Mr. Calvin Frank Morrow, son of the late William Henry Morrow and Hattie Robertson Morrow, was born on April 12, 1924 in Greensboro, North Carolina. He departed this life on April 11, 2021.
He married Gertrude Nash Morrow on December 24, 1949. To this union were born two children, Calvin Jr. and William Roy.
Calvin received his early and high school education through the Greensboro Public School System. His senior year at Dudley High School was interrupted, when he was recruited by the U.S. Navy in World War II, to serve in the first all minority Navy Band, Unit One (B-1) where he played the French horn. He served a combined three and a half years at the Chapel Hill Pre-Flight School and on the naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. After receiving an Honorable Discharge from the Navy in 1945, Calvin was given special permission by the principal of Dudley High School to attend the regular school program and graduated with the Class of 1946. He earned the Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, the Master of Science Degree in Elementary Administration, and State Certification in Elementary Administration at North Carolina A&T State University. He did further study at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and at Duke University.
His teaching career started at Second Ward High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. He later served on the faculty of North Carolina A&T State University, and taught the sixth grade for several years at David Caldwell Elementary School in Greensboro, North Carolina. In 1968, Calvin was selected to be the first principal of the newly constructed Peeler Elementary School. He was subsequently appointed as the principal of several more elementary schools: Murphey, Claxton, Lindley. His last appointment took him back to Peeler Elementary School, from which he retired in July 1986. In his retirement years, Calvin served on the Guilford County Board of Health, Greensboro Public Schools Excellence Fund, Guilford County Public Schools Enrichment Fund, and was a member of Black Child Development Institute, YMCA, Boy Scouts of America, NAACP, Senior Leadership Greensboro, Greensboro College Board of Visitors, and was a Life Member of the National Congress of Parents and Teachers(PTA). His professional memberships include: National Education Association, North Carolina Principals Association, and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. He received a number of awards and honors for his outstanding leadership in education.
Calvin was a member of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer for over 60 years. He was a dedicated member of the choir and served on the Vestry several times. Other affiliations included Life Membership in the Kappa Lambda Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.
In his later years, he gave interviews and lectures on the historical significance of the U.S. Navy B-1 Band, and accepted acknowledgements on behalf of the Band. This provided him with tremendous joy.
Calvin is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Gertrude, sons Calvin(Claire) and William(Lorraine), grandchildren and great-grandchildren, sisters-in-law Myrtle Bass and Olivia Guest, brother-in-law Walter Nash, and a number of devoted nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
The family plans to have a Memorial Service in the future when the COVID-19 Pandemic ends.
A private graveside service honoring his life will be held on Saturday, April 17, 2021at Guilford Memorial Park.
Services entrusted to Perry J. Brown Funeral Home (336)-272-6109.
/fit-in/200x300/filters:fill(white)/filters:strip_exif()/fit-in/200x300/filters:fill(white)/prod/1312/184597/ylugwi8oksan0pq9ymo8.jpg)
