Herald Democrat
Denison, Texas Loses Prominent Resident
January 28, 2007

Laverne Marguerite Bradshaw was a quiet Denison lady who knew how to get things done.  Friends say it was impossible to tel her you wouldn't
or couldn't help out in whatever cause she was involved.
Her enthusiasm for helping others will be missed.  Marguerite died at the age of 81 on Wednesday, January 24, 2007, at her home after being in ill health for some time.  Her funeral was held on Saturday.
A musician, a teacher and a strong supporter of family, Marguerite, probably wouldn't admit it, but she was partially responsible for many young people being able to attend college.
Marguerite grew up in Denison and graduated from Terrell High School when Denison schools were segregated.
As a 16-year-old girl, she headed to Prairie View  A&M University in the 1940s on a valedictorian scholarship from Terrell.  She was a piano major in College, but played the saxophone in high school and later taught band in elementary school in New York City.
At Prairie View she was asked to learn another instrument to complete the dance band that was being formed.  She was quoted in 1997 as saying, "Those of us in the music department were used to "fill in".  For example, "we only had one trombone, so the director gave me a trombone."
In 2002 she joined four other women who grew up in Denison and attended Prairie View University and played in the all-girl band there to be honored, with eleven others, during the 2002 Founders' Day and Honors Recognition Convocation.
Marguerite and Helen Cole of Denison, Elizabeth Thomas Smith of New York City, Alice Marie Jones Grubbs of Philadelphia and Clora Bryant of Los Angeles were members of the Prairie View Co-Eds, organized in early 1942.  They traveled from Texas to New York and played dance halls, military bases, stage shows and the Apollo Theater.  The Prairie View A&M gathering was a reunion for the Denison musicians.
Marguerite was an assistant principal and a principal and did the pilot project  for decentralization of New York City schools in the office of the superintendent in his absence.  After she retired, she returned to her home in Denison.
In 2002 when Clora Bryant, who played the trumpet as a sit-in with the country's most famous bands, was named a Denison Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni; Marguerite filled in and accepted the award for an ailing Bryant, who was unable to travel from Los Angeles to be honored.  They have remained close friends through the years.
JoAnn Perkins, president of the Denison Chapter of the NAACP, has been a good friend of Marguerite for many years and calls her "one of my best cheerleaders".  Joan said, "She She always encouraged me to be the best as what I did and at every level of success or promotion that I've received, she was the first one to call abd wish me wel."  This writer had the same experience with Marguerite through the past 20 or so years that I have known her.
She frequently came to The Denison Herald with something for the newspaper about an honor received by someone that she knew.
JoAnn said that Marguerite was always working on a plan to stay involved with the community and had so many great ideas and plans, many of which she may have used in New York.
JoAnn said it was impossible to say "no" to Marguerite because she would alway say, "I know you're very busy but you can do this for me, that's why I call you early so you can get started."  She had many storied to tell about her time in New York, the ups and downs, the good and the bad times.
"You keep on going, folks don't always appreciate you for what you do, but I admire you for taking a stand for what you believe is right," was her famous one-liner.
Joan said that sometimes she would call on Sunday morning before church and ask her to stop by.  She would be sitting out on the porch and JoAnn would ask "why?"  She said, "So I can see how pretty folks look getting ready to go to church."
Then she would compliment JoAnn on what she was wearing by saying, "Girl, you're always sharp!  Now here's what I want you to work on for me."  Marguerite got a lot of people working on good things for folks in their community.  Now, with her death, it's up to them to keep good things going.
Her absence leaves a vacancy that will be hard to fill.  We've lost a faithful friend.



Herald Democrat
BLACK HISTORY MONTH OFFERS A TIME TO CELEBRATE LOCALS
February 12, 2014

Marguerite Bradshaw played with Clora Bryant in that all-girl orchestra, the Prairie View Co-eds at Prairie View College, but her life took a different turn after college.  She became a teacher.
Marguerite also graduated from Terrell High School when Denison schools were segregrated.  She went to Prairie View in the 1940s on a Valedictorian 's scholarship from Terrell and was a piano major in college.  She played the saxophone in high school.
After graduating from Prairie View Marguerite headed to New York City where she was assistant principal and principal.  She was in charge of the pilot project for decentralization of New York schools in the office of the superintendent in his absence.
After a successful career in education she returned to her home in Denison when she retired.  As a niece of Viola Hilliard and Pearl Carter, she spearheaded the Viola Hilliard and Pearl and Dugan Carter Scholarship Foundation that gave scholarships to DHS graduates.  When Miss Hilliard died in 1967 she appointed Marguerite, in her will, to head the foundation.  Miss Hilliard had been head of the Wimms School in Denison.
Through that program she was partially responsible for many young people being able to attend college.
She was a musician, a teacher and a strong supporter of family values.  She died in January 2007.