Historical Reminiscing with Robert B.
Hitchings
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A Man Called Paul H.O'Hara
A few weeks ago I was called upon by the Maury High School Alumi, called, Maury’s Ya, Ya. Group, to do a program. This group of women, all graduates of Maury High, who meet once every month for lunch, were all graduates from Maury in the 1950’s. There were 50 members in the audience when I gave my talk. I was the invited guest speaker and I did my program on a man they all knew, Paul O’Hara, the Calligraphy Man of Maury High School.
Paul O’Hara, was a teacher at Maury High for 33 years. He taught business subjects and penmanship. His penmanship appeared on everyone’s diplomas. All the ladies in this group knew Paul O’Hara and many had an interesting story to tell. One lady said to me, “Robert, you should have seen how he could draw a peacock on the black board with his fancy curbs. He was amazing.”
Paul O’Hara was a household name in my house. My mother would recall the days as a young student at Maury High during the late 1920’s when she took all her business subjects from Paul O’Hara, along with his penmanship classes. Like so many students, she thought he was just wonderful!
On June 8, 1968, I can remember my mother holding my Maury’s High School diploma in hand for the first time. To see my diploma and the special calligraphy skills, that only O’Hara could do, brought back so many fond memories.
O’Hara was born in Alma, Michigan, and was a highly educated man. He graduated 1909 from the Zaner-Bloser School in Columbus, Ohio, a school of calligraphy and business. Calligraphy means “Beautiful Writing.” Zaner-Boser School was one of the finest schools in the country. Unfortunatley, it closed its doors many years ago.He moved to Norfolk, Virginia, after WWI ended. He was married to his wife for 70 years. At Maury he taught Bookkeeping, Business Math, Business Law, and his favorite subject, penmanship. O’Hara retired in 1954 with 33 years at Maury High School.
But it was penmanship that he enjoyed teaching so much. He was keenly disappointed when Maury High dropped this subject from the curriculum in 1928. From 1921 to 1973 he did all the diplomas “calligraphy” for Maury High School, Booker T. Washington, and Granby High School. In all, he did about 75,000 diplomas. Every graduate’s name was inscribed with the special flourishments of his pen. For over 50 years O’Hara put his heart & soul into these diplomas. Sad, the Norfolk school system only paid Paul O’Hara, 50 cents for each diploma. As retired Principal of Maury High School, Rufus Tonelson (1911-2006) said in an interview in February 16, 1990, with Lawrence Maddry, “O’Hara’s, work was so artful, he was terribly underpaid.”
On February 16, 1989, at Hill Haven retirement home on Hampton Blvd, Norfolk, Virginia, O’Hara celebrated his 100th birthday. Many admirers and old students stopped by to see this old man and wished him, “A Happy Birthday.” They all reminded him of their diplomas and thanked him for all he had done in teaching.
The Virginian-Pilot newspaper with Lawrence Maddry covered his 100th Birthday. As he told the group of well-wishers, “If a person takes pride in his handwriting, it is an indication that he takes care in the other things he does.” He would tell this to all his students.
On October 8, 1990, at the age of 101, Paul O’Hara passed away in his sleep. From 1921 to 1973, Paul O’Hara inscribed about 75,000 diplomas for a great many students here in our area. He was the man of Diplomas!
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Robert B. Hitchings is a seventh generation Norfolk resident, graduating with an Associate's Degree in Biology from Old Dominion University and BA in history from Virginia Wesleyan University. During his studies he was awarded a scholarship at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, England, and he was an exchange student at Brooks-Westminster College, Oxford, England. From 1999-2014 he worked as head of the Sargeant Memorial History Room at Norfolk Public Library, and since then has headed the Wallace History Room at Chesapeake Public Library. He is also the President of the Norfolk County Historical Society, and for six years was a columnist for The Virginian-Pilot. Robert may be reached at nchs.wallaceroom@gmail.com
