Edward Tolston Jr.
Edward Tolston Jr., a 15-year-old Black boy, died on March 5, 1959, in a dormitory fire at the Arkansas Negro Boys Industrial School in Wrightsville, Pulaski County, where he was held. He was one of 21 boys who died in the blaze. An Encyclopedia of Arkansas account says the dormitory doors were reportedly locked from the outside, and he is listed among those buried in Haven of Rest Cemetery in Little Rock. The Arkansas Department of Correction later dedicated a memorial in 2019 bearing the names of the boys who died.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (neglect alleged). Accounts say the dormitory doors were locked from the outside when the fire started, but no official ruling on the cause of death is reported.
Reported by: news reports.