Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 11-11-16 Online Edition

Feature
School Board Member Retiring From Post, Not From Children
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
For more than 52 years, Mrs. Doretha Edgecomb has been con- nected to education. However, earlier this year, she decided to not seek re- election as a member of the Hillsbor- ough County School Board.
A Tampa native, Mrs. Edge- comb attended the public schools of Hillsborough County. After graduat- ing from Middleton High School, Mrs. Edgecomb graduated from Talladgea College, in Talladega, Ala- bama. She earned her Master’s De- gree in Reading Education, K-12 and certification in Educational Leader- ship from the University of South Florida.
Mrs. Edgecomb returned to Tampa and obtained employment with the Hillsborough County School District, following in the footsteps of
MRS. DORETHA WYNN EDGECOMB her mother, the late Mrs. Sarah
Wynn. She launched her career as an educator teaching English after re- turning to Tampa.
During her tenure, she held sev- eral positions with the Hillsborough County School District, among them including learning specialist, tutorial teacher, and elementary school prin- cipal.
Mrs. Edgecomb first retired in 1996. She obtained employment with the Educational Testing Service the same year and continued to work as a trainer, program developer, and tech- nical assistance advisor.
In 2003, Mrs. Edgecomb de- cided to seek an elected position on the Hillsborough County School Dis- trict Board. She was elected to serve in District 5 and remained there for 3 consecutive terms.
She became the third African American, following the late Rev. Dr. A. Leon Lowry and Mrs. Doris Ross Reddick to serve in the position.
Mrs. Edgecomb decided not to
seek re-election after the death of her mother in 2016. Now, she said, her goal is to rest. “For the first 6 months, I’m going to say ‘no’ to many things that I would have said ‘yes’ to. But, what I am going to do is stay involved in the community, and stay connected to education.
“I am going to be an advocate for the students to ensure that they get all of the educational opportunities they can and that they deserve.”
Mrs. Edgecomb is the widow of the late Judge George E. Edge- comb, the first Black to hold that po- sition in Hillsborough County. She is the mother of one daughter, Allison Edgecomb, who is an Administrator in the Hillsborough County School District.
Mrs. Edgecomb is the recipient of numerous awards, commenda- tions, and other forms of recognition.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-A