This study was undertaken as a beginning of an analysis of "zoning in action." Henrico County, Virginia, has had a rural zoning ordinance in force for over a third of a century. During this period, the County was transformed from a rural locality to an urban-suburban one. The study had as one of its objectives the tracing of rural zoning in response to population growth in Henrico County. The study sought to probe the types of requests sought, the manner in which they were sought, and whether or not they were granted. The consequences of zoning on real estate values were also probed. The study has shown how the initial, rather broad Ordinance has evolved in 35 years into a complex, quite restrictive ordinance. In 1933, there were four use districts. Today there are 16. Building regulations have been strengthened by the "beefing up” of older regulations and the addition of many new ones. As new problem uses have appeared, they have been incorporated into the Ordinance. Population pressures and the advent of unforeseen situations were responsible for most changes. Variance requests have been similar since the inception of the Ordinance. Sideyard and setback requests have predominated. As the Ordinance has become more restrictive, other requests have become more frequent. The vast majority of requests continue to be granted. Public interest in variance requests is for the most part dormant. The granting of variance requests affect assessed real estate values significantly only if the variance renders the property useful, where previously it was not. Zoning requests, over time, have changed markedly, however. Prior to urbanization of the County, most zoning requests were from an agricultural designation. Today agricultural requests trail business and residential requests in number. Most importantly, the ratio between zoning changes recommended by the advisory board and granted by the Board of Supervisors has changed. As requests have increased in size and in value, and as opposition has become more prevalent, professionals have dominated the presentation of requests. Rezoning of a tract to a more intensive use usually results in a doubling of its assessed value. / Master of Science

This dissertation recounts the years of struggle, frustration, failure and success that blacks in Henrico county, Virginia, confronted in acquiring an education. Before the establishment of free universal public schooling in Virginia in 1870, there was strong public opinion against the schooling of blacks. After the outbreak of the Civil War, various missionaries and philanthropic agencies strove to aid blacks; and the creation of the Freedmen's Bureau in 1865 brought an overall renewal of education for blacks. The Freedmen's Bureau aided in the construction of school buildings, and the philanthropic agencies supported teachers for the established schoolhouses. The Freedmen's Bureau ceased operation in Virginia in 1871; but by then, Virginia's public school system had been put into operation. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not having a laptop computer for individual use 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week lessens differences between how eighth grade girls and eighth grade boys in 10 middle schools in HenricoCounty, Virginia perceive computer use and computer technology. Having a laptop computer to use at any time of the day or night eliminates the issue of competition between boys and girls for computer use. It also eliminates the need for either girls or boys to perform in front of other students while learning, thus lessening to some degree, feelings of computer anxiety. Competition for computer access and computer anxiety are two theories that have been offered to explain why many young women in previous studies have chosen not to use computers to the same extent that young men do, as well as why many young women generally do not consider computer-related careers as career options in their futures. A modified Computer Attitude Questionnaire, based upon the CAQ, Version 5.14 was used to survey eighth grade girls and boys in 10 Henrico County middle schools. Data collected from the surveys were analyzed using the statistical package, SPSS 14 for Windows. Comparisons were based on gender and on the self-reported race/ethnicity of the participants. A comparison of attitudes related to the number of computers already in the home in addition to the school-issued laptop was also conducted. A variety of statistical analyses were used in order to determine differences in attitudes between the boys and girls surveyed and the interactions between the attitudes of the respondents and their race/ethnicity. This was a non-experimental, quantitative, comparative research study.

It is hoped that the contents of this thesis will help to provide a course of action through which the dramatic arts program may move closer to the objectives established for it by the HDRP administration. The dramatic arts program for adults, as set forth in the thesis, should create specific goals so that the HDRP may provide a consistent direction for the development of a dramatic arts program for adults. The adult dramatic arts program as formulated in the thesis should, combined with the already established dramatic arts program for youth, form a major portion of the comprehensive cultural arts program desired by the HDRP administration in Henrico County.

Historians of loyalism in Virginia during the American Revolution typically characterize supporters of the Crown as a small and unorganized group that had little bearing on the outcome of the war. However, these historians greatly underestimate the extent and nature of Virginia loyalists. Patriots throughout the state feared and loathed outright demonstrations of loyalty to the Crown, sought to identify and remove Tories in their communities, and worked to prevent the reentry of these Loyalists into postwar Virginia. Those loyalists who attempted to return to Virginia realized that continual attention was required to shape and present an image that would eliminate questions about their loyalty and protect interests and property.This study examines how a select group of returning loyalists sought to reestablish their citizenship and membership in the postwar Virginia community. To illustrate how young elites successfully negotiated their return into a hostile environment, the specific cases of Presly Thornton, John and Ralph Wormeley, and Philip Turpin are examined in great detail. As sons of well-to-do members of the community, they embraced Virginia's tradition of deference to elites and utilized social, political, and economic connections to achieve readmission. From studying the lives of these young men in the context of the vigorous anti-loyalist sentiment in Virginia, one can better understand the distinctly Virginian attitudes toward both loyalists and members of a select social class.