Charles G. Ireland, longtime teacher and motivation coordinator, religious leader, veteran, and celebrated community activist, has died at 96
He was committed to helping his students and neighbors in West Philadelphia, and many of them learned about college, employment opportunities, and cultural activities through his efforts.
Charles G. Ireland, 96, of Philadelphia, retired longtime teacher and motivation coordinator for the School District of Philadelphia, religious leader, veteran, and celebrated community activist, died Wednesday, Jan. 25, of prostate cancer at his home.
Dedicated to providing educational opportunities and enriching activities to his students and neighbors, and to supporting fellow members at Wesley African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Mr. Ireland was recognized often in his West Philadelphia community for his energy and selflessness. He was honored by the Chapel of Four Chaplains for his community outreach, and officials at Wesley A.M.E. Zion made him an honorary missionary for his contributions to their worldwide mission.
From the early 1950s until his retirement in 1988, Mr. Ireland was a popular educator at Simon Gratz High School and other schools. He taught bookkeeping, math, and business math, and later became a motivation coordinator for the district and counseled countless students and their parents about college and employment, and introduced them to art, music, and other cultural events.
As motivation coordinator, he hosted students and parents on visits to historically Black colleges and universities, helped with the college application process, arranged trips to museums and theaters, and made available business and employment opportunities they otherwise might have missed. “He was all about enrichment and education,” said his daughter Kia Ireland-Hall. “He felt strong about giving back.”
In his community, Mr. Ireland served as a leader in the effort to combat gang violence. He was chairman of a mental health center, district chairman for the Boy Scouts of America, and an adult counselor at the Philadelphia Miniversity, an educational organization founded by Grace Banks Sullivan, the wife of the Rev. Leon Sullivan. He and Evelyn, his wife of 64 years, founded the C&E Boarding House for women and children and later opened a second shelter for men in need.
He was a member of the Alpha Theta chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, the NAACP, and the Masons’ Herbert E. Millen Lodge No. 151. He was also active at Wesley A.M.E. Zion for nearly five decades. “It was in his DNA, the idea that he could make things, create things,” said his son, Charles II. “He instilled values to help people get back on their feet.”
Charles Garland Ireland was born March 26, 1926, in Fayetteville, N.C. He joined the Navy after high school and later graduated from West Virginia State College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He moved to Philadelphia in the early 1950s to be near family and worked at a post office and as a substitute teacher while taking night classes at St. Joseph’s University.
He earned a master’s degree in education at St. Joseph’s, took additional classes at Temple University, and met Evelyn Elliott on a blind date in 1957. They married in 1958, had daughters Lisa and Kia, and son Charles II, and lived in West Philadelphia.
“He was interesting, and we had good conversations,” said his wife, also a retired teacher. “He was a family man who doted on his children.” His daughter Lisa Ireland-Wright said: “He was someone you could talk to. We all had our own special relationships with him.”
Mr. Ireland loved to travel, and he loaded his family into their station wagon during many summers and drove them to view the sights in Texas, New Mexico, California, Maine, Florida, and elsewhere across the country. He was amazingly adept at home repairs and liked to read about cowboys and listen to jazz music.
He was an enthusiastic cook who specialized in spaghetti and Hungarian goulash, and his children’s friends made it a point to be around his house at mealtime. “He was an old-school provider father,” his son said.
He got involved when his daughters formed their own Girl Scouts troop, and, being a teacher, supervised their education and communicated often with their teachers. He led by example, and, not surprising, his daughters became teachers, and his son is a retired school principal.
“When you were in his presence, you were the focus,” Ireland-Hall said. “He made sure we knew how to handle things. He was all about family.”
In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Ireland is survived by three grandchildren and other relatives.
A celebration of his life is to be held Sunday, Feb. 5, at Laurel Hill Funeral Home, 225 Belmont Ave. Bala Cynwyd, Pa. 19004. Visitation with the family is to begin at 10 a.m. A service is to follow at noon.
Donations in his name may be made to Penn Medicine Hospice Services, 3535 Market St., Suite 750, Philadelphia, Pa. 19104, and the Parkinson’s Foundation, 200 SE 1st St., Suite 800, Miami, Fla. 33131.