November 27, 1997 Walter Fenner “Buck” Leonard, hall of fame Negro league baseball player, died. Leonard was born September 8, 1907 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He left school at the age of 14 because no high school education was available to black children in his hometown.
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November 27th in African American History – William Karnet Willis
November 27, 2007 William Karnet Willis, hall of fame football player, died. Willis was born October 5, 1921 in Columbus, Ohio. He played college football at Ohio State University and in 1944 was named an All-American. After graduating in 1945, Willis took a job as the head football coach at Kentucky State College.
November 26th in African American History – Vivien Theodore Thomas
November 26, 1985 Vivien Theodore Thomas, surgical technician and animal surgeon, died. Thomas was born August 29, 1910 in New Iberia, Louisiana. After graduating from high school, he had hoped to go to college and become a doctor. However, the Great Depression derailed his plans and in 1930 he secured a job with Dr. Alfred […]
November 26th in African American History – Ed Wilson
November 26, 1996 Ed Wilson, sculptor, died. Wilson was born March 28, 1925 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 his works like “Minority […]
November 25th in African American History – George D. Webster
November 25, 1945 George D. Webster, college hall of fame football player, was born in Anderson, South Carolina. Webster played defensive back for Michigan State University from 1964 to 1966 and was an All-American his last two years. Webster was selected by the Houston Oilers in the 1967 American Football League Draft and was the […]
November 25th in African American History – Bill “Bojangles” Robinson
November 25, 1949 Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, tap dancer and stage and film actor, died. Robinson was born May 25, 1878 in Richmond, Virginia. He began to dance for a living at the age of six. Robinson served in the United States Army from 1898 to 1900. He gained success and fame on the black theater […]
November 24th in African American History – David Bing
November 24, 1943 David Bing, hall of fame basketball player and Mayor of the City of Detroit, was born in Washington, D.C. Bing attended Syracuse University where he led the basketball team in scoring each of the years he played and in 1966 was named an All-American. Bing earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in […]