Paul D. Somerville Jr., retired Philadelphia school principal, dies at 83

Paul D. Somerville Jr., 83, a retired principal of the Youth Study Center High School, died Monday, April 26, from heart failure at the Roosevelt Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center in Northeast Philadelphia.

Mr. Somerville began working as an elementary schoolteacher in Philadelphia in 1962 and continued until 1975, said his son Paul D. Somerville III.

He was then assigned to work as a principal at various schools until he was named principal at the Youth Study Center High School in 1985. He retired in 1997.

Rodney Somerville, Mr. Somerville’s younger son, said he was in the fourth grade when his father got his first principal assignment at A.B. Day Elementary School at Crittenden and Johnson Streets in East Germantown.

He remembered his father standing outside the school in a three-piece suit, greeting the children as they entered. And he described him as a “superman” who “was always there” to help his family in an emergency.

Paul Somerville III agreed. “He was a great dad,” he said. “He made sure we did the right thing. He provided for us and set a good example for us.”

Paul Somerville Jr. was born in Media on Jan. 29, 1938. He was the eldest of five children of Carole Hubert Somerville and Paul Somerville Sr.

Mr. Somerville was only 9 when his father died unexpectedly at 29. As the oldest son, he was given the task of watching over his three younger brothers and younger sister.

At Media High School, Mr. Somerville was a scholar and varsity athlete in both track and football. After graduating in 1955, he worked briefly in the photography department at The Inquirer.

But conversations with his mentor, Arthur Thomas, a physician, persuaded Mr. Somerville to attend college.

He enrolled at Cheyney State College, now Cheyney University, to study early childhood education. And, like his grandfather and mentor, he pledged the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

At Cheyney, Mr. Somerville was elected student government president, excelled academically, and nurtured his photography skills.

While in college, he met Evelyn Outerbridge, another education major who would also become a teacher.

They graduated from Cheyney in 1962 and were married later that year. They had two sons and raised their family in Mount Airy.

As he began his teaching career, Mr. Somerville also earned a master’s degree in education administration from Temple University.

In addition to photography, Mr. Somerville’s hobbies included reading, listening to jazz, renovating his home and cars, and spending time with his family. His son Rodney said his father was good at carpentry and electrical work and built a new kitchen in their garage because the kitchen in their old Mount Airy home was too small.

Rodney Somerville said he later realized that the “superhero powers” he thought his father had came from his finding strength in prayer and reading his favorite Bible verses.

In addition to his wife and sons, Mr. Somerville is survived by his 105-year-old mother, Carole Somerville Williams; a sister, four grandchildren; and other relatives and friends.

A funeral was held Monday, May 3.