Clifton Floyd

Teacher

UFT Admin April 17, 2025

Teacher

High school chemistry teacher and former UFT chapter leader Clifton A. Floyd died on April 17, 2025 due to complications from diabetes. He was 55.

Clifton was still working as a science teacher at Performing Arts and Technology HS in Brooklyn at the time of his death, friend and PATH colleague Brenda Caldwell-Williams said.

“He was dedicated to his profession and his students,” Caldwell-Williams said. “He gave the very best of himself always.”

Before teaching at PATH, Floyd was a chemistry teacher at the Science Skills Center HS for Science, Technology and the Creative Arts, where he also served as the chapter leader.

“Clifton was a career educator and dedicated unionist who served his chapter and union well,” said William Kalogeras, the UFT’s BASIS High School District representative.

According to Caldwell-Williams, Clifton also taught biology and health, and tutored students online for the last three years while he battled his illness.

Clifton was on the path to becoming a doctor when he switched gears to become a teacher in New York City.

After graduating high school at the top of his class at Feldwood HS in Atlanta, Clifton attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. While at Howard, Clifton became a member of the Distinguished Gentlemen of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc./Beta Chapter, initiated in the spring of 1990.

The fraternity’s Instagram account posted a tribute upon learning of his death, calling Clifton a “lifelong educator, devoted mentor, and tireless advocate for youth,” adding that, “Brother Floyd embodied the very essence of our Fraternity’s mission: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. develops leaders, promotes brotherhood and academic excellence, while providing service and advocacy for our communities.”

The post continued: “His unwavering commitment to uplifting African-American adolescents and shaping future leaders will forever be etched in our hearts”

After graduating cum laude from Howard in 1992, Clifton moved on to the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. He left, however, “to pursue his passion of teaching in New York City,” Caldwell-Williams said.

While teaching, he pursued and received his Master of Science degree in information technology from the New York Institute of Technology in 2016.

A lover of all genres of music, especially jazz, Clifton also enjoyed taking photos and cooking on his collection of iron skillets, Caldwell-Williams said. He also collected watches.

Clifton is survived by his mother, Brenda Floyd, and his sister, Melissa Floyd.