PIONEER EDUCATOR TRAILBLAZER

Dr. Gilbert L. Porter was an educational pioneer in the state of Florida. He dedicated over five decades of his life to achieving educational equality and ensuring the success of all students within the framework of a “Separate and Unequal Florida Educational System.” Dr. Porter was driven by one singular purpose: to make education the best it could be for all children while fighting for equal salaries and rights for Negro teachers.

Gilbert Lawrence Porter, a native of Kansas, was born on January 6, 1909. He attended Talladega College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry. He earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from The Ohio State University—becoming the first Negro on whom this esteemed degree was conferred.

The book, Gilbert Lawrence Porter, Ph.D., written by Abraham J. Thomas, is the biography of an unsung hero who served humanity and left an indelible mark on education in the state of Florida. He literally directed the change of a racist Florida education system for the better. Through his leadership of The Florida State Teachers Association, monumental restructuring of laws and practices within the education system occurred. However, it was not without pain. He witnessed friends in the struggle lose their jobs and their lives. One of his close associates and his wife were killed when their home was bombed on Christmas in 1951. Dr. Porter pursued that case relentlessly. Unfortunately, like so many others, that case has never been resolved. On a positive note, Dr. Porter and his peers would be delighted to know that a Black man now leads the Florida Teachers Association (the outgrowth of the merger between the Negro and White Teachers Associations).

Perhaps Gilbert Lawrence Porter would have been among the totally unknown heroes had it not been for the determination of his wife, Willie Pearl. They met in Tallahassee, Florida, and married in her hometown of Milton in 1939. Their union lasted 56 years until Dr. Porter’s death in 1995. Willie Pearl, a registered nurse, had a deep desire near the end of her life to leave a record of the things her husband had accomplished. She was aware of the importance of his legacy. Additionally, she knew the price she and her children, Laurestine and Albert, had paid having a husband and father who shared his life with a cause. At the very least, what Dr. Porter had done deserved to be documented for posterity.

While the memories of a woman well over 100 years old (with remarkable recall, at that) are invaluable, the book has intrinsic educational value. It chronicles a time when there is not much written about those who were in the belly of the struggle for educational equality. There is so much for anyone involved in the educational system to learn about the history of equal education in the state of Florida. It is the story of a remarkable man, his remarkable wife (who made major contributions to society in her own right), and their remarkable family.

Gilbert Lawrence Porter, Ph.D. is a testament that has inspired his granddaughter, Crystal Porter Bazemore. She has taken on the challenge to continue her grandmother’s dream: ensuring that her grandfather’s accomplishments on behalf of hundreds of people are known.

Gilbert Lawrence Porter, Ph.D. is a five-star read. It is recommended for high school, college, professional, and leisurely reading.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​