Mildred Bennett Foster, longtime teacher at Jewett schools in Winter Haven, dies at 83

Mildred Bennett Foster, a longtime teacher who instilled an appreciation for music in generations of Winter Haven children, died Saturday at age 83.

In 1961, Foster became the first Black music teacher at an elementary school in Winter Haven, and she influenced countless youngsters during more than three decades in that role while also offering private lessons.

“She had a way of bringing musical talent out of people who were non-musical, like me,” said Patricia Smith-Fields, a friend and a community historian.

Previously:Community Honors Former Music Teacher at Jewett School

Foster, the oldest of five siblings, spent her childhood in Boggy Bottom, a predominantly Black area north of downtown, said her sister, Faye Bellamy of Winter Haven. Their mother, Laura Dell Miller, encouraged Foster’s musical development.

The family had a piano at home, Bellamy recalled, and Miller paid close attention as her oldest daughter practiced on the instrument.

“My mother believed in being the best, and she made sure she practiced her music,” Bellamy said. “She did not know how to play a piano, but she would recognize bad notes or the wrong notes.”

Foster also sang and learned to play the clarinet, which became her primary instrument, Bellamy said. Foster attended the city’s Black schools in the segregation period, and she credited a music teacher, Idella Robinson, with helping develop her talent.

After graduating from Jewett High School, Foster earned a music scholarship to Bethune-Cookman College (now University), a historically Black school in Daytona Beach. As a student, Foster performed at Carnegie Hall in New York with the college choir, according to a Ledger article from 2014.

Upon graduating from Bethune-Cookman in 1961, Foster received a job offer in California but decided instead to return to Winter Haven and teach at Jewett Primary School, which became Jewett Elementary following racial integration several years later.

Foster remained at her former school as a music teacher for 32 years, as it became Jewett School of the Arts. In the early days, when many Black schools lacked adequate resources, Foster would tap on drinking glasses containing different volumes of water to demonstrate musical notes, The Ledger previously reported.

The teacher eventually incorporated keyboards, bells, harps and flutophones into her lessons.

"I had a lot of confidence in children,” Foster told a Ledger reporter in 2014. “I felt that they could really appreciate music. It was gratifying."

Foster also gave private voice and piano lessons at her home from 1961 to 1985, the Ledger reported.

After leaving her teaching position, Foster served for nearly eight years as resource coordinator for the Jewett’s Florida First Start Program, which helps at-risk children and their families.

Foster also operated the Community Learning Center, where she offered guidance in academics as well as music, Bellamy said.

“She believed in children,” Bellamy said. “She believed in helping every child to do excellent.”

Following Foster’s retirement in 2000, Jewett School of the Arts named a building for her, the Mildred Foster Performing Arts School.

In 2014, a few hundred friends, former students and family members gathered at First Missionary Baptist Church in Winter Haven to celebrate Foster’s contributions. Some former students performed, including Yvonne Collins, a singer.

Related:Jewett names building for veteran educator

Deric Feacher, then Winter Haven’s city manager, recalled how Foster allowed him to direct the chorus as a student at Jewett. City Commissioner Nathaniel Birdsong presented Foster with a key to the city.

Foster also played regularly at various churches over the decades, including First Missionary Baptist Church in Winter Haven, Bellamy said.

Bellamy said that her sister was also active in social causes. She said Foster pushed the city to add services, such as street lights, paved roads and sewer connections, in predominantly Black neighborhoods.

Smith-Fields described Foster as “graceful,” comparing her to the late Princess Grace of Monaco.

“She was an inspiration and a role model,” Smith-Fields said.

Foster, who outlived her husband, Oscar Foster, had two children, Gloria Foster and Edric Bennett, a musician who plays percussion, bass and keyboards. She is survived by four grandchildren.

A viewing will be held Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Boyd Funeral Home in Winter Haven. A funeral service will take place Saturday at 11 a.m. at First Missionary Baptist Church.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on Twitter @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Mildred Bennett Foster, longtime music teacher in Winter Haven, dies