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Marion County native Edmond Fordham navigated a world of racial segregation as he served in the U.S. Air Force and the public school system. Fordham s daughter, Krista, said her father always commanded respect in every role he filled, despite even the harshest discrimination. Fordham, now 93, was born in rural Fort McCoy, about 15 miles east of Ocala, and lived near the intersection of the main crossroad. His father drove a truck, and was a laborer and a farmer. His mother worked for the Cooks, a white family that owned a store in the community. Fordham said his parents, Sadie and Louis Fordham, strongly encouraged him to get a good education.