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SCHOOL DISTRICT MOURNS LOSS OF BELOVED MIAMI – Students, teachers and administrators across the Miami-Dade school District are mourning the tragic loss of beloved School Board member, Dr. Robert B. Ingram, who represented District 1. ''There is a sort of indomitable spirit that he embodied,'' said Dr. Rudy Crew, Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS). ''This is an individual that had such a tremendous spirit, driven partly by his faith in God, and equally compelling was his faith and belief in children. He was a constant reminder about what was good and just.'' “Dr. Bob,” as he was affectionately known around the District, was an innovator who made sure that unique opportunities were available to underprivileged students. For years, he took students who had shown academic improvement on “Read to Lead” trips to historic St. Augustine and Orlando. He also forged a strong relationship between M-DCPS and a school in Kigali, Rwanda, and enabled exchange opportunities for District teachers and students to visit there. His rousing graduation speeches at local high schools inspired and entertained students as they set out on their lives beyond high school. In addition to his duties as School Board member, Dr. Ingram served as a full professor and Assistant to the President for Urban Affairs at Florida Memorial University. He was the former Mayor of Opa-locka and the former President of the National Conference of Black mayors. He was a pastor, the Chair of the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Program and served on the Value Adjustment Board. Dr. Ingram was the first African-American police officer to retire from the Miami Police department and become Chief of an Urban Police Department (in the city of Opa-locka) and he was the first African-American City Manager of South Miami, Florida. ### 07-FMN/0176/JJS |
