Pauline Weeden Maloney (November 11, 1904 – June 22, 1987), born Margaret Pauline Fletcher, was an American educator based in Lynchburg, Virginia. She was the third national president of

The Links The Links is an American invitation-only social and service organization of prominent Black women in the United States. Founded in 1946, it is the largest nationwide organization of Black women in the USA. Members include multiple prominent wome ...

, and rector of

Norfolk State University Norfolk State University (NSU) is a public historically black university in Norfolk, Virginia. It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Virginia High-Tech Partnership. History The institution was founded on September 18, 1935 ...

Early life and education

Margaret Pauline "Polly" Fletcher was born in Annapolis, Maryland, the daughter of William Fletcher and Eliza Fletcher. She attended

Morgan Academy Morgan Academy is a Secondary School in the Stobswell area of Dundee, Scotland. History The building was designed in 1862 by the Edinburgh architects John Dick Peddie and Charles Kinnear, opening in 1866 as the Morgan Hospital, a charitable in ...

in Baltimore, and she graduated from

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

in 1926. At Howard, she was a member of Delta Sigma Theta. She later earned a master's degree from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Career

Maloney taught and served as a guidance counselor and an assistant principal in the Lynchburg Public Schools, especially at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, from 1937 to 1970. She was the first Black president of the Virginia School Boards Association and the Southern Region of the

National School Boards Association The National School Boards Association (NSBA) is a nonprofit educational organization operating as a federation of state associations of school boards across the United States. Founded in 1940, NSBA represents state school boards associations an ...

. From 1957 to 1962, the third national president of The Links; she founded Lynchburg's chapter of The Links in 1950. As Links president, she spoke at the annual awards ceremony of the Virginia Teachers Association in 1960. Also in 1960, she addressed a public hearing of the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdicti ...

, on the subject of Black representation in television and radio production and programming: "The influence that broadcasting has on education, science, art, commerce, and the moral welfare of our country concerns all of us, and obviously lies at the root of these public hearings," she declared. She was also a regional director of Delta Sigma Theta, and one of the founding officers of the Friends of the Lynchburg Public Library, when it started in 1966. Maloney retired from schoolwork in 1977 and became the first woman

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Norfolk State University. She was also active in

Jack and Jill of America Jack and Jill of America is a leadership organization formed during the Great Depression. It was formed in 1938 by African American mothers to bring together children in a social and cultural environment. It is headquartered in Washington, D. ...

, the NAACP, and church organizations.

Personal life

Polly Fletcher married dentist Henry P. Weeden in North Carolina, and moved with him to Lynchburg in 1950. He died in 1964. Her second husband was Clarence Maloney, an attorney. Polly Weeden Maloney died in 1987, in Lynchburg, aged 82 years, survived by three daughters. In 2015, a

historical marker A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other ...

about her was placed near her former home in Lynchburg, describing her career and noting her status as Lynchburg's "First Lady of Education." September 26, 2015, was declared "Pauline Weeden Maloney Day" by Lynchburg's mayor. She is one of the educators depicted in a three-panel mural by Ann van de Graaf, titled "Lord Plant My Feet on Higher Ground". In 2018 the Virginia Capitol Foundation announced that Maloney's name would be on the

Virginia Women's Monument The Virginia Women's Monument is a state memorial in Richmond, Virginia commemorating the contributions of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United ...

's glass Wall of Honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maloney, Pauline Weeden 1904 births 1987 deaths People from Annapolis, Maryland People from Lynchburg, Virginia Howard University alumni Norfolk State University faculty American educators Clubwomen Delta Sigma Theta members