Petition to the Montclair Township Council

Request for the Honorary Designation of Montague Place as "Lorena E. Tyson Place"

To the Honorable Mayor and Township Council of Montclair:

We, the undersigned residents and community members, formally petition the Township Council to consider the honorary naming of Montague Place as "Lorena E. Tyson Place."

Ms. Lorena Ellen Tyson (1933–2026) was a lifelong resident of Montclair for over 90 years. 

Lorena had impact far and wide, but focusing on Montclair, she dedicated her life to teaching science and math in parochial schools for 15 years, and taught chemistry at Montclair High School for 26 years, where she was named “Teacher of the Year”. She started the Advanced Placement (AP) Program in Chemistry at Montclair High School.

Lorena has served on the Board of Directors for the Montclair Ambulance Unit, the Montclair Democratic Committee. She also had the honor of being the Montclair African American Heritage Foundation Parade Ambassador and Grand Marshall. 

She received recognition at state, regional and national levels, serving in various educational and governmental roles related to women, youth and human rights.

We respectfully ask the Council to review Ms. Tyson’s extraordinary contributions and authorize this honorary designation as a permanent tribute to her legacy of educational excellence and community devotion.