Mary G.
Porter began her career as a first grade teacher at Cabin Branch,
a three-room elementary school in Dumfries, after receiving a Bachelor of
Arts and a Master of Arts from Virginia State University. From 1950 to
1965 she taught at Washington-Reid Elementary School. In 1966 Mary
G. Porter was
selected to be one of four black teachers to pilot the desegregation
program at Dumfries Elementary School. Her friends say that she had a good
rapport with students, parents, and fellow workers and treated all with
love and respect regardless of their race, creed, or color. “Her innate
leadership transcended the racial stereotypes that were prevalent during
that time,” say friends. Mary G. Porter retired from Dumfries in 1981.
Throughout her teaching career Mary G. Porter believed in the philosophy that
‘all children can learn’ long before it became a ‘buzz word’ from the
state, say those who knew her. Mary G. Porter wrote and directed school plays and
musical productions to help boost children’s confidence and self-esteem
through drama. She crafted learning blocks, cards, and other visual aids
to reach the students who learn in different ways. Devoted to a lifetime
of educating children, during her retirement, Mary G. Porter was an active tutor
for her church and local organizations. She also financially supported
students’ desire for higher education. Considered a role model for her
students, both Mary G. Porter’s daughters became teachers for Prince William
County, and now her grandson teaches for the school division.
