P S duPont - Warner Jr. High - YeOlde Neighborhood

Portrait in the lobby of Warner Jr. High

Warner Jr. High School was named after Emalea Pusey Warner. Mrs. Warner was born in 1853. Although she was born in Yorklyn, she lived for many years at West Fourteenth Street. In 1873 she married Alfred Warner, and they had five children. Mrs. Warner was very active in her community. Throughout her life she was able to accomplish many things. A few of her accomplishments are:
* In 1889 she helped organize the Wilmington New Century Club and became chairman of the education committee which helped to get kindergarten programs, school lunch programs, carpentry shops, home economics, libraries, and penny savings banks established in Wilmington schools.
* In 1911 Delaware was the only state not to have a college for women. She worked hard to get funding for the Women's College which is now the University of Delaware. She then became the first woman to be named to the Board of Trustees of the University of Delaware in 1927.
* She was associated with issues related to women's education. She helped organize the Delaware Branch of the League of Women Voters and became president of this group in 1924.
* She was president of the Delaware Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (S.P.C.A.) for 21 years.
For all the wonderful things she did, Mrs. Warner became known as the "Grand Old Lady of Delaware". She died in 1948 and is buried in the Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery. We here at Warner are proud our school is named after a woman like Mrs. Warner.

Emalea Pusey Warner was a major force in the establishment of the Women’s College of the University of Delaware. In 1911, she was appointed as the Chair of a committee organized by the State Federation of Women’s Clubs, which lobbied and organized the effort to start a Women’s College in Delaware. Following a call by Delaware College President Harter to garner interest in higher education for women in Delaware, Mrs. Warner began lobbying the Delaware Senate, Delaware College, and private businesses for funding to build and open a Women’s College in Newark.
In 1928, Mrs. Warner was appointed to the University of Delaware Board of Trustees. She served on the Board until 1942 and was the first woman to hold such a position. In 1934, as part of the University's Centenary Celebration she was awarded the University of Delaware Medal of Honor for her distinguished service to both the Women’s College and the University.
Warner Hall, formerly known as Residence Hall and one of the original buildings of the Women's College campus, was renamed in her honor in 1936.

Class of 1955
Martin L. Lehman
Age 68
Passed Away
January 5, 2008

Class of 1967
Larry Garber
Age 22
1952 - 1974

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Aerial View of Warner Jr. High

Awards for Orchestra, Library Squad, and Color Guard - Submitted by Bob Davis, Class of 1956

Warner Jr. High Class of 1938

Warner Jr. High Class of 1940

Warner Jr. High Class of 1953

Warnr Jr. High Class of 1954

Warner Jr. High Class of 1955

Warner Jr. High Class of 1967

Warner Jr. High 1942

Warner Jr. High 1958

Class 1955 Summer Picnic

1954-55 Warner Jr. High Basketball Team

Warner Jr. High Band

Warner Jr. High 1940 Swim Team Submitted by Gloria(Tappman)Brown

Warner Jr. High 1939 Football Team

Warner Jr. High Ushers Corp 1940

Warner Jr. High February 1938 Ivy Day Submitted by Lynne(Russell)Connor whose Aunt is in the Front Row 5th from left Evelyn Russell

Warner Jr. High Class of 1939 Submitted by Lynne Russell(Connor) Her uncle, Paul Russell, bottom left, front row...

The Richey Family Scholarship Fund: One Familyï¿½s Legacy

When Margaret and William A. Richey began building their Cooper Farm home in 1950, they probably didnï¿½t think of themselves as pioneers. But they may have been demonstrating some of the same pioneering spirit that drove Williamï¿½s grandfather, William J. Richey, to become a country doctor at the end of the nineteenth century.

Although Margaret L. Richey now lives alone in the home that she and her husband built over a period of five years, she is surrounded by many family memories. She proudly displays a collection of photos, newspaper articles, letters and other documents that tell the history of three generations of the Richey Family. It is this family, which included a doctor and two prominent teachers, that served as the impetus for Mrs. Richey to establish the Richey Family Scholarship Fund at the Delaware Community Foundation.

William J. Richey was born in 1859, the seventh of 11 children of a prosperous farmer. He taught and worked as a rancher before becoming a doctor in 1893. Dr. Richey initially used a horse and buggy or horse and sleigh to call on his patients at all hours and in all weather conditions. That changed in 1914, when he bought his first automobile, a Model T Ford.

William J. Richeys wife Grace was a teacher, as were three of their children; the fourth died shortly after birth. Their second son, Donald J. Richey, was born in 1895. He served as the principal at Krebs Jr. High in the former Newport School District from 1932 until his retirement in 1960. In 1964, the school district requested Mr. Richeyï¿½s permission to name a new elementary school in his honor - ï¿½as a tribute to the many long and devoted years that you dedicated your life to the education of the children in the Newport area.ï¿½ Donald J. Richey Elementary School on Highland Avenue was dedicated in a 1965 ceremony.

William A. Richey was the only son of Donald and Laura Richey; his mother also was a teacher. He became a science teacher at Warner Jr. High School in 1947 and continued in that position for 32 years. During his teaching career, Mr. Richey was active in the Wilmington, Delaware and National Education Associations. Retirement gave him more time to enjoy reading and watch sports on TV, and he became a regular pool-player at the Mid-County Senior Center, often organizing tournaments in memory of fellow players.

In 1992, the year both her husband and father-in-law died, Margaret Richey was looking for a way to honor their devotion to teaching, and to recognize the contribution to medicine made by William J. Richey. She decided to help students who have the potential, but lack the financial means, to pursue higher education in teaching or medicine.

Mrs. Richey sought advice from William C. Thompson, her financial planner at Raymond James & Associates. With his help, Mrs. Richey created an estate plan that will provide her with a life income and then fully fund the Richey Family Scholarship Fund at her death. ï¿½Iï¿½m very pleased for both Margaret and the DCF,ï¿½ said Mr. Thompson. ï¿½This is a wonderful way to plan a gift that takes into consideration the needs of the donor as well as the future needs of the community.ï¿½

Mrs. Richey is happy that her bequest will carry out her charitable intentions forever. The Richey Family Scholarship Fund Scholarships will be given to deserving students from the Brandywine Valley who agree to ï¿½go someplace to work where thereï¿½s a real need,ï¿½ she said. ï¿½I feel very comfortable with the arrangements Iï¿½ve made at the DCF. I know that so many students need help with their education and many communities donï¿½t have the services they need. What better way to honor the memory of my husband and his family than with a fund that will guarantee teachers and doctors in the areas that so desperately need them. I know this is what they would have liked me to do with the money.ï¿½

Mrs. Richey jokes that she is the only member of the family who is not a teacher ï¿½ she worked in the Sears credit office for many years. However, she, too, has shared her talents with the community, particularly by singing in groups that perform at nursing homes. Currently, she sings in the choir at St. Markï¿½s Methodist Church. She is someone who ï¿½has to be busy,ï¿½ and her knitting, needlepoint, crocheting and gardening are evidence of that. In recent years, she has explored new crafts during winters in Arizona. Now, her house is filled with her wooden relief carvings, stained glass, scratch art, pottery and stuffed animals.

The Delaware Community Foundation is very pleased to play a role as steward of the Richey Family legacy. We applaud her devotion to the betterment of the community as well as to the family she loved