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Letter to the editor

If there was conflict, she'd start mediating

Friction is people's way of seeking help, the longtime activist believed.

By STEPHANIE HAYES, Times Staff Writer
Published January 9, 2008

ADVERTISEMENT Alma Frazier, 72, taught in Pinellas County schools for 25 years and was a founding member of the Federation of Inner City Community Organizations. [Handout]

ST. PETERSBURG - Alma Frazier had a time-tested method of making peace.

Her first step was to listen - if people could just let it out and be heard, she believed, they might not get violent.

She'd make a list of concerns, ponder them, devise ways to make them better. She did this with seven siblings on the farm in Georgia. With her elementary and middle school students. With people in the community.

"A lot of times, when you have friction, that's people's way of reaching out for help," said her son, Garland Frazier. "She was a galvanizing force for bringing people together."

Ms. Frazier was born into poverty. She spent her childhood picking crops, dreaming of something better. Later, she would tell her two kids about her hard upbringing, so they would know that failure wasn't an option.

At Bethune-Cookman University, she developed a passion for reading - she believed it was the gateway to all other learning.

She taught in Pinellas County schools for 25 years. She was strict and could be demanding. But she was compassionate and attracted troubled students. She got to know them personally and deciphered the root of their problems.

Ms. Frazier was a founding member of the Federation of Inner City Community Organizations, which helped neighborhood associations learn about programs and grants. She guided citizens through City Hall and worked with the police. She helped form associations in Bartlett Park, Palmetto Park and Childs Park.

When the group ran out of money, she reached into her own purse to pay for fliers, phone bills and stamps. She hosted fundraisers to bring in money.

She was passionate about neighborhood civics. Ms. Frazier served as association president in St. Petersburg's Highland Oaks, where she lived and served on the neighborhood watch. In 2004, she received a plaque from city officials for her service.

"She was always going off to this meeting or that meeting," said Garland Frazier, 40.

She died Jan. 2 after a long illness. She was 72. Since then, her family has been reminiscing about her charisma, her sense of humor and her special talent.

When riots broke out in St. Petersburg in the 1990s, they said, Ms. Frazier was one of the key community activists who helped public officials mediate the situation.

Even then, she used her faithful method: Listen, make a list, ponder ...

Stephanie Hayes can be reached at shayes@sptimes.com or 727 893-8857.

BIOGRAPHY

Alma Frazier

Born: March 5, 1935

Died: Jan. 2, 2008

Survivors: daughter, Kimberly Frazier-Leggett; son, Garland Frazier; sisters, Jenett and Mary Brown; brothers, Ollie Jr., Earnest, Harvey, Clyde and Harry Brown; grandson, Shayne Broxsie

Services: Visitation from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Smith Funeral Home, 1534 18th Ave. S. Funeral at 11 a.m. Friday, Mount Zion Progressive Missionary Baptist Church, 955 20th St. S.

[Last modified January 8, 2008, 21:29:51]