Eleanora Norwood Clarke

October 14, 1927 - April 9, 2020

Eleanora Norwood Clarke transitioned peacefully on April 9, 2020 at Norwalk Hospital. She was the daughter of the late Rev. James Oscar Norwood and Rosa Braswell Norwood, was born at the Norwalk Hospital on October 14, 1927. She graduated from Norwalk High School in 1945, She graduated from Howard University Law School in 1952 with a JD degree. She is a member of the National Honor Society. in 1963 she became the first woman and the first black woman to become an Associate Counsel in the Legal Department at ITT Continental Banking Company, Corporate headquarters at Rye, N.Y. She remains in the Law Department until 1976 when she was promoted to the position of Corporate Manager in the Administrative Department heading up the supervision of the company's Equal Employment Opportunity Program until her retirement in August 1985. During her last nine tears she travelled all over the country to her company's various plants and offices interfacing with the Federal Government on issues of employment based on race, gender, handicap and age discrimination. In 1978 she was awarded the Black Achievers Award by the Harlem, New York YMCA. This award was given to Black managers who were hired in major corporations throughout the country. In 1999 she attended her class of 1945 "50th Anniversary" at Howard University, Washington, D.C with an attendance of over 150, she was selected as one of the 12 to participate in an initial program called REFLECTIONS. These 12 spoke of what their lives and careers were like. This was locally televised and in February 2000 was place in Howard University Archives. In the year of 2000 she was awarded the WALL OF HONOR PLAQUE given by the Norwalk High School Alumni Association annually to five NHS graduates who had made a significant contribution to the city of Norwalk. In 2001, she was awarded a city of Norwalk award given to the 200 people of Norwalk who had made a contribution to the city of Norwalk. In 2002 she chaired the year long celebration of the 350th anniversary of the First Congregational Church on the Green. She is survived by two daughters, Lynda M. Clarke and Leigh Decker Clarke; one granddaughter, Isaiah Malaci Frank; two nieces , Patricia Napper Knudsen and Cassandra Douglas: and a great grandson Gabriel Jeremiah Frank-Gonzalez A memorial service will be announced at a later date.