Darlene Hancock was and still is a powerful force in Madison’s Black community and beyond. Although Darlene died in 2012, her legacy continues on. There is a movement to rename Madison Memorial High School after Darlene. I think that would be a wise move.

Darlene and her husband moved to Madison back in 1974 and during her career with the Madison Metropolitan School District, Darlene was a trailblazer for African Americans in the upper echelons of school leadership. She was appointed grade level principal of Memorial High School. She later became assistant principal at Lincoln Middle School, followed by 10th grade principal at East High School. In 1983, she became principal at Glenn W. Stephens Elementary School. I saw close up before she retired that the staff and students at Stephens Elementary loved them some Darlene Hancock.