Dr. Gilbert L. Porter was an educational pioneer in the state of Florida. He dedicated over five decades of his life making it possible for African-American children to have the right to a fair and appropriate education. He is remembered fondly for his significant contributions as past Executive Director of the Florida State Teachers Association and as the first black Assistant Superintendent for Dade County Public Schools.

Before he became Executive Secretary of the Florida State Teachers Association (FSA), in which capacity he gave encouragement and efficient leadership to black teachers for fifteen years, Gilbert Porter accumulated rich and varied experience as a student and as a teacher, himself.

He was born in Baldwin City, Kansas, on January 6, 1909, where he received his early education. He then attended Talladega College in Georgia where he earned the A.B. degree in Chemistry. He next earned an M.A. in Educational Administration from the University of Michigan. Upon the advice of his professors, he went on to acquire a Ph.D. in Curriculum Development from Ohio State University.

Thus prepared to serve, Dr. Porter began his professional career as a science teacher and coach in Sarasota, Florida. Later, in August, 1933, he was appointed principal of Tivoli Junior High School in DeFuniak Springs, Florida. He built this school into a high school and then moved on to Lincoln High School in Tallahassee. During his tenure at Lincoln, he was able to get the school accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. At that time, there were only three black senior high schools on the accredited list.

In 1954, Dr. Porter became the first full-time paid Executive Secretary of the Florida State Teachers Association (FSTA). At that time, there was approximately 5.585 black teachers in the state, and annual FSTA dues were $2.50 per teacher. During the fifteen years that he served as Executive Secretary, Dr. Porter’s leadership helped gain professional respect for black teachers, who had never before been represented as an important teaching force. As a result of his efforts, FSTA membership increased tremendously to 10,000 teachers by 1963. Additionally, the teachers became better organized and used their political power to fight for equal salaries and teacher contracts.

During Dr. Porter’s tenure, the FSTA built a new headquarters building in Tallahassee. Additionally, the National Educators Association eventually recognized the FSTA as a legitimate association and, in 1965, the FSTA merged with the Florida Teachers Association. His mission to elevate the status of black teachers fulfilled, Dr. Porter then moved to Dade County to become Special Assistant to the Superintendent of the Dade County Public Schools.

Dr. Porter’s achievements in Dade County continued to earn him the respect and admiration of many. He eventually was appointed Assistant Superintendent for Dade County Public Schools, the first black person to hold the position. Because of his devotion to youth, the Gilbert L. Porter “School of Discovery” elementary school in Southwest Dade was named in his honor when it opened in September, 1990. The school is widely known for its academic emphasis on aerospace.

Another important venue for education in Dade County, Florida Memorial College, benefited from Dr. Porter’s talents during his tenure there as development director. A scholarship in his name was established at the school, in tribute to his many contributions.

For many years, Dr. Porter was an active member of numerous professional and civic organizations, among them Beta Beta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Fraternity, Inc. and the Board of Directors for the Black Archives History and Research Foundation of South Florida, Inc. His many honors and awards include the Distinguished Alumni Award, which he received from FAMU in 1993, and the Distinguished Black Floridian Award, which he received at the 1987 Black Economic Summit Conference.

His lifelong love of knowledge and learning fed his work as a writer. Dr. Porter co-authored History of the Florida State Teachers Association with Leedeil W. Neyland in 1977. Earlier, in 1944, he wrote The Evolution of Susan Prim in conjunction with his faculty at Lincoln High School. He contributed articles to many professional and scholarly journals before his death on July 12, 1995.

Sources:    Obituary, unpublished notes.