Siblings of Anne Moody: ‘Principal Willis was Mr. Anselm J. Finch’

Family Confirms Name of the Founder of Willis High in Coming of Age in Mississippi

By Roscoe Barnes III

Chairman, Anne Moody History Project

Copyright © 2018

#AnneMoody

Anselm Joseph Finch

I have been saying for months that Anselm Joseph Finch is believed to be Principal Willis of Willis High in Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi. The first person to suggest that was Charles E. Johnson, retired superintendent of education for Wilkinson County. He said to me, “There was no Willis High in Centreville. The school was Finch High School.”

And he was right.

Johnson’s information was confirmed this week by Anne’s brother, Fred Moody Jr., and her sister, Adline Moody, both of Gloster, Miss. Both siblings told me that they attended Finch High School in Centreville. They acknowledged Anne changed the names of many people – and places -- in the book. However, she used the actual names of her brothers and sisters, Adline said.

When asked about the controversy surrounding Finch and claims that he was an “Uncle Tom,” Adline said, “There was a lot of that going on back then. That’s how it was.”

In addition to being an educator and administrator, Finch was an accomplished writer. He published poetry, articles, and a number of books, including Mississippi Negro Ramblings (Adams Press, 1969). His work appeared in magazines and newspapers.

I recently learned of a biography of Finch by Sharon Burnette Bell that was written as a thesis for her Master of Arts degree at Jackson State University. It's titled, Anselm Joseph Finch: Mississippian and Life Long Educator (Jackson State University, 1976). It is well worth reading. One of the interesting features in Bell's research is a comment about the possible strategy that Finch employed in his dealings with the white community. Bell shared the thoughts of Dr. Lee E. Williams, who was vice president for administration at JSU and “had professional contact with Dr. Finch." Bell wrote: 

Mr. Williams also thought that Finch brought a lot of publicity to the state of Mississippi through his writings. He didn’t always agree with the context of the writings because he believed that Finch was too free and prolific with his unjust praise of Whites who often worked against Blacks. But this he feels was due to the time in which they both lived. Mr. Williams thought Finch probably used praise as a strategy to get what he wanted form the White man. (Pages 35-36)

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Acknowledgments:

Grateful acknowledgments are made to Ms. Darlita Ballard, university archivist for Jackson State University H.T. Sampson Library, for her assistance in providing information on Sharon Burnette Bell’s thesis.

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Questions about the Anne Moody History Project may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III Ph.D. via email at doctorbarnes3@gmail.com or roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com For updates on Anne Moody history and the on-going work of this community service project, simply follow this blog or follow AMHP on Twitter (@AnneMoodyHP).
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