Dora Horton, a retired Suffolk and Nansemond County educator, who celebrated her 96th birthday on Jan. 4, has been honored by the Iota State Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International for 50 years of membership in its society.

Horton is a charter member of the Alpha Theta Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, located in Suffolk.

The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International is a professional, honorary Society of key women educators. The Society promotes professional and personal growth of its members and excellence in education.

Horton first taught at Capron High School in Southampton County after graduating from Holland High School and then from the State Teachers College in Farmville, now Longwood University. She continued her education with courses at the College of William and Mary and Old Dominion University.

She became the first-grade teacher at Cypress School in Nansemond County, changing later to the seventh grade.

Horton continued her career at Cypress and Driver Elementary School, serving for 20 years as a teacher and 14 years as assistant principal and principal. After dedicating 34 years of service as teacher and administrator, she served on the Suffolk School Board, representing the Whaleyville Borough for several years.

She was active in several teacher organizations, including the Virginia Education Association and the former Nansemond County Teachers’ Association. She was an active member of Holy Neck Christian Church in her early years, Great Fork Baptist Church after her marriage, and is a charter member of Southside Baptist Church.

She married Dillard Hunter Horton Sr., in 1938 and was married 62 years prior to his death in 2000. She has a son, Dillard Hunter Horton Jr., and a daughter, Patricia Horton Dixon.

Horton resides in the assisted living wing at the Lake Prince Retirement Center. She enjoys visits from family and friends and especially visits from members of Main Street United Methodist Church.

Established in 1929, Delta Kappa Gamma has completed many projects that have raised public and political awareness of educational concerns, assisted in all types of educational matters and needs and awarded thousands of scholarships around the world.

Suffolk’s Alpha Theta Chapter awards scholarships annually to local graduates who pursue a career in education.

For more information on the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, visit www.dkg.org or www.iota-state.org.