Post office officially dedicated to 'Mother of the South Side' Edwina Stephens

A post office that sits on South Adams Street in Tallahassee was officially dedicated in honor of "Mother of the South Side" D. Edwina Stephens on Saturday.

Local leaders and politicians, including Republican Congressman Neal Dunn, honored Stephens and her legacy.

Dunn called her a "force to be reckoned with."

"We all hope future generations will continue to learn the stories of local heroes like Ms. Stephens," he said.

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Stephens is credited for being the catalyst for many improvements to the College Terrace neighborhood and other South Side areas, including the creation of Speed Spencer Stephens Park.

She was a member of many religious and civic organizations including the Leon County Juvenile Justice Council, Keep Tallahassee/Leon County Beautiful, Habitat for Humanity, Community in Schools Task Force, and the Smith-Williams Foundation Board, according to records.

Stephens, a retired nurse, died from injuries suffered in a car crash in Tallahassee in 2011. She was 86.

In 2021, former U.S. Rep. Al Lawson introduced the D. Edwina Stephens Post Office bill (H.R. 2324), which was supported by all 25 members of Florida's delegation in Congress.

Lawson, a Black North Florida Democrat, lost his reelection bid to Dunn, a Panama City Republican, when Gov. Ron DeSantis' new congressional map eliminated Lawson's Jacksonville-to-Tallahassee seat and replaced it with a Republican-heavy district.

Dunn won 60% of the vote in 2022.

Tallahassee City Commissioner Curtis Richardson teared up while he spoke at the lectern, recounting memories of Stephens, who he considered a close family friend. They both lived on the South Side of Tallahassee, and Stephens helped him establish the Tuskegee Neighborhood Association, he said.

When Richardson and his wife had their first daughter, Stephens would stop by and support them as first-time parents.

"Whenever we needed Ms. Stephens... she was always there," he said.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Post office officially dedicated to 'Mother of the South Side'