October 28, 1937 Leonard Randolph “Lenny” Wilkins, hall of fame basketball player and coach, was born in Brooklyn, New York. Wilkins was a two time All-American at Providence College and when he graduated with a degree in economics he was second highest scorer in the college’s history. Providence retired his jersey number in 1996, making […]
Archive | October RSS feed for this section
October 27th in African American History – Ernest Everett Just
October 27, 1941 Ernest Everett Just, pioneering biologist and one of the founders of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, died. Just was born August 14, 1883 in Charleston, South Carolina. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude from Dartmouth College in zoology in 1907. After graduating and encountering the reality that it was […]
October 27th in African American History – Es’kia Mphahlele
October 27, 2008 Es’kia Mphahlele, author, educator, and activist, died. Mphahlele was born December 17, 1919 in Pretoria, South Africa. He earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of South Africa in 1949 and 1956, respectively. Mphahlele taught high school from 1945 to 1952 and published his first book […]
October 26th in African American History – Benedict Wallet Vilakazi
October 26, 1947 Benedict Wallet Vilakazi, poet, novelist and educator, died. Vilakazi was born Bambatha kaMshini Vilakazi on January 6, 1906 near KwaDukuza, Natal (now South Africa). At the age of ten, he was baptized and given the name Benedict Wallet. He earned his teaching certificate in 1923 and taught at several schools.
October 26th in African American History – Regina Marcia Benjamin
October 26, 1956 Regina Marcia Benjamin, Surgeon General of the United States, was born in Mobile, Alabama. Benjamin earned her Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Xavier University in 1979, her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Alabama in 1984, and her Master of Business Administration degree from the Freeman School of […]
October 25th in African American History – Earl Cryil Palmer
October 25, 1924 Earl Cryil Palmer, hall of fame drummer, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Palmer started his entertainment career at the age of five as a tap dancer on the black vaudeville circuit. He toured the country extensively with the Darktown Scandals Review. Palmer served in Europe for the United States Army during […]
October 25th in African American History – James Edward “Jimmy” Heath
October 25, 1926 James Edward “Jimmy” Heath, jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1948, at the age of 21, Heath performed in the First International Jazz Festival in Paris. He has performed with nearly all the jazz greats of the last 50 years, including Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Milt Jackson, […]