Willa (Haney) McCullough, who became the first Black teacher for the Festus R-6 School District in the 1950s, died at age 89 on Oct. 24, 2020, in Fayetteville, N.C., where she was living at the time.
She previously lived in Festus.
During the 1954-1955 school year, McCullough taught one typing class a day at Festus High School and worked the rest of the day at the old Douglass Cooperative High School in Festus, where area Black students were enrolled before integration.
The next school year, Mrs. McCullough became the first Black educator to work full time at Festus High, a formerly all-white school. She taught English there until her retirement in 1994.
Tom Wells of Festus said both Mrs. McCullough and her late husband, Adam McCullough, were role models in the community.
“I knew Mrs. McCullough even before she was a teacher at Festus High School,” Wells said. “Her hair was always immaculate and she was just so educated. I never had her as a teacher. But, being a Black kid growing up, it was very inspiring to see her. She was like a queen to me.
“In 2017, we did a program for the McCulloughs, to honor them. By all means, they deserved all the honors.”
Mrs. McCullough helped found the Jefferson County Cultural Diversity Committee, which helps put on a Black History Luncheon in the county each year. The event raises funds for college scholarships and assistance for local residents in need.
Jim Sparling of Crystal City, current president of the committee, praised Mrs. McCullough for her efforts on behalf of the organization.
“She was just a dear person. This was the first year she wasn’t able to attend the luncheon because she was in a nursing home in North Carolina.
“She was a very strong person. She was just a great person, along with her husband.”
Denise Brown of Festus, also a member of the committee, said Mrs. McCullough will be greatly missed.
“There is so much to say because she left such a big hole,” Brown said. “She and her husband were involved in so much. I was friends with her for a long time. It’s most definitely a personal loss for me.
“She always was willing to help the young kids. She’s paved the way for many.”
Festus R-6 School District Superintendent Link Luttrell said Willa McCullough left a trailblazing legacy in the district.
“She definitely was a treasure in terms of an educator,” Luttrell said. “She broke the color barrier as an educator at Festus High School.”
Adam McCullough, also a pioneering Black educator and coach for the Festus School District, died March 31, 2019.
The McCulloughs are survived by a daughter: Sibyl Barksdale of Fayetteville, N.C.; two grandchildren: Elvis and Keyah Barksdale of Fayetteville; and many other family members and friends.
Services for Mrs. McCullough are scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, at Cunningham Mortuary and Cremation, 3809 Raeford, in Fayetteville.