Richard Green (chancellor)
Encyclopedia
Dr. Richard R. Green was the first black New York City School Chancellor
. He served in this capacity from March 1988 to May 1989.
, Arkansas
in 1936. When he was two years old, Dr. Green and his three siblings traveled by train with their mother, who moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota
. He grew up in a Minneapolis housing project, and spent time in a reform school. He later rose to become a teacher, principal, and then the first black Superintendent of the Minneapolis Public Schools
.
over United Federation of Teachers President Sandra Feldman
, who favored Dr. Gifford. On March 3, 1988, Dr. Green was installed as Chancellor at a ceremony at Erasmus Hall High School
in Brooklyn
. He inherited a school system plagued by low graduation rates, a high dropout rate, truancy, guns and other violence, and assembled a team of educators to work with him in addressing these issues and making a difference in academics and safety for the schoolchildren of New York City
. In the fall of 1988, Dr. Green and UFT President Sandra Feldman
made peace with each other by holding a human-sized yellow pencil together on a public school stage, as they welcomed the only group of new schoolteachers which he recruited into the system at a special ceremony.
. He told his wife "Gwen, I'm not going to make it this time," and died before help arrived. The official cause of death was cardiac arrest due to inability to breathe. He was returned for burial in Minnesota. A memorial service was held at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York, with the eulogy given by New York City Mayor Edward Koch.
New York City School Chancellor
The New York City Schools Chancellor is the leader of the New York City Department of Education, the agency that handles New York City's public schools. The current Chancellor is Dennis M. Walcott, who began his tenure on April 18, 2011 after the resignation of Cathie Black on April 7, 2011...
. He served in this capacity from March 1988 to May 1989.
Early life
Dr. Green was born in MenifeeMenifee, Arkansas
Menifee is a town in Conway County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 311 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Menifee is located at ....
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
in 1936. When he was two years old, Dr. Green and his three siblings traveled by train with their mother, who moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. He grew up in a Minneapolis housing project, and spent time in a reform school. He later rose to become a teacher, principal, and then the first black Superintendent of the Minneapolis Public Schools
Minneapolis Public Schools
Minneapolis Public Schools or Special School District Number 1 is a school district that covers all of the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minneapolis Public Schools enroll 36,370 students in public primary and secondary schools...
.
Selection as Chancellor
Dr. Green was selected over other black finalist Dr. Bernard Gifford to become the first black Chancellor of the New York City Public Schools. Dr. Green had the support of New York City Board of Education President Robert F. Wagner, Jr.Robert F. Wagner, Jr. (Deputy Mayor)
Robert Ferdinand Wagner III , also known as Robert Ferdinand Wagner III, was a noted New York City civic leader who served as the Deputy Mayor of the City of New York, and President of the New York City Board of Education. He is often confused with his father of the same name, Robert F...
over United Federation of Teachers President Sandra Feldman
Sandra Feldman
Sandra Feldman was an American civil rights activist, educator and labor leader who served as president of the American Federation of Teachers from 1997 to 2004.-Early life:...
, who favored Dr. Gifford. On March 3, 1988, Dr. Green was installed as Chancellor at a ceremony at Erasmus Hall High School
Erasmus Hall High School
Erasmus Hall Campus High School is a four-year public high school in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, United States operated by the New York City Department of Education....
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. He inherited a school system plagued by low graduation rates, a high dropout rate, truancy, guns and other violence, and assembled a team of educators to work with him in addressing these issues and making a difference in academics and safety for the schoolchildren of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In the fall of 1988, Dr. Green and UFT President Sandra Feldman
Sandra Feldman
Sandra Feldman was an American civil rights activist, educator and labor leader who served as president of the American Federation of Teachers from 1997 to 2004.-Early life:...
made peace with each other by holding a human-sized yellow pencil together on a public school stage, as they welcomed the only group of new schoolteachers which he recruited into the system at a special ceremony.
Death
Dr. Green, 52, was a lifelong asthmatic. After arriving in New York City, the air quality due to pollution bothered him, and he had been taken to the hospital having trouble breathing after becoming chancellor. On the evening of May 10, 1989, Dr. Green suffered an asthma attack at his apartment in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. He told his wife "Gwen, I'm not going to make it this time," and died before help arrived. The official cause of death was cardiac arrest due to inability to breathe. He was returned for burial in Minnesota. A memorial service was held at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York, with the eulogy given by New York City Mayor Edward Koch.