William C. Green, 90, founder of a private school for African-Americans

JUNE 13, 2008, was a Friday - Friday the 13th - a day that lurks in the minds of the superstitious as a time when the evil forces that interfere with our destinies get free reign.

Be that as it may, that particular Friday the 13th was bad news for hundreds of African-American parents because it was the day their cherished private school was forced to close.

Ivy Leaf School, which began providing an education for African-American students at a reasonable cost from its founding in 1965, succumbed to economic forces beyond its control.

The school was founded by William C. Green and his wife, the former Liller Parrott, when they realized that their two daughters couldn't get the kind of nurturing preschool attention the Greens desired in the public schools.

William Clarence Green, longtime Philadelphia public-school teacher, former chairman of the school district's Office of African-American Studies who organized trips to West Africa for fellow teachers, a devoted churchman, community leader and Army veteran, and a loving family man, died Thursday. He was 90 and was living in a retirement home in Chestnut Hill. He formerly lived in Germantown.

During the formative years of Ivy Leaf School, Bill drove a station wagon to pick up students, even while teaching full time at Philadelphia elementary schools.

Over the years, Ivy Leaf expanded to encompass all grades from preschool to eighth. The Greens kept tuition rates lower than those of similar schools in the area.

"Ivy Leaf was at one time one of the city's most highly regarded institutions, providing a culturally relevant, high-achieving academic education for African-American children from middle-class families," the Daily News' late columnist Fatimah Ali wrote in 2008.

The emergence of charter schools, and the fact that Ivy Leaf never had a sufficient endowment, led to its demise.

Bill Green was born in Chester to the Rev. Timothy and Alberta Green. He attended Chester city schools, where he excelled in track and cross country, making several appearances at the Penn Relays.

He also was an amateur boxer, whose budding career in the ring was short-circuited by his father.

Bill was drafted into the Army in 1943, and among his most cherished experiences while stationed in Great Britain was a visit to his unit by Gen. Benjamin O. Davis, then the only African-American general in the armed forces.

After his discharge, Bill used the GI Bill to attend Morgan State College, now Morgan State University, in Baltimore. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in education, and later received a master's in education from the University of Pennsylvania.

At Morgan State, Bill met Liller Parrott, and they were married on June 21, 1952.

He began to teach in Philadelphia elementary schools, and eventually taught at Gratz High School, before he was appointed chairman of the district's newly created Office of African-American Studies in 1970.

Shortly after his appointment, he persuaded the school district to finance a six-week study tour of West Africa. Some 38 teachers took the first tour. It led to the formation of Educators to Africa, which is still in existence.

Bill and his wife joined Grace Baptist Church of Germantown in 1952. Bill served as deacon, president of the Men's Club, member of the Grace Community Christian Center board and founder of the African-American history program, which featured cultural exhibits, works of art and literature, and brought in outstanding speakers.

He and his wife helped to provide startup capital for United Bank of Philadelphia.

In 1986, Bill established the Alberta Green Education Foundation at Morgan State University in honor of his mother for students who need financial help.

Besides his wife, he is survived by two daughters, Pamela Coleman and Jan Green; two sisters, Naomi Beauford and Michel Green; and three grandchildren.

Services: 11 a.m. Friday at Grace Baptist Church of Germantown, 25 W. Johnson St. Friends may call at 9 a.m. Burial will be at Chelten Hills Cemetery.