John Warren Davis was the fifth and the longest president of West Virginia State University from 1919 to 1953. He is also known for founding one of the first chapters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Davis was born in … Read MoreJohn Warren Davis (1888-1980)
Newspaper owner John Robert Clifford was born September 13, 1848 in Williamsport, West Virginia to Isaac and Saltipa Clifford. During the Civil War he rose to the rank of Corporal in the U.S. Colored Troops, entering U.S. military service in 1864 at the age of … Read MoreJohn Robert “J.R.” Clifford (1848-1933)
Dr. Patrice Harris, M.D. was the 174th president of the American Medical Association. Harris was born and raised in Bluefield, Virginia. She attended local schools and West Virginia University (WVU). Harris received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 1982. She continued at WVU, earning … Read MorePatrice A. Harris (1960- )
The Battle of Nashville occurred on December 15-16, 1864, south of Nashville, Tennessee. The battle, between approximately 55,000 Union troops led by Major General George Henry Thomas and 30,000 Confederate troops led by Lieutenant General John Bell Hood, was considered a major Union victory in … Read MoreThe Battle of Nashville (1864)
Richard A. Collins was an Engineering Executive and Chief Design Engineer at the Boeing Company for 40 years. Born in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in 1939, Collins is the son of Marcellus Sterling and Anita Collins. Collins graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in Miami, … Read MoreRichard A. Collins (1939- )
Maceo Pinkard was born on June 27, 1897 in Bluefield, West Virginia. He was an American lyricist and music composer that emerged from the Harlem Renaissance. Some of his best known works include “Sweet Georgia Brown,” now the Harlem Globetrotters theme song, and the Broadway musical, Liza. After his death … Read MoreMaceo Pinkard (1897-1962)
Singer and musician William Harrison Withers Jr., known to the world as Bill Withers, was born in Slab Fork, West Virginia, on July 4, 1938, to William and Mattie (Galloway) Withers. Born with a stutter, Withers had a difficult time fitting in. His father, a coal … Read MoreBill Withers (1938-2020)
Noel C. Taylor became the first African American mayor of Roanoke, Virginia. He held office from 1976 to 1992, and was the city’s longest serving mayor. Taylor was widely considered one of the most influential leaders in the city’s history. A Republican, he was elected mayor in 1976 after … Read MoreNoel C. Taylor (1924-1998)
Franklin Dorrah Cleckley, the first African American to serve as a justice on the West Virginia Supreme Court, was born on August 1, 1940, in Huntington, West Virginia. His mother was Vivian Wood. After graduating from high school, he attended Anderson College and earned his bachelor’s degree in … Read MoreFranklin D. Cleckley (1940-2017)
Julius Henry Taylor was an American physicist, scholarly publisher, physics professor, and one of the first African Americans to receive a Ph.D. in physics in the nation. Taylor was born on February 15th, 1914, in Cape May, New Jersey, to his parents Julia Taylor and Coleman Taylor. Taylor grew … Read MoreJulius Henry Taylor (1914-2011)
