Ethel Mizell Pappy leaves bold legacies

Ethel Mizell Pappy leaves bold legacies

By Staff Writer

      Ethel Mizell Pappy, the first daughter of the pioneer Isadore and Minnie Moore Mizell family, passed away on Sunday morning, May 18, 2014. She was a family nurturer, master educator, community and church servant.

When she completed elementary school at Attucks in Liberia, Fla., she attended high school at Fessenden Academy in Ocala, Fla. She continued her education, receiving a AA degree at Florida Normal and Industrial College (Florida Memorial University) in St. Augustine, and the BS degree at Tuskegee Institute (University) in Alabama. She received her MA degree at Columbia University in New York and did further studies at Hofstra and Nova Universities.

Mrs. Pappy’s nurturing tendencies had fertile grounds for development. Her two children, Rosamond and Adlai Pappy, as well as the many children in the family, were the benefactors of her desire to direct and influence young lives. She even expanded on her involvement with children through the Brownies and Girl Scouts, thereby touching the lives of other children in the community.

She began what became a successful teaching career in Broward County in 1938, teaching first and second graders. Her career spanned 44 years and she was honored and recognized as the first African American to graduate college and return to teach at her own school, Attucks in Liberia, Fla.

Mrs. Pappy served in many capacities in the community and her church. She was a life member of the NAACP, a member of the Urban League, a past Director on the Board of Henderson Mental Health Clinic, and a member of the Broward County Historical Society. In 1998, she was one of the nominees for the Women’s Hall of Fame.  As an advocate of libraries, Mrs. Pappy was instrumental in the naming of the Von D. Mizell Library as well as the Von D. Mizell Multipurpose Center. A member of the Friends of the Von D. Mizell Library/African American Re-search Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC), she has served this organization as its president and secretary. In October 2013, she received their Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mrs. Pappy has held an active church membership at First Baptist (Piney Grove) since 1949. An educator at heart, she taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School for over 50 years. She served as a member of the Mission Society Circle Lydia and on the Board of Christian Education. The Christian principles and love she developed for her fellow man, led her to volunteer with MealsOnWheels for many years.

Mrs. Pappy was a member of the first intake line for Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc in 1950. She has served the sorority well with active participation in its programs and services to the community.  Most notable, she co-sponsored the Stork’s Nest.

Though her declining years saw less and less activity from this nonagenarian, her years of service to this community cannot be understated. Ethel Mizell Pappy was a stalwart nuturer of children, master educator, and servant of the people. The funeral services will be held at First Baptist Piney Grove on Friday, May 23, 2014 at 1 p.m. Services are entrusted to the Mizell- Kurtz Funeral Home.