Horace G. Funn
Calvert County Educator During the Transition from Segregation to Integration
January 28, 1915- March 25, 1976
Horace G. Funn (HG) taught at William Sampson Brooks High School in Prince Frederick from 1938 to 1943. Brooks was a the only high school for Black students in Calvert County during segregation. Horace Funn was named the school’s principal for the1942-43 school year. He left the position to obtain his master’s degree from Virginia State College and returned as principal in 1945. He held the position of principal until the integration of the Calvert schools in 1966. In 1967 he became principal of Mount Harmony Elementary School until his retirement in 1975. Horace Funn served a total of 35 years in the public schools of Calvert County.
HG, as he was known, dedicated himself to educating, encouraging, impacting students and being an integral link to the Calvert community. He always advocated the importance of education in one’s life. Perhaps, some of his students were not appreciative of this avocation of his during their time in school, but later they came to appreciate his influence, nurturing and the importance of education in their lives.
As an educator and citizen of Calvert, his passion for education can best be described by his message to the last graduating class of Brooks High School, which included:
“Dear seniors – be glad you live in America because America realizes that the most powerful force is education…I have faith and confidence in believing that you will add ammunition to this force of education to keep it constantly in progress. Give America more Thurgood Marshalls, Roy Wilkinses, Ralph Bunches, Adam Powells, Martin Luther Kings, Philip Randolphs, and James Farmers…”
Funn’s passion for education and its influence on students did not come without a price. In the early 1960’s, he invited the president of Virginia Union University, Dr. Samuel Proctor, to give the baccalaureate address during commencement. Dr. Proctor’s message focused on encouraging the graduates to exercise their rights as American Citizens and not be denied. The next day HG was called to the Board of Education Superintendent’s office and was admonished for inviting a speaker to Calvert County who encouraged the African American community to stand up for and to exercise their civil rights.
Horace G. Funn was born in New York on January 28, 1915, to Oscar Leandrew Funn and Bertha Fowler. Horace G. Funn married Elizabeth Virginia Brown and had one child, Malcolm L. Funn. HG passed away on 25 March 25,1976.
Additional Resources
Inspiring African American Men of Calvert County, published by the Calvert County Library. 2018. p. 30.
Ancestory.com, Horace G. Funn. Horace G. Funn, b.1915 d.1976 – Ancestry®
The powerful force of education | Letters To Editor | somdnews.com
