Читать книгу Freedom Facts and Firsts - Jessie Carney Smith - Страница 117

Originally the Lincoln School of Marion, the university was established by nine founders and original trustees who were former slaves: Joey P. Pinch, Thomas Speed, Nicholas Dale, James Childs, Thomas Lee, John Freeman, Nathan Levert, David Harris, and Alexander H. Curtis. The institution opened on November 13, 1867, with 113 students. In 1868 the name changed to Lincoln Normal School, and the school’s title was transferred in 1873 after the Alabama State Legislature authorized funding for the first state normal school for blacks. George M. Card was selected as the first president, and the school’s status as a public institution began in 1874. In 1878 William Paterson became the second president and oversaw the university’s relocation from Marion to Montgomery, the state capital, in 1887. It grew from a junior college into a four-year degree institution (1928), and underwent several additional name changes: State Teachers College (1929), Alabama State College for Negroes (1948), Alabama State College (1954), and Alabama State University (1969). During the 1950s and 1960s people affiliated with the institution became notable figures in the Civil Rights Movement, including alumnus Ralph Abernathy and faculty member Jo Ann Gibson Robinson. Presently, the university serves over 5,000 students in 47 undergraduate and graduate programs of study, including doctoral programs in physical therapy, microbiology, and forensic sciences.

Hiram R. Revels was a senator who became Alcorn State University’s first president (Fisk University).

Fletcher F. Moon