'Her actions spoke volumes': Topeka's 1st Black Deputy Mayor Betty Dunn dies at 81

Betty Dunn, Topeka's first Black deputy mayor, died Friday at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, confirmed her oldest son, Donald Dunn. She was 81.

Dunn served as a city councilwoman representing southeast Topeka's District 4 from 1995 to 2003 and was deputy mayor from 2001 to 2003.

She also was former president of the Hi-Crest Neighborhood Improvement Association and served on the boards of various local organizations.

Betty Dunn had been non-verbal the past seven years after suffering a stroke but continued to advocate for the underdogs and the less fortunate, Donald Dunn said.

"Even though her voice has been missing for the last seven years, her actions spoke volumes," he said.

Dunn suffered a second major stroke eight weeks again and never fully recovered after that, Donald Dunn said.

Service arrangements are pending, with the family planning to hold services in Topeka probably in the next 10 days, he said.

Shawnee County Parks and Recreation in 2014 renamed as "Betty Dunn Park" the park at 3300 S.E. Adams, across the street from where Dunn and her family used to live.

Betty Dunn recalled at the dedication ceremony how her husband Donald Dunn — who died in 2012 at age 69 — used to go to the park to hit baseballs to their son, Victor Dunn, who went on to play baseball at Wichita State University and in the Baltimore Orioles minor league system.

Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: 'Her actions spoke volumes': Topeka's 1st Black Deputy Mayor Betty Dunn dies at 81