By Jill Fox
Known for her constant positivity, Dr. Delania Williams Cunningham was an educator, administrator and had recently received her doctorate.
A former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School assistant principal from 2005 through 2013, Cunningham, 53, died of complications from Covid-19 on January 25.
“If you went to Douglas, you knew who Ms. Cunningham was. Whether she was greeting you with a smile in the cafeteria, making you laugh, singing you a song, or delivering announcements over the PA system with her own personal flair and signature phrases,” said 2012 graduate Jordan Feinberg, who added that if there were a Marjory Stoneman Douglas Hall of Fame, she would surely be in it.
Cunningham’s son, Stephen, 27, a 2011 graduate of MSD, played both junior and varsity basketball, still holding a record for the men’s varsity triple jump in track.
AP Government teacher Jeff Foster, who taught and coached Stephen, worked with Cunningham and said she was a ray of sunshine — bright, happy, positive, and very good at her job.
“It’s nice to have people like that in school and in your company,” he said.
A celebration of her life took place on January 31 in Gadsden, Alabama, where she lived, and Zoom gatherings were held for her close friends.
On Facebook, Stephen wrote, “Remaining home does not mean you love or care about us any less. My mother would be devastated if she knew she put anyone in danger of contracting the coronavirus.”
To make a financial contribution to Stephen, who is attending the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical School, do so at his email address on PayPal.
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