JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A civil rights pioneer in Jacksonville and former state lawmaker died Friday afternoon. Willye Dennis would have turned 86 years old next week.
Dennis, who worked as a librarian, owned a day care, led the Jacksonville NAACP chapter for a decade and served two terms in the Florida House of Representatives.
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Dennis' Fam-Co Learning and Development Center received national recognition for providing counseling services to unwed mothers and at-risk teenagers.
Mayor Alvin Brown released the following statement saying he and his wife were deeply saddened by the Davis' passing.
"I have known Mrs. Dennis since I was 17 years old. She was a friend and supporter. We worked together with the NAACP," Brown said. "She believed in opportunity for all. She was a true champion for our community."
Over the years, Dennis was the subject of some threats for her activism, including a mail bomb sent to her address.
Dennis' political career ended in 1999 when she pleaded guilty to charges of using federal money funding a program at Fam-Co for personal use.
Dennis once told a gathering of students at the University of North Florida: "There is a sea of opportunity that awaits you at a point in life in which anything is still possible and growth is word of the day."
Funeral arrangements are pending.