March 28, 1923 Thaddeus Joseph “Thad” Jones, jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader, was born in Pontiac, Michigan. Jones was a self taught musician and began playing professionally at the age of 16. He served in the United States Army band from 1943 to 1946. In 1954, Jones joined the Count Basie Orchestra where he contributed […]
Archive | March, 2012
March 28th in African American History – Ed Wilson
March 28, 1925 Ed Wilson, sculptor, was born in Baltimore, Maryland. After serving in the United States Army from 1943 to 1946, Wilson earned his Master of Arts degree from the University of Iowa in 1953. Wilson’s involvement in the Civil Rights Movement is apparent in such works as “Minority Man” (1957). In 1964, Wilson […]
March 28th in African American History – Cumberland Willis “Cum” Posey
March 28, 1946 Cumberland Willis “Cum” Posey, basketball and baseball hall of fame Negro League player, manager and team owner, died. Posey was born June 20, 1890 in Homestead, Pennsylvania. In his early years, basketball dominated Posey’s life. From the early 1900s through the mid-1920s, Posey was considered the best African American basketball player of his time […]
March 24th in African American History – Renaldo “Skeets” Nehemiah
March 24, 1959 Renaldo “Skeets” Nehemiah, hall of fame track and field athlete, was born in Newark, New Jersey. Nehemiah attended the University of Maryland where he won three NCAA titles. He was the first athlete to run the 110 meter hurdles in under 13 seconds and held the world record from 1981 to 1989. […]
March 24th in African American History – Dorothy Irene Height
March 24, 1912 Dorothy Irene Height, educator and social activist, was born in Richmond, Virginia. While in high school, Height was awarded a scholarship to Barnard College, but when she enrolled she was denied admittance because at that time Barnard only admitted two African Americans per academic year and they had already admitted two. Height […]
March 23rd in African American History – Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr.
March 23, 1938 Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr., the first African American mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, was born in Dallas, Texas. Jackson earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and history from Morehouse College in 1956 at the age of 18. After working several jobs, he earned his Juris Doctorate degree cum laude from […]
March 23rd in African American History – Moses Eugene Malone
March 23, 1955 Moses Eugene Malone, hall of fame basketball player, was born in Petersburg, Virginia. In 1974, Malone was drafted by the Utah Stars of the American Basketball Association right out of high school, becoming the fifth player to jump straight from high school to the professional leagues. When the ABA merged with the […]