The Baltimore Sun ran a four-part series in the spring of 1988. The articles were about Baltimore City Public Schools, and they covered the usual woes we still contend with today – attendance, student performance, accountability, and standardized tests. The series was entitled “School Maze,” and was intended to “nettle defenders of the status quo.”
One family member of a student was surprised. They wrote a letter to share their positive view of Glenmount Primary School: “…when one enters the building [they notice] large well-made pictures on both walls of what the youngsters do and current events… Quietness is the order of the day. The PTA and other groups take part in the school work.” The reader, Frank J. Huebel shared anecdotes of his great-granddaughter learning math and reading and writing. “All of this tells me that Glenmount is a well-run school and that the youngsters are learning the basics, in spite of the ‘School Maze.'”
Huebel was not alone in his positive view of the school. A 1985 story about a blind student’s guide dog Lavette quoted the dog’s owner, Nancy Jaslow. “Everyone knows not to touch or play with a guide dog. My principal, Marylee Felton loves dogs and loves having Lavette around.”
A few decades after Lillian Lottier, Marylee Felton was taking the same path: serving the city and community through a career in education. Her position as a teacher and later as a principal would have her face school fires, understaffing, overcrowding, state politics, and all of the other tribulations faced by educators.
Felton was born Marylee Jones in 1929. Due to the commonness of that last name, I couldn’t find much about her, despite her being frequently quoted on education topics. I do not know when she married Benjamin Franklin Felton, who once worked at Hutzler’s, and then worked at Laurel & Pimlico Racetracks. Benjamin was a sailor in WWII, and they probably married shortly after that. Marylee Felton appeared in city directories and newspapers under that name, and as a schoolteacher, starting in the 1950s.
Benjamin died in 1994, and Marylee in 2018. Throughout her life, she was involved in the community. The Feltons donated frequently to the Afro Charities’ Mrs. Santa Fund. In 2008, Marylee was a docent at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, which was then in its first few years of operation.
A 1997 Sun article on a show sponsored by the African American Quilters of Baltimore included a photograph of Marylee Felton viewing quilts on display.
She was also very involved in the Bethel A.M.E Church. In 1979, she contributed a recipe for Mayonnaise Cake to the “Bethel Cookbook.”
Mayonnaise Cake is one of those recipes that seems odd until you consider that mayonnaise is made primarily of eggs and oil. Like the famous “Tomato Soup Cake,” Mayonnaise Cakes are typically flavored with chocolate to cover any unusual flavors from the savory ingredient. Marylee Felton wrote “This is a moist cake similar to a devil’s food cake. Simple and economical to make.” I found that to be true, although I thought the method of shaking hot water in a jar to be a little ill-advised. If you do this please be careful. Better to just mix it in a bowl.
As far as I can tell, Felton spent the majority of her career as a principal at Glenmount. Unfortunately, her retirement did not receive any documented fanfare. One of her former students seems to have agreed with my assessment that both her work and her life did not garner sufficient recognition.
Valerie Ann Bost, commenting on Felton’s obituary, remembered, “when the school system wanted to switch to a different reading curriculum, she stood her ground and kept Open Court at Glenmount. I loved those readers, so I was grateful to learn that and grateful that she had the courage to do what was best for her students. I was sorry to see only a brief obituary in the Sun. I would have loved to have learned more about this lady who had an impact on my young life!”
Recipe:
- 1 Cup hot water
- 1 Cup mayonnaise
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Cups flour
- 1 Teaspoon baking powder
- 1 Teaspoon baking soda
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 5 Tablespoons cocoa
- 1.25 Cup sugar
Pour water, mayonnaise and vanilla in a jar. Shake well. Sift all dry ingredients. Add mayonnaise mixture to dry ingredients, beat well. Pour into greased and floured pan. (Tube, layer or sheet). Bake at 350° until sides pull away from edges of pan. This is a moist cake similar to a devils food cake. Simple and economical to make.
Recipe from Bethel Cookbook, Bethel A.M.E. Church. Baltimore, 1979.
