On the recordApril 6, 2022
Today, I rise to remember the life of a remarkable public servant, leader, and educator, Dr. Terrance Newton. Today, family, friends, and his beloved Warner School community are saying good-bye to a person who they called Newt. Dr. Newton was a fixture in the Delaware education system for decades, himself a product of Wilmington's East Side, a Kappa Alpha Psi man, and a Delaware State University man. Newt would become known to his students as their most fervent advocate and ally. Every morning, he would stand on the front steps of Warner Elementary and greet students as they passed through the front doors, hugging them, high-fiving them, and inspiring every child. Dr. Newton was always looking for unique and impactful ways to connect with his students, going so far as to open a barbershop where he could cut the students' hair in school, giving them a safe space to talk about their academics, their communities, and their lives. It is no exaggeration to say that Dr. Terrance Newton was a powerful pillar of the community, a real-life superhero who spent every day devoted to the next generation of Delawareans. We have lost Dr. Terrance Newton far too soon, but because of all the energy, inspiration, and love that he poured into his students, family, and community, his legacy will live on for a lifetime. To his family, colleagues, students, friends, I send sincere condolences. Madam Speaker, I close with some words from Dr. Newton himself.…
