Mrs. Florence Motley, 1912-2021

By Kevin Connelly, PRP

Mary Randolph, Kevin Connelly, Mrs. Florence Motley

I first had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Florence Motley at the officer installation dinner of the Evergreen Research Unit of NAP in 2015. Before that time, all I knew of the unit’s most revered member was her name and her age. At that time, she had just celebrated her 103rd birthday. I had recently joined the unit, but had never met her, as her health did not permit her to travel to the unit’s regular meetings. I was really excited to be meeting her at this dinner!

Although the focus of the dinner was supposed to be the installation of the unit’s new officers by then-NAP Vice-President Mary Randolph, PRP, it was Mrs. Motley who stole the show, regaling the members with stories about the unit’s history. She had been a member of NAP since 1977, and a member of the Evergreen Research Unit since that time! Despite her health issues in recent years, she maintained her NAP membership and kept up with her parliamentarian fellows, thoroughly reading every issue of the National Parliamentarian and state newsletters. And her unit members ensured that her unit dues would be paid every year; they were taking no chances that they would lose her!

The following year, at Mrs. Motley’s 104th birthday party, an annual event attended by over fifty people, President Randolph and I, as District 7 Director, had the pleasure of interviewing Mrs. Motley for a story about her in the National Parliamentarian, entitled “Meet Mrs. Motley – Still Active After All These Years.” She spoke of her moving to Washington state in 1970, and being active in her Allen A.M.E. Church and various other religious and social organizations such as the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, the Helen B. Stafford Club, and the local and national Colored Women’s clubs. While she no longer could physically participate in these organizations, she remained involved as best as she could. Her mind and heart remained focused on these groups, and NAP.