Henrico Black History Month Spotlight – William Darl Cosby, Sr.
In honor of February as Black History Month, the Henrico Citizen will spotlight (on each weekday during the month) an important current or former Black resident of Henrico whose life has helped shape the county.
William Darl Cosby Sr., a respected educator, community leader and longtime steward of local history, devoted more than half a century to advancing education and preserving the legacy of Black achievement in Henrico County.
Born April 1, 1912, in western Henrico County, Cosby was the youngest child of Mercer Hugh and Priddy Jasper Cosby. He grew up on the family farm in the Short Pump area of Glen Allen, an upbringing that instilled in him a strong work ethic and deep roots in the community he would serve throughout his life.
Cosby graduated from Virginia Randolph High School in 1931. His early adulthood was shaped by military service during World War II. He served in the United States Army in France and Germany and was honorably discharged in 1945.
Following the war, he pursued higher education, earning a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Union University and a master’s degree in elementary education from Virginia State University.
Cosby returned to Henrico County determined to make a difference in the classroom. During his 26-year career in Henrico County Public Schools, he served as a classroom teacher, assistant principal and principal (at Henrico Central Elementary, today known as Mehfoud Elementary in Varina). Colleagues and former students remembered him as an outstanding and dedicated educator whose leadership helped shape generations of young people.
Cosby was featured in a 2004 Citizen article that spotlighted the role he and his wife played along with other Black educators and community members in helping fund the education of one girl from Farmville, Virginia, after Prince Edward County opted to close its public schools rather than integrate them in the early 1960s.
Beyond the school building, Cosby remained involved in professional and civic life. He was a charter member and later president of the Henrico Teachers’ Association. He also managed the Henrico Teachers’ Association Federal Credit Union for 32 years, helping guide it until its 1990 merger with the Henrico Federal Credit Union.
In 1977, upon retiring from the public school system, Cosby began what would become another defining chapter of his life. He became curator of the Virginia E. Randolph Museum in Glen Allen, a role he would hold for 28 years until his death in 2006. Through his work at the museum, he helped preserve and promote the legacy of Virginia Estelle Randolph and the historic school that played a pivotal role in Black education in Henrico County.
Cosby also served as a charter trustee and past president of the Virginia Randolph Foundation, Inc., dedicating 52 years to supporting the institution’s mission.
Cosby died on Feb. 7, 2006. He is buried in the Cosby Family Cemetery in Goochland County.
