Fishburne Military School (FMS) is a private,

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

boarding school for

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in Waynesboro,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, United States. It was founded by James A. Fishburne in 1879 and is one of the oldest military schools in the country.

History

James A. Fishburne, a student and protégé of Robert E. Lee, opened the coed Waynesboro High School in 1879. The school became male only in 1881 and a series of name changes followed: Fishburne Home School in 1882, Fishburne School in 1883, and finally Fishburne Military School in 1886, two years after the school adopted a military program. The school is listed on the

Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC -- commonly pronounced "JAY-rotsee") is a Federal government of the United States, federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools acr ...

charter and has continuously been rated an Army JROTC Honor Unit since 1924. In 1951, the Fishburne-Hudgins Educational Foundation, Inc. was formed as a Virginia non-profit and since that time has owned and operated the school.

Campus

The 1916 Gothic Revival barracks designed by Staunton architect T.J. Collins was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 4, 1984 (Ref. # #84000058). It is the center of the Fishburne campus and dominates downtown Waynesboro as it sits on a hill overlooking the school's parade and athletic field. The barracks building is constructed in the form of an open three floor rectangle with cadet rooms, some offices, and most classrooms facing the open Quadrangle. Attached to the barracks themselves is a wing containing the chapel above the mess hall which is above the recently modernized swimming pool. Attached to the barracks by a breezeway is the administrative/gym building. The most recent occupied campus building, sitting on the southeast corner is Hobby-Hudgins Hall, combining a modern computer center and library with physical education facilities including locker rooms and weight room.

Notable alumni

* Gerald L. Baliles, 1959, Governor of Virginia 1986-90 * John Campbell, Bassist of heavy metal band Lamb of God * Reno Collier, stand-up comedian * Jonathan Edwards, singer songwriter * Leonel Gómez Vides, Salvadoran activist * Otto Felix, 1962, actor, writer *

Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the ...

, 1964,

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...

(formerly WWF) chairman and founder of the XFLDrucker, Joel.
King of the Ring
".''Cigar Aficionado''. Retrieved 2007-02-11. * John O. Noonan, 1999, Conservative policy advisor and writer for ''

The Weekly Standard ''The Weekly Standard'' was an American neoconservative political magazine of news, analysis and commentary, published 48 times per year. Originally edited by founders Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes, the ''Standard'' had been described as a "re ...

'' * W. Richard Stevens, technical author

References

External links

*
Fishburne-Hudgins Educational Foundation
{{authority control School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Boarding schools in Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Waynesboro, Virginia Military high schools in the United States Buildings and structures in Waynesboro, Virginia Private middle schools in Virginia Private high schools in Virginia Educational institutions established in 1879 1879 establishments in Virginia