Peerless Rockville mourns the loss of Nina H. Clarke, Montgomery County Educator, Historian, and Advocate.

Nina Honemond Clarke was a respected and beloved veteran of the Montgomery County Public Schools. Granddaughter of enslaved families and a native of Montgomery County, she came through a school system where black students could not attend beyond seventh grade. After graduating from Rockville Colored High School, she attended college and eventually earned advanced degrees at Hampton University and Boston University.

Her 36-year career included teaching in the segregated and integrated schools. Serving as the first black teacher at Hungerford Elementary and the first black specialist in Reading/Language Arts in the County, Mrs. Clarke rose through the ranks to become principal of Aspen Hill Elementary School. She retired in 1973, but she never stopped going.  She co-authored in 1978 with Lillian B. Brown History of the Black Public Schools of Montgomery County, Maryland 1872-1961, and a few years later wrote History of the 19th Century Black Churches in Maryland and Washington, D.C. 

Without her dedication and leadership, the history of African Americans in the Montgomery County Public School system would have been lost to those who lived it and to future generations who need to know and understand it.  She researched her ancestors, and spoke to hundreds of audiences old and young about how teachers coped with segregation and transitioned into the early years of integration.  Beyond public awareness, she was a critical factor in ensuring that this aspect of our history is remembered.  She assisted groups and communities who wish to preserve their past and helped many of them to be designated as Historic Places.

Nina Clarke’s important research and gracious advocacy will continue to educate future generations on Montgomery County history.

A virtual service will be held this Friday, March 12 at 11:00 a.m. through Snowden Funeral Home.