Margaret Early, emeritus professor and unsung hero of college access, dies at 84

Margaret Early, the UF emeritus professor who quietly set up scholarships for inner city kids, died June 28 at her home in Gainesville. She was 84.

A graduate of Boston University, Early started her education career as a teacher of high school English. She soon matured into a respected scholar on reading, literacy and the teaching of English—beginning a 30-year career at Syracuse University’s School of Education. In 1985, she came to the UF College of Education, where she served as chair of the Department of Instruction and Curriculum.

Early held a number of prominent positions, serving as president of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and a board member for the International Reading Association (IRA). After her retirement, Early used her own money to begin a college scholarship program for an entire class of sixth-grade students at an inner-city school in Syracuse, N.Y. The first recipients of Early’s scholarship graduated from high school on June 28, a few hours after the retired professor died. Early’s friend Cathy Morsink, a retired UF special education professor, said Early never mentioned the scholarship program to her or many of her other friends.

“She never bragged about what she did,” Morsink said. “She was just a nice, quiet person who did wonderful things and didn’t tell anyone.”

To read more about Margaret Early, read The Gainesville Sun’s
story here and the Syracuse Post-Standard story here.