Mr. Theodore W. Hoover was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to the late Clarence and Vashti Hoover. He attended Philadelphia Public Schools and graduated from Dobbins Technical Vocational High School in 1967. While at Dobbins, he played several sports but most noted for his skills in basketball. He played varsity three years in school and finished in the top twenty scorers in the city of Philadelphia his last year.

 

After high school, Mr. Hoover attended Winston Salem State in Winston Salem, North Carolina, where he majored in Elementary Education. Mr. Hoover graduated in 1971 from Winston Salem State University and began his teaching
career in Newark, New Jersey. Mr. Hoover received his Master of Arts in Education Administration from Kean College in New Jersey in 1987.

 

His first teaching assignment was at Marcus Garvey School as an 8th grade teacher. At that time, Mr. Eugene Campbell (former Newark Public Schools NPS Superintendent) was the Principal. After only a year at Marcus Garvey, Mr. Hoover was transferred to Camden Middle School. It is there he met and fell in love with his wife, Renna.

 

As his teaching career blossomed, Mr. Hoover began to seek new challenges that were both academic and professionally related. He moved from classroom teacher at Camden Middle to Basic Skills Coordinator at Speedway
Avenue School. Shortly after his appointment at Speedway he was elevated to the position of Vice Principal. In that capacity he served at Harriet Tubman, Fifteenth Avenue School and Thirteenth Avenue School.

In the year 2001, Mr. Hoover became the Principal of Speedway Avenue School. His leadership and commitment to children, coupled with strong knowledge of curriculum and staff development quickly served to turn the school
around. Speedway continued to steadily increase the quality of academic and social services provided to students during Mr. Hoover’s tenure. The school adopted the policy of “Failure is not an Option”, in their quest to ensure that
every child develop to his or her maximum potential. The school embraces all parents and community constitutes and encourages them to take an active role in meeting and nurturing the social, emotional, and academic needs of all youth. The school remains committed to providing a high-quality education that yields lasting benefits and No Child Left Behind. The school has been recognized / honored by NPS and the city of Newark for its academic achievements.

Mr. Hoover is happily married and still very much in love with his wife of 42 years. Renna a former NPS teacher has been Mr. Hoover’s biggest supporter throughout his professional career and credits her with much of his success. The couple has two adult sons, Theodore Jr. and Thomas. Theodore Jr. and his wife Wema have blessed the Hoover’s with a granddaughter, Saraiah. The Hoovers also have a Goddaughter Joyce. Joyce and her husband Mark have blessed them with three other grandchildren, Morgan, Madison, and Meagan.

 

Currently, Mr. Hoover is retired and resides in Indian Land, SC. He is a member and past Vice President of the Indian Land Action Council, a strong community advocate, and he continues to provide mentoring and guidance for
youth at large. Mr. Hoover also helped coordinate the dissemination of 2010 Census date which led to heightened awareness and an above 80% response rate.

Mr. Hoover has serves on several “Boards” that have been philanthropic in nature. Most recently, he serves on the Board of Directors for the El Rophe Center, a Christian based counselling center. Mr. Hoover is also a man of faith and attends Liberty Hill Baptist Church in Waxhaw, NC where he serves as chairman of the Deacon Board.

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Theodore Hoover can be contacted via email at Thoover4@msn.com.