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Alice Earle Cash

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Marker located on Michigan Avenue near Baltic Avenue intersection.

Historical Marker text:

1933-2006
An Atlantic City native, Mrs. Cash entered Atlantic City High School in 1947, but left due to illness. She returned three years later to graduate with the class of 1954, then from Douglass College in 1958. Mrs. Cash was the first African-American teacher hired directly from college to teach at Atlantic City High School. She was recognized by the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa Inc., Delta Lambda Chapter for service in education, and was named "Teacher of the Year" by the Atlantic City Education Association in 1991. She is most remembered by her students for her proper vocabulary, strict classroom decorum, and dignified demeanor. Her years of volunteer service to various organizations earned her numerous awards. In October 1985 Mrs. Cash co-founded the Inner City Tutorial Program that provided underprivileged students free help to prepare for their SATs. She was active in the community until her retirement in 2002 after 39 years of public service.

 

 

 

Additional information:

Alice Earle Cash always had a drive to be a teacher. Her mother was one, and though she died when Cash was only a year old, the high school and college diplomas she had earned transfixed her young daughter. When a bout with tuberculosis forced Cash to interrupt her studies, a school official told her that the time off reflected poorly on her record and made her "not college prep material." Instead of listening to the official's advice, however, Cash fought against the characterization. In an interview with the Atlantic City Press, she described her drive to get to college, stating, "I was determined to get in because I knew I would have no future without it." Cash knew that a good education was the key to success, and passed this on in her professional life to students as well as other members of the community. In addition to her Inner City Tutorial Program, Cash also volunteered with the YMCA, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, and several day camps within Atlantic City. She was chosen by the Phi Delta Kappa, Inc. Delta Lambda Chapter as a delegate to accompany students on a trip to the Soviet Union, and also ran for City Council in 1992. Her educational success in the face of adversity served as an inspiration for many.

  For more information, see these resources in the Atlantic City Free Public Library, Atlantic City Heritage Collections:
Atlantic City Press, articles from August 2, 2002, December 29, 1991, and June 26, 1989

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