RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A street sign honoring a beloved Richmond educator and community leader was unveiled Monday.
The honorary street sign sits at the corner of Brook Road and Hammond Avenue. The sign reads “Flowers Way” to honor the life and legacy of the late Ellalee Fountain Flowers of Richmond.
Community members, city leaders and loved ones gathered in the city’s Northside to attend the ceremony on the afternoon of Monday, Feb. 13. Her loved ones, including her son, Gary Flowers, shared her legacy.
“I told you about our mother being velvet steel,” he said during the gathering.
Flowers was born in Richmond’s Jackson Ward neighborhood. She dedicated more than 40 years of her life to education, teaching business courses at Maggie Walker High School and at Virginia Union University.
Flowers was also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., the NAACP, and Habitat Humanity projects.
“She taught countless generations of students, and they are all better off because of our mother’s tutelage,” Mr. Flowers said.
His sister, Jan, said their mother was committed to the Richmond area and ensured the community would thrive.
“She has had an impact on so many people — not just students — but people who needed help, especially senior citizens,” Ms. Flowers said.
Councilwoman Ann-Frances Lambert, who represents the city’s third district, organized the gathering and proposed the idea of an honorary street sign for Flowers. City council members adopted the ordinance in November.
Mr. Flowers said his mother’s name being in the Frederick Douglass Court area is fitting, because their family members have lived in this neighborhood since its founding as Richmond’s first Black sub-division.
“It’s heartwarming to have African American contributors to Richmond duly honored,” he said.
Flowers died in May of 2022 at the age of 98, but her family said this sign will be a symbol of her accomplishments.
