The St. Helena Extension was a division of William & Mary established especially for veterans of World War II.
During World War II the Navy had erected 10 temporary buildings at the Norfolk Navy Yard in the St Helena corner. After the war these buildings were no longer needed. Norfolk was a good site for the location of Virginia's veterans' college because it was the heart of a heavily populated area and because the departure of Navy personnel had made the housing shortage less serious there than elsewhere in the state. In 1946 William & Mary President John E Pomfret, Bursar Charles J Duke and Herbert W.K. Kitzroy established the Saint Helena extension of the College of William & Mary. Before the war, Kitzroy had been the Assistant Dean at Princeton. The buildings were painted and converted into classrooms, laboratories, dormitories, dining hall, library and a gym. On September 20, 1946, Saint Helena opened its gates to 625 students. The school closed in June, 1948.
Material in the Special Collections Research Center
- William & Mary Alumni Magazine, Summer 2014, pages 46-49
- St. Helena Extension in the Special Collections Database