On the morning of Friday, Sept. 2, 2016, Clarence Preston “C.P.” Penn, Jr., lovingly known to his family as “Jim Tom,” entered eternal rest.
He was 75, born on August 4, 1941 in Pulaski, VA, son of the late Clarence Preston, Sr. and Maria Lewis Penn. He was preceded in death by his brother, Alvin Penn, and sister, Mary Lewis.
Jim Tom was a lifelong member of New Century Methodist Church in Pulaski, before he became a “Watch Care” member of Lebanon Baptist Church in Surry, VA.
He was a 1960 graduate of Christiansburg Institute, Christiansburg, VA and received the Bachelor of Science degree in English and History from Bluefield State College in Bluefield, WV in 1964. He completed his Master of Science degree in History and Educational Administration at Radford College in 1968 and obtained his Doctorate of Education from the University of Virginia in 1985.
C.P. was a life-long educator and coach, beginning his career at a time of political and social unrest in the backdrop of White Flight during the Jim Crow South. From 1964 to 1969 he taught and coached at Park Central High School in Bluefield, WV and at Randolph Henry High School in Charlotte County, VA. After a brief stint as assistant principal at Central Junior High School in Charlotte Courthouse, Virginia, he became Principal of R.R. Moton High School/Prince Edward County High School (1969 to 1977). This area of his life became important as from 1959 to 1964 Prince Edward County closed their public school system to protest the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling. As a result, when Dr. Penn took over the reigns as Principal of Prince Edward County High School, the student population had been uneducated for five consecutive years.
In 1977, in the backdrop of desegregation, C.P. came to Surry County as the Superintendent of Schools. This presented a plethora of opportunities to improve the plight of students who had been neglected by deficiencies during previous administrations. Under his guidance, Surry County Public Schools became one of the top-rated school systems in the state of Virginia. Upon his retirement from the position in 1998, Dr. Penn had built two new schools, added a myriad of programs to the existing schools and a sixty percent (60%) improvement in division standardized test scores.
Following his retirement from Surry County Public Schools, he served as an Adjunct Professor at Virginia State University, a Board of Visitors member of the and Vice Rector of James Madison University and continued his work as an educational consultant for the Delta Project and Moseley Architects.
Dr. Penn received numerous honors and awards including gubernatorial appointments to various boards and was featured in several national publications including The Boston Globe, The School Administrator, Essence and Ebony Magazines. His innumerable professional and social affiliations include: Member of George H. Dabney Masonic Lodge #201, elevated to the 33rd Degree, Grand Inspector General; Distinguished Gentleman of Surry County; the Rock of Surry Lodge—Order of the Elks; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (Class of 1961); and a lifetime member of the NAACP.
He will be deeply missed by his wife of 52 years, Michaele Paulette; daughter, Michelle; son, Benjamin (Dy-Anne); three brothers, Lewis, George, and William Penn; 3 granddaughters; an aunt, Leila King; devoted and loyal friend, Helen Williams and a host of other relatives, friends, and numerous admirers.
His Celebration of Life service life was held at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7, at Lebanon Baptist Church, Surry, VA with Rev. Dr. Douglas Adams, eulogist and Rev. Dr. Robert L. Elliott, Jr. presiding. Interment was in Davis Cemetery in Surry, with professional services entrusted to Shivers Funeral Chapel in Smithfield, VA.
