On Saturday, Sept. 7, Palmyra officially renamed Grove Park in honor of former Police Chief Payton Flournoy. Known for his character and pride for Palmyra, the community and residents from all around gathered to honor the late chief.
According to Mayor Michelle Arnold, Flournoy was the first African American chief ever to be appointed in Palmyra and in Burlington County. He is also universally believed to be the first African American chief of police in the country.
In an article entitled “Breaking Through the Ice” written by Will Valentino of the Palmyra Historical Society, Valentino states that Flournoy was a lifelong resident of Palmyra. Flournoy graduated Palmyra High School in 1942 after winning three football championships in ’39, ’40 and ’41 and three state championships in Track from ’40 to ’42.
After high school, Flournoy joined the Marines for three years before attending NYU and joined the Palmyra Police force in 1950. He would later become first sergeant in 1955 before replacing Joseph H. Rodgers in 1959 when Flournoy was appointed chief of police.
“He was an upstanding man,” said Arnold. “Everyone respected him and had nothing but positive things to say about him. The fact that he was the first African American chief of police in Burlington County, the state and widely believed the nation, that is overshadowed by the integrity of the man.
“He was dedicated to Palmyra, and we were lucky to have that type of leader and role model,” Arnold continued. ”It was a fantastic event. There was standing room only and every inch of the park was covered with people from all over. It was beyond my expectations, and it was just a positive experience. The community came together to honor him and it was wonderful to see.”
The idea to rename the park after Flournoy happened when Arnold had the idea to reconstruct the park. The borough applied for a grant and after it received it, the governing body decided it would only be fitting to give the park a new name. For Arnold, there was no better choice than Flournoy, stating that it just made too much sense.
Perhaps the best way to describe the impact of what Flournoy’s appointment to police chief meant to Palmyra in 1959 and now is stated best in Valentino’s “Breaking Through the Ice.”
It states, “Flournoy’s appointment to Police Chief in 1959 transcended the failings of our society on the cusp of a decade that would become one of history’s most turbulent. This soft-spoken gentle giant of a man silently became Palmyra’s first African-American Police Chief at a time when such appointments were a rarity. In Palmyra, Flournoy’s appointment was seen as giving a proper nod to a man who made his mark on the police force and served the community faithfully. In reality, Flournoy’s appointment as Chief, four years before President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, was groundbreaking on so many levels. Flournoy had become the first African-American Police Chief ever appointed in Burlington County.”
Flournoy served as Palmyra’s chief of police for 14 years before retiring in 1976. He continued to live and work in Palmyra until his death at age 68.
