Solomon D. Spady
*Solomon D. Spady was born on this date in 1887. He was a Black teacher, scientist, and administrator.
Solomon Spady was born in Cape Charles, Northampton County, Virginia. He completed his education in the public schools there and graduated from Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, now Hampton University, in 1912. He stayed on to teach at the Institute for one year. The following year, Mr. Spady taught physics at Virginia Union University. In 1914, he received a teaching certificate from the state of Virginia and began his career in public education in Cape Charles, Virginia. Spady became affiliated with the New Farmers of America, the largest black farm youth organization in the world. During this time, he formed a lasting acquaintance with an agricultural chemist Dr. George Washington Carver.
In 1922, Spady accepted a teaching position in Delray, which also carried the responsibility of the principal. The name of the school, which was established in 1895, had been changed from Delray Colored Number 4 to Delray County Training School. He was the third African American public school principal/teacher assigned to Delray Beach. He came here upon the recommendation of Booker T. Washington. In 1926, Spady married Jessie B. Green, the daughter of a local prominent family. They never had children of their own. His home, at 170 Blackmer Street, which is now NW 5th Avenue, was constructed in that same year. It was a two-story single-family residence, rectangular, stucco over frame construction with a stone foundation.
That was considered a step above the other homes that were primarily wooden structures. It was and still is the Mission Revival style, a distinguishing architectural style with a rough stucco finish on the exterior. It had eight rooms, four rooms upstairs and four rooms downstairs. The roof of the porch is flat, outlined with copper trim. The openings of the original screen porch have been enclosed with aluminum awning windows. A chimney projects from the south facade wall and is capped with a bell tower covering. It was the first home in the area to have indoor plumbing, a telephone, and electricity. It also had an unattached garage. The building was chosen for the S. D. Spady Cultural Arts Museum in honor of Professor Spady.
When Spady began teaching at Delray County Training School, it had an enrollment of a hundred children in grades one through eight. In 1934, under his tutelage, the student body grew to 336 in grades one through ten. In 1939, the first twelfth-grade high school graduation was held. In 1937, the school was renamed George Washington Carver High School. “Prof,” as Mr. Spady was called, as principal, also taught woodshop and agriculture classes. His students competed with others at the local, state, and national levels. In 1936, one of his students, Lester C. Albert, received the Superior Farmer Award from the National Organization during ceremonies in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
His class instruction included cultivating crops on ten acres of land and to prepare them for sale to the public. There were trips to Tallahassee for the judging of agricultural contests. On several occasions, his students won state agricultural championships. His woodshop class projects included painting the school building, erecting steps, repairing the furniture, and repairing farm tools. They also made the desk that he used in his office. Spady also attended summer school to keep abreast of higher education. He planned a functional course of study that trained students so that upon their graduation, they were able to excel in outstanding institutions of higher learning such as Tuskegee Institute, Hampton Institute, Atlanta University, South Carolina State, Morris Brown University, and Florida A and M.
He also organized extra-curricular activities that included a drama club, two literary societies, a glee club, sports teams, a parent-teacher association, and at least three entertainments that brought the community together through the school. Spady always encouraged students to strive to be the best at anything they did. Besides working hard at school, he also worked in the community. His community work included being an active member of Mt. Olive Baptist Church, where he served as Church Clerk, Sunday School Teacher, Baptist Youth Teacher, and group leader of church rallies. Spady was Grand Master of Lodge N. 275, head of the Order of Good Samaritan and a few other service organizations, and chairman of the local Red Cross drive. Spady’s tenure as a teacher lasted thirty-five years, during which he became one of the most influential African Americans in Delray Beach.
In 1958, a new high school building was erected on S.W. 12th Avenue in Delray Beach. Carver High School moved to that site, and the old building became an elementary school. It was named in Mr. Spady’s honor as S. D. Spady Elementary School. Spady served as principal for twenty-eight years, after which he served seven years as a classroom teacher retiring from the county’s public school system in 1957. Shortly afterward, he returned to his hometown in Cape Charles, Virginia.
Solomon Spady died in Cape Charles, Virginia, on November 25, 1967, at age 82. In 1998, the city of Delray Beach nominated Solomon Spady for the GREAT FLORIDIANS 2000 award. His family accepted the award in 1999 at the Trinity United Methodist Church in West Palm Beach, Florida. A replica is displayed in the museum.
