Nina Honemond Clarke

On Thursday, March 4, 2021, Mrs. Nina Clarke peacefully entered eternal rest at Brightview West End in Rockville, MD at the age of 103. She lived a full life having accomplished everything she set out to do.

Nina Honemond Clarke was born and reared in Dickerson, MD, on November 13, 1917, as the 9th of 11 children to the late Percival James Honemond and Sara Copeland Honemond. All siblings are also now deceased.

After graduating from the Rockville Colored High School in 1934, Mrs. Clarke attended Bowie State College and received an advanced first grade teaching certificate in 1937. Returning to Montgomery County at age 19, she began teaching in several of the local Black elementary schools (Quince Orchard and Germantown). Her fourth year of college was completed at Hampton Institute where she earned a B.S. degree in Elementary Education in 1942. In the late 1930s, she married Samuel Ellis Clarke of Poolesville, MD and in 1944 a daughter, Camille Alexis, was born. Mrs. Clarke earned her Master of Education degree from Boston University in 1952. After earning her master’s degree, she pursued post-graduate studies at American and George Washington Universities.

Following the Supreme Court’s 1954 decision to end segregation in public schools, Mrs. Clarke became one of the first Blacks to teach white children in the county.

In 1962, the Board of Education selected her as the first Black teacher specialist in reading/language arts in Montgomery County. She eventually became principal of the Aspen Hill Elementary School in Rockville in 1968, where she retired in 1973 after serving for 36 years in the Montgomery County Public School System.

After retirement, Clarke’s interest and passion for researching local African American history led her to begin a new career as a historian, author, and lecturer. She also became a model for the Barbizon Modeling Agency and in 1980 had a walk-on part in “Airplane”. Her published works in 1978 include “A History of the Black Public Schools of Montgomery County, Maryland 1872-1961” (co-authored with Lillian Brown); in 1983, “History of the 19th Century Black Churches in Maryland and Washington, D.C.”, and in 1989, she wrote her family history, “Chips Off the Old Block”.

Beginning in 1972, Mrs. Clarke has had over 25 awards among which are: Outstanding Volunteer Service for Montgomery County Public Schools; Alumnus of the Year- National Alumni Association-Bowie State College; Path of Achievement Award, which was included in the Maryland Women of Achievement; Maryland Outstanding Volunteer Award by Senior Citizens Hall of Fame of Maryland; the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award; the Honorary Degree for Community Service bestowed by the President of Montgomery County. The last award was the Doers Award given in 2019 by the Pleasant View Historic Site.

Mrs. Clarke was a long-time member of Jerusalem Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church in Rockville, MD where she was a member of the Chancel Choir; a member and long-time secretary of the United Methodist Women; and Church Women United. She leaves to cherish her memory one daughter, Camille Clarke Battle (Vernon); one grandson, Kevin Clarke Battle (Latonya); one granddaughter, Melanie Battle Leonard (Jerrod) and one great-grandson Ian Joseph Leonard; five nieces; three nephews; and many great nieces and nephews; family; friends, and a devoted friend Eileen McGuckian.

Livestream services will be provided by the Snowden Funeral Home in Rockville, MD at snowdencares.com. Interment immediately following at Jerusalem Baptist Church, 19215 Jerusalem Road, Poolesville, MD 20837.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Peerless Rockville, 29 Courthouse Square, Rm 110, Rockville, MD 20850 or Jerusalem Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church, 21 Wood Lane, Rockville, MD 20850.

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