Page 37 - Florida Sentinel 2-4-22

Black History: The History Behind The Names
Sheehy Elementary School
Dr. Paul Sheehy, Sr.,
was one of the first African American physicians practic- ing medicine in a segregated society. A Tampa native, Dr. Sheehy was one of seven children born to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph (Anna) Sheehy.
After completing high school at Booker T. Wash- ington High School, Dr. Sheehy continued his edu- cation at Florida A & M Col- lege in 1936, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. He returned to Tampa and taught Biology and Science at Middleton High School.
Following a stint in the U. S. Army during World War II, Dr. Sheehy enrolled at Meharry Medical College, where he received his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1950.
Medicine at the former Lily White Hospital. He was known for performing many free physical exams for stu- dents for more than 30 years and was a dedicated educa- tor, leader, mentor, father and husband.
A Hillsborough County School District school, Paul Sheehy, Sr., Elementary School, is named in his honor.
DR. PAUL L. SHEEHY, SR.
Returning home after com- pleting his Internship and Residency at Harlem Hospi- tal in 1951, Dr. Sheehy opened a private medical practice to serve his commu- nity.
He served as Chief of
Lowry Elementary School
Reverend Dr. A. Leon Lowry Sr., was born June 12, 1913, in Savannah, Geor- gia, and raised in Brooklyn, New York. In 1935, he re- turned to Georgia to enroll at Morehouse College in At- lanta, graduating in 1939. His initial goal was to study med- icine, but he felt a calling into the ministry and furthered his education in theology. In 1942, he received a graduate degree from Andover-New- ton Theological School near Boston and continued taking classes at Harvard and Boston Universities. He ac- cepted a position as professor of theology and dean of men at Morehouse.
In 1945, one of his stu- dents was a young Martin Luther King Jr., who had enrolled at Morehouse at age 15. The following year, Rev. Lowry became pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia.
He moved to Tampa, in 1956 to become the pastor of Beulah Baptist Institutional Church. He remained in that post until 1995.
Rev. Lowry served as president of the state branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Col- ored People (NAACP). In his role as a Civil Rights activist, Rev. Lowry campaigned to help African Americans to be accepted for enrollment at the University of South Florida when it opened in 1956. He also organized new NAACP chapters in small Florida towns.
As the lunch counter sit-in grew in importance as a means of nonviolent resist- ance to segregation, Rev. Lowry formed teams of stu- dents from Booker T. Wash- ington Junior High School and Blake and Middleton High Schools to occupy coun-
REV. DR. A. LEON LOWRY, SR.
ters at local stores. Segrega- tionists shot into his home, nearly hitting Rev. Lowry and his wife. The NAACP of- fice received numerous bomb threats, but Rev. Lowry re- fused to back down, organiz- ing a group of sympathizers who would quickly post bail for protesters who had been arrested. Finally Tampa restaurant owners agreed to begin serving African Ameri- cans on an equal basis.
He also played an active role in furthering Civil Rights campaigns throughout the state. His efforts, along with those of others ultimately re- sulted in the desegregation of buses, railroads, and trans- portation terminal buildings in the state. He met with President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to discuss desegregation initiatives.
He was elected to the School Board of the Hillsbor- ough County School District in 1976, becoming the first African American to serve on the board. He was re-elected several times and retired in 1992. In 1993, the A. Leon Lowry Elementary School was dedicated in his honor. Rev. A. Leon Lowry died on August 20, 2005, as a re- sult of congestive heart fail- ure.
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