Aubrey H. Camden
Encyclopedia
Aubrey Heyden Camden was the second President of the Chatham Training School and first President of Hargrave Military Academy
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on July 28, 1886.
He grew up on a farm, his beginning education being at a one-room school approximately two miles from his home. The annual instruction period of such schools rarely lasted more than five months. During summer months, Aubrey Camden worked to grow and sell crops in order to pay his school expenses.
In September 1904, he entered Fork Union Military Academy
. Camden would graduate from FUMA in 1907. After teaching for one year at a one-room school in Bedford County, Camden enrolled at the University of Richmond
, then known as the Richmond College. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from this college in 1911. Camden married Bessie Wheat of Bedford County on September 12, 1911. They had one son, A. Snead Camden, who became a dental surgeon and had three children.
Camden joined the staff of the Chatham Training School in Chatham, Virginia
in 1913 after spending two years teaching: one in Alexandria, Virginia and the other at Fork Union Military Academy. Camden was made Dean not long after his arrival, and would stay with the school for a total of thirty-eight years. He succeeded T. Ryland Sanford as President in 1918, serving until his retirement on July 28, 1951, his sixty-fifth birthday. By then, the name of the school had changed, making Camden the second and last President of the Chatham Training School and first President of Hargrave Military Academy. He was elected President-Emeritus by the Hargrave Military Academy Board of Trustees soon after his retirement, and was given a Chevrolet automobile by a number of alumni in appreciation of his years of service to HMA.
Colonel Camden served on the Board of Tax Assessors of Pittsylvania County, as Chairman of the County March of Dimes, and aided the establishment of the Shanaberger Homes following his retirement. As of 1959, he was a member of the Faith Home Board of Trustees. Colonel Camden published a book covering the first fifty years of Hargrave Military Academy history, "Fifty Years of Christian Education in a Baptist School: A Historical Record of Hargrave Military Academy" in the same year.
Hargrave Military Academy
Hargrave Military Academy is a private American boarding school located in the town of Chatham, Virginia.Hargrave is a school affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia emphasizing Christian values that focuses on a college and military preparatory program...
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Biography
Aubrey Heyden Camden was born at Sedalia in Bedford County, VirginiaBedford County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 60,371 people, 23,838 households, and 18,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 80 people per square mile . There were 26,841 housing units at an average density of 36 per square mile...
on July 28, 1886.
He grew up on a farm, his beginning education being at a one-room school approximately two miles from his home. The annual instruction period of such schools rarely lasted more than five months. During summer months, Aubrey Camden worked to grow and sell crops in order to pay his school expenses.
In September 1904, he entered Fork Union Military Academy
Fork Union Military Academy
Fork Union Military Academy is a private, military boarding school located in the town of Fork Union, Virginia. The school is more commonly known by its acronym FUMA ....
. Camden would graduate from FUMA in 1907. After teaching for one year at a one-room school in Bedford County, Camden enrolled at the University of Richmond
University of Richmond
The University of Richmond is a selective, private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate...
, then known as the Richmond College. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from this college in 1911. Camden married Bessie Wheat of Bedford County on September 12, 1911. They had one son, A. Snead Camden, who became a dental surgeon and had three children.
Camden joined the staff of the Chatham Training School in Chatham, Virginia
Chatham, Virginia
Chatham is a town in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, United States. Chatham's population was 1,338 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Danville, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. Chatham is home to Chatham High School and Hargrave Military Academy. It is also home to Chatham Hall , an...
in 1913 after spending two years teaching: one in Alexandria, Virginia and the other at Fork Union Military Academy. Camden was made Dean not long after his arrival, and would stay with the school for a total of thirty-eight years. He succeeded T. Ryland Sanford as President in 1918, serving until his retirement on July 28, 1951, his sixty-fifth birthday. By then, the name of the school had changed, making Camden the second and last President of the Chatham Training School and first President of Hargrave Military Academy. He was elected President-Emeritus by the Hargrave Military Academy Board of Trustees soon after his retirement, and was given a Chevrolet automobile by a number of alumni in appreciation of his years of service to HMA.
Colonel Camden served on the Board of Tax Assessors of Pittsylvania County, as Chairman of the County March of Dimes, and aided the establishment of the Shanaberger Homes following his retirement. As of 1959, he was a member of the Faith Home Board of Trustees. Colonel Camden published a book covering the first fifty years of Hargrave Military Academy history, "Fifty Years of Christian Education in a Baptist School: A Historical Record of Hargrave Military Academy" in the same year.