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NORRISTOWN — The Norristown community gathered Friday morning to commemorate the renaming of one of its educational institutions to Alice Davenport Elementary School.
Formerly known as Gotwals Elementary School, the change in moniker to the school at 1 E. Oak St. paid tribute to Davenport, who in 1952 became the first African-American teacher in the then-Norristown School District.
“Today is a special day, not just for our school district, but for the history of the borough of Norristown,” said Norristown Area School District school board member Louis Mason, adding “This is history in the making, and you’re all a part of it.”
Born Nov. 19, 1919 in Washington, D.C., Davenport was raised in the nation’s capitol. She met her future husband Horace, while he was serving in the military. She married the Norristown native in 1944. They have four children: Alice Alexander, of Boston; Horace “Champ” Davenport, Jr., of Los Angeles; Bev Davenport, of East Falls, and Nina Davenport, of Wenonah, New Jersey.
Friday’s event included the unveiling of updated signage and remarks from dignitaries.
“Her life and legacy is nothing short of extraordinary,” said Superintendent Christopher Dormer. “It is with great honor that NASD renames this school the Alice Davenport Elementary School.”
Members of Davenport’s family were overcome with emotion.
“(It’s) the journey that she took,” said daughter Nina Davenport. “The fearlessness with which she approached life at a time when, to be a first was a big step, and she just embraced it with grace, and beauty, and intelligence, and charm, and that is how she thrived in life.”
“I feel so overwhelmed by all this, but it’s wonderful,” said daughter Bev Davenport. “My mother is so modest. I don’t think she could have ever predicted this.”
“It’s incredible because I know how much it would mean to my mom, who loved her school, education and little kids,” said son Horace “Champ” Davenport Jr.
Ceremonial proceedings wrapped up with the unveiling of a lobby display featuring a photo of Davenport.
“That picture is a perfect encapsulation of the joy she had to be with those kids, the confidence, the self assuredness that I think she had to at least project, if not always own, in order to be successful,” Nina said.
The Davenports lived in a home on nearby Jacoby Street. Champ recalled attending kindergarten at the elementary school that now bears his mother’s name.
“It’s really quite emotional for me,” he said.
Honoring Davenport’s legacy in Norristown
In addition to Davenport’s education experience in Norristown, first as a teacher and then as a guidance counselor, Davenport also taught at Germantown Friends School. She later received her master’s degree from West Chester University.
Davenport was also the founding director of the Equal Opportunity Program in Montgomery County, otherwise known as the Montgomery County Office of Equal Opportunity. She also served on boards for several organizations including the George Washington Carver Center, Montgomery Hospital and the Norristown Public Library.
Her children described their mother a “warm,” “loving,” “curious” person with a “fantastic, infectious laugh” and a passion for teaching.
“She was exacting in many ways,” Bev said. “You didn’t just write a paper for school and not bring it back to the bedroom and read it to mommy. You just didn’t do that.”
The proposal to rename Gotwals Elementary School for Davenport, and Stewart Middle School for famed activist and historian Charles Blockson, was first brought to school board members earlier this spring, a decision Mason applauded.
Mason stressed its importance as the George Washington Carver Community Center stood previously as the only other facility “named after an African-American or Latino person in Norristown.”
“We want you to know that we’re excited because of the possibilities from naming this Alice Davenport Elementary School,” Mason said. “There are little Black and brown children … they now know that they can be a principal, a director, vice principal, president, or vice president.”
“They can be anything they want to be, and everyday they come to a school like this, they get encouraged because they see themselves on the wall,” he continued. “So this is important; this is significant, and I’m just excited to be a small part in that.”
Davenport Elementary School Principal Jeanette Fernandez praised the new name, underscoring how she’s “so proud and honored” to represent the institution.
“We want to honor our past while embracing the future,” Fernandez said. “This change signals our commitment to adapt, improve and innovate.”
Davenport died in February at 103. Educators, family members and area residents attest how the elementary school best showcases how her legacy lives on.
“I think she as a symbol of dedicated teachers everywhere is the best aspect of the renaming I can think of,” Bev said.
“Mommy and my father were personally my most important teachers, and I know so many people in Norristown, you know you walk into the grocery store is your mother Mrs. Davenport?” She continued. “So there’s that and … what it is that she would want to see all of us, all of her children, and all of us beyond her children do to make the school system better.”
Blockson Middle School gains dedication
Charles Blockson’s memory was also honored Friday during a ceremony unveiling the new Blockson Middle School. The change from the former Stewart Middle School, at 1315 W. Marshall St., paid homage to Blockson, who died in June at 90.
Born in Norristown, Blockson is best known for his academic prowess of African-American history. After graduating from Penn State, gaining a doctorate degree from Villanova University, as well as holding honorary degrees from Holy Family and Lincoln universities, Blockson went on to co-found the African American Museum in Philadelphia.
He wrote more than a dozen books and was named a national expert on the Underground Railroad as chairman of the Underground Railroad Advisory Committee. Exhibits featuring Blockson’s collections are also showcased at Penn State and Temple universities, as well as the Center Theater in Norristown.
Norristown Area School District leadership, educators, elected officials, and Blockson’s family members attended the afternoon ceremony.
“It’s humbling to be able to dedicate a school after Charles Blockson,” Dormer told MediaNews Group. “Just the impact that he’s had in this community. The impact that he’s had on so many people, across the country across the world, as a Norristonian, scholar (and) just a human being.”
With just two weeks until the start of the 2023-24 academic year, Dormer said he hopes the incoming students at the Blockson and Davenport schools will be inspired.
“To see two incredible individuals, to see two incredible African-Americans, and to see two incredible educators, and the impact they had on this community, and what they did with their lives, and hopefully there’s that inspiration for our students of what’s possible in their lives as they grow and someday move beyond our doors,” Dormer said.
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