Irrepressible Ella

Throughout the 1920s and early 1930s, Ella helped a number of young black men and women attend college. To some she gave encouragement; others she helped apply for scholarships; for a few, it was money for tuition and books. Mary Ware was always grateful to Ella, who gave her son so much clothing to go off to college that he was able to share with other students.

But the Depression brought hard times to Fort Myers and to the already struggling families in Dunbar. Unemployment was high. People cut back on all but the most essential things. Fewer and fewer women could afford regular hair appointments at the parlor. Ella's soda business also suffered.

Ella could not afford many of the niceties to which she had grown accustomed. And she struggled to continue her philanthropy. She had encouraged one young orphan, James Johnson, to apply to Tuskegee Institute. He and four of his brothers and sisters had brought themselves up after they were left orphaned. "We got by, but it was tough," Johnson remembers today. James Johnson was accepted by Tuskegee and enrolled in 1937, but his scholarship fell through. Ella tried to pay for the tuition herself, but she was not able to come up with the money. Johnson had to leave school and come back to Fort Myers. The whole family felt his disappointment, his brother Jacob recalls, but they accepted it philosophically. "We were used to being devastated.we were accustomed to rolling with the punches," he says. Ella must have felt this disappointment keenly and may have even felt responsible for dashing his hopes.

Despite the Great Depression, there was some progress in the Dunbar community. Enterprising citizens applied for funds from one of President Roosevelt's New Deal Programs. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) funded Fort Myers' first public black high school. On April 13, 1937, Ella Piper helped to dedicate the new Dunbar High School.

For months before, Ella Piper had lobbied her friends to support the school. One of them was Mina Hughes, the remarried widow of Thomas Edison. Mina was head of the Fruit Flower and Plant Guild, which selected the Dunbar grounds as a service project. In addition to improving the landscape, the project encouraged interaction between the black and white communities. Mina joined Ella on the podium at the school's dedication. But, as an editorial in the Fort Myers News-Press made clear, her presence there was unusual. "Mrs. Hughes herself will be a speaker at the program to which a special invitation has been extended to white guests." The subtle message was there. The former Mrs. Edison aside, mixing of the races would not generally be acceptable.

By world war II, ella was approaching 60 and app-eared content with her life. That's why many in Fort Myers were surprised when she married a 30-year-old sergeant stationed at the local Army Air base. His name was Cleon R. Harvey, and he came from Providence, Rhode Island. According to the social pages of the Providence newspaper, Harvey was one of the "very popular members of the younger set, and.one of the most eligible young men" in town. The two were married on March 21, 1944. The ceremony was conducted at the bride's home at 1914 Evans Ave. Ella, who was now Ella Harvey, was less than truthful on her marriage certificate. Perhaps conscious that she was twice her new husband's age, she recorded her age as 54.

Ella's second marriage was no smoother than her first, and before long the two were separated. Her will reflected the depths of the couple's estrangement. She stated it was her wish to leave her husband exactly one dollar.

Once more on her own, Ella poured herself into business and her community. She helped to establish a black chapter of the Red Cross. She sponsored musical jubilees, and helped to bring famous black entertainers to the Dunbar neighborhood. Both blacks and whites attended these performances, which were staged at Mt. Olive Church and McCullum Hall. She also opened her home to baseball players from the Negro League. These young men, and occasionally their wives, were not allowed to stay at the white hotels, but were welcomed at 1914 Evans Ave.

Ella also continued her friendship with Mina Miller Hughes. For years Ella visited Mina's McGregor Boulevard home to treat her feet and administer massages. A well-worn massage table still located in Mina's dressing area is evidence of those frequent visits. During their sessions, the two were able to talk privately. The depth of their friendship is demonstrated by an April 19, 1947 letter. At a time when Mina was saddened by loss-in recent years she had lost two husbands, two brothers and her closest sister-Ella tried to comfort her. She declared, "You above all, who mean everything to me. I can never tell you how dear you are to me. Ones like you are not born every day. You are one of God's chosen children. You were put here to act as a medium through God to heal and help human nature. Everyone can't do it. That's a gift."

On June 13, 1954, the woman who had been known as Ella Mertis Bailor, Ella M. Jones, Ella Piper and Ella Harvey died of a stroke at Lee Memorial Hospital. She was 69. Although Ella had been suffering from health problems for years, her death was a shock to the community. All over Fort Myers, people talked about the loss of the local business legend and pillar of the community.

In her will, Ella stipulated that her Evans Avenue home and furnishings be retained for the use of Anna Heard and her brother-in-law for as long as they lived. Her beauty shop was to be rented to Heard at a reasonable rent. Following their deaths, her property and remaining funds were to be donated to the city of Fort Myers for the benefit of the "colored residents of Fort Myers."

It took 22 years, but Ella's gift was recognized in 1976, when the city of Fort Myers dedicated the Dr. Ella Piper Center in her name. Today, the modest concrete building on Evans Avenue provides home health care, meals and recreation programs for senior citizens. But the real legacy of this extraordinary woman is in the lives of those who knew her. Her determination to transcend the limits of her time and place made her an inspiring example and leader. Her unconventional aspirations and independent spirit may have undermined her marriages and left her lonely at times. But in business and public service, her strength of character gave her great power. She could have used it in selfish ways. Instead she chose to improve the lives and futures of those around her. Irrepressible and original, she was an extraordinary woman living in extremely difficult times.

To learn more about black history in Lee County, you can visit the Williams Academy Black History Museum. This new museum, which opened last January, is in Clemente Park, at 1936 Henderson Ave. (941) 332-8778.