The Patricia F. Parthree Collection on Mount Vernon High School, 1950-2012

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:
3.0 linear feet
Creator:
Parthree, Patricia F. (1937-2012)
Abstract:
The Patricia F. Parthree Collection on Mount Vernon High School consists of 3.0 linear feet and spans the years 1950-2012 and contains class photographs, certificates, graduation invitations, correspondence, newspaper clippings, newsletters, a notebook, school songs and chants, code of ethics, letterhead, tickets, programs, school newspapers, school literary magazine, student directory, school jacket, pin, pennant, and a school logo patch. Subjects covered are Mount Vernon High School and student life in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

Series 1: Personal, 1953-1966, Boxes 1 and 4

Contains personal materials of Patricia F. (Vines) Parthree including photographs of her Mount Vernon High School classmates, certificates, graduation invitations, a letter, newsletter, English class notebook, and her Mount Vernon High School Majors jacket. Certificates comprise of one AAA issued School Safety Patrol Award of Merit to Pat Vines and a Mount Vernon High School Stadium Lights stock certificate issued to Pat’s husband, Donald C. Parthree. Class photographs are portraits of Mount Vernon High School students from the 1953-1954 school year. The Progress Notes newsletter mentions Pat Vines signing up to be a nurse aid at Alexandria Hospital.

Series 2: Ephemera and Memorabilia, 1954-1955, Boxes 1 and 4

Contains Mount Vernon High School memorabilia including the Last Will and Testament from the Class of 1955, articles of proclamation, school songs and chants, code of ethics, letterhead, school patch, a pin, and a pennant. Also contained is a Pabst Blue Ribbon napkin printed with the beer company’s theme song. The Articles of Proclamation were written by students in the Mt. Vernon Majors calling for fellow classmates to not show up for class on Veterans Day 1954 since the school did not recognize it as a national holiday.

Series 3: Events, 1951-1972, Box 1

Contains materials from Mount Vernon High School sponsored events. Items mainly consist of programs and tickets from dances, graduations, sporting events, school clubs, and other school events. Items from non-school events held in the surrounding Mount Vernon area include a ticket from the S.S. Mt. Vernon and Mt. Vernon Drive-in theatre.

Series 4: School Publications, 1950-1955, Boxes 1 and 2

Contains Mount Vernon High School student publications including issues of the school newspaper Em Vee Hi, the student newsletter The Little Major, the student handbook Spyglass, the school’s literary magazine The Ink Blotch, and an undated student directory.

Series 5: Newspaper Clippings, 1955-2012, Box 2

Contains newspaper clippings relating to Mount Vernon High School. Subjects include mostly obituaries of former students but also a variety of 1950s clippings about the school‘s buildings and student activities.

Series 6: Reunion Materials, 1983-2006, Boxes 2, 3, and 4

Contains materials for reunions held for Mount Vernon High School alumni. Subjects include the Class of 1955, Class of 1956, and the 50th Anniversary of the school. Items include reunion papers, reunion books, correspondence, pins, tickets, notes, and alumni lists.

Biographical / historical:

Patricia Faith Vines was born on March 20, 1937 in Washington D.C. and adopted by Homer H. and Myrtle P. Vines of Alabama. Shortly thereafter, the family moved to Arlington, Virginia and later the Jefferson Manor neighborhood in Alexandria.

In 1950, Pat enrolled in Mount Vernon High School as an eighth grader. She partook in several extracurricular activities and school clubs including Junior Commercial Club, Barber Shop Quartet, and Patrol. She also participated in Glee Club during her entire academic career there.

As a sophomore in July 1953, Pat signed up to be a nurse aid for the summer at Alexandria Hospital. She took a two-week high school nurse aid course prior to spending her entire summer at the hospital.

After she graduated in 1955, Pat secured a secretarial job for the Department of the Army. On February 14, 1959 Pat married her high school sweetheart, Donald Cletus Parthree (MVHS Class of 1956). The couple moved to Baltimore, Maryland for a short period where Donald worked as a meatpacker for Esskay Meat Products. Feeling homesick, they moved back to Springfield, Virginia where Pat resumed her Pentagon job as a secretary for the Department of the Army.

In 1967, the Parthrees moved to Waldorf, Maryland where Pat stayed at home and raised their three children, Dawn, Cindy and Greg. When the youngest child reached school age, Pat went back to work as a secretary for the Charles County public schools system. After a period of years, she returned to the government as a secretary for the Department of the Navy at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Indian Head, Maryland. She retired in September 2003. Pat was also a charter member and pianist of the First Baptist Church of St. Charles. She passed away on November 4, 2012.

Acquisition information:
Collection donated by Cindy Blass, daughter of Patricia Parthree on December 5, 2015.