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Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
'I have always wanted to make a difference': Brevard legend Richard 'Dick' Blake dies at 91
"I have always wanted to make a difference, leave a positive impact." Back in 2015, those were the prescient words of Richard "Dick" Blake, a larger-than-life educator, civil rights activist and community leader, one whose imprint on Brevard County life provides a lasting indication that he did exactly that. As word spread of Blake's June 3 passing at age 91, loving remembrances and expressions of admiration poured in across the Space Coast and social media for a man whose name has long been synonymous with civil duty. Blake, a Brevard native, became the first post-desegregation Black principal in Brevard Public Schools when he was promoted to the top job at Cocoa High School in 1979. He also was a member of the Rockledge City Council for 40 consecutive years, from 1976 through 2016. Blake was the father of three: daughter Sheralyn Blake-Jenkins; son Mark Blake; and son Michael Blake, current Cocoa mayor. In the hours after his passing, they were flooded with tributes to their father, who died at home, surrounded by family members and friends. 'He was loved by many, everyone embraced him, and it was an honor to know him as my father. Some refer to him as an icon and a legend, but we referred to him as Dad,' said Mike Blake, who often accompanied his father during public appearances over the years. 'He had four words that he always said. The first two were 'Tighten up' and the second two were 'Tiger pride.' We just are so thankful for the love the community has shown us at this time.' Tiger pride is a reference to his beloved Cocoa High. A statement from the city of Cocoa shared that Blake "came from humble beginnings, born in 1933 in Bonaventure, a small community just south of Rockledge in Brevard County, into a family of migrant workers." He spent his summers in upstate New York picking crops alongside his family, the statement said, adding that his father, Virgil Blake, "believed deeply in the strength and potential of their hometown, saying that 'Cocoa is where the family belonged.'" And in Cocoa and across the county, people who saw Blake as extended family agreed: He was a positive force across his lifetime. "He was an amazing guy,' said Rockledge Mayor Tom Price, who joined the city council in 1999 while Blake was still a member. 'He had been on the council for decades. I learned a lot from him; the knowledge he had about the city was always amazing to me. He was a mentor and a teacher, just an all-around great guy ... he was a very bold, dynamic personality. I was always amazed at how he handled a crowd. He could take a room of 150 angry people and make them feel happy.' Former U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, who at one time served on the Rockledge council with Blake, wrote "Rest in peace my friend" in a Facebook post. He included the text of a speech he made on the House floor upon Blake's 2016 retirement from the council, saying that Blake "is someone I admire greatly ... Over the course of his life he has witnessed injustice, but he has always remained positive." In interviews with FLORIDA TODAY across the decades, Blake's wit and wisdom came through again and again, revealing his voluminous knowledge of Brevard history and Space Coast life. A kind, gregarious man known for his charismatic smile and curly black hair, he often referred to himself in third person, regaling friends and strangers alike with conversation that could go from humorous stories about his coaching days to heartbreaking recollections of life in Jim Crow Florida. The following snippets, culled from interviews with FLORIDA TODAY reporters over the years, offer just a slice of the depth and drive behind the man with that face-splitting grin who left a lasting footprint on the Brevard community and beyond. Blake, one of 10 children and the grandson of freed slaves, was known for his community involvement in all facets of Brevard life, including youth sports, from the time he was a coach at Monroe High School, then Cocoa's Black High School. Tall and athletic, Blake played both basketball and football at the school in the 1940s. He earned a bachelor's degree from Claflin University in South Carolina and master's degrees from Columbia University in New York and Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. He returned to Brevard in 1955 to coach football and teach. Later, in 1966, as the nation struggled through school desegregation, Blake was named assistant coach at what would become Rockledge High before taking the principal's role at Cocoa High. He continued to mentor students, teachers and others before running for political office in Rockledge. He never failed to give credit to those who fought for civil rights for all before him, including Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore. Educators who taught in Cocoa, Titusville and Mims, the Moores registered black voters, established NAACP branches and fought for equal pay for teachers, regardless of race. The two died after a bomb placed beneath their Mims home exploded on Christmas night in 1951. Blake stressed the credit due those who faced danger as they paved the way for others, when Brevard Democrats in 2012 presented him with the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Service Award. 'The mere fact that Harry Moore accomplished what he did, despite threats and violence, to get Black people registered to vote ... Think of that,' Blake said. 'I think of the sacrifices of these people ... our youngsters really need to know about the shoulders many of us are riding on.' If it weren't for Harry T. Moore, Blake said, he'd never have earned the principal role at Cocoa High. His son, Michael, 'would never have been the first Black mayor of Cocoa.' 'I am riding on the shoulders of my daddy. Harry T. Moore. Rosa Parks. Martin Luther King Jr.,' Blake said. 'Rosa Jones, my teacher in kindergarten. B.A. Moore, my principal at Monroe High School. And I don't forget it." Blake and his buddies from all-Black Monroe High used to play football with White athletes from Cocoa High on Saturdays. On Sundays, he said in 2012, it was basketball. Black against White. No trouble. All focused on the game. Monday morning, it was back to Jim Crow laws and segregation. "My salvation was strong family ties and good, Christian parents," said Blake. Once, on a trip back from Florida A&M, a carhop refused to serve Blake and his mother, Bertha, at a drive-up eatery. She cried. Blake hated that. "That hurt me to my heart," he said. "If I'd been by myself, it wouldn't have bothered me so much. But something like that happened to a mother because she was Black? Refused a hamburger?" The accolades bestowed upon Blake in his later years were many and well deserved, including having a Rockledge park named for him in 2013. In October 2018, the former Tiger Field at Cocoa Jr./Sr. High was renamed Richard "Dick" Blake Stadium. At a public celebration of the renaming, Blake told FLORIDA TODAY he was "overwhelmed" by seeing his name on the stadium, a move approved unanimously by the Brevard school board. "What an honor," said Blake, who spoke of his pride in and love for his family and friends. "It reminds me of all the people who've been so important in my life, all the people, the students, who tell me they have the love and respect for me that I have for them." They, like the community he loved as he worked for change through good and bad times, meant the world to him. "I have always wanted to make a difference, leave a positive impact," said Blake. "For something like this sign, this honor, to come about ... this leaves a lasting impression. This really is forever." A wake for Richard "Dick" Blake will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. June 12 at Metropolitan Baptist Church, 474 W. King St., Cocoa. A homegoing is planned for June 13 at Richard "Dick" Blake Stadium, Cocoa Jr./Sr. High School. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the Richard 'Dick' Blake Scholarship fund. 'My dad loved people," said Sheralyn Blake-Jennings said. "Education was very important to him. He was a compassionate man and a motivator. He gave his all." Britt Kennerly is education/breaking news editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Kennerly at 321-917-4744 or bkennerly@ Twitter: @bybrittkennerly Facebook: /bybrittkennerly. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard native and legendary educator Richard 'Dick' Blake dies at 91
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
City of Cocoa honors Richard Blake, first African American principal in Brevard Public Schools
The City of Cocoa honors the life of Richard 'Dick' Blake, the first African American principal in Brevard Public Schools post-desegregation. Officials said Blake was the principal of Cocoa High School for 23 years and served on the Rockledge City Council for 40 years. Blake was born in 1933 in Bonaventure, a small community just south of Rockledge, to migrant workers. Officials said his roots showed a lifelong dedication to service. In 2018, the Brevard County School Board unanimously voted to name Cocoa Jr./Sr. High School's stadium, the Richard 'Dick' Blake Stadium, in his honor. According to the City of Cocoa Government, Blake Avenue is named after his father, Virgil, who was the first African American to serve on a major advisory board. The city said to honor Blakes's memory, donations can be made to the Cocoa High School Richard 'Dick' Blake Scholarship fund. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
