Vena J Pike (1919 - 2003)

Vena J Pike’s biography is built and maintained by people like you. Create an online profile of Vena so that her life is remembered forever. If any factual information is incorrect, please edit Vena’s biography.

Pictures really do say a thousand words. Add photos of Vena during various points of her life.

1919 - In the year that Vena J Pike was born, in the summer and early autumn, race riots erupted in 26 U.S. cities, resulting in hundreds of deaths and even more people being badly hurt. In most cases, African-Americans were the victims. It was called the "Red Summer". Men who were returning from World War I needed jobs and there was competition for those jobs among the races. Tension was heightened by the use by many companies of blacks as strikebreakers.

1921 - At the age of merely 2 years old, Vena was alive when hugely popular Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, silent film star, was arrested for rape and manslaughter after an actress died following a party at his house. He was acquitted after three trials and the jury wrote a formal letter apologizing for the charges, but his career never recovered. His films were at first banned - the ban was lifted after a year - and he was mostly ostracized by the community. He died at 46..

1954 - At the age of 35 years old, Vena was alive when on May 17th, the Supreme Court released a decision on Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. The ruling stated that state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students was unconstitutional thus paving the way for integration in schools.

1958 - By the time she was 39 years old, on January 1st, the European Economic Community (Common Market) came into operation. The first members were France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. The Common Market was formed as a way to strengthen members' economies and deter wars in Europe.

1983 - Vena was 64 years old when on August 30th, the Soviet Union claimed that a South Korean Boeing 747 jetliner (Flight 007), bound for Seoul from New York City, had strayed into Soviet airspace. Saying that they believed it to be a U.S. spy plane, the passenger jet was shot down by a Soviet SU-15 fighter - after it had tracked the airliner for two hours. All 269 passengers (including a U.S. Representative from Georgia) and crew were killed.

Who was Vena’s parents? Did she get married and did they have children? Share Vena’s family tree to share her legacy and genealogy pedigree.

What do you remember about Vena J Pike? Share your memories of special moments and stories you have heard about her. Or just leave a comment to show the world that Vena is remembered.