The John Terry Chase Manuscript Papers on "Gum Springs: The Triumph of a Black Community", 1987-1989

Access and use

Location of collection:
Fairfax County Public Library
Fairfax County Public Library
City of Fairfax Regional Library
Virginia Room
10360 North Street
Fairfax, VA 22030-2514
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Chris Barbuschak
Phone: (703) 293-2142
Phone: (703) 293-6227 ext. 6 (Virginia Room)
Fax: (703) 293-2155

Summary

Extent:
.63 linear feet
Creator:
Chase, John Terry (1934-2014)
Abstract:
The John Terry Chase Manuscript Papers on Gum Springs: The Triumph of a Black Community (1990) consists of .63 linear feet and spans the years 1987-1989 and contains copies of primary and secondary historical documents, author’s notes, and manuscript drafts. Subjects covered are the Gum Springs neighborhood in Fairfax County, Virginia; Gum Springs’ founder West Ford; the relationship between Gum Springs and Mount Vernon; African-American history; and race relations.
Language:
English

Background

Biographical / historical:

John Terry Chase was born on November 7, 1934 in Deerfield, Massachusetts. He graduated from Reed College in 1959 with a BA in History and later received an MA in History from George Mason University in 1987.

After relocating to Arlington, Virginia, Chase served as a speech writer for the Environmental Protection Agency during the Carter Administration. He later taught American history at the International School in Bethesda, Maryland from 1989 to 1995.

He authored a number of history books, including "Gum Springs: Triumph of a Black Community" (1990), which was commissioned by the Heritage Resources Branch of the Fairfax County Office of Comprehensive Planning. The book focused on the dynamics of community building and history in Gum Springs. The community earned its name from a gum tree on the property that George Washington’s nephew, Bushrod, willed to freedman West Ford.

Chase also wrote "The Study of American History: Volume 1" (1974) and "Recreation for Urban America" (1979) with the National Committee for Urban Recreation. In addition, he and his wife Sara Lee Hannum Chase co-edited two anthologies of contemporary and nature-related poetry: "To Play Man Number One: Poems of Modern Man" (1969) and "The Wind is Round" (1970).

Chase died of a stroke at age 79 on June 1, 2014 at a retirement community in Mitchellville, Maryland.

Acquisition information:
Unknown