Obituary of John Sortorius Ward

In Loving Memory of John Sortorius Ward John S. Ward was born on October 18, 1925 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was the third of five sons born to John Quincy Ward and Lucy (Little) Ward. John grew up on Mount Street in West Baltimore. John attended local public schools and graduated from Frederick Douglass High School in 1944. Early on John displayed strong leadership ability. He served in World War II as a Staff Sergeant in the Army Air Force, 810th Engineering Aviation Battalion. John served in Guam, Marshall Islands, Saipan, Philippines, and Okinawa in the Pacific Theatre. After his discharge, he was employed by the United States Post Office as a clerk. It was here that he met a temporary worker, Francis (Freddie) Crisp who encouraged him to enroll at Morgan State College (University). He completed his studies at Morgan majoring in History and Geography. After completing his undergraduate degree, John taught History at Baltimore City Senior and Junior High Schools. John later earned a Master's Degree in Educational Administration from the University of Maryland, at College Park. Further study was pursued at Johns Hopkins University, New York University, University of Baltimore and the IBM Executive Training Program Before his appointment to Director of Secondary Schools, John served in administrative positions at Lombard Junior High, Edmondson Senior High, Polytechnic Institute, Garrison Junior High, and Lake Clifton Senior High School. John was considered a trailblazing educational leader. He was loved and greatly respected by faculty, staff, and especially the students. While on leave from Baltimore City Public Schools, he served as an Educational Researcher at the Johns Hopkins University Center for the Social Organization of Schools. In 1971 John joined the Superintendent's staff of Baltimore County Public Schools, thus becoming the first African-American Assistant Superintendent of Schools in one of the counties in the Maryland State school system. Later, John was promoted to the position of Associate Superintendent, Division of Physical Facilities where he served as principal adviser to the Board of Education in all matters related to facilities including Capital Planning, architectural planning, building construction, plant operations and maintenance, site acquisition and property records Serving as Associate Superintendent was a mix of emotions, devotion and at times difficult decisions and outcomes. Upon retirement from the Baltimore County Public Schools in 1985, John was appointed Commissioner, at the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services by Governor Hughes and reappointed by Governor William Donald Schaefer, where he served for years before establishing a consulting firm, specializing in Educational Facility Planning, Evaluation and Management. In commemoration of his service as an educator, role model, and community activist, John has received numerous honors, awards and citations from city, county, state and national awards, among them: Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Life Membership Certificate, Brother of the Year, Distinguished Service Award, and Polemarch Award for Distinguished Service; Baltimore Urban League Service Award; State of Maryland Governor's Citation. John also supported numerous charitable organizations in Maryland. His most treasured relationships were those he shared with members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, The Club of Baltimore and Committee X71. He was a dedicated and active member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity for over 72 years. John served as a member of numerous local and national organizations. In addition he served as a Board member of the Northwest Baltimore Corporation, the Maryland State Airport Board, the Mount Washington Improvement Association, the Baltimore Urban League, and Baltimore Neighborhoods, Inc. Seeking insight into the complexity of the human condition, John travelled to Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Central and South America. John was a member of the Church of the Holy Trinity for over 66 years. John is survived by his wife of 70 years, Francis Crisp Ward. From this union came two daughters Deborah L. Gray, Jo-Ann L Pully, son-in-law Richard Pully of Bermuda, three grandchildren, Syreeta Drabo (Hussein), Jahi Jelani and Ri-Ann L. Pully, nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends.