Carlise Davenport! Send her the Children

Photos by Marvin T Jones




We packed Israel Baptist Church in Northeast DC this past Friday to give one of this country's great educators the proper send off. I don't think Clarice Davenport ever wrote a book on how to teach toddlers and elementary school boys and girls. She just DID IT.

A native of Ahoskie, North Carolina, Clarice Davenport came to DC in the 1950s and by 1959 opened what was to become the Tot's Developmental School. For the next half century the North Carolina A and T University graduate would teach any child whose parents could find her; No need to advertise. What took place in her private school on Shepherd Street in Northwest was so successful, word of mouth, was enough to keep enrollment steady.

DC Mayor Adrian Fenty was at the funeral and said some great and funny things about Ms Davenport (that's what us parents always called her). The Mayor's twin sons are students at Tot's.

Councilman and former Mayor Marion Barry talked the longest. His son Christopher went to Tot's at the same time that my son Brandon was there.
That's Brandon (on the left) and Christopher in the picture at the top of the article with Ms davenport walking along the C and O canal.

She took some of her students home on the weekends; and during the summers, parents had enough confidence in her, that while somewhat apprehensive and scared, we still permitted her to take our babies down Interstate 95 to Ahoskie, NC to spend time on her parents farm, weeks at a time. They came back smarter and more independent. I've always said since then that city kids need to get away to the country.

Former Council Chairman Linda Cropp spoke at the funeral. Her grandson was being taught by Mrs Davenport who showed up at the school until a week go, the day before she died.

Marshall Purnell, the DC architect who designed the 611 million dollar Nationals Stadium was there at Israel Baptist.

Well connected Lawyer Claude Bailey,CBS sports commentator James Brown, hospital executive Regina Woods, and Ivanhoe Donaldson were there on Friday to pay their final respects to Carlise. The woman had a great smile and even bigger laugh.

Drs Warren and William Strudwick, Doctor Betty Catoe, Tracey Pinson, Denise Gibson Bailey were there along with Gwen Mitchell and her husband Bobby, the NFL Hall of Famer and Redskins great.

We exchanged stories of how when we dropped our kids off, "it was Miss Davenport's way, or the highway". There was no compromise in what or how she taught. Reading, writing, math, public speaking and self esteem seemed to be her ingredients.

The results were seen and felt throughout Friday's gathering. Her former students, including my son stood, while the lambs, eagles and graders sang or shouted the school song.

Like the many other people who came back on Friday--I was there to say thanks Mrs Davenport for helping make us parent's jobs a little bit easier.