The people of Westchester are remembering the legacy of The Hon. Pearl C. Quarles who passed away on September 6th at the age of 92. Quarles served as the first President of the New Rochelle Board of Education and the first African American woman elected as a Westchester County legislator.
Quarles was born in Virginia in 1931. She attended New Rochelle schools, graduating from New Rochelle high school in 1949. She continued a course of study at the American Institute of banking and became the first African American woman to work in a white-collar position in the Westchester County banking industry.
After spending time as a stay-at-home mother Quarles worked for the county of Westchester as a program specialist and supervisor, retiring in 2002. She then began her career as a public servant on the New Rochelle Board of Education and as a Westchester County legislator representing the 8th legislative district. Quarles became a longtime member and past president of the county wide black women’s political caucus and served on the executive committee of the New Rochelle chapter of the NAACP.
Quarles was a devout Christian and lifelong member of the Shiloh Baptist Church in New Rochelle and worked with the Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts in New Rochelle. Her service as a cub scout den leader in New Rochelle in the 1960s included scouts Tim Idoni and her son Ernest.
Westchester Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins called Quarles, “ A beacon of strength, resilience, and purpose, she shattered ceilings and blazed paths for so many of us. Her impact is immeasurable, from her groundbreaking roles in Westchester to her influential leadership in the New Rochelle community and throughout New York State. While we mourn her loss, we hold dear the stories, lessons, and memories she’s graced us with. Here’s to a phenomenal woman whose legacy will forever light our way.”
Quarles is most known in Westchester political circles when she endorsed republican Rob Astorino for County Executive over New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson in 2013. Quarles appeared in a Cable TV commercial aired repeatedly, with Quarles saying “Westchester Can’t Afford Noam Bramson”.
Editor’s Note: We received several emails that reminded us that Quarles was a registered Republican.
