New DPS school to be named after Decatur trailblazer

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Friday, Decatur Public School leaders and city officials broke ground for a new STEAM school at the location of the former Oak Grove Elementary School.

This new location will be named Ellsworth Dansby Junior Magnet School. Dansby Jr. made history both in Decatur and in the broader United states. He was one of the first black men to graduate from Millikin University. He was only the second man to be sworn into the Army Air Force, and the first enlisted Black man to receive the rank of Master Sergeant. Dansby served with the first black aviation unit, which later became known as the Tuskegee Airmen.

"During the naming process we were thinking of how we can celebrate Decatur's rich history by naming our school after someone who lives here," said Rida Ellis, the Principal of Ellsworth Dansby Junior Magnet School.

While Ellsworth Dansby Jr. is no longer alive, his son, Ellsworth Dansby III, attended the groundbreaking and spoke about his father's legacy. He said one of his father's biggest passions was education.

"He always believed education was the key to development for all people and of all communities," said Dansby III. "Decatur still is a vibrant community and still growing in the right direction. I'm sure he would be highly honored to have been associated with this kind of project."

Dansby Jr. served on the Decatur School Board from 1968-1971. He was also known as a Civil Rights leader and helped other school districts desegregate.