Rufus Brooks, former
Orange County principal and civil rights activist, has died.
A longtime school principal and former president of Orange County’s NAACP chapter who fought for equal opportunities for all children has died.
Rufus Brooks, 88, died Thursday after a long illness, family members said. Daughter Bridget Williams said her father worked tirelessly for others at school and in the community.
“He was the principal, coach, mentor, role model — he was everything,” said Williams, an area superintendent for the Orange school district.
His son, Byron Brooks, chief ad- ministrative officer for the city of Orlando, said he remembers his father as “almost fearless.”
“He just didn’t mind speaking whatever he felt was necessary for folks to hear when advocating for others,” Brooks said. “He didn’t care about the consequences. He didn’t care about sensitivities.”
The elder Brooks, the fourth of 10 children in a migrant farm family, grew up in Sanford. His father had to quit school after the third grade to work, Williams said.
“The only book they had in their home was the Bible, and that’s how they learned how to read,” she said.
Williams said she thinks her father was inspired to become an educator by one of his own teachers, who spoke to Brooks’ father about the importance of his children completing their education.
The same teacher later wrote a letter to Bethune-Cookman University on Brooks’ behalf, and he was accepted on the spot, Williams said. After taking time off from school to serve in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, Brooks finished his degree at Florida A&M University.
Williams said she remembered her father driving other children in their neighborhood near Eccleston Elementary to school and athletic events. Their home was always buzzing, she said, because children from other families arrived there before school and stayed well into the afternoon.
“My dad’s goal in life was to even the playing field for all kids because he grew up in poverty,” Williams said.
Brooks’ wife, Edith, also is a retired educator, and Williams said her parents inspired her to work in the public schools as well. Byron Brooks said his father was particularly proud of his role in improving race relations.
Lifelong friend James Wilson, who grew up with Brooks, said he remembers the two starting a shoe business together while they were in school so they could help their families. The two remained close over the years. Wilson, band director at Jones High for 40 years, described his friend as civic-minded and unselfish. “He’d give his life in benefit of what was right,” Wilson said.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to one of the three schools where Brooks served as principal over 30 years: Eccleston, Hungerford and Phillis Wheatley elementary schools.