Dr. Flossie M. Byrd (August 8, 1927 – March 17, 2020)
Born in Sarasota, Florida, the eldest of 17 children, Dr. Byrd was the valedictorian of her 1944 high school class. She earned degrees at Florida A&M University (FAMU), Pennsylvania State University, and Cornell University. She served the Home Economics (Family and Consumer Sciences) profession as a high school teacher, university professor, and university administrator. In addition to her time as a professor at FAMU, she was Dean of the College of Home Economics and the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Prairie View A&M University.
Dr. Juanita Mae Fisher Strawn (July 22, 1923 - December 30, 2021)
The retired Division Director of Human Ecology and Social and Environmental Studies at Hampton University, Dr. Strawn was the first African American President of the Virginia Home Economics Association. She was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, and earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Home Economics from Virginia State College (now known as Virginia State University). Her Ph.D. was conferred at The Ohio State University.
If you desire to contribute to the National Coalition for Black Development in FCS (NCBDFCS) in memory of these—or other—stalwarts in the profession please contact the treasurer, Mr. Derrick Fogg, at ncbdfcstreasurer@gmail.com. Thank you for your support of the NCBDFCS.