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by Randy CassinghamRandy Cassingham's Honorary Unsubscribe Recognizes the Unknown, the Forgotten and the Obscure People who Had an Impact on Our Lives
Frank Mickens
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A high school principal, Mickens was assigned to New York City's Boys and Girls High in 1986 -- the school where he started his teaching career at age 22. In 1986, the graduation rate for the school's 4,500 students was 24.4 percent, and the school was in chaos. "I have a simple proposition," Mickens said during his tenure: "This is my house. I'm 46 years old. A 15-year-old is not going to dictate to me how this school is run." He instituted patrols to keep drug dealers out, set tougher academic standards, and even required a dress code. Within seven years the graduation rate was up to 40.5 percent; by the time he retired in 2004, it was 47.5 percent. He died at his Brooklyn home on July 9 from unspecified natural causes. He was 63.
From This is True for 12 July 2009
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