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She was appointed to the county library advisory board and was among those who brought a branch of the library to the
Newtown neighborhood, the section of the city where she had been raised, so a library would be within walking distance for the children of that area. The United Way named Ruby Woodson
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One 1979 graduate of the academy, Lisa S. Martin, later was graduated from Yale
University and Emory University and is a practicing psychologist in Maryland. She attests to the power Woodson had to inspire her students, making them feel able to meet any type of academic challenge and motivating them
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The student body of the academy was small and familial. Often, instruction in life skills also fell to
Woodson, who helped the students with financing as well as handling personal issues and later, negotiating such things as the purchase of automobiles and houses. Donations were sought to develop a
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In 1957, while she was on a vacation in her hometown of
Sarasota and researching materials for completion of her master's degree, Ruby Woodson was refused entry to the public library in Sarasota. She made a formal objection to her treatment that she took to city and county government officials. Her
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in her efforts to excel and was able to provide special insights to children coping with similar hurdles. She inspired the students with her own high standards of ethics and morality and helped them develop personal discipline and self-respect. She taught them how to make applications to colleges
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Woodson was a pivotal figure in the day-to-day administration of the academy and fulfilled many other roles such as college placement adviser, guidance counselor, as well as instructor. Initial difficulties encountered in operating expenses often were resolved by donations from
Woodson's personal
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In 1989 Ruby
Woodson retired to Sarasota, but immersed herself in the affairs of the community. She participated in many cultural and civic activities, from the Asolo Center for the Performing Arts and Habitat for Humanity to the United Way as well as in local and regional long-range planning
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An avid reader from her youth, Ruby
Woodson emphasized the importance of developing reading skills in children and encouraging them to read about all things that interest them. She credited her father and Ethel Reid Hays, her first teacher, for encouraging her interest in reading.
358:, and developed as a museum with a library, the African-American Culture Research Center and Library, to enhance the educational opportunities of the children of the community. It had classrooms for gifted pre-school and school-age students in an adjacent building.
262:. A reputation developed quickly by the academy for its academic achievements, attracting the enrollment of their children by prominent people as well as the gifted and aspiring members of disadvantaged groups whose teachers advised application to the academy.
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charrettes. She ultimately was moved to found the
Florida Academy for African-American Culture (FAAC), an institution dedicated to educational advancement and cultural preservation with a special emphasis on children from pre-school through high school.
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contests, awarding prizes to students participating in its Black
History events. Its library donated books to local students, churches, and day-care centers. Every Saturday free books were given to interested children coming to the academy.
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in
Manatee County, Florida; the museum is on the campus of the State College of Florida (formerly Manatee Community College). The file includes an undated article published by the United Way of Sarasota County entitled,
157:, but raised in Sarasota. Her mother, Ella Mae Garrard (later, Singleton) worked as a maid and later owned a small country store. Her father, David Garrard, was a farmer, and later a
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The students from the academy gained entrance to the best academic institutions in the country and soon Woodson's students were awarded baccalaureate and advanced degrees form
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to win acceptance at the institutions of their choice, be it Ivy League, the big ten, or top southern colleges. Woodson's achievements were lauded in the
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efforts led to the elimination of racial barriers to community services paid for by the taxation of all residents. Soon the vestiges of
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I believe that learning to read at a young age and reading everything (as I did) makes all of the difference in the life of a child.
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students in the district. The academy was founded in 1973 in a church annex and soon was sending many of its students to classes at
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She spent thirteen years teaching chemistry and physics in the Washington, D.C. public school system before founding
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After her return to Sarasota, Woodson founded another educational institution in that community, the
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College Names New Dean, Chief Diversity Officer: New College of Florida recently hired Bill Woodson
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Ruby G. Woodson, founder of Cromwell Academy and of Florida Academy of African American Culture,
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Memorial resolution Number 08R.2021, Sarasota, Florida city commission, adopted on March 3, 2008
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for credits toward their secondary diplomas. The inspiration for the name of the academy was
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Some Effects of the Atomic Era on the Teaching of High School Chemistry in the United States
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Memorial resolution honoring the contributions and achievements of Ruby Garrard Woodson
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The quote above is from a biography of Ruby Woodson assembled and kept on file by the
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began to fall in Sarasota and all residents were granted access to the library.
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http://www.discoverblackflorida.com/index.asp?CommandSites=detail&SiteID=68
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appropriate to their interests and abilities and to apply for scholarships.
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434:"Minutes Of The Regular Sarasota City Commission Meeting Of March 3, 2008"
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scholarship program to assist many of the students. Woodson had overcome
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in Washington, D.C., in 1960. Her masters thesis was entitled,
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At the age of nineteen, in June 1951 Woodson was awarded her
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Florida Academy for African American Culture founded
473:"Ruby Garrard Woodson's Obituary on Herald Tribune"
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453:"Educator broke down racial barriers in Sarasota"
171:of her class of 1947 when she was graduated from
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345:Florida Academy for African American Culture
206:Breaking racial barrier at Sarasota library
144:Florida Academy of African American Culture
350:The home of a prominent photographer, the
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130:(June 22, 1931 – February 8, 2008) was an
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164:. She had one child, William G. Woodson.
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644:21st-century American women educators
639:20th-century American women educators
316:United States Department of Education
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624:Scholars and academics with dyslexia
374:Focus on reading to inspire children
356:National Register of Historic Places
609:African-American history of Florida
604:Private schools in Washington, D.C.
584:People from Houston County, Alabama
548:Educator broke down racial barriers
423:, Sarasota Magazine, March 11, 2019
167:At the age of fifteen, she was the
134:and chemistry teacher who founded
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634:Florida A&M University alumni
535:Obituary of Ruby Garrard Woodson
649:21st-century American educators
599:20th-century American educators
594:Educators from Washington, D.C.
354:, was purchased, listed on the
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589:People from Sarasota, Florida
523:familyheritagehousemuseum.com
451:Zaloudek, Mark (2008-02-14).
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496:Pearl and Grover Koons House
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395:Family Heritage House Museum
352:Pearl and Grover Koons House
188:Florida A & M University
91:Florida A & M University
629:Educators with disabilities
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614:American University alumni
333:Women of Community Impact
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219:Cromwell Academy founded
553:Sarasota Herald Tribune
540:Sarasota Herald Tribune
155:Houston County, Alabama
619:Activists from Alabama
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322:Retirement to Sarasota
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292:Mount Holyoke College
248:Georgetown University
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335:in Sarasota County.
192:Tallahassee, Florida
128:Ruby Garrard Woodson
23:Ruby Garrard Woodson
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288:Columbia University
270:sent his daughter.
196:American University
180:Bachelor of Science
113:, chemistry teacher
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121:William G. Woodson
331:among the twelve
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77:(2008-02-08)
579:2008 deaths
574:1931 births
314:and by the
213:segregation
40: 1975
568:Categories
482:2016-07-07
458:2016-07-07
406:References
264:Bill Cosby
182:degree in
162:roustabout
53:1931-06-22
274:savings.
268:Venezuela
239:to serve
184:chemistry
84:Education
386:—
280:dyslexia
244:minority
132:educator
118:Children
111:Educator
363:oratory
65:Alabama
519:"Home"
302:, and
241:gifted
159:circus
367:essay
186:from
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365:and
250:and
99:, MA
93:, BS
72:Died
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