Legislation to rename Sewickley post office in honor of late African-American historian, author passes House

The Sewickley post office is one step closer to being renamed in honor of a late Black borough historian and author.

U.S. House of Representatives unanimously voted Dec. 10 to name the facility at 521 Thorn St. the Mary Elizabeth “Bettie” Cole Post Office Building.

The proposed legislation, H.R. 1461, now moves to the Senate for approval. It is unclear when the senators will take action and if it will reach President Donald Trump’s desk.

Outside of Quaker Valley area circles, Cole may be best known for her 2000 book, “Their Story: The History of Blacks/African Americans in Sewickley & Edgeworth.”

That work was the culmination of 20 years of research, including more than 100 interviews with community members.

Approximately 80% of that research is being used as the foundation for a film documentary, “Their Story,” which also explores African-American history in Sewickley. It recently entered post-production and may be ready for release sometime next year.

The post office renaming was spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Fox Chapel.

“Post offices are more than just a place to send mail and packages — they are public institutions that should reflect the community’s proud past,” Deluzio said. “Sewickley has a rich history, and community pillars like Mrs. Bettie Cole have been important to telling that shared story. Her community service should be honored. That’s why I’m proud to lead the effort to memorialize Bettie’s contributions by renaming Sewickley’s post office after her, and I thank my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives for recognizing the importance of this acknowledgement.”

Brief history

Cole was born in Edgeworth on April 5, 1923. She moved to Sewickley in 1939 and graduated from Sewickley High School the following year.

Shortly after graduation, she married and had two daughters.

In 1988, she retired from Point Park College, now Point Park University, as the associate director of office services and director of the mailing department.

Cole earned an associate’s degree in journalism and communications while at Point Park and was inducted into Alpha Sigma Lambda, a National Honor Society for part-time students, as one of the 13 charter members of Point Park’s Gamma Epsilon Chapter.

She was a member of Triumph Baptist Church, a former member of the Hawthorne Club, the Daniel B. Matthews Historical Society, named Sewickley Woman of the Year in 1982 and was a member of the Sewickley War Memorial Association.

Cole was the author of the book “Their Story: Black History of Sewickley and Edgeworth” and co-author of “African Americans in Sewickley Valley” (Images of America), and was a member of local bridge clubs.

Cole passed away in January 2016 at age 92.

Local, family reaction

Cole’s daughter, Gwen “Cole” Strickland of Penn Hills, said she met Deluzio several months ago when he visited Triumph Baptist Church.

She shared the story about her mother and Deluzio later bought “Their Story” at a Juneteenth event.

Strickland said the congressman proposed the idea of renaming the post office, and there were multiple conversations with his staff about what it may take.

“I told them, ‘If it doesn’t go through, myself my family and are so honored that they even thought to honor my mother,’” Strickland said. “This is just so amazing. I’m praying with everything that it will go through the Senate. I’m thankful it’s gotten this far. My mother worked so hard.”

Strickland talked with her husband, Mark, their children and her sister, Georgianna Duncan, who lives in Reno, Nev., prior to the House vote.

She later reached out to many more relatives and friends since the announcement.

“Everybody’s so excited,” Strickland said.

Strickland is the co-creator of the film documentary with Stratton Nash, Quaker Valley School Board member and current president of the Daniel B. Matthews Historical Society.

Nash said he was in “complete shock and euphoria” when he heard the news about the proposed legislation from a TribLive reporter.

“It’s big because one of our own is being acknowledged for her legacy as an author, as a curator of history, documenting, preserving, advancing and sharing (with) the general public how important African-American history was interwoven into Sewickley’s history,” Nash said.

Nash said his mother, Mildred, was Cole’s best friend. The pair would take the bus downtown when Cole worked at Point Park and Mildred worked in the City-County Building.

He recalled how heavily Cole was involved in the Sewickley community and is proud of what could be the future of the post office.

“She was a complete giant in this town and is very worthy of being acknowledged as such,” Nash said.

Deluzio’s speech on the House floor was posted to his YouTube channel.