Man of Sterling Worth

Man of Sterling Worth: Professor William A. Saunders of Storer College

Lynn’s first biography of a significant Harpers Ferry figure was published in October 2022 by the Harpers Ferry Park Association.

For 88 years after the end of the Civil War, Storer College educated hundreds of African Americans who gathered on its campus in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. This is the story of Storer’s longest serving black teacher. A Storer graduate himself, William Allen Saunders became the school’s beating heart. He was known as a devoted friend of struggling youth, who not only boarded students in his home but was said to do everything in his power to aid their progress. While Storer College helped make “Prof Saunders” the man he was, he taught so many courses over so many years and touched so many lives that he, in turn, significantly impacted the twentieth century Storer experience.

Over his 54 years as a resident of Harpers Ferry, Saunders also became a trusted spiritual leader and a well-known figure throughout the thriving Black community then living beyond Storer’s campus. All of these aspects are explored here by author Lynn Pechuekonis, who resides in Saunders’ former home.

This book uniquely turns its focus on Black life both at Storer College and in Harpers Ferry during the Jim Crow era—all viewed through the lens of this dedicated teacher who was praised as a “man of sterling worth” and the “friend of every righteous cause.”

Order your copy from the Harpers Ferry Park Association Bookshop.

Learn about Lynn’s forthcoming book on the Black founders of the Hill Top House, the most famous hotel in Harpers Ferry.

Interviews & Reviews

WVPB -Biography Details Life Of Longest Serving Black Teacher At Harpers Ferry’s Storer College

Harpers Ferry writer spotlights a prominent Storer College teacher
Spirit of Jefferson, October 12, 2022

Pechuekonis authors book on Storer College professor
The Journal (Martinsburg) October 7, 2022

Panelists share memories and history of Storer College
The Journal (Martinsburg) February 4, 2024

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