- Andrew DeGraffenreidt
Infobox Person
name = Andrew DeGraffenreidt
caption =
birth_date = birth date and age|1928|3|3
birth_place =Kansas City, Missouri
death_date =
death_place =
other_names =
known_for =
occupation = Teacher, Politician
party =Democratic
education = BS, Biology, Tougaloo Coll.;
BS, Chemistry, Tougaloo Coll.;
MS, Zoology, Penn StateAndrew Degraffenreidt (born 3 March 1928) is an educator and politician. He was notable as the first
African-American commissioner inFort Lauderdale, Florida .Education
Degraffenreidt was born in
Kansas City, Missouri and reared inHollandale, Mississippi . He received aBachelor of Science degree inBiology andChemistry fromTougaloo College , nearJackson, Mississippi , and aMaster of Science degree inZoology fromPennsylvania State University inState College, Pennsylvania .Teaching career
Degraffenreidt began his teaching career as a biology teacher at
Dillard High School inFort Lauderdale , and later moved to Everglades Middle School, where he was both a teacher and the chairman of the school's science department. Additionally, he was the teacher for several programs for the Broward County School's ITV Center, including a program that focused on the contributions of minorities to the development of theUnited States .City Commissioner
In 1973, he was elected as a Fort Lauderdale city commissioner. He was part of the commission which elevated
Virginia S. Young to the position of mayor, the first woman to hold the post in the city, and the first female mayor of a large city in Florida. During his three terms in office, he worked to establish a Youth Advisory Board and improve city infrastructure. He also pushed for the hiring of more minorities in the city's police department. He played a key role in the opening of the Von D. Mizell Community Center in Fort Lauderdale's historically black Dorsey-Riverbend neighborhood. He was also the first African-American superintendent of Parks for the city. He left the commission in 1979.Post commission
The city of Fort Lauderdale named the Degraffenreidt Activity Center in Bass Park in his honor.
Degraffenreidt continues to serve on the city's Parks, Recreation, and Beaches Advisory Board. He is active with the United Way, Northwest Boys Club Advisory Board, Broward County Charter Commission Municipal Government Task Force, and serves as an adviser to the "Miami Herald's" "Newspapers in Education" program. He was the city of Fort Lauderdale's "Honored Founder" for the year of 2002.
His son, Andrew Degraffenreidt III, is an attorney who previously served as the city attorney for
Hollywood, Florida .ources
* [http://nieonline.com/miami/profiles.cfm?bioname=Andrew%20DeGraffenreidt NIE profile]
* [http://www.fortlauderdale.gov/Focus/02aprilmay.pdf Focus on Fort Lauderdale April.May 2002] (.pdf file)
* [http://info.ci.ftlaud.fl.us/summercamp/summer2006.pdf Summer 2006 Fort Lauderdale Parks Guide] (.pdf file)
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