Prince Edward Academy Class of '75

Arthur Wayne Speas was born on August 13,1955, in Richmond, Virginia, to William and Kathleen Speas.
Wayne was a graduate of Prince Edward Academy (summer of 1974 per the spring supplement) in Farmville, Virginia, where he proudly played in the school band. He was a faithful member of Oak Grove Baptist Church and was well known in the community. Many friends and neighbors could often find him enjoying time at Cumberland Restaurant, where he was a familiar and friendly face.
Wayne was a highly skilled master carpenter with the ability to draft house plans as well. His talent for building began early in life—while still in high school, he and a friend built a camper entirely by hand, a testament to the craftsmanship and determination that would define his life.
Arthur Wayne Speas passed away Friday, March 6, 2026. He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Kathleen Speas.
He is survived by many cousins who will remember him for his craftsmanship, kindness, and the lasting impact he made on those around him.
When I come to The End of The Road
When I come to the end of the road and the sun has set for me
I want no rites in a gloom filled room, why cry for a soul set free?
Miss me a little, but not for long and not with your head bowed low,
Remember the love that once we shared miss me but let me go.
For this journey we all must take, and each must go alone.
It’s all part of the master plan a step on the road to home.
When you are lonely and sick at heart go to the friends we know.
Laugh at all the things we used to do miss me but let me go.

Arthur Wayne Speas at our 40th Reunion.
I believe he left after our 11th grade year.

He graduated early from PEA SUMMER 74
In The Cavalier Spring Supplement

John Weldon (Jay, J.W.) Frank, Jr.,68, of Rice, Virginia, passed away

peacefully with family at his side on February 25, 2026, in Lynchburg

General Hospital. Born on August 29, 1957, to the late Betty and John

W Frank, Jay grew up on the family dairy and to***co farm. During his

high school years, he discovered a love of music and found his voice

through the saxophone in the marching band. After graduation from

Prince Edward Academy in 1975, he chose to remain and work on the

farm. He had a knack for mechanical work but his real joy was playing

alto sax and guitar with the locally popular False Dmitri band. Back in

those days, he could be spotted in his pick up truck with his Great

Dane, his Chihuahua and his goat, Henry, riding shotgun. He also

graduated from dirt bikes to bigger and bigger motorcycles along the

way, but he gave up bikes for family life. Though facing many health

challenges through the years, Jay was a large man with a big, tender

heart. J.W. is survived by his children, Daniel Frank and Carrie Frank,

his step children, Jonathan Frank and Christina Velez (Christopher),

and his sister, Janet Stoner (Richard). J.W. will be missed by friends

and family alike. A celebration of life will follow in the spring.

JW Frank aka Meatball passed away today.
As I receive more information I will share!

Please keep Jamie Carson in your prayers!!
It's taken me some time to post this but as hard as it is for me, I want the memory of my wonderful husband and most definitely my best half to be remembered. So please remember the good times and the funny stories. He would like that.

Happy Thanksgiving!🦃
I'm so grateful for all of you!

(from Prince Edward Rescue page) It is with deep sadness that our agency announces the passing of Dr. Nancy Anderson Haga. Dr. Haga passed away earlier this week; she was 90 years old.
Nancy was a Life Member of the Prince Edward Volunteer Rescue Squad, where she served actively and proudly from 1984 until 2017. In many ways, she was also our Squad family matriarch, having mentored and guided generations of EMS professionals in our community and beyond.
Nancy first joined the Rescue Squad as a Volunteer in June of 1984. She was Treasurer of the agency for many years and actively ran calls on a weekly basis up until 2017. Nancy’s dedication and commitment to Prince Edward Rescue is a true testament to the love she had for this community and for the residents of the County. Her impact is still being felt today.
In reading over the references in her file from when she applied for membership, it is evident that the person who first applied to serve in 1984, was the same person she had always been. References remarked that Nancy was “very enthusiastic about serving the community,” that she was “dependable, honest and hardworking,” and that “she is almost daily doing something to help her neighbors or others in the community.”
As we mourn the loss of one of our agency’s greatest and most influential providers, we would love for you to share a photo or memory of Nancy in the comments below.
A memorial service will be held on December 29th at 11:00 a.m. at Farmville United Methodist Church.
Nancy—you will always hold a special place in the hearts and minds of those here at Prince Edward Volunteer Rescue Squad. Rest peacefully, #113, your service has concluded and we will take it from here.(

To all families, friends, and musicians who know Michael Edging, my very special love, best friend, and life, he passed away this morning, 08-21-25, at 4:30 am Las Vegas time! I miss you so much, my one; you are my life. Thank you for the time and happiness we shared together,
Ellen Edging

Adding more pictures sent to me
Prince Edward Academy Class of 1975

Richard chose last night to enjoy our 50 class reunion and not push his campaign but he has taken on a major task in the future of educational opportunities in our area!
If anyone has any questions or concerns please reach out to him!
Prince Edward Academy Class of 1975

We are thrilled to announce that 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗘𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗟𝗟𝗖 will serve as the consultant for our "Building Together, Soaring Beyond" Capital Campaign.

Richard Epperson, a 1975 PEA graduate and the only individual to serve as Headmaster for both 𝗣𝗘𝗔 and 𝗙𝘂𝗾𝘂𝗮 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹, brings unparalleled expertise in fundraising and institutional advancement. His remarkable career includes serving as Athletic Director and Assistant VP for Institutional Advancement at Hampden-Sydney College, where he helped lead transformative facility improvements and strategic initiatives. In recent years, his fundraising efforts have also benefited 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 and 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘆.

Richard shared:
"𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘍𝘶𝘲𝘶𝘢 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘯𝘪, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦."

Richard and his wife, 𝗗𝗲𝗯𝗯𝗶𝗲 𝗗𝘂𝗻𝗻 𝗘𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 '𝟳𝟰, reside in Farmville and remain deeply connected to our community.

Join us as we embark on this exciting journey to secure a brighter future for Fuqua School!

Congratulations Amy Simes on your book!

Hampden House in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia, is an antebellum house named for the original estate in England that belongs to the descendants of John Hampden, the English Civil War patriot. In this memoir, Amy C. Simes reviews both the history of the original house, as well as her own ‘herstory’ growing up in the Virginia namesake. She covers the seventeenth century highlights of the lives of John Hampden and Algernon Sidney – for whom Hampden-Sydney College is named – and their struggles with Charles I and II – as both men fought to establish more democratic principles in Britain. She then reviews the origins of Hampden-Sydney College, one of the oldest single-sex liberal arts colleges in the U.S., and how its founding is intimately connected to the founding of the United States, both of which are celebrating their 250th anniversaries in 2026. She also takes a closer look at the histories and mysteries surrounding the origins of the Virginia Hampden House, the home where she lived as she came of age in the 1960s and 1970s.
Simes spends the bulk of her memoir recounting a variety of tales that cover the years she lived in Hampden House as a young girl and teenager growing up on an all-male college campus during the second wave of feminism in the Sixties and Seventies when the College was briefly considering going coed. She discusses how it felt to be a “damned Yankee” living in Southside Virginia and the racism she encountered in Prince Edward County (one of the five school districts that filed suits leading to the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision). She also recounts the cultural impacts that radio, TV, film, religion and music of that era had on her life.