Earle L. Bracey, 1904 - 1983

Earle L. Bracey, 1904 - 1983

Earle L. Bracey served as principal of Carver High School from 1931 until its closing in 1959. It was Bracey who desired that the school name be changed from "Frederick Street School" to that of some important black person. In 1941, in an election among the students, the famed black scientist George Washington Carver won out over Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglas.

Bracey was appointed by the Mayor and City Council in 1948 to serve on the City Charter Commission which drafted the council-manager form of government plan. This went on to defeat twice by the city electorate thereby maintaining, until the 1980's, the commission form of city government. In his final years, Earle Bracey relocated to South Carolina where he died in 1983.

An Earle Bracey Scholarship Fund exists at Allegany College of Maryland where nearly $1000 is awarded each year to a deserving student of African-American heritage. According to Jon Loff, who maintains the fund, "Earle Bracey's reputation was that of a man of great integrity, respect, and courage in both the black and white communities."

Note: There might be some very minor date discrepancies between this and other information presented on the website. The information above was obtained directly from an interview between Al Feldstein and Mr. Bracey in the late 1970s. Bracey was somewhat uncertain as to the exact years for certain events. For this reason the dates presented elsewhere on this website in the articles by Michael Mudge and Elvis Jones and information provided by the Carver Community Center Museum have been used.