John Alfred George
John Alfred George was one of 21 Black boys who died on March 5, 1959, when fire broke out in a dormitory at the state's reform school in Wrightsville, Pulaski County, Arkansas. He was held at the school as a boy. A 2019 TV report says the boys were locked in their dormitory when the blaze started. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas reports that the doors were reportedly locked from the outside, and that he was one of seven victims identified and buried separately. In 2019 the Arkansas Department of Correction dedicated a memorial that lists each of the boys' names.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (neglect alleged). The boys were reportedly locked in their dormitory when the fire started, and the Arkansas Department of Correction later dedicated a memorial to the 21 boys who died.
Reported by: Arkansas Department of Correction (the agency that held him). The only account of how this person died comes from the agency that held him.