Mrs. Juanita Bell served three terms on the following New Hampshire State Committees: the Children’s Youth and Juvenile Justice Committee, the Recreation and Development Committee, and the Environment and Agriculture Committee. Representative Bell was an active and contributing member of the State and Portsmouth community until her death in 2005. Bell was born on February 26, 1923, in Youngstown, Ohio.  She graduated from Wilberforce University in Xenia, Ohio and from the University of New Hampshire. She was active in the Rockingham County Democratic Party serving as a member of the Portsmouth City Democrats beginning in 1972 and the Democratic State Committee beginning in 1982.  Bell was a member of the Seacoast Branch of the NAACP and served several years as president. One of her greatest achievements was her work with others helping to establish Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday as a state holiday.

Bell taught in the Portsmouth Public School system for many years before retiring in 1988.  In addition to teaching, she was involved in various educational organizations. She served on the Board of Directors of the New Hampshire National Educators Association from 1976-1998; the Association of Portsmouth Teachers, (APT) as a Building Representative; the Community Relations Committee as chairman from 1975-1988; and a member of the New England Association of Black Educators from 1975-1988. In the spirit of working towards a greater good, supporting and creating a sense of community and living life to the fullest, Juanita Bell will always be remembered.  She was a person who gave of herself throughout her life, making it fitting for us to continue to a scholarship program in her honor.