1st Black woman principal of Eastside High School will have street named in her honor

The legacy of one of the first principals of Eastside High School will be honored during a ceremony to celebrate her as  a pioneer as an Alachua County educator.

The ceremony to honor Mae Islar , who from 1976-1983 served as the first woman principal at Eastside, will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday in the school’s auditorium at 1201 SE 43rd St.

Islar's career as an educator in Alachua County includes teaching 10th-grade English at former all-Black Lincoln High School from 1964-69. She retired in 1992 as principal of Buchholz High School.

After the ceremony, officials will unveil a sign naming SE 11th Place, the north entrance and bus entry road into the school, in honor of Islar.

"When people talk about someone being a ray of sunshine and having a glow to them, that is Mrs. Islar," said Carl Cooper, a 1983 Eastside graduate. "She always managed to handle situations with a comforting smile."

Islar, 89, inspired him to receive a doctorate in education from Liberty University, said Cooper, adding he has not seen her in almost 40 years physically and is looking forward to her being honored on Saturday.

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He was on a video chat with her on his way to a class reunion that drove him to tears while describing the impact Islar had on his life.

"Seeing her being honored is well overdue," Cooper said.

A number of former Eastside students and Islar’s colleagues will be on hand to honor her.

After the 1982-83 school year, Islar was moved to Buchholz High School.

Islar often would share with her students at Eastside stories about her experiences at the district office, said Cathy Norman, founder of the Eastside High School Alumni Association and coordinator of the school’s Richard E. Parker Alumni Band.

"She would come back and state to the students, 'The district office stated: Mae, what are you doing behind those woods? It is special back there. You're doing a phenomenal job and the students are great,' Norman said. “She would share stories with us often. We were extremely disciplined."

Islar walked the hallways with class and grace and encouraged students to be the best they can be, Norman said.

"We have a few surprises in store for her," Norman said about the ceremony.

"Students respected her to the fullest. She carried herself with such dignity and grace when she walked those hallways," Norman said. "She had the attention of all of her students."

Honoring Islar has been on her mind for a couple of years, Norman said.

"Before I retired from the district back in 2021, after 35 years of service, I knew that I wanted to honor Mrs. Islar with a street being named after her," Norman said. "So I sat in silence until it was time to mention it to the new incumbent principal, Leroy Williams."

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: 1st Black woman principal of Eastside High School will have street named in her honor