Charles W. Duval, considered a local
leader in Gainesville, was born in July of 1876. He owned and
operated the Duval Shoe Hospital; a shoe repair shop located
parallel to modern day South East 1st Avenue. The South East 1st
Avenue location of the Duval Shoe Hospital is formerly 216 East Union Street; Gainesville's street
naming system changed many names of local streets as of July 1,
1950. He ran the Duval Shoe Hospital on the south side of the Phifer
State Bank Building.Mr. Duval
died at his home on February 28, 1933 at the age
of 57. His legacy, however, lives on. Duval Elementary School
is currently located in the northeast section of Gainesville,
Florida. The first one-room structure was built on five acres
of land in 1937. Mrs. Lottie I. McPherson, at the time, served
as teacher-principal (the first) from 1937 to 1940. The school
consisted of students in first through sixth grades.
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Students in grades five and six, with
the increase of enrollment, were sent to other schools. The
increase continuing in 1948 required students in grade four to go to
other schools. The school operated on double sessions until
1953. Teachers, Mrs. Delia M. Parker and Mrs. T. B. McPherson,
worked together.
The community, experiencing continual
growth, built a new school plant (facility). The site
increased twice its size to ten acres of land. A school plant
of eight classrooms, a library, a clinic room, and an administrative
suite was constructed. The original building also housed a
lunch room. Duval Elementary acquired Mr. C. W. Norton as its
principal in the early 1950's. Nine classroom teachers, a
music teacher, a lunchroom manager and assistant, and a custodian
comprise Duval faculty and staff at this time.
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Mr. L. M. Jackson, in 1956, became
Duval's third principal. Six additional acres of land was
purchased in 1954. At this time, sixteen classrooms and a
cafeteria were added. Again, the student population increased
from 285 students to over 700 students. The growth of the
neighborhood and school community is attributed to the improvement
of the quality of life and housing.
Past principals include: Dr. John
Rawls, Dr. Robert Van Winkle, Crystal Compton, Joseph Hightower,
James Pritchett, Debra Krank and Dewitt Lewis. Our current
principal, for the 2008-2009 school year is Dr. Leannetta McNealy.
She has served as principal at Duval for 14 years.
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Sources:
Charles Duval's Obituary (1933, February 28).
The Gainesville Sun, p. 8.
Alachua County Library District
Heritage Collection. (2002). Duval Shoe Hospital. Retrieved
July 22, 2006, from:
http://heritage.acld.lib.fl.us/1151-1200/1187.html.
The History of Duval Elementary
(school document)
