Historical Murder at West Orange

Many students at West Orange attend school every day, walking past the obelisk in front of the student parking lot entrance, the plaque outside of student services, and even the football field, seldom knowing the significance of the name listed. When the school first opened its doors in 1975, nearly 50 years ago, no one could imagine the tragic event that would take place just two years later. When asked,

many students say they “have no clue about who he is or why he is important.”

On December the 12th, 1977, just after school had let out for the day, the principal at the time, Mr. Raymond Screws, was confronting his coworker, Assistant Principal Mr. Roosevelt Holloman Jr., with the help of two administrative aides, Assistant Principal Mr. Tony Krapf and Dean of Students Ms. Emma Brown. Holloman was allegedly engaging in misconduct with a 16 year-old girl who attended the school.

Screws and Holloman broke out into an argument, and Krapf and Brown said that Holloman pulled out a revolver from a metal box he had carried into the meeting, and turned the gun on Screws, firing one of the bullets hitting his neck. The other administrators ran from Holloman as he fired three more shots.

Screws stumbled from his office in the administration building before collapsing just outside the office. EMTs from West Orange Memorial Hospital rushed to the scene, and Screws was pronounced dead at the hospital. Holloman was tried and convicted of first-degree murder, and was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.

Even 47 years later, we still honor Principal Screws and his dedication to education and the safety of students. For 35 years, Screws worked tirelessly as an educator, and for this, he is honored in The National Teachers Hall of Fame, with their National Memorial to Fallen Educators located in Kansas at Emporia State University.