Dr. Rachel Bassette Noel was the first African-American elected to the Denver Public Schools Board, who leaves behind a distinguished legacy in her effort to integrate Denver’s public schools with the Noel Resolution passed in 1970. Noel also became chairwoman of the African-American Studies Department at Metropolitan State College and taught sociology.
In 1976, she was the first African-American voted onto the University of Colorado Board of Regents. Noel passed away on February 4, 2008, at the age of ninety, but leaves a powerful legacy in our district and within our building.