phrases, and accounts for the names of organizations and movements that use various terms of identity. For further information, see this guide on terminology prepared by the National Museum of the American Indian. 

A photo of a young Thomas Oxendine.

A young Thomas Oxendine. From the University of North Carolina at Pembroke Indianhead Volume 66, p. 221.

A Lumbee Indian from North Carolina, Thomas (“Tom”) Oxendine was born in 1922 in a small village west of Pembroke. The oldest of eight children, he learned to read and write before he started school at the age of 5, leading him to graduate from Cherokee Indian Normal High School when he was only 15.

He enrolled in Cherokee Normal College (now called the University of North Carolina at Pembroke) to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in education, where he began taking flight courses in a civilian pilot training program funded by aviator Horace Barnes. Despite the U.S. military’s official policy of racial segregation, Barnes had petitioned the government to train ten Native Americans to fly through a program similar to the Black pilot training program that operated out of Tuskegee University.

A photo of Oxendine with another pilot.

Oxendine in flight training. From Hail to UNCP!: A 125-year History of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, p. 102.

Through this three-month course, Oxendine earned his private pilot license at 18, and in 1942 he attempted to enlist in the Navy. At that time, the Navy restricted American Indians from becoming officers. However, to address the Navy’s wartime needs, an exception was made that allowed Oxendine to participate in Navy flight training.

Oxendine built an illustrious career as a Navy pilot, taking part in 33 battles during World War II and earning many medals. This includes the Distinguished Flying Cross, which he was awarded for risking his life to rescue another soldier while under gunfire on Yap Island in 1944 (an excerpt of Oxendine’s interview where he recalls the rescue mission here). 

A newspaper clipping of Thomas Oxendine.

Oxendine received widespread press coverage as the first American Indian Navy pilot. Here, the reporter refers to him as a Cherokee Indian because the Lumbee were at that time part of the National Congress of American Indians under the name “Cherokee Indians of Robeson County.” In 1952, the tribe voted to adopt the name “Lumbee.” From The Flint Journal, December 25, 1942, p. 18.

In 1965, after retiring from two decades of flying, Oxendine received orders to relocate for an assignment at the Pentagon with the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in the Plans Division. As Oxendine prepared to move to Arlington, he received some good advice from a Navy Captain, including how to avoid the dreaded traffic jams on Shirley Highway:

OXENDINE: ...At the end of my career in flying I was assigned as a Deputy Fleet Information Officer at US Pacific Fleet where we put out all of the press releases for what’s going on out in the Pacific. At the end of that tour, I was ordered back for duty at the Pentagon. Never having served in the Pentagon here in Washington, some time a lot of aviators tend to try to avoid that. So, I was in my seventeenth year or so. I received orders to OPNAV [Office of the Chief of Naval Operations] in the Plans Division for contingency planning.

A Navy Captain said: "Ox, I have some good advice for you. Don’t rush back there and try to find a place before the packers so they don’t have to store your goods. Go back, take a month or two, Arna Valley or some place, let them store your things and take your own time about where you want to live because too many people rush back and make quick decisions and then regret that decision the length of time they’re in Arlington.” That was his first bit of advice. Second bit of advice he gave me was: don’t live anywhere where you have to use that Shirley Highway to get to the Pentagon, which is now 395. It was just a four-lane drive at that time. He said twice a day that is a parking lot. The third thing is: " Don’t live anywhere where you have to cross a bridge to get to the Pentagon."

So, putting that all together wind up coming into Arlington and I wound up at 1141 North Harrison Street and I’ve been very happy there. I made that decision. Four miles from the Pentagon and never any problems of commuting.

Oxendines home

Oxendine’s home at 1141 North Harrison, where he lived for 45 years with his wife, Elizabeth Moody Oxendine, and their three sons.

After moving to Arlington, Oxendine became an aviation plans officer for the Office of Information in the Secretary of Defense, then headed the public affairs unit for the Naval Air Systems Command located in Crystal City. In 1970, Oxendine retired from the Navy to become head of the Public Information Office at the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), a position he held for 17 years.

He joined the BIA at a particularly contentious time, as the Red Power Movement ushered in a new age of American Indian activism and increased demands for Indian self-determination. Oxendine’s expertise was sought out under the direction of Commissioner of Indian Affairs Louis R. Bruce Jr., a Mohawk who pushed for the recruitment of Indians to head BIA activities and create policies that could better serve federally recognized tribes.

Oxendine with Chief W.R. Richardson speaking to a tribe.

Tom Oxendine and Chief W. R. Richardson of the Haliwa-Saponi speaking at one of that tribe's powwows in the 1970s. From the Fall, 2005, edition of Tar Heel Junior Historian: North Carolina History for Students.

Despite these efforts to restructure the BIA, many Indians involved in the Red Power Movement regarded the organization with wariness and distrust due to its long history of disenfranchising Native Americans while erasing Native culture and language through its infamous Indian boarding schools.

Two years into Oxendine’s BIA tenure, hundreds of Native American activists took part in “The Trail of Broken Treaties,” caravanning across the nation toward D.C. to demand a meeting with President Nixon and deliver their Twenty-Point Position Paper, aiming to assert the sovereignty of the Indian Nations and reopen treaty negotiations.

When they arrived on November 1, 1972, protestors were denied this meeting and found themselves lacking adequate housing. While attempting to arrange for temporary shelter in the BIA building, conflict erupted as guards tried to forcibly remove protestors, who refused to leave, barricading themselves in.

By the end of their six-day siege, protestors had taken possession of many BIA files that they claimed as evidence of corruption and scandal within the BIA, as well as Native artwork and cultural objects that they regarded as rightfully theirs.

The Trail of Broken Treaties was only the beginning of a decade of intense American Indian activism, including the Wounded Knee Occupation, the 1976 Trail of Self-Determination, and The Longest Walk in 1978.

The 1973 Wounded Knee Occupation in South Dakota received wide press coverage, and Oxendine conducted many of the twice-daily press briefings of the protest, handling international journalists as well as dozens of American TV crews, newspaper reporters, wire-service representatives, magazine writers, and members of the Indian and underground press.

While working for the BIA, Oxendine became involved in the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), an American Indian and Alaska Native rights organization founded to represent Native tribes and to resist federal pressure for termination of tribal rights and cultural assimilation.

NCAI provided support and advocacy for Nixon’s proposed policy of American Indian self-determination, which was passed in 1975 as Public Law 638, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act.

The act expanded tribal authority over the administration of federal funding and reversed a 30-year effort by the federal government to sever treaty relationships with and obligations to Indian tribes. Oxendine also became a member of the National Aviation Club and was one of the first American Indians to be admitted to the National Press Club in D.C.

At home in Arlington, he served as chair of the Indian Parent Committee, collaborating with the Arlington school system to address the specific needs of American Indian children.

a notice for a public hearing held by the Indian parent committee.

Notice for a Public Hearing held by the Indian Parent Committee on January 23, 1978, inviting parents, teachers, and students alike to discuss how Arlington schools could better address the needs of American Indian children. Northern Virginia Sun, vol. 41, no. 6, January 9, 1978.

After retiring from his role as a public information officer, Oxendine was sought out by the Census Bureau to promote the participation of Native Americans and Alaska Natives in the count. He also worked for a consulting firm overseeing agreements between Native tribes and companies seeking to do business on reservations.

In his work, Oxendine valued transparency and clarity around the relationship between Native Americans and the United States government, viewing knowledge as a tool that American Indians could use to advocate for themselves and their tribes.

Throughout his lengthy career, Oxendine took responsibility for sharing the truth, no matter how difficult that truth may be. He often sought guidance from one of the great lessons he learned in his college philosophy class: “Truth is good, it’s the lack of information where the problems are.”

Thomas Oxendine passed away on May 27, 2010, at his home in Arlington. Although many remember him as a hero for his service in World War II, he left behind an equally impressive legacy advocating for Native American rights.

You can find Thomas Oxendine’s interview in its entirety in the Center for Local History – VA 975.5295 A7243oh ser.3 no.207.

Further Reading:

Lakota Woman It is a memoir by Mary Brave Bird, a Sicangu Lakota formerly known as Mary Crow Dog. In it, she describes her participation in the 1972 Trail of Broken Treaties and the 1973 Indian Occupation at Wounded Knee. For other recommendations, see the Native American Voices Book List.

Works Cited:

Baker, Donald P. "U.S. Accused of Exhibiting BIA Damage: U.S. Accused of Showing BIA Damage." The Washington Post, Times Herald, November 23, 1972.

Blair, William M. "Shake-up Pressed at Indian Bureau: A Dominant Role for Indians Is Aim of Reorganization." New York Times, December 9, 1971, p. 29.

"Chief Flying Eagle." The Flint (MI) Journal, December 25, 1942, p. 18.

Eliades, David K., Thomas T. Locklear, and Linda E. Oxendine. Hail to UNCP!: A 125-year History of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. University of North Carolina, 2014.

Horton, Paul B. Readings in the Sociology of Social Problems, 2nd ed. (Prentice-Hall, 1975), p. 299.

National Parks Service. The Struggle for Sovereignty: American Indian Activism in the Nation’s Capital, 1968-1978.

Neufeld, William. Slingshot Warbirds: World War II U.S. Navy Scout-Observation Airmen. 2003.

North Carolina Museum of History. Tar Heel Junior Historian: North Carolina History for Students. Fall, 2005.

The Northern Virginia Sun, vol. 41, no. 6, January 9, 1978.

Obituary for Thomas Oxendine, The Robesonian, May 29, 2010.

The University of Florida Department of History. Interview with Thomas Oxendine, November 6, 1974.

The University of North Carolina at Pembroke. The Indianhead, vol. 66. 2011.

Help Build Arlington's Community History

The Center for Local History (CLH) collects, preserves, and shares resources that illustrate Arlington County’s history, diversity and communities. Learn how you can play an active role in documenting Arlington's history by donating physical and/or digital materials for the Center for Local History’s permanent collection.

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Charlie Clark, “Our Man in Arlington” and a Friend to the Library, died Nov. 15

On Nov. 15, Charlie Clark, a friend to Arlington County, our libraries, local historian and journalist, died after a brief illness.

"Charlie was a community 'weaver,' one of those special people who knit community together," said Diane Kresh. "He was a great friend to the library. You could find him researching in the Center for Local History. As a local historian, he was featured in our programs throughout the years. Earnest and thorough, Charlie was a consummate storyteller, drawing out others to get to the heart of the matter."

In addition to his day job, he served as "Our Man in Arlington" columnist for the Falls Church News-Press for years. He wrote several books on the history of Arlington including, "Arlington County Chronicles," "Hidden History of Arlington" and "Lost Arlington County." Kresh and Clark were both fellow graduates of Yorktown High School.

Charlie is gone but not forgotten. Thank you for being "our man in Arlington."

Halloween in Hall’s Hill

Oral Histories with Michael Jones and Lance Newman

This Halloween came with hordes of masked and painted trick-or-treaters, tiny ghouls and monsters haunting Arlington’s doorsteps in search of candy. Although this ritual of begging door-to-door for sweets goes back centuries, “trick-or-treating" did not become a widespread phenomenon in the United States until the 1930s.

It wasn’t until after World War II, with the end of sugar rationing and the beginning of national marketing campaigns surrounding Halloween, that trick-or-treating became standard practice for children in cities and suburbs.

In the early 1950s, Lance Newman and Michael Jones were both children living in Hall’s Hill (now High View Park), one of at least eleven Black neighborhoods that were created during the Civil War era in Arlington. In interviews, they remember Hall’s Hill at that time as a tight-knit and self-sufficient community.

Newman, who lived on Lee Highway, said it was “a great place to grow up” where “everybody knew everybody.” Jones grew up on Emerson Street and, like Newman, attended John M. Langston Elementary, which served Black students in the community under segregation.

Ad for Halloween costumes at Kresge’s, 3140 Wilson Boulevard. The Arlington Sun, vol. 15, no. 49, Arlington, Va, October 27, 1950.

In 1959, Jones and Newman became two of the first four Black students to desegregate Arlington Public Schools when they enrolled in Stratford Junior High, along with Hall’s Hill residents Ronald Deskins and Gloria Thompson.  

Murphy Ad

Ad for Halloween costumes and candy at Clarendon’s G.C. Murphy, a five and dime store. Daily Sun, vol. 16, no. 155, Arlington, Va, October 18, 1951. 

In his oral history interview, Jones explains how segregation shaped the environment of Hall’s Hill and the lives of those who lived there. He described Hall’s Hill as “a self-contained community,” bounded by a seven-foot-tall segregation wall, which included the neighborhoods of Fostoria and Waycroft.

Constructed from wood and cinderblocks on an individual home-owner level, the entirety of Hall’s Hill was quartered off in the early 1940s with only one entrance and exit. “There were no connecting sites to the other communities of white families around there,” Jones said. “Once you get into the Black community there, you had to come out by the way you came in.”  

Halloween treats

Candy apples and other Halloween treats pictured for a recipe article in the Daily Sun. Vol. 17, no. 95, October 16, 1952. 

Because of the restrictions that Jones and Newman experienced as Black children under segregation, Halloween offered an opportunity to cross the physical and invisible boundaries between their world and the world “outside” Hall’s Hill.

Disguised in masks and costumes, they could trick-or-treat in their own neighborhoods as well as in the white neighborhood. The goal was to get as much candy as possible – but the “trick” was to not eat it all in one sitting and get sick! 

Lance Newman: Every Halloween, we’d go trick-or-treating, and we used to go up to what we called the white section up there—22nd Street, across George Mason Drive—because they were the only ones that gave us tons of candy. Anyway, you know. Kids have masks on, and the people were pretty—and that was a big thing when you were in the second, third, and fourth grade for trick-or-treating, and we just went—you know.  That was another thing that’s different today. Nobody lets their—if you were at that age, you let your kid go alone for pretty good reasons. But you did it in groups, and so that was a fond memory from my experience. 

Michael Jones: Halloween was great when I was growing up, because Halloween, because of the masks and the outfits, you couldn’t—you didn’t have to just trick-or-treat in your own neighborhood. Of course, you did—if you put on a good outfit, you could go outside to the white neighborhood and go trick-or-treating, because they wouldn’t know who you were if you had your mask on. So, you could go instead of—if you didn’t get enough candy in the Black neighborhood, you go outside to the white neighborhood and get it. And the one thing—you get those big shopping bags—you know—those bags like you get at Whole Foods—stuff like that—and full of candy. After a while, you grew up, you learned you couldn’t eat all your candy in one night or you’d get sick. You had to put it aside, so it was bountiful once—you know. I guess I learned once I—I guess once I get into Stratford or something—elementary—a little above elementary-school age—where to go for Halloween and things like that. But otherwise, it was—Halloween was great.   

Alexandria Dairy Ad

A Halloween-themed ad for Alexandria Dairy. Daily Sun, vol. 21, no. 76, Arlington, Va, October 25, 1956. 

Goblins

Daily Sun, vol. 16, no. 165, Arlington, Va, October 30, 1951. 

For Jones and Newman, trick-or-treating with friends and enjoying the spoils for days (or hours) afterward was their fondest memory of Halloween. Do you have any memories of trick-or-treating in Arlington, or celebrating holidays in Hall’s Hill? We want to hear from you! 

The Center for Local History invites the Arlington Community to play an active role in documenting our history by donating stories and materials to our permanent collection. Learn more https://library.arlingtonva.us/center-for-local-history/center-for-local-history-call-for-donations/.  

Works Cited

Related blogposts from the CLH 

Help Build Arlington's Community History

The Center for Local History (CLH) collects, preserves, and shares resources that illustrate Arlington County’s history, diversity and communities. Learn how you can play an active role in documenting Arlington's history by donating physical and/or digital materials for the Center for Local History’s permanent collection.

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Celebrate National Coming Out Day with Arlington’s LGBTQ+ History

October is LGBTQ+ History Month

October 11 is National Coming Out Day, celebrated on the anniversary of the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights - also known as “The Great March,” which took place on October 11, 1987.

The March was organized to draw national attention to LGBTQ+ issues and to demand civil rights and protections for LGBTQ+ individuals. It followed the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights that took place in Washington, D.C., on October 14, 1979. The desire for the second rally was provoked by the escalating AIDS epidemic and by the Ronald Reagan administration's lack of acknowledgment and intervention in the crisis. Marchers also conducted acts of civil disobedience at the Supreme Court in protest of the 1986 ruling in Bowers v. Hardwick, which upheld the constitutionality of state sodomy laws that criminalized sex between two consenting men.

Poster used in the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1987. Credit to Vernon C. Mitchell. From the National Museum of American History.

The Great March involved several days of planned events, including a mass wedding and protest at the Internal Revenue Service, and talks by several speakers, such as Cesar Chavez, Whoopi Goldberg, Eleanor Smeal, and Jesse Jackson. The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt was displayed for the first time on the National Mall. At that time, it included 1,920 panels and covered a space larger than a football field. The Great March also marked the first time that ACT UP (The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) received national press coverage.

For Love of Life: The 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Recorded by Cheryl Spector. Rainbow History Project, March 31, 2022.

Although sources vary, it is estimated that over half a million people attended the Great March. Among them were at least 50 Arlington residents who marched down Pennsylvania Avenue together behind the Arlington Virginia Gay Alliance (AVGA) banner. AVGA – which changed its name in the late 1980s to the Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance and is now also known as Equality NoVa – was formed in 1981 to address equal rights issues for LGBTQ+ citizens from a local and state perspective. In the 1980s, AVGA members organized candidate forums, helped educate Arlington law enforcement about the LGBTQ+ community, and were involved in local AIDS activism.

About a month before the Great March, on September 15, 1987, the Arlington County Manager’s Citizens Advisory Committee on AIDS held its first meeting. One of its key members was John Whitener, who also served as chairman of the AVGA Government Affairs Committee.

Members and leadership in the AVGA were tirelessly dedicated to organizing in preparation for the Great March. In October, they co-sponsored a housing clearinghouse to provide Virginia activists with a place to stay during the weekend of the March. They distributed press releases and forms to LGBTQ+ organizations and publications throughout the state to spread awareness and support for marchers. They also organized airport greeters to staff a table at Dulles Airport on October 9th and 10th to welcome and assist marchers from out of town.

Page from the Arlington Virginia Gay Alliance Newsletter, October 1987, including plans surrounding the Great March and a map with John Meroney and Jon Larimore’s house marked for the October 10 reception.

On October 10, AVGA partnered with the Alexandria Gay Community Association (AGCA) to host a special reception to welcome fellow Virginians who had traveled from throughout the state to attend the March. The reception was held at the home of former AVGA president John Meroney and member Jon Larimore, who lived together on Arlington Boulevard. More than 100 people attended the reception, sharing food and building relationships while collaborating to promote civil rights for citizens in the Commonwealth.

National Coming Out Day is a commemoration of the AVGA members, their allies, and other Arlington citizens who gathered on the Ellipse under cloudy skies on October 11, 1987, to march for LGBTQ+ rights. Because of their activism, National Coming Out Day was established to uplift those who proclaim their LGBTQ+ identities and continue to fight for LGBTQ+ liberation.

Works Cited

Previous blogposts from the CLH blog LGBTQ+ history:

Help Build Arlington's Community History

The Center for Local History (CLH) collects, preserves, and shares resources that illustrate Arlington County’s history, diversity and communities. Learn how you can play an active role in documenting Arlington's history by donating physical and/or digital materials for the Center for Local History’s permanent collection.

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A Taste of Arlington History

Recipes from Over 300 Years

Did you know that the Center for Local History holds dozens of cookbooks that document the history of Virginia cuisine from the 17th century to present day?

This includes recipes copied from the housekeeping books of Woodlawn plantation and George Mason’s Gunston Hall, as well as modern takes on old classics, such as Sally Lunn bread and Brunswick stew.

The most unique cookbooks, however, are the community cookbooks that have been lovingly compiled by various church groups and organizations in Arlington over the years.

These cookbooks were usually created to raise funds and awareness for different causes in the Arlington community. For instance, the Clarendon United Methodist Church Handbell Choir published Medley of Morsels in December 1986 to raise money to purchase new handbells. In some cases, additional funding was provided by local businesses in exchange for ad space between recipes, providing current readers with a glimpse of bygone eras in Arlington history.

These ads are from “Our Favorite Recipes,” created by the Christian Women’s Fellowship of the Pershing Drive Christian Church in 1962. Of these Arlington businesses, including the iconic Bob Peck Chevrolet, only Mario’s Pizza is still operating.

“Kitchen Favorites from the Good Neighbor” was compiled and published by the Arlington County Chapter of the American Red Cross in May 1982 to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the chapter. It’s full of wonderful illustrations by Karen Beasley and was assembled by an army of volunteers. This illustration is for Pot Roast Diablo by Florence Churchill and can be found on page 47.

Fundraising through cookbooks has been an American tradition since 1864 when Maria J. Moss published A Poetical Cookbook (so-called because the recipes rhymed for entertainment and easy memorization) and donated the proceeds to subsidize medical costs for Union soldiers injured in the Civil War.

A century later, so many community organizations had taken up the idea that publishing companies began offering custom cookbook services – templates with built-in illustrations, measurement guides, and helpful tips and tricks marketed toward housewives. That said, many of the CLH’s community cookbooks were printed, illustrated, and constructed “in-house,” harnessing the time and talents of dedicated community members.

In addition to fundraising, cookbooks celebrate community organizations and help document their histories and values. For example, Arlington Presbyterian Church made “Table Treasures” in 2008 to celebrate a “Century of Hospitality” since the church was founded on April 12, 1908. They preface their collection of recipes with an introduction that sketches the history of the congregation and draws upon their organizational archives to illustrate the church’s longtime dedication to feeding the soul and body.

“Forest Favorites” was compiled in 1976 by the women of the Miriam Gruber Fellowship at Arlington Forest United Methodist Church. It is bound with wooden covers made by Gene Dauma of the Methodist Men, in keeping with the “forest” theme. The cover illustration was likely done by Betty Quinn, one of the Miriam Gruber Fellowship members.

The intimate association between food and faith comes as no surprise, and similar sentiments are found in other church cookbooks that contain recipes for Happiness and tempting cakes inspired by Bible verses.

“Medley of Morsels” is chock full of fun illustrations by Handbell Choir members Linda Gilbert and Patti Morris, as well as some contributions from the Kindergarten, First, and Second grade Sunday school classes. This recipe for Refrigerator Pickles by Margaret Helm taken from page 18.

Recipe for Bible Cake found in “Our Favorite Recipes” by the Christian Women’s Fellowship of the Pershing Drive Christian Church on pages 25-26.

Recipe for Happiness found in “Forest Favorites.”

Most importantly, the CLH’s community cookbook collection preserves the memory of all those who created, perfected, and passed along their beloved home recipes. Most recipes credit their cook, and many are also dedicated to the mothers, grandmothers, church organizers, and community leaders that taught them.

As the Arlington Red Cross puts it in their cookbook, “A recipe that is not shared with others will soon be forgotten, but when it’s shared, it will be enjoyed by future generations.” So please, try out some of the recipes included in this post or stop by to check out what other delicious treats the collection has in store.

Works Cited

All images are from the following cook books in the Library's collection:

Additional Source: Jessica Stoller-Conrad. “Long Before Social Networking, Community Cookbooks Ruled The Stove.” The Salt. July 20, 2012.

Help Build Arlington's Community History

The Center for Local History (CLH) collects, preserves, and shares resources that illustrate Arlington County’s history, diversity and communities. Learn how you can play an active role in documenting Arlington's history by donating physical and/or digital materials for the Center for Local History’s permanent collection.

Do you have a question about this story, or a personal experience to share? 

Use this form to send a message to the Center for Local History.

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Parkington

Arlington's First Shopping Mall

Before it was known as the Ballston Quarter, Parkington was the largest shopping center on the East Coast and one of the first major shopping malls in the Washington D.C. area. 

The Hecht Company, c. 1950s, CLH Collections

Publicized as “the area’s most dramatic venture in retail merchandising” when it opened in 1951, Parkington represented the post-war boom in suburban life and centralized, indoor retail shopping.

Located at the historic "Balls Crossroads" intersection of Wilson Boulevard and Glebe Road, Parkington Shopping Center was built on the site of the former Ballston Stadium (video). Used for practice by the Washington Redskins in 1938, the stadium had also been home to many local football games between Arlington neighborhoods under the Arlington County Federation of Boys’ Clubs.

Construction

Financed and constructed by Hecht's Department Store, Parkington was the flagship of Hecht's chain on the East Coast.

During construction, Parkington drew its name from the large, multistory parking garage at the heart of the development. It was described by the Evening Star in 1950 as “the first suburban shopping center with a four tiered parking garage built over a score of retail stores in the middle of the area.”

Officially opened on November 2, 1951, Hecht's was hailed as a "miracle of planning" - a modern and exciting improvement to the shopping experience.

Parkington and W&T Grant Co., c. 1951, CLH Collections

Hecht's had a first aid room staffed by a full time nurse, bridal consultants, maternity shops, and interior decorating services, as well as an auditorium and spaces to hold classes in upholstery.

Car pulling into Parkington garage, c. 1951, CLH Collections

Unknown model outside of Hecht's, c. 1951, CLH Collections

Birth of the Modern Mall

Many aspects of malls today that are taken for granted were still in the trial phase during the lifetime of Parkington. Newspapers at the time celebrated the “foolproof escalators… one person wide…they’re said to be safer than the broader types” and the way “shoppers may window shop from store to store without fear of being run over by delivery trucks” as well as the novelty of a store that was “fully air conditioned and fireproofed by a sprinkler system.” Features like a public address system throughout the building and background music while shopping were also brand new and helped establish Parkington as a hub of shopping innovation.

Upon opening, the Washington Post described Parkington Shopping Center as, 

“A towering green brick building with an all-glass facade, lighted from behind by 180 fluorescent tubes…Hecht customers may drive to the store level in which they wish to shop, park their car, walk a few yards into the store and buy the items they want.”

The concept of the “shopping mall” was so exciting that the BBC, in collaboration with the United States Information Agency, produced a half an hour long program on American shopping malls, with Hecht’s as the focus. Describing Parkington as the blueprint for the modern mall/department store, they said,

“Ten years ago, there was no such shape as this in our American countryside. In recent years, these box-like structures have become part of the semi-rural scene all over America. Today their presence in a village or a suburb is accepted by most Americans without a thought. They’re just part of the changing picture. They are the magnets that attract customers from miles around.”

Watch the Report From America: Parkington Shopping Center

With the aim of diverting area shoppers to Arlington by the lure of one-stop shopping, the 5 story, 1,146,000 sq. ft. building grew to hold over 30 stores. 

Parkington Shopping Center added stores like Walgreens, Giant Foods, McCrorys, Hub Furniture, Stag’s Shops Men’s Clothing, Crawford Clothes, Wilbur Roger’s Women’s Apparel, the Casual Corner, and a Disney themed children’s barber. Restaurants at Parkington included a Polish bakery, South Pacific Polynesian Cuisine and the Virginia Room Restaurant on the basement floor, which held a conveyor belt in order to bring meals and take away dirty dishes.

Construction of McCrory's, c. 1951, CLH Collections

A Community Fixture

Parkington quickly established itself as an important part of the Arlington community. Hecht’s three story glass wall was used to display messages along the entire block, becoming a local landmark for residents. The “sign” contained eighty-seven 10ft by 14ft canvas panels, which were used to create messages in celebration of the holidays and to support organizations like the Heart Fund and Arlington Beautification Association.

The glass façade of the Hecht Company celebrating the Girl Scouts 50th Anniversary, c. 1952, CLH Collections

Advertising for the Arlington Beautification Association,  c. 1950s, CLH Collections

During the 1950s - at its peak in popularity - Parkington drew in local and national celebrities for events. In 1956, after an upgrade to the decorations and murals inside the store, Hecht’s established the “Freedom Fair”, honoring the 15th anniversary of Series E United States Savings Bonds as a way to show off the renovated facilities. Hecht’s brought comedians Abbott and Costello, Charlie Brown cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, artist Norman Rockwell, and actors Virginia Mayo, Michael O’Shea, Buddy Hackett, Jeanne Crain, and “Miss Frances” Horwich to Arlington for shows and events for customers. That same year, Parkington celebrated its 5th birthday with a 12 foot high birthday cake and prizes for local residents.

Abbott and Costello with Arlington Police, 1956, Photo Courtesy of Arlington PD

Parkington's Decline and Closure

Although Parkington grossed over $223 million in 1959 and expanded with a 12 story office building in 1963, the success would not last long. More department stores and malls opened in the area through the 1960s and 70s, competing with the already aging Parkington complex. By 1979, with the addition of the Ballston Orange Line Metro stop, property value skyrocketed and the 30-year-old facilities were in desperate need of renovation. 

Plans were brought forth to completely raze the original structure and rebuild, leaving Hecht’s as the only building standing.  After Arlington County approved a $13 million investment in 1982, the $100 million renovation project was officially unveiled, with construction finishing in 1986. A naming contest among Arlington County residents renamed the site from Parkington to Ballston Common Mall for its reopening in October 1986.

Arlington Journal, January 15, 1981, CLH Collections

Arlington Journal, January 15, 1981, CLH Collections

The new Ballston Common Mall included 4 stories for retail and nine additional stories were added above the mall to be used as office space. One hundred new businesses, including a J.C. Penneys, were added; the only stores to survive the transition besides Hecht’s were Casual Corner, Waldenbooks, General Nutrition Center, and Dart Drug.

At the end of the 1990s, the Ballston Common Mall was once again in need of changes and by the early 2000s, the parking garage was transformed into the Kettler Capitals Iceplex (the HQ and practice facility for NHL team the Washington Capitals). The Hecht Company was sold to Macy's in 2005 and the Hecht's name was subsequently phased out. By 2016, most of the businesses had been closed in order to redevelop the entire site into the Ballston Quarter.

The Francis Copeland Collection

The Francis Copeland Collection at the Center for Local History features over 200 previously unseen images. These photo negatives document the construction of Hecht's and its surrounding Parkington Shopping Center. The photos also offer a glimpse into the 1940s-1950s Ballston neighborhood of Arlington.

Copeland was the Visual Color Lab Manager for Hecht’s Department Store, and worked in their Parkington location during the 1970s. When the store decided to discard a large group of negatives from the 1940s and 1950s, Copeland donated them to the CLH and other archives around the area. To view more photos of Hecht's and Parkington, visit the Francis Copeland Collection.

Help Build Arlington's Community History

The Center for Local History (CLH) collects, preserves, and shares resources that illustrate Arlington County’s history, diversity and communities. Learn how you can play an active role in documenting Arlington's history by donating physical and/or digital materials for the Center for Local History’s permanent collection.

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Airport and A Movie

Airport Drive-In

Did you know that Crystal City was home to Arlington’s first drive-in movie theater?

Back of screen at Airport Drive-In Theater, Spring 1949. Photo Courtesy of Rex Paul Foley

The “Airport Drive-In” was operated by Paul J. Foley from 1947-1963 at 2001 Richmond Highway, just behind National Airport. Advertising a capacity for 1,000 cars, the Airport Drive-In quickly became a favorite of citizens in post-war Arlington.

The Airport Drive-In officially opened on September 10th, 1947, showing the film “Dragonwyck” starring Gene Tierney. Guests of honor included Arlington County officials, as well as Miss Arlington 1947, Peggy Wilson.

As the first drive-in in Arlington and one of the first in Virginia, the venture was initially very successful. Thanks to its strategic location between D.C. and Arlington, as well as frequently hosting fundraisers for the Arlington Safety Council, the Airport Drive-In began to establish itself as a staple in the community. 

Dedicated to providing a family-oriented service, kids under 12 were admitted free, and cartoons were frequently played as part of the program. Families and couples were drawn from D.C. as well as the developing suburbs of South Arlington.

Washington Post, September 10th, 1947

Arlington Daily, September 15, 1947, CLH Collections

NoVa Sun, April 16th, 1948, CLH Collections

Growing Up at the Drive-In

Rex Paul Foley, son of Paul Foley, remembers what it was like growing up at the drive in.

“My father Paul J. Foley owned and operated this drive-in. I have wonderful memories, especially about having carte blanche access to the snack bar when it was open and closed. Our snack bar had delicious Smithfield Bar-B-Que sandwiches and other choices such as Pepper Steak from Murry’s Steaks. It was also the place where my brother and I learned how to drive. When we would come during the daytime with my dad (guess he was counting the money???) we would drive around the 25 acres, hoping not to hit any poles…I believe that the last movie that played for the last two weeks was The Dirty Dozen and I think I was there every night those last few weeks. 

Advertisement for opening day, Photo Courtesy of Rex Paul Foley

Movie showtimes, Washington Post, August 11th, 1954

Segregation at the Drive-In

Virginia’s laws regarding "Separation of Races" in public settings had been adopted in 1926, requiring racially separate seating at any “public hall, theater, opera house, motion picture show or any place of public entertainment or public assemblage.” This law also provided that any proprietor who failed to segregate their audience would "be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500 for each offense” and that any patron of the theater who refused to take a seat in the assigned section or refused to move to the assigned section when requested, "shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof fined not less than $10 no more than $25 for each offense.”

An Arlington judge ruled in 1957 that the segregated seating laws were valid, but in 1958 another judge ruled the law unconstitutional. And though no court had reversed the 1958 ruling, the laws still existed in practice. The Virginia State Government officially ended segregation in movie theaters in 1963. Learn more about the activists who desegregated Arlington's movie theaters in our 2022 blogpost.

Smart Growth Ends Airport Drive-In

Unfortunately, the drive-in’s convenient location would be its undoing. Finally falling victim to the expanding development of Crystal City, the Airport Drive-In closed in 1963. Today, the site is the location of the Crystal Plaza Apartment Complex.

Help Build Arlington's Community History

The Center for Local History (CLH) collects, preserves, and shares resources that illustrate Arlington County’s history, diversity and communities. Learn how you can play an active role in documenting Arlington's history by donating physical and/or digital materials for the Center for Local History’s permanent collection.

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Oral History: Anhthu Lu

Finding Home Away from Home

Arlington Voices the Oral History Collection

Oral histories are used to understand historical events, actors, and movements from the point of view of real people’s personal experiences.

Anhthu Lu was born in Vietnam and immigrated to Arlington after the fall of Saigon in 1975. From roughly 1975-1980, the U.S. population of Vietnamese immigrants - many of whom were refugees - had grown from 15,000 to 245,000.

At the same time, the Clarendon neighborhood transformed from a declining shopping destination to a supportive and bustling Vietnamese enclave that became known as "Little Saigon," brimming with stores that provided both imported goods and a sense of community for Vietnamese-Americans.

Vietnam Center in Little Saigon, 1980

In a 2016 interview, Lu described the harrowing account of her family's escape from Saigon, as well as the difficult journey from resettlement camps in the Philippines to become settled in Arlington.

In the following excerpt, Lu talks about her reaction to Little Saigon and the positive affect that it had on her as a young refugee:

Narrator: Anhthu Lu
Interviewer: Kim O'Connell
Date: March 16th, 2016

AL: Our eyes lit up. We went in there, and for the first time, you can hear the Vietnamese language and see the Vietnamese products, and things that we know, and things that we need, and things that we knew all our lives. I saw the fish sauce, and the rice paper, and all of the spices and stuff like that. We were like, "so there will be a chance we'll have Vietnamese food again."

The name "Little Saigon" didn't enter our mind until Little Saigon in Southern California started to come up, and then that became like a trademark for wherever the Vietnamese-Americans are, and it became Little Saigon. But at that time, we just called it the Vietnamese market. So at the end of the week, "Are you going to the Vietnamese market?" And it's understood that once you go out there, you have more chances to run into all your friends and family... it's become an oriental area for the Vietnamese people to go...And you can speak in Vietnamese, and totally feel like you're in Vietnam.

It felt really safe. It's like something that you know, and so you're comfortable with it. You feel like, "Oh, if I go there, that's my town." Home away from home. Once you feel that, you start to feel like you're already established here, and you've started to feel comfortable. And from there, you open the door out to bring in more of the way of life here in the US, and the way of thinking...For people like my parents or older people to go there and they have such a language barrier, that they feel more comfortable in an enclave of just Vietnamese. When they go there and start feeling comfortable, they can start speaking a little bit of English here and there, and they start to feel like, "Oh, I'm opening up more to take in a different culture than what's mine."

 

You can find the entire transcript in the Center for Local History - VA 975.5295 A7243oh ser.12 no.13: Book a Research Appointment.

The goal of the Arlington Voices project is to showcase the Center for Local History’s oral history collection in a publicly accessible and shareable way.

The Arlington Public Library began collecting oral histories of long-time residents in the 1970s, and since then the scope of the collection has expanded to capture the diverse voices of Arlington’s community. In 2016, staff members and volunteers recorded many additional hours of interviews, building the collection to 575 catalogued oral histories.

To browse our list of narrators indexed by interview subject, check out our community archive. To read a full transcript of an interview, visit the Center for Local History located at Central Library.

Plane Crash at Bishop O’Connell High School

“Please remain in your classrooms until further notified. A plane has just crashed on the football field”

On May 12, 1988, a single engine plane was forced to make a crash landing on the baseball field at Bishop O’Connell High School.

"Examining the wreckage, safety workers make sure that the downed plane is not in danger of catching on fire"

Pilot Edward Sanchez and passenger Dick Sheeringa were on a business trip from Toronto to Raleigh. They had planned to refuel at National Airport, but the plane’s gas gauges malfunctioned - incorrectly showing more fuel than was in the tank - and the plane began to lose altitude.

Witnesses said the plane touched down in the middle of the baseball field, crushed a wooden bench, and maneuvered around fleeing students before crashing into a chain link fence bordering Underwood Street.

Coach Ed Iacobucci was playing softball with his class when the plane crashed. What he and his students saw that day was reported in the Washington Post and the school yearbook.

“The plane clipped some trees and headed for us. It just missed the girls by two or three feet…The plane was heading right for one kid. I yelled, ‘Get out of the way, Michael!’, it missed him by a couple of feet. Michael said he was going to church tonight.” - Ed Iacobucci, Washington Post

“I was running right next to the airplane. I had to pull my friend down, the wing was right beside my face.” -Sophomore Rosemary Pellegrino, Bishop O'Connell Yearbook

Luckily there were no injuries to students, and both the pilot and passenger were able to walk away from the crash with only minor injuries.

Headline and photos are from the 1988 Bishop O'Connell Yearbook. The Center for Local History has a large collection of Arlington yearbooks both in print and digitized. To learn more, visit https://library.arlingtonva.libguides.com/yearbooks

Help Build Arlington's Community History

The Center for Local History (CLH) collects, preserves, and shares resources that illustrate Arlington County’s history, diversity and communities. Learn how you can play an active role in documenting Arlington's history by donating physical and/or digital materials for the Center for Local History’s permanent collection.

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Union Army Balloon Corp

September 1861 - August 1863

While the first successful hot air balloon flights were completed in France in the 1790s, due to the work of Thaddeus S.C. Lowe (1832-1913), Arlington is home to their first use by the United States military. Lowe was a scientist and inventor who would go on to be known as the “Grandfather of Military Aerial Recon in the United States.”

Professor Lowe, c. 1860, Photo Courtesy of Library of Congress

Professor Lowe, 1861, Photo Courtesy of National Air and Space Museum

By the 1850s, Lowe was well regarded for his advanced meteorological theories and his reputation as an amateur balloonist. He gained national attention in 1861 when, on a test flight for a Trans-Atlantic balloon voyage, he was blown off course and imprisoned in South Carolina as a Union Spy.

Shortly after being cleared as a scientist, Lowe was released from jail and invited to Washington D.C. to perform demonstrations of his balloons for President Abraham Lincoln. On July 11, 1861, by hanging telegraph wires to his staff on the ground, Lowe sent a message from 500 feet above the White House that read,

“This point of observation commands an area near 50 miles in diameter. The city with its girdle of encampments presents a superb scene. I have pleasure in sending you this first dispatch ever telegraphed from an aerial station.”

President Lincoln was so impressed with Lowe and his balloons that he offered him the civilian position of Chief Aeronaut of the newly formed Union Army Balloon Corp.

Lowe’s Balloon Being Prepared in front  of the Capitol Building, 1861, Photo Courtesy of Ghosts of D.C.

Balloon View of Washington, May 1861, Photo Courtesy of U.S. Senate

Formation of Balloon Corps (Summer 1861)

Stationed at Fort Corcoran, in today’s Rosslyn/North Highlands Neighborhoods, the Balloon Corp’s mission was to provide aerial reconnaissance of Confederate troops just outside of Arlington.

The Balloon Corp was expanded after the first Battle of Bull Run. Lowe’s fleet of Balloons would grow to seven balloons that could be stationed up and down the Potomac River. To transport their balloons, the Balloon Corp was given use of a coal barge converted to be the world’s first aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington Parke Custis.

During the summer of 1861, Lowe and the Balloon Corp would make multiple ascensions over the Arlington Heights and Balls Crossroads (now Ballston) area in order to observe Confederate positions at Falls Church.

Drawing of USS George Washington Parke Custis with balloon ascending over Potomac River near Mount Vernon, November 1861, Photo Courtesy of United States Naval Institute

Lowe’s balloons were perfect for defensive observations, as he could safely evaluate the Confederate’s position and strength from the relative safety of his balloon. By using signal flags and a telegraph in the balloon, Lowe was able to relay messages quickly to the forces on the ground.

Lowe filling balloon from portable hydrogen generator, Gaines Mill Virginia, June 1, 1862, Photo Courtesy of Library of Congress 

The U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission reported,

"On September 24, 1861, Lowe ascended to more than 1,000 feet (305 meters) near Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, DC, and began telegraphing intelligence on the Confederate troops located at Falls Church, Virginia, more than three miles (4.8 kilometers) away. Union guns were aimed and fired accurately at the Confederate troops without actually being able to see them—a first in the history of warfare."

Although the Confederate troops were unable to see the Union guns firing at them, they were often able to see the reconnaissance balloon. Enemy soldiers and artillery frequently fired potshots at Lowe, often hitting near his staff on the ground below him. This earned him the nickname of "The Most Shot at Man" of the Civil War by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Professor Lowe observing Battle of Fair Oaks from balloon, May 1862, Photo Courtesy of Library of Congress

Distrust of the Balloon Corp

Over the next two years, Lowe and the Balloon Corp would provide reconnaissance for the battles of Yorktown, Seven Pines (Fair Oaks), Fredericksburg, Mechanicsville, and Chancellorsville. But Lowe’s information was often ignored by his commanding officers, and many were reluctant to trust a civilian employee of the Army.

The Battle of Fair Oaks, VA, May 31, 1862, “Intrepid” War Balloon in Distance, Photo Courtesy of National Park Service

Although Lowe reported that he was able to accurately call out Confederate positions in good weather, some Union Army members believed the reports were altered to "render their own importance greater, thereby insuring themselves what might be profitable employment." As a result, many Union generals distrusted the Balloon Corp’s information, instead favoring traditional methods of reconnaissance. George Armstrong Custer, who rode in Lowe’s balloons in April 1862, stated:

“The large majority of the army, without giving it a personal test, condemned and ridiculed the system of balloon reconnaissance”

Lowe filling balloon INTREPID from balloon CONSTITUTION at Fair Oaks, VA, 1862, Photo Courtesy of Library of Congress

Balloon Camp, Gaines' Hill, near Richmond, VA: telegraphing, reporting, and sketching during the Battle of Fair Oaks, June 1, 1862, Photo Courtesy of Library of Congress

End of the Balloon Corp

The Balloon Corp would not last to the end of the Civil War. In 1863, Lowe resigned after a dispute about his pay. Shortly after, the unit was rejected from joining Col. Albert Myer’s Signal School and then disbanded. 

Lowe retired to Pasadena, California, where he later won the Elliott Cresson Medal for the Invention Held to be Most Useful to Mankind for his work in the cold storage industry. He also founded the Mount Lowe Railway and the Citizens Bank of Los Angeles, which is now a part of Wells Fargo. His granddaughter,  Florence Lowe “Pancho” Barnes, was a pioneer aviator who broke Amelia Earheart’s air speed record in 1930.

Help Build Arlington's Community History

The Center for Local History (CLH) collects, preserves, and shares resources that illustrate Arlington County’s history, diversity and communities. Learn how you can play an active role in documenting Arlington's history by donating physical and/or digital materials for the Center for Local History’s permanent collection.

Do you have a question about this story, or a personal experience to share? 

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