Virginia's Dilemma: Thomas B. Stanley Interview
(WDBJ Television, Roanoke, VA)

Governor Thomas B. Stanley argued that Section 141 of the Va. Constitution needed to be repealed so that tuition programs or grants-in-aid could be made available to parents. Stanley argued that with these programs parents would have the "choice" to send their children to segregated schools. Stanley suggested that the repeal of Section 141 would not in any way endanger Section 129 and Virginia's commitment to maintain a free, open, and efficient public school system. Stanley considered the vote on the referendum to hold a contitutional convention a vote on whether or not to have "mixed" schools. Furthermore, he claimed that the tuition grants were the crux of the defense of segregated schools and that the Gray plan offered the best means to prevent integrated schools in Virginia.