Tag: First African American

Sports

Catana Starks, the First African American Woman to Coach a Collegiate Men’s Golf Team, Dead at 75

Dr. Catana Starks, a Tennessee State University golf coach and alumna, died on Sunday at the age of 75. She leaves behind a legacy of being the first African American woman to coach an all-men’s team at the collegiate level, reports WMC5 News. Starks coached the TSU men’s golf team from 1986 to 2005, leading […]

September 8, 2020

Military

Living History: Meet the First African American to Serve as Air Force Chief of Staff

On June 9th, the United States Senate unanimously confirmed Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. to become Air Force chief of staff, making him the first African American to lead a branch of the U.S. military. Brown’s confirmation came shortly after he made a video in which he discussed what he was thinking in the wake […]

September 4, 2020

News Roundup

First Black Graduate of UVA’s School of Law Dies at 87

John F. Merchant, the first Black graduate at the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Law and the first African American to serve on the United States Golf Association’s executive committee, died earlier this month at 87, reports The Richmond Free Press. Born in 1933, Merchant paved a way out of poverty by pursuing education. […]

March 18, 2020

News Roundup

Auburn U’s First Black Student to Receive Degree 51 Years Later

Harold Franklin, the first African American student to integrate Auburn University in 1964, will finally receive his master’s degree from the school in May, reported AL.com.  Franklin’s master’s thesis was repeatedly rejected by the school, even as late as in 1969. Eventually, he left and attained his master’s degree from the University of Denver instead. […]

February 28, 2020

News Roundup

Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten Named First Black President of Simmons University

Simmons University, a women’s undergraduate school and co-ed graduate school in Boston, has appointed Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten as its ninth president. She will be the first Black to serve in  the role and will succeed Helen G. Drinan, who held the position for the past 12 years. Wooten has assumed various leadership positions throughout […]

February 6, 2020