John Jacklen Gaines

1937 - 2022

John Jacklen Gaines, 85, of Charlottesville, departed this life on Monday, August 22, 2022, at the University of Virginia Medical Center.

Born on March 7, 1937, he was the only child of John and Julia Gaines, a chef and domestic worker, respectively. He was born in the basement of the University of Virginia Medical Center at a time when birthing locations for the city's Black residents were limited.

After graduating in 1953 from the segregated city-county operated Burley High School, John attended Hampton Institute, now Hampton University, where he graduated in 1958 with a B.S. in History. His first job upon returning to Charlottesville was as a teacher at Jefferson elementary, which he had attended as a child. In 1965, he received a M.Ed. in Public School Administration from the University of Virginia.

A lifelong Charlottesville resident himself, John's contributions to education in Charlottesville were substantial, particularly for the city's Black residents. He served as a principal in the Charlottesville Public School system from 1968 to 1976, including a period as principal of Jefferson elementary school beginning in 1971 when it housed all of Charlottesville's sixth graders. For 15 years, he directed the Charlottesville Public School's Chapter 1 program, designated under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 as a mechanism to improve the education of disadvantaged children. And prior to his retirement in 1998, he spent seven years coordinating the system's Adult Education program.

John cared deeply about his community and worked to create opportunity and equity through service. This included periods where he served as president of the Charlottesville and Albemarle branches of the NAACP, president of the WCEH Neighborhood Association, and over a decade's board service on the Piedmont Housing Alliance. But as the City Council and his children can tell you, he didn't have to be on your board to tell you what he thought.

He loved seeing examples of Black excellence and achievement in Charlottesville and beyond and would speak about seeing Willie Mays, Arthur Ashe, and James Brown perform during trips they made to the area. In 2006, he helped successfully petition the city to rename the former 9th/10th Street Connector "Roosevelt Brown Boulevard" in honor of the Charlottesville native and NFL Hall of Famer.

In addition to his parents, John was preceded in death by Matilda Carter, his companion of many years. He leaves to cherish his memory three children, Jackie Martin (Eric), John Gaines, and Carl Gaines; three grandchildren, Jonathan (Christa), Kailyn, and Kristyn; two great-grandchildren, Janiyah and Jonathan; Matilda's children Pam, Denny, Danny; her grandson, Daryll, in addition to many other family members and friends.

A walk-through viewing will be held from 12 until 6 p.m. on Monday, August 29, 2022, at J.F. Bell Funeral Home Chapel, 108 Sixth Street NW.

Funeral Services will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, August 30, 2022, at Mount Zion First African Baptist Church, 105 Lankford Avenue, interment will follow at Holly Memorial Gardens. Due to COVID protocols masks are required for the viewing and funeral.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center's "Embracing Our Narrative" program, a one-week summer institute for K-12 educators that allows them to explore local history through the lens of African American people.

Arrangements by J. F. Bell Funeral Home Inc. Condolences may be sent to the family via the guestbook at www.jfbellfuneralservices.com.