Otis Alexander, Author at • Page 7 of 40

Academic Historian

Otis D. Alexander, Library Director at Saint John Vianney College Seminary & Graduate School in Miami, Florida, has also directed academic and public libraries in the District of Columbia, Indiana, Texas, and Virginia. In addition, he has been a library manager in the Virgin Islands of the United States as well as in the Republic of Liberia. His research has appeared in Public Library Quarterly, Scribner’s Encyclopedia of American Lives, and Virginia Libraries journal. Alexander received the Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees from the University of the District of Columbia and the Master of Library & Information Science degree from Ball State University. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from International University and studied additionally at Harvard Graduate School of Education Leadership for Academic Librarians, Oberlin Conservatory of Music Voice Performance Pedagogy, and Atlanta University School of Library & Information Studies.

Benjamin F. Hicks (1846-1925)

Benjamin F. Hicks is a 19th-century African inventor in Virginia who was born into slavery to Lottie Ricks and an unidentified man in May 1846 in Courtland, Berlin-Ivor District, Southampton County, Commonwealth of Virginia. Three years following his birth in 1849, the state passed a law … Read MoreBenjamin F. Hicks (1846-1925)

Paul Reginald Jervay Sr. (1906-1993)

Paul Reginald Jervay Sr. was a journalist and publisher. He was the editor of North Carolina’s oldest newspaper for African Americans, The Carolinian. His grandfather was William R. Jervay, a formerly enslaved person who served in South Carolina’s State Senate during Reconstruction. P.R. Jervay Sr. … Read MorePaul Reginald Jervay Sr. (1906-1993)

Richard Allen Tucker (1850-1924)

Richard Allen Tucker, born on February 13, 1850, was an ordained minister, educator, and poet. He was the son of Reverend Lewis Tucker, the first African-American ordained Baptist minister in the City and Elizabeth “Betsey” Hunter, a seamstress. Richard’s parents were free Blacks before the … Read MoreRichard Allen Tucker (1850-1924)

Raymond Lawrence Finch (1940-2023)

Raymond Lawrence Finch, a Federal District Court and contributor to the development of the Virgin Islands Legal System was born on October 4, 1940, in Christiansted, St. Croix, to Wilfred Christopher Finch and Beryl Esther Bough Finch. His siblings were Gordon A. Finch, a former … Read MoreRaymond Lawrence Finch (1940-2023)

Wayne Shorter (1933-2023)

Twelve-time GRAMMY-winning composer, conductor, librettist, and jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter was born on August 25, 1933, in Newark, New Jersey. His parents were Joseph Wayne Shorter, a a welder for the Singer sewing machine company, and Louise Shorter, a seamstress with furriers. They also had … Read MoreWayne Shorter (1933-2023)

Jennifer Leigh McClellan (1972-)

On March 7, 2023, Jennifer Leigh McClellan was sworn in as the U.S. representative for Virginia’s 4th congressional district. The former Virginia state senator is the great-great-grandchild of enslaved African Americans and the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress. McClellan was born on … Read MoreJennifer Leigh McClellan (1972-)

The Arnells (1963-1964)

The Arnells, a female doo-wop ensemble that also performed as The Teenettes Variations, were all from all-girls Joseph Battin High School in Elizabeth, Union County, New Jersey. The short-lived but talented group, established in 1963, met in the high school corridors. They rehearsed after school … Read MoreThe Arnells (1963-1964)

John Edward James (1981-)

John Edward James, a Tea Party conservative Republican and currently member of Congress from Michigan’s 10th Congressional District, was born in Southfield, Michigan, on June 8, 1981, to John A. James, former CEO of the family business James Group International in Starkville, Mississippi. However, John … Read MoreJohn Edward James (1981-)

Wesley Parish Hunt (1981-)

Wesley Parish Hunt, a Republican member of Congress from Texas, was born on November 13, 1981, in Houston, Texas, to Willie L. Hunt, a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, and Dianne Johnson Hunt. Wesley’s siblings are D’Hania Hunt and Wrendon Hunt, both graduates of the United … Read MoreWesley Parish Hunt (1981-)

John Albert Holmes, Jr. (1912-1989)

John “Jack” Albert Holmes, Jr. (also known as “Daddy Jack Holmes”) was Virginia’s first Black disc jockey. He was born to John Albert Holmes, Sr., and Mary Holmes on July 1, 1912, in Merchantville, New Jersey. He graduated from Camden High School in Camden, New … Read MoreJohn Albert Holmes, Jr. (1912-1989)