And so it was. in 1957. that Gov. LeRoy Colins appointed her to the county school board. She was elected the next year. named chair in 1961. and served on the board until Her decade on the school board was a tumultuous timethe absorption of thousands of Cuban refugee children. attacks on textbooks. the startup of MiamiDade Junior College. threatened teacher strikes. and disputes over prayer in the classroom. Of all those issues and others. one event during that decade stands out: the school boards decision. on Feb. 18. 1959. to Integrate Dades schools. The board. not waiting until the courts insisted. voted to admit four neighborhood black children to Orchard Villa Elementary School.