Esteemed educator turns 100

“Willie B.” Curry was feted on Sept. 23, ahead of her 100th birthday on Sept. 26. [Family photo]

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Posted September 27, 2023 | By Andy Fillmore, andy@ocalagazette.com

“Willie B.” Curry is still cracking jokes as she turns 100 years old.

Curry, a student athlete, long-time educator, dedicated church member, wife and mother, was surrounded by five generations of her family at her southwest Ocala home on Saturday, Sept. 23, to mark her birthday milestone a few days later.

When asked if she was running after boys or from boys while participating in track as a student, family members heard her whisper “after.”

“She has a great sense of humor,” said Ollie Mae Lofton, one of Curry’s four children.

A birthday greeting from Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn displayed at the gathering honored “Willie B.,” born Katherine Nancy Johnson on Sept 26, 1923, to parents Hattie Staggers and William Johnson. Her nickname came from an uncle.

Curry attended the then-segregated Howard Academy, where she graduated circa 1941, according to her family. The mayor’s greeting stated that she and her elder sister, Henri Mae, were “the first girls in (their) community to attend and graduate from Tuskegee University and Florida Memorial University.” A family member said Curry excelled in her studies.

Her children, Bill Lofton, Ollie Mae Lofton and Bishop Freddie Lofton, were at the birthday gathering. Her fourth child, the late Norma Weeks, was also listed in the mayor’s greeting.

Family members indicated Curry originally wanted to pursue a career as a nurse but changed her goal to educator because her elder sister already had the books needed to study for a teaching degree.

Bill Lofton, 71, the eldest sibling, said his mother taught at elementary schools in Marion, Citrus and Lake counties during a career that spanned from 1948 to 1988.

Ollie Mae Lofton said her mother’s teaching career included a time teaching in a “one-room schoolhouse.” A similar schoolhouse is on the grounds of the Silver River Museum and Environmental Center inside Silver Springs State Park.

Curry entered the teaching profession in an era of challenging times for African American educators. Edward Daniel Davis, an inductee into the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame in 2015, “was fired as head of Howard Academy in Ocala in 1942 because he led the Florida State Teachers Association in a legal move to obtain equal pay for black instructors,” according to flcivilrightshalloffame.org. Davis died in 1989. His grandson, Daniel Banks, of Ocala, said in a phone interview that the effects of a lawsuit involving Davis lingered on for a number of years.

Curry’s family said she was involved with the Head Start youth education program.
Banks, who was with Head Start, Pre-K and Early Head Start from 1990 to 2016, then operated by Childhood Development Services, Inc., stated in an email that the program began here in 1965.

“Over 1,700 children were enrolled” at sites set up at 15 or more area schools, including numerous elementary schools, under the leadership of Rev. Frank Pinkston Sr. and Herbert S. Coleman, Banks indicated.

Banks wished Curry well on her momentous birthday.

Curry’s career with Lake County Schools spanned from 1962 until 1988, according to a June 2023 letter from Guido Zamora, director of human resources for Lake County Schools.

“During those 26 years, Ms. Curry worked as an instructional teacher with a variety of students. The mission of Lake County Schools is to provide every student with individual opportunities to excel,” Zamora wrote. “Ms. Curry was a direct reflection of this statement each day she stepped into a classroom during her time here. Lake County Schools is very appreciative of Ms. Curry’s time with our district.”

Curry made sure the many children of migrant workers she had in her classes learned critically needed English, a family member stated. She earned a trip to New York in 1976 to teach, according to a family member.

Ollie Mae Lofton said her mother was known for her use of expressions, for example: “There’s a place for everything and everything in its place.”

Curry cared for her mother, Hattie Staggers, who lived to age 103, Ollie Mae Lofton said.
Curry is a member of New Jerusalem Missionary Church in southwest Ocala.

Freddie Lofton, who was accompanied at the gathering by his wife, (Dr.) Laura, said he recalled his mother using the expression “It’s nice to be important but more important to be nice.”

Freddie Lofton II, said his grandmother is “very disciplined and sat us (all) down at the table” for supper and she is a “very lovely lady.”

Numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren were part of “Willie B’s” celebration, as well as 5-month-old great-great-grandson Dyce Williams.

“I was happy to celebrate this monumental occasion with her because she is always happy to see and hear from me and my sister, Candra,” said granddaughter Leah Taylor. “She was also a loving daughter to her mother, Mama Hattie. I believe that is what I cherish most about her.”