City flags will be lowered to half-staff tomorrow in honor of Rachel B. Noel, the first black woman elected to public office in Colorado in 1965 when she joined the board of Denver Public Schools.
Noel died in her sleep on Feb. 4, at the age of 90.
“It is an honor to be able to pay public respect to Rachel Noel,” Mayor John Hickenlooper said. “Those of us who were fortunate enough to spend quality time with her know that she made everyone around her better. She was a courageous woman who had a legendary impact on public education throughout the city and the state.”
Her “Noel Resolution” was essential to the integration of DPS in the late 1960s, according to a news release from Hickenlooper’s office.
She was appointed by Governor Richard Lamm to the University of Colorado Board of Regents in 1976.
She was also honored with the formation of the Rachel B. Noel Distinguished Visiting Professorship at Metropolitan State College in 1981 in recognition of her contributions to the school.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
