Harriet Barfield Black

ATLANTA: Harriet Barfield Black, longtime resident of Atlanta, passed April 14. A native of Gray, she was the first recipient of a fouryear degree at her alma mater, Fort Valley State University, awarded in 1941. Along with her late husband Eldred Black, she was a faithful member of Friendship Baptist Church where she served on the Deaconess Board, the adult fellowship, the Art and Garden Club and the Uplifters. Mrs. Black was an educator throughout her adult life, having spent 44 years in the teaching profession and eight years as a volunteer teacher after her retirement from the Atlanta Public Schools. Among her many honors she received the Teacher of the Year Award at E. L. Connally Elementary School and was a finalist for the Atlanta Association of Educators Teacher of the Year Award in 1973. At Fort Valley State University, she received numerous awards including the presidential citation and was a life member of its National Alumni Association. She is widely considered as the “mother” of the university and was a significant financial supporter of the school. In recognition of her ardent support of her alma mater, the university named an alumni society in her honor – The Harriet Barfield Black Society - (http:// fvsunaa.org/harriet-barfield-black-society.html).