Lucille Floyd

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Lucille Floyd passed away on June 29 at her home in Augusta, GA. Witness to the Resurrection, the funeral service will be held at Belle Terrace Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 11:00 A.M., Saturday, July 2, 2016, The Reverend Mark Deaton officiating. Interment will be in Mount Olive Memorial Gardens. The Alpha Kappa Alpha Ivy Beyond the Wall service will be Friday, July 1st at 6:00 PM, followed by family visitation from 6:30-7:30 PM at Belle Terrace Presbyterian Church. Lucille Laney Ellis was born and reared in Augusta, Georgia. She is the youngest of four children of the Reverend James and Mrs. Eleanor B. Ellis. Her father was a pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Augusta, Georgia. Mrs. Floyd's husband of 48 years, John Gordon Floyd, passed in 1996. He was a former Manager for the City Housing Authority of Augusta, GA. Mrs. Floyd has two sons, Dr. John and Juanita Floyd, a veterinarian living in Athens, GA, Dr. Joseph and Virginia Floyd, an anesthesiologist, living in Stone Mountain, GA; two grandsons: Dr. Gregory and Chauntis Floyd, a physician practicing in Carrolton, GA, Justin D. Floyd Esq., a practicing attorney in New York, NY; two granddaughters: Ms. Leah Floyd-Bryant, a speech pathologist living in Auburn, GA, Mr. Kirk and Lauren Pilliner, a Principal Marketing Manager in Atlanta, GA; six great-grandchildren; one Goddaughter: Marvin and Francene Mangham; and devoted friend, Leroy Johnson. Mrs. Floyd received her early education from Haines Normal and Industrial Institute. She attended Paine College and South Carolina State College and graduated with a B.S. degree in Elementary Education. She received a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education from Columbia University. She was the first African-American teaching in the Augusta/Richmond County School System to hold this degree. She retired from the system in 1976; however she continued to function as a substitute teacher in the system until 1986. Mrs. Floyd was baptized as an infant by her father at the Christ Presbyterian Church and remains a member to this day. She has functioned in numerous capacities including Organist and Choir director which she retired full time in 1998. She continued to substitute as organist until 2007. Mrs. Floyd pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority while at South Carolina State College and was a charter member of the Augusta graduate chapter of the Sorority. Her granddaughter Leah called her "the epitome of who an Alpha Kappa Alpha woman should be." She went on to say that her grandmother "taught through example that we should all carry ourselves with dignity and grace and above all else to always lend a helping hand to those in need." There has always been a continuous thread throughout Mrs. Floyd's professional career, community affiliations and religious endeavors. According to her youngest grandson Justin Floyd "her personal philosophy has always been to Reach for the Skies." In her professional teaching career she always challenged her students. She would recognize individual student aptitudes and encourage, cajole and maneuver that student to do his or her best. Always acknowledging human nature if you didn't quite "Reach the Skies" you would have done your best. Mrs. Floyd always went beyond the classroom in aiding and encouraging her students. Recognizing that a student had an aptitude for piano, but no means to peruse lessons she would solicit friends and members of the community to help. In more than one instance she convinced individuals to part with unused family pianos for promising students. She would never let a child's means deter his or her efforts to excel. She would not ignore students who had more basic needs, including organizing and providing holiday dinners for student's families. When an appeal from the Presbyterian Church was made for families to host an exchange student Mrs. Floyd and her husband volunteered to host a Kenyan student who would be matriculating at Paine College. Mrs. Floyd's hospitality did not stop at providing a place to stay; over a three year period, she endeavored to provide that student every experience and opportunity that she pursued for her two sons. She never let the fact that she might not know someone personally deter her from approaching businesses, she or the community supported, to help her students. Mrs. Floyd's community involvement was not confined to assisting individual students. Recognizing that students wouldn't always get to the main public library, she and a number of community organized lobbied and campaigned for a branch of the public library be opened in the African-American community. Not being satisfied with the library being built she solicited underwriting for furnishing and equipping the library. Further supporting the library and programs she continued to assist the library in making sure the community utilized the library to the fullest. Mrs. Floyd was known as a phenomenal fundraiser. Her efforts excluded no one. She would approach individuals in the community and any and all businesses they patronized. Support was freely given because of her very convincing and persistent reminders of the overall benefits to the community. Well into her ninth decade she was a top fundraiser for organizations she supported. Mrs. Floyd's efforts to support enhance the community left no one out. She has always been a champion of community support for community businesses. Her persistent letters to the editors were written often to correct, clarify and educate the overall Augusta community. If she felt passionately about an issue that she felt needed addressing she was not beyond visiting the Mayor's office to make sure the issue was on the agenda. It was irrelevant who the office holder was at the time or what his political party affiliation was. Through her network of personal friends, acquaintances, social and cultural organizations and church she would cull the resources needed to advance individual children, organizations she was associated with and the community as a whole. Mrs. Floyd's efforts were never done for recognition; it is a part of her fiber. She was recognized by her community, being nominated the Jefferson Award for extraordinary public service; by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority as Soror of the year as well as The Women & Men of Excellence Award from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Educational Advancement Foundation; and "National South Carolina University Alumni Queen" and was inducted into the First Lady's Hall of Fame. She received the S.C. State "Hall of Fame Award" in 1991; S.C. State "Outstanding Achievement Award" for her alumni chapter. Mrs. Floyd's affiliations were never in name only. Every organization was given 100% effort. She was a member of the Augusta Music Teachers Association, The American Music Teachers Guild. She is a member of the Women's Civic Club and as mentioned earlier The South Carolina State University Alumni Association and a charter member of Zeta Xi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to: Christ Presbyterian Church, 1316 Laney Walker Blvd., Augusta, GA 30901; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Zeta Xi Omega/ Lucille Ellis Floyd Educational Endowment Fund, 5656 S. Stoney Island Ave, 3rd Fl, Chicago, IL 60637; or South Carolina State University (SCSU) Lucille Ellis Floyd Scholarship Fund in care of Greater Augusta, SCSU P.O. Box 14235, Augusta, GA 30919. W. H. Mays Mortuary, 1221 James Brown Boulevard, Augusta, GA 30901 (706)722-6401. The Augusta Chronicle-July 1, 2016