"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : MARY FRANCES ROBINSON GOINS

Well, this week's Black Pioneer hails from a family of distinguished Black Educators residing in Monroe, Louisiana. Beginning first with her parents Solomon Lee Robinson and Josephine Parks Robinson. You know, it's puzzling to me as to why some Black People in Monroe still don't know that Robinson Elementary School in Monroe, Louisiana was named for her father, Solomon Lee Robinson. Oh well, next their was her sister, Mrs. Zettie Robinson Beckwith, who was a teacher at Richwood High School for many years. Finally, there was her brother Bernie Dayton Robinson, who was a former principal of J.S. Clark School in Monroe, Louisiana, from 1953 to 1974. Along with his wife Emily Parker Robinson and their daughter, Lasandre Robinson Starks, they ran Robinson Business College for decades, in Monroe. Now, let me tell you a little more about this week's Black Pioneer, Mrs. Mary Frances Robinson Goins. She was born and raised in Richwood, Louisiana, and she attended Richwood Elementary School.After graduating from Richwood Elementary, Mary Frances enrolled at North Louisiana Industrial School, also known as Monroe Academy, which was a private school that was located near Texas Ave. & South 9th Street, in Monroe Louisiana. The school was built by the Tenth District Baptist Association to help educate local Colored Children in Monroe. From there, Mary Frances attended Monroe Colored High, and from there she went on to attend several other colleges, including Leland College and Southern University. Mary Frances's first teaching assignment was at the Old St. James School that was located on Old Columbia Road, in Ouachita Parish. Within a year or two, she moved on to teach at Cuba Elementary School in Boscoe, Louisiana. After teaching a few years at Cuba Elementary School, she became the principal of the school. From there, Mary Frances transferred to Richwood High School, and became the principal of Richwood High School. In case you all didn't already know, Mary Frances is the woman who was responsible for hiring a football coach for the Richwood football team. History proved that she made a great choice in selecting "Louisiana coaching legend & Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Coach Mackie Freeze" as the head coach of Richwood High School, back in 1954! Even though her career in education began in 1930, Mary Frances worked well into the 1950s, when she retired in 1958. Oh how fitting it was for Mary Frances to end her career as principal of Robinson Elementary School, the school named after her father, Solomon Lee Robinson! By the way, in 1959, Mary Frances organized the Monroe Branch of the National Association of University Women, where she Served as President of the organization for 3 years. Additionally, some of the other community organizations that Mary Frances worked with included The Sickle-Cell Anemia Foundation, the organization which her sister, Mrs. Vivian O. Hester, was President for many years ; the Ouachita Parish League of Women Voters ; the Monroe Chapter of the NAACP ; the #35 Order of The Eastern Star Organization ; and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Organization, just to name a few. Sadly, after decades of championing Equal Education for her people, and fighting for Civil Rights in the State of Louisiana, Mary Frances Robinson Goins passed away on December 8, 2002. NOTE : A few years ago when the town of Richwood, Louisiana had it's New Park built that's located at 2917 Robinson Road in Richwood, the park was named, "The Mary Francis Goins Park," in her honor!