NATCHEZ — Saturday morning, the City of Natchez will honor the late Mary Lee Davis Toles by renaming a part of the street where the county’s first African American female justice court judge lived.

Natchez mayor Darryl Grennell said family, friends and local officials will gather at 10 a.m. Saturday at the corner of Fisk Avenue and Bluebird Street to celebrate the unveiling of Mary Davis Toles Street.

Grennell said a portion of Fisk Avenue, between Gayosa Street and Bluebird Street, will be renamed to honor the life an legacy of Toles.

Toles was elected justice court judge in 1982 and served  for 26 years until she retired from the bench in 2008.

For much of her life, Toles was an active member of the local chapter of the NAACP, serving as president of the local chapter when she died. Toles also served as an interim-aldermen for Ward 2 after James “Ricky” Gray was elected as an Adams County supervisor in 2015.

Toles died on Nov. 24, 2017, at the age of 77.

Grennell said Saturday’s ceremony brings back memories for him.

“When I was growing up, there used to be a roller skating rink on Fisk Avenue that was segregated. I couldn’t skate there as a boy,” Grennell said. “It is remarkable to me that a street that had a segregated skating rink will be named for the area’s first African American female justice court judge.”

Grennell said after a friend of Judge Toles brought up the idea of renaming the street, he recommended the change to the board of aldermen. The board unanimously approved the request six weeks ago, Grennell said.

Grennell said changing the name of a street can be an involved process. The city’s policy includes notifying residences and business owners on the street to be changed and getting the necessary approval from the local E911 board. In this case, Grennell said the street change was made easier because no residences are located on the portion of Fisk Street that will be changed.