Friends, family remember woman who helped integrate Charlotte schools

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By Eric Philips

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Friends and loved ones called her “Lo-Lo.”

Friends and family of Delois Huntley gathered at St. Paul Baptist Church in east Charlotte, where she was a devoted member, to celebrate her life.

Huntley died early Sunday.

MORE: Charlotte Hits 50th Anniversary Of School Integration

"Because Delois Huntley had a relationship with Jesus Christ, she went home to be with the Lord," the Rev. Dr. Monica Redmond said.

Huntley made Charlotte history in 1957 when, at 12 years old, she became the first black student to integrate Alexander Graham Junior High School.
 
She was one of just four black students to attend the all-white public schools in Charlotte during the first few days of class that year.  

"Can you imagine doing something historical when you were just a child?" Mecklenburg County Commissioner Pat Cotham said.

MORE: African-American history timeline: Charlotte

"She wore it not as 'Oh I did that.' It was something that one does because it's the right thing to do and she was accepted and it's good and she wore it with grace and dignity," said church member Aileen Thomas.

Huntley continued blazing trails. She became the first female deacon at St. Paul. 

It is just part the reason Meckelnburg County commissioners thought Huntley, described by those who knew her as a quiet force, deserved her own day. 

"The Mecklenburg County Board of County Commissioners do hereby proclaim May 15, 2015, as Delois Huntley day this 15th day of May 2015," said George Dunlap, Mecklenburg County commissioner and fellow church member.  

"She was a treasure, one of the stars in our crown here in Charlotte, North Carolina," Cotham said.

While people here called her a trailblazer and a treasure, her son lovingly called her something else.

"I called my mom, my baby doll and only thing I can say now, is I'll see you later," Huntley's son Leonard Miller Jr. said.

Huntley died Sunday while in hospice care. She was 69 years old.

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