York educator Victoria Lyles achieved much, and one of her lasting legacies is her involvement in the founding of York Twinning. Background post: YLT + YSO + 75 years = A1 entertainment, Many national stars performed on YLT's stage and 'Weekly Reader's' founder Eleanor Johnson.
York Little Theatre's Julie Aiken is finishing up work on a book marking York Little Theatre's 75th annversary being celebrated this year.
She came across a woman who seemed to be making things happen across the community in the 1930s through 1950s - Victoria Lyles.
Among other things, Julie found that Victoria Lyles worked with Rabbi Alexander Goode on teaching tolerance in York City schools and was instrumental in desegregating York's schools.
"Do you have any further information about this amazing woman?" she wrote... .
This plaque appears at Arles Playground,
Arles Park - King and Pattison streets, York.
Victoria Lyles, indeed, used a loud, clear voice in calling for community change. Then she set about to make it happen.
Today, she is perhaps most remembered for her work with York Twinning, an organization formed in the Cold War years of the 1950s to foster understanding with first a sister city in France and then Germany. Today, exchanges continue with Arles, France, and Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany.
Many in York may not be familiar with Dr. Lyles. Her name does not appear on any buildings, and she came to York from Oklahoma and returned there later in life. So a two-decade-plus tenure never made her a "true Yorker." (A common joke among non-natives is that you'll never become one unless you're born here.)
The AAUW remembered Victoria Lyles in their book "Legacies," the 1984 publication that honored achieving women in York County's past.
Here is that book's synopsis of her work:
A native of Wagoner, Okla., and former state supervisor for Oklahoma schools, Dr. Victoria M. Lyles was a pioneer in the field of education. She is especially remembered in York, where she served as director of York City Schools elementary and kindergarten education for 25 years.She experimented with many new ideas and programs that are today taken for granted.
Lyles foresaw a plan for injecting international understanding into public education and envisioned the potential for improved human relations through the development of a foreign language program. Her bilingual program was instituted in 1952 and within two years was expanded to several York schools.
In 1954, success of this program led to York being chosen as a "twin" city with Arles, France. Arles recognized the educator by naming a school in her honor.
Lyles was a great innovator. As early as 1940 she developed case studies to show how the psychological factors in a child's background and home life could affect his or her ability to learn. These studies helped the schools to deal with emotionally disturbed children and to establish special courses providing a proper education.
She also recognized the damaging effects of racial discrimination on a child. In the 1940s, long before integration became a popular issue in the country, she was an outspoken advocate of integration in York's elementary schools. Lyles wrote and distributed bulletins that gave information on various races and creeds. In 1947, the first interracial kindergarten was opened in an all-white school. This evolved into the integration of 18 more schools that used the plan designed by Lyles.
In 1949, Lyles was named a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania. Many additional honors were bestowed on her. In York she was known as a reformer unafraid of change.
She retired to Oklahoma and continued to work in the field of education until her death.
I am trilled to find this link.....Dr. Lyles is my "Aunt Vic"....when I was 8 years old I remember being in Wagner at a family gathering...everyone was always so impressed with Aunt Vic....I knew then I wanted to be like her....I now am a professor in Northern Minnesota in Education....I work at both the national and international level trying to improve education through the integration of technology into learning....my daughter has just begun her Doctoral work this summer in Curriculum and Instruction at Hamlin University in Minneapolis, her area is working with emotional behaviriorally disturbed elementary students.....
Today, on my treadmill I noticed an "old" book that I had purchased (love old books) I picked it off and couldn't believe that it was an English fifth grade workbook that Aunt Vic had written....I have always wanted to find her work and learn more about her....so in my techie way I decided to do a search...and this site popped up....please let me know about the work that you all are doing. I noted my web page so you can "see me" and learn a bit about me.
Thank you so much for giving me a big smile, warm feelings, and in a way a message from my dear Aunt Vic....
Aunt Vic passed away long before I grew up...she never knew the influence she had on me...and in a way now on my Christine...as educators we never know the extent of our influence....we just hope that our energy will work to improve the worlds of our students....Aunt Vic is certainly an example of an individual who's legacy goes on well beyond her time here on earth.
Thank you
Kathryn
I had problems with my earlier post...
Victoria Lyles...was my Aunt Vic....I hope you received my post if not feel free to contact me...I am trilled to learn anything about her...she was my inspiration for my work....I knew from age 8... I wanted to be like Aunt Vic!!!