Press Releases

C.Spencer Pompey To Be Memorialized With Sculpture In Delray Beach City Hall

On Friday, October 17, 2003, in the main lobby of Delray Beach City Hall, a bust of C. Spencer Pompey will be unveiled at 5:30 pm. City Hall will be the permanent home for the sculpture of a man who helped shape not only the history of Delray Beach, but the many lives he touched as a teacher and friend. Mr. Pompey passed away in July of 2001 at the age of 85.

C. Spencer Pompey was a teacher, a coach, a principal and a great motivator for over 40 years. He also played a significant role in the civil rights movement when he called upon the NAACP to assign an attorney to help defend their case dealing with equal pay for black teachers and importantly the equalization of facilities which challenged the "separate but equal" concept. The attorney assigned was Thurgood Marshall who later became the first black Supreme Court Justice.

Pompey taught at Seacrest High School and became its Assistant Principal before moving on to Carver Middle School as its principal. In his retirement years, he worked with EPOCH, Inc., gathering information on the history of the black community in Delray Beach.

County Commissioner Addie Greene has been in the forefront to recognize the legacy Pompey left to the entire community. "In all communities, whether African-American or white, there are people known by the work they do," Greene said. "Anybody from Tallahassee to West Palm Beach knows Spencer Pompey." He also convinced the City of Delray Beach to set aside land for a recreational park that now bears his name: Pompey Park.

To honor C. Spencer Pompey, a group of citizens commissioned a bust of Pompey funded by private donations. The C. Spencer Pompey committee consists of: Kathy Aguirre of the Greater Delray Chamber of Commerce, Lula Butler, Director of Community Improvement for the City of Delray Beach, William J. Condry, Col. US Army retired, Joe Gillie of Old School Square, Commissioner Alberta McCarthy, Frank and Nilsa McKinney, Mayor Jeff Perlman, Cynthia Ridley, Alfred "Zack" Straghn, Elizabeth Wesley and William and Sharon Wood.

About George Gadson
George Gadson is an African American artist, and Florida native who has gained world-wide recognition for his realistic portraits and sculptures of individuals and figures that have historical significance. Gadson specializes in scupltures, paintings, photography, public art and special recognition awards.