Life and Legacy of Henry T. Arrington Sr.

 

Heaven Sent:  February 15, 1932
Heaven Bound:  January 8, 2022
 
Life and Legacy of Henry T. Arrington Sr. 
Mayor, Activist, and Political Strategist 

A native son of the segregated south, Henry “Hank” Terrell Arrington, Sr., was one of five siblings born to William and Pattie Mae Arrington of Montgomery, Alabama, the birthplace of the civil rights movement.

His early upbringing was tainted with social injustice. Separate schools, public water fountains, movie theaters, and hospitals were all things he experienced. The worst of a segregated Alabama afflicted every area of his life. Once he was stopped by a police officer for being on the wrong side of town and with a switchblade to his neck threatened to be cut if he was ever caught on that side of town again. He often shared the story that his father registered to vote eighteen times before his registration was accepted and he was allowed to vote. However, instead of feeling defeated, Henry used that environment and its injustices as fuel and motivation to become a change agent.  

In 1947, at the age of fifteen, he was offered a full scholarship to attend the prestigious St. Jude’s Catholic High School in Montgomery. His class was the first African American class to integrate the all-white school.  

During his high school years, he achieved at the highest levels. His oratorical skills in public speaking classes were unmatched by any of his classmates, and he was ranked the number one debater on the debate team that was designated the best in the city. According to all accounts, he was a voracious reader and studied every subject with a passion. His intellect, talents, desire, and work ethic propelled him to the top of his class where he graduated as the first African American Valedictorian in that school’s history.   

Upon graduation from St. Jude’s, his heart was set upon matriculating to Tuskegee University. However, because of family finances and military requirements during that time, his only option was enlisting in the United States Air Force. After serving four years in the Air Force, he enlisted in the United States Navy where he served for fifteen years

Hank received an honorable discharge from the Navy in 1969, but before his discharge, while visiting a family friend in Suitland, Maryland, he attended the “Poor People’s Campaign and March” in May of 1968 which was led by Dr. Martin Luther King and Reverend Ralph Abernathy. It was an experience that had a profound impact on him. To witness three thousand people in a protest camp committed to economic justice and alleviating poverty amongst African Americans was the impetus that propelled him into public service. He subsequently moved his family from Norfolk, Virginia to Seat Pleasant, Maryland where he immediately immersed himself in all community and political affairs. He frequently counseled the Mayor at that time, Charles McGhee, and subsequently received McGhee’s support to succeed him as Mayor in 1972, giving him a platform to be a voice and to have the impact he had so yearned for since his days as a young boy in Montgomery. 

As a political operative, his accomplishments were many. He served as municipal liaison and special advisor to Governor Marvin Mandel. In 1972, he was elected as a George McGovern Delegate to the Democratic National Convention held in Miami, Florida. He was completely immersed in politics at every level and was featured most notably in Jet and Ebony Magazines. His passion and advocacy on behalf of the minority community for parity and equity was his purpose. Accordingly, he and Attorney Scott Livingston authored the state of Maryland’s first minority business enterprise legislation in 1978. The Bill - HB64 - provided for the creation of an Office of Minority Business as well as a mandate that ten percent of all state contracts be awarded to minority businesses. All of the aforementioned, including authorship of this groundbreaking legislation, occurred during his tenure as the mayor of Seat Pleasant. 

While the scope of his reach was beyond the boundaries of the city, Hank’s focus on improving the lives of its citizens never wavered. He worked diligently with legislators and obtained an eight-hundred thousand dollar grant to build the Seat Pleasant Community Center. During his second and final terms, he negotiated with the well-known Beall family to purchase seventeen acres of land on Addison Road which is home to what is now known as the Addison Road Plaza. Upon finishing his tenure as Mayor, he took on the job of Executive Director of the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus, where he served for two legislative sessions before moving on to become the Minority Business Development Officer at the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. He was later appointed as a commissioner to that agency by County Executive Paris Glendening and served with distinction as its Chairman. 

As a result of all the success he had developing the minority business community, Hank was armed with a rolodex full of successful Black businesses that would participate politically with his direction. He mastered the utilization of that network and played a significant role in the election of Prince George’s County’s first African American State’s Attorney, Alexander Williams. Williams’ election was history being made but it was also the sign of progress he was always seeking that would alleviate the hatred and bias he first encountered in the deep south. 

Hank’s partnership with States Attorney Alexander Williams evolved and he was offered the position of Community Ombudsman in the States Attorney’s Office where he continued to serve in that capacity under William’s successor, State’s Attorney Jack Johnson. During that time, he was also elected to the Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committee for District 23 led by Senator Doug Peters. He served in all of those capacities until he retired from government in 2002. 

Never one to be idle or let the grass grow under his feet, after retirement Hank established a construction company, PMA Associates, which has designations as 8 (a), Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, and MBE-DBE Certifications. Through PMA Associates, he has provided services to government clients such as Ft. Meade, Ft. Belvoir, and the Naval Research Laboratory. Currently, PMA is engaged in negotiations to manage the construction of two condominium buildings in Washington DC. Always a forward thinker, his recent focus resulted in the creation of a team that will assure completion of these projects.   

Hank accepted Christ at an early age and fulfilled his purpose. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, June Arrington, parents William and Pattie Mae Arrington, Brothers William and Lawrence Arrington, and sister, Gloria Ford Arrington. He leaves to cherish his memory, sister, Louise Thomas, sons, Henry T. Arrington Jr. Michael E. Arrington (Debra), and Alan Arrington; daughters Lois Gray Burnett, and Karen Arrington. Grandchildren, Andwele J. Arrington, DiRiki J. Arrington, Daren Arrington, Ashley J. Larsen, Kristy D. Beasley, Terell Dwayne Arrington, Alaina Arrington, Melody Mariah Arrington, Mia Michelle Arrington. A host of great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives, and close friends.