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Tribute to a respected columnist
Some eras fade so quietly into history no one notices one way or the other.
Others reach their conclusion with all those who have been touched by its events deeply regretting its end, knowing that this was an era that enriched their lives in ways both large and small.
The Loudoun Times-Mirror saw the end of such an era when Peggy Drummond, the columnist who authored Lines From Loudoun since April 1956, resigned in March, saying simply, “It’s time.”
Peggy, of Purcellville, took the pen originally from her husband, Fred, who had written the column for two years. Her charge was the same as his had been: Cover the events of the black community.
This was a task each was more than capable of doing and doing well. Both Drummonds were educators -- she a teacher and he a principal -- in Loudoun County. Both were active members in numerous civic and religious activities.
Both had a deep and abiding love for each other and their son, Jerome, and for Loudoun County. The county returned the favor.
Peggy never missed a deadline, never forgot to include an activity that had been submitted to her, and never stood silent when there was a wrong that needed to be put right.
Historian Carla Wiley, of Leesburg, has known Peggy Drummond since childhood.
“I first met her when I was in elementary school at Douglass Elementary,” Wiley said. “My mother was a teacher there, Amy Anderson, and when there would be faculty meetings, I would go into the office and help Mrs. Drummond make the copies. It got to be a pattern. From the beginning, she has been an influence on me.”
At one point, Wiley continued, Fred Drummond retired, and he and his wife took a break and Wiley filled in and wrote the column in the early 1990s
“She and Mr. Drummond are just a positive influence. You always see them together,” Wiley said. “It's one of those things where you invite them because they are like your distant grandparents. There's that level of respect.”
Asked how she would best describe Peggy, Wiley answered: “She's enthusiastic, a dynamo. She is very much a humble person and would never want anyone to make a fuss over her, but it's necessary -- she's done such a great job. She has made her mark.”
Mary Fishback, a genealogist and assistant at the Thomas Balch Library in Leesburg, was there when the library honored Peggy in 2004 with one of the History Awards of the Thomas Balch Library.
“She wrote in an era when female black journalists were not usually accepted,” Fishback said. “She wrote about the local events and social happenings of interest with style and grace.”
Fishback pointed out that Peggy Drummond's articles reflected her strong religious beliefs and her loyalty to Grace Annex United Methodist Church and her support of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Retired Teachers Association.
“She helped thousands keep up with genealogy and family history,” she said. “She gave a public voice to blacks in Loudoun County. She kept the communities informed of many political and personal events that have helped to shape Loudoun County. ... Peggy is a household name in Loudoun.”
Fishback said that Peggy is active in the preservation and study of African-American history. She has attended many meetings and classes that help preserve the history of Loudoun County.
“She is quiet and unassuming,” Fishback said. “She is strong-willed, with good taste and impeccable judgment. She is a role model for all others to follow.”
Leesburg resident Terri Randolph is now contributing news about the county's African-American community online for the Times-Mirror.
Contact the writer at ecarlton@timespaper.com
Congratulations Mrs. Drummond and Best Wishes on your retiring from the Lines from Loudoun. I did just want to correct one thing and that is I am far from a historian because there is so much to learn but served as Historian on the Loudoun Commission on Women for the last Board of Supervisors. Great article but there are so many others that rightly deserve that title. Carla Anderson Wiley - Leesburg
Posted by withac13
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