Melville F. Warren Sr.

Melville F. Warren Sr., of Dover, passed away Saturday, April 26, 2008, in Bayhealth- Kent General Hospital after a brief illness. He was 84.

He was born on Jan. 8, 1924, in Faison, N.C., to Olivia Jones Warren and Fred Fearington Warren, a Methodist minister.

Mel served in combat for four years in the South Pacific serving in the U.S. Army during World War II and received an honorable discharge.

He returned to graduate from Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College) in Wilson, N.C.

Mel received a master's degree in educational administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1951.

His career began in the Morgantown, N.C., school system.

After three years, he was selected assistant superintendent in the Department of Defense School System to serve in Wiesbaden, Germany.

It was there that he met his future wife Betty who was a teacher. They were married there on June I, 1957.

Mel returned to the United States as a curriculum director for the Oxford Area Schools in Oxford, Pa.

He met Dave Green, superintendent of the Dover School District (now Capital School District) and was asked to serve as the director of Elementary Education - a position he held under five superintendents.

His career in Dover spanned from 1958 until his retirement in 1991.

During his tenure, Mel saw the district expand from three elementary schools to six and was proud to have recruited dozens of new teachers from colleges throughout the eastern part of the United States, many of whom taught their entire careers and raised their families in the Dover area.

In addition to curriculum supervision, he initiated many new programs in the Capital district.

He organized the Kent County Orthopedic School to provide services for physically handicapped children and was also supervisor of the district's school nurses.

In the early 1960s, Mel helped manage the peaceful integration of the Dover elementary schools.

Mel was inducted into the Phi Delta Kappa Professional Fraternity in Education in 1953.

He was state president of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development - ASCD, was state president of the Sons of the American Revolution - SAR.

He was a Scottish Rite Mason and a longtime member of the Dover Rotary Club during the 1960s and 70s.

In 1973, Mel was named an Outstanding Educator in America by the Academy of American Educators.

Mel was preceded in death by his parents, along with sisters, Helen Winkler and Virginia Burcher.

He is survived by his wife, Betty L. Warren; son, Mel Warren Jr.; daughter-in-law, Peni G. Warren; and grandsons, Chase and Cameron.

Friends may call from 5-8 p.m. Thursday in the Trader Funeral Home, 12 Lotus St., Dover.

A memorial service will be 11 a.m. Friday in Wesley United Methodist Church, 209 S. State St., Dover.

Burial will be in Goldsboro, N.C.

Instead of flowers, the family suggests contributions be made to Wesley United Methodist Church, 209 S. State St., Dover, DE 19901; or the Bayhealth Foundation, 640 S. State St., Dover, DE 19901.