In a ceremony at Hartford City Hall, residents, friends and family members recalled former Mayor Thirman Milner’s lifelong dedication to his hometown.
“I always remember Mayor Milner as a quiet gentleman that always got the work done,” says Marvin Campbell of Hartford. “He was a fine citizen for our city.”
Milner was lying in state on Thursday as dozens of honors were displayed nearby, marking accomplishments including his service in the Air Force, as a state lawmaker and as a leader in the NAACP.
In 1981, the civil rights activist became the first elected Black mayor of a New England city. Current Hartford City Council President Shirley Surgeon says his legacy lives on:
“I am standing on his shoulder. As the first Black person to be elected mayor, and I’m a Black woman on the City Council. So if he didn’t open those doors, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Surgeon credits Milner for encouraging Black home ownership, saying, “Those days in the 70’s and 80’s and as more Black people moved into Hartford, housing was one of their concerns. And he did a lot to make sure that people of color buy homes so they have generational wealth.”
Milner remained active in the community well beyond his six years in the mayor’s office. Surgeon says he was a frequent visitor to the school named in his honor, Thirman Milner Middle School.
Milner died late last month at 91.
A funeral will be held at 12 pm Friday at the Metropolitan AME Zion Church on Main Street in Hartford.
