Notable Kentucky African Americans Database

Talbert, Horace
Birth Year : 1853
Death Year : 1910
Talbert was born in Louisville, KY, the son of Jane E. Dory Talbert and William Talbert. He was the husband of Sarah F. Black, born 1859 in Washington, D. C., and they had 14 children. He edited and managed the African Watchman; served as secretary and financial officer of Wilberforce University, beginning in 1897; and was part owner of Talbert Specialty Company, a mail order house. He was the author of The Sons of Allen [available online at Documenting the American South]. For more see Who's Who of the Colored Race, 1915; and The Autobiography of William Sanders Scarborough: an American journey from slavery to scholarship by W. S. Scarborough, p. 361.
Subjects: Authors, Businesses, Journalists, Newspapers, Magazines, Book Publishers, Music Publishers, Migration North
Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky / Wilberforce, Ohio

Tandy, Charlton H.
Birth Year : 1836
Death Year : 1919
Charlton Hunt Tandy, born in a house on Main Street in Lexington, KY, was the son of John L. (b.1805) and Susan Tandy (b.1815), both Kentucky natives. The family was listed as free in the 1850 U.S. Federal Census. John is listed as a whitewasher, he had purchased his freedom in 1833. His son, Charlton, born three years later, was named after Lexington's first Mayor, Charlton Hunt (the son of John W. Hunt, the first millionaire west of the Allegheny Mountains). Charlton Hunt Tandy was listed as one of the family's nine children in 1850, he was raised in Lexington, and as a young man, he and family members assisted escaped slaves across the Ohio River into Ohio. Charlton moved to Missouri in 1859, where he would become captain of the 13th Missouri Colored Volunteer Militia, Company B, known as Tandy's St. Louis Guard. After the war, he fought for equal access on public transportation in St. Louis, which allowed African Americans to ride inside the horse-drawn streetcars rather than riding on the outside by hanging onto the rails. In 1879, Tandy helped raise thousands of dollars to help former slave families who were moving to the West [Exodusters]; Tandy was president of the St. Louis Colored Relief Board. In 1880 Tandy testified before the Congressional Voorhees Committee about the exodus of African Americans from the South. He became a lawyer in 1886 by passing the Missouri Bar Exam and was permitted to practice law in both the district court and the U. S. Supreme Court. President Grant appointed Tandy to the St. Louis Custom House, making him the first African American to be employed there. Tandy was also a U.S. Marshall under President Harrison's administration, serving as special agent of the General Land Office and as a timber inspector. He served as vice president of the Missouri State Republican League and in 1894 was elected to a House seat by the Republicans of the Thirty-second Senatorial District, but he was not allowed to serve. Charlton Tandy was the husband of Anna E. Tandy, who was also born in Kentucky. A community center, a park, and a St. Louis Zoo train engine [of the Zooline Railroad] have been named in Tandy's honor. For more see The New Town Square, by R. Archibald; The St. Louis African American Community and the Exodusters, by B. M. Jack; Missouri Guardroots [.pdf]; news clippings about Tandy in the University of Missouri-St. Louis Western Historical Manuscript Collection; "A great exodus of Negroes," New York Times, 08/12/1880, p. 5; and "Lexington Negro," Lexington Leader, 08/01/1906, p. 5.
Subjects: Activists, Civil Rights, Freedom, Lawyers, Migration West, Military & Veterans, Legislators (Outside Kentucky), Appointments by U.S. Presidents/Services for U.S. Presidents, Railroad, Railway, Trains, Underground Railroad: Conductors, Escapes, Organizations, Research, Exodusters [African Americans migrating West around Reconstruction Era]
Geographic Region: Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky / St. Louis, Missouri

Tandy, Opal L.
Birth Year : 1917
Death Year : 1983
Born in Hopkinsville, KY, Tandy later moved to Indiana. He was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in 1956. A journalist for the Indianapolis Recorder and Hoosier Herald, he later purchased and changed the name of the Hoosier Herald to the Indiana Herald. He was also a WWII veteran, and served as deputy coroner of Marion County, IN for 22 years. He was the husband of Mary Bryant Tandy. The Opal L. Tandy Collection is housed at the Indiana Historical Society. For more see Guide to African-American History Materials in Manuscript Collections at the Indiana Historical Society, and Who's Who Among Black Americans, 2nd & 3rd ed.
Subjects: Journalists, Newspapers, Magazines, Book Publishers, Music Publishers, Migration North, Politicians, Politics, Appointments & Elections, Undertakers, Cemeteries, Coroners, & Obituaries, Legislators (Outside Kentucky)
Geographic Region: Hopkinsville, Christian County, Kentucky / Indianapolis, Indiana

Tate, Horace E.
Birth Year : 1922
Death Year : 2002
Born in Elberton, GA, Tate was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. at the University of Kentucky, receiving a doctorate in education in 1960. Tate returned to Georgia where he was a teacher, a principal, and later a professor. Tate was instrumental in bringing about the desegregation of schools in Georgia. He was also the first African American to run for mayor of Atlanta and was elected to the Georgia State Senate in 1974. In 1978 he was appointed to the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, and he went on to hold many other posts. The Horace E. Tate Freeway was dedicated in 2000 in his honor; it is located on a portion of I-75N in Georgia. Tate was the husband of Virginia Cecile Barnett Tate. For more see Who's Who in American Politics, 1973-1998, Who's Who Among Black Americans, 1980-1995; and Who's Who Among African Americans, 1996-2004.
Subjects: Education and Educators, Legislators (Outside Kentucky)
Geographic Region: Georgia / Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky

Taylor, Bartlett
Birth Year : 1815
Taylor, a slave born in Henderson County, KY, was the son of a slave woman and her owner, Jonathan Taylor. Both of Bartlett Taylor's parents had come to Kentucky from Virginia. When he was a small child, the sheriff withdrew a portion of the slaves as payment toward Jonathan Taylor's financial debts. Included in the roundup were Bartlett Taylor's mother, her baby, and her four oldest sons. Jonathan Taylor left Henderson County and settled in LaGrange, KY. He had brought with him his remaining slaves, which included Bartlett and his sisters, all of whom were eventually sold as payment for more of Jonathan Taylor's debts. Bartlett hired himself out in Louisville, KY, with the intention of purchasing his freedom. He was sold, but he managed to get his emancipation papers with the promise of payment; Bartlett finalized the payment in 1840. He learned to read and write and also became a butcher. Bartlett owned a retail and wholesale business that packaged and shipped meat and traded and shipped livestock. He became a fairly wealthy man who owned several homes and lots on East Market Street in Louisville. He was also an African Methodist Episcopal [AME] Church minister who contributed financially toward the founding and building of churches. Bartlett Taylor was considered the church builder of the Kentucky AME Conference. In 1872, he built the largest AME Church in the state in Bowling Green, KY. In 1881, while a pastor in Shelbyville, KY, he negotiated with the city for a permit, then paid for a school building for African American children and the employment of teachers. Bartlett Taylor also served as treasurer of Wilberforce University beginning in 1864 and was a trustee for sixteen years. Bartlett Taylor and his wife, Marian [Mary] Taylor (b. 1826 in Indiana) are listed as living in Louisville in the 1900 U.S. Federal Census. For more see the Bartlett Taylor entry in the following sources: Afro-American Encyclopedia; History of the United Brothers of Friendship and Sisters of the Mysterious Ten, by W. H. Gibson; and Men of Mark, by W. J. Simmons.
Subjects: Businesses, Education and Educators, Freedom, Kentucky African American Churches, Religion & Church Work, Grade Schools & High Schools in Kentucky
Geographic Region: Henderson County, Kentucky / Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky / Bowling Green, Warren County, Kentucky / Shelbyville, Shelby County, Kentucky

Taylor, Gilbert and Saphronia Kelter
The Taylors, Gilbert and Saphronia (d. 1897), from Louisville, KY, were the parents of Marshall Walter Taylor, "The Colored Cyclone." Marshall Taylor (1878-1932) was a champion cyclist; he won the annual one mile track cycling championship in 1899, 1900, and 1901. Marshall was nicknamed "Major." He was born outside Indianapolis, IN, where his parents had migrated from Kentucky. Gilbert Taylor served in the Union Army. For more see Major Taylor: the extraordinary career of a champion bicycle racer, by A. Ritchie; and Major Taylor Association, Inc. website.
Subjects: Fathers, Migration North, Military & Veterans, Mothers
Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky / Indianapolis, Indiana

Taylor, H. V.
Taylor was the president of the Atkinson Literary and Industrial College in Madisonville, KY. The school was dedicated in 1894 by Bishop Alexander Walters, who led the effort to build the school. For more see Who's Who in Colored America, 1927; and Atkinson College, Madisonville, dedicated, Nov. 16, 1894.
Subjects: Education and Educators
Geographic Region: Madisonville, Hopkins County, Kentucky

Taylor, James T. “Big Jim” [Harrods Creek, Kentucky]
Birth Year : 1885
Death Year : 1965
Taylor developed the Harrods Creek community in Jefferson County, KY. He purchased the land in 1919 and sold lots to African Americans. The Jacob School was built in 1916, named for Jefferson Jacob, a former slave. Students came from Harrods Creek and nearby African American communities such as The Neck and Happy Hollow, both of which no longer exist. The school and the community are recognized with a Kentucky Historical Marker [#2038]. James Taylor, raised by his grandmother, grew up to become a farmer, a school bus driver, a road and bridge builder, and president of the James T. Taylor Real Estate Co. Wilson Lovett was vice president of the company, Joseph Ray, Sr. secretary, and Abram L. Simpson manager. For more see B. Pike, “Looking back: subdivision may be named after early developer,” Courier-Journal, 08/28/2002, Neighborhoods section, p. 1N; and D. R. Smith, “Cover Story: 40059,” The Lane Report, September 2006.
Subjects: Businesses, Communities, Realtors, Real Estate Brokers, Real Estate Investments, Grade Schools & High Schools in Kentucky
Geographic Region: Harrods Creek, Jefferson County, Kentucky / The Neck and Happy Hollow, Jefferson County, Kentucky [no longer exist]

Taylor, Joe, Jr.
Taylor was the first African American elected official in Adair County, KY. In 1971 Taylor was elected in his first bid to be a councilman on the Columbia City Council; he received the highest number of votes of any candidate in the city-wide election. He was re-elected for his sixth term in 1981. For more see "40 blacks serve on city councils in 35 Kentucky cities," in the Kentucky Directory of Black Elected Officials [1982], 6th Report, by the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, p. 22.
Subjects: First City Employees & Officials (1960s Civil Rights Campaign)
Geographic Region: Columbia, Adair County, Kentucky

Taylor, Kimberly Hayes
Birth Year : 1962
Taylor, born in Louisville, KY, is the daughter of Loraine S. and James E. Hayes. She is a 1984 communications graduate of Morehead State University and is presently the health and features writer with the Detroit News. In 1991 she received the Top Well Done Award for the series "Street Under Siege." In addition to being a journalist, Taylor is also a professional speaker and author of Black Civil Rights Champions and Black Abolitionists and Freedom Fighters. Her books and articles have been referenced in teacher guides as well as books on history and immigration. For more see Who's Who Among African Americans, 1992-2006; and Kimberly Hayes Taylor, a mcnpublishing website.
Subjects: Authors, Journalists, Newspapers, Magazines, Book Publishers, Music Publishers, Migration North, Children's Books and Music
Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky / Detroit, Michigan

Taylor, Melvin W., Sr.
Birth Year : 1915
Death Year : 1997
Born in Iowa, Taylor was the director of West Kentucky State Vocational Technical School [now West Kentucky Community and Technical College] in Paducah, KY, in the 1980s. He was a member of a host of organizations, including the National U.S. Olympic Club. He had been an outstanding athlete in high school and college, lettering in basketball, baseball, football, track, and tennis; he also played one year of semi-pro football. He was the father of Springfield, IL, painter E. Vern Taylor. For more see Profiles of Contemporary Black Achievers of Kentucky, by J. B. Horton; and T. Brown, "Artists share their journeys," State Journal Register, 06/21/2007.
Subjects: Athletes, Athletics, Education and Educators, Fathers, Migration East
Geographic Region: Iowa / Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky

Taylor, Sallie Ann
Birth Year : 1840
Sallie Taylor is considered to have been the first African American teacher in Harrodsburg, KY. She was the slave of Major James Taylor; she learned to read and write from the Major's daughters, who were about Sallie's age. Sallie Taylor began teaching other slaves prior to their freedom, and afterwards she opened a school within the home she shared with her mother on Major Taylor's property. She later taught in a schoolhouse near Pioneer Memorial State Park. She is listed in the 1900 U.S. Federal Census as a school teacher in Mercer County. For more see "The First Negro School Teacher" within the article "Mercer County slaves who have contributed to community life," Olde Towne Ledger, no. 73 (August 2001).
Subjects: Education and Educators, Freedom, Grade Schools & High Schools in Kentucky
Geographic Region: Harrodsburg, Mercer County, Kentucky

Taylortown (Lexington, KY)
The community was developed in the late 1860s, growing to encompass lots on Margaret Wickliffe Preston's property. Preston was the widow of William Preston. In 1889, two years after her husband's death, Preston sold lots at the front of her property. Her home and the lots were bound by Jefferson, Second, Third, and Georgetown Streets. For more see J. Kellogg, "The Formation of Black Residential Areas in Lexington, Kentucky, 1865-1887," The Journal of Southern History, vol. 48, issue 1 (Feb. 1982), pp. 21-52; and Property Owned by Margaret Wickliffe Preston (1819-1898) of Kentucky, a KCTC website.
Subjects: Communities
Geographic Region: Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky

Tevis, Elizabeth C. H.
Birth Year : 1802
Death Year : 1880
Tevis was born a slave in Jefferson County, KY. She was freed from slavery in 1833 and inherited land. She married but had a prenuptial agreement to protect the ownership of her property. Tevis was one of the few African Americans to own slaves in Jefferson County; she hired out children acquired from the slave market. Tevis was the first resident in the community known as Petersburg in Jefferson County. For more see The Encyclopedia of Louisville, ed. by J. E. Kleber.
Subjects: Businesses, Freedom, Inheritance, Free African American Slave Owners
Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky

Thacker, Tom
Birth Year : 1941
Born in Covington, KY, Thacker played basketball at William Grant High School there from 1955 to 1959. The 6'2" guard/forward scored 36 points in his final game, a loss to Olive Hill during the state high school tournament. Thacker played college ball at the University of Cincinnati (UC); the team won the 1968 NCAA basketball championship against Ohio State University, Thacker scoring 21 points. The following year UC lost by two points in overtime in the championship game to Loyola of Chicago. Thacker was chosen by the Cincinnati Royals in the first round of the 1963 NBA draft. He was picked up by the Boston Celtics in 1968, the year the Celtics won the NBA Championship. At the end of the season, Thacker was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks but opted to play with the Indiana Pacers, then an ABA team, instead. Thacker retired from playing professional basketball in 1971, having played in 314 games in which he scored 1,020 points. Thacker was the first head coach of the Pittsburgh Xplosion, a Continental Basketball Association team. For more see Shadows of the past, by L. Stout; Many tried, few defeated William Grant in '50s, '60s, The Cincinnati Post, 02/23/1998, Editorial section, p. 4K; and Tom Thacker at the Basketball-Reference.com website.
Subjects: Basketball
Geographic Region: Covington, Kenton County, Kentucky

Thomas, Clint
Birth Year : 1896
Death Year : 1990
Born in Greenup, KY, Thomas, nicknamed "The Hawk," was a professional baseball player during the 1920s and 1930s. He had 400 home runs and 4,000 hits in 19 years. He played centerfield with Philadelphia Hilldale when the team won the Negro championship in 1925 and 1926. At the end of his baseball career, Thomas worked at the Virginia State House, where one of his duties was to make coffee for the state legislators. For more see The Ballplayers. Baseball's ultimate biographical reference, ed. by M. Shatzkin; and Biography Index. A cumulative index to biographical material in books and magazines, vol. 15 (Sept. 1986-Aug. 1988).
Subjects: Baseball
Geographic Region: Greenup, Greenup County, Kentucky / Philadelphia, Pennsylvania / Richmond, Virginia

Thomas, John L.
Birth Year : 1902
Death Year : 1971
Thomas, a trombonist, was born in Louisville, KY, and raised in Chicago, IL. He played and toured with a number of bands, including the bands of Kentucky natives Fess Williams and Zack Whyte. Thomas recorded with Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven, replacing trombonist Kid Ory. He left music for ten years, then returned in 1960 as a member of Franz Jackson's band, the Original Jass Al-Stars. The group played at the Red Arrow Night Club in Stickney, IL. For more see John L. Thomas in the Oxford Music Online Database; and listen to clips from the recording A Night at Red Arrow with John Thomas on trombone.
Subjects: Migration North, Musicians, Opera, Singers, Song Writers
Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky / Chicago, Illinois

Thomas, Regina L.
Birth Year : 1957
Thomas was born in Clinton, KY. She became the New Jersey Secretary of State in 2002 and served until 2006. She was the first recipient of the Chairman's Award that honors a Democratic National Committee (DNC) staff person who has made an exceptional contribution to the Democratic party. In Kentucky, Thomas had served as a legislative analyst on the Legislative Research Commission. For more see "Regina L. Thomas to be honored by Democratic Party," The Birmingham Times, 02/14-20/2002, pg. A4, A7.
Subjects: Migration North, Politicians, Politics, Appointments & Elections
Geographic Region: Clinton, Hickman County, Kentucky / New Jersey

Thompson, Jackie
Birth Year : 1926
Death Year : 2007
Thompson was born in Lexington, KY, the son of Leonard Thompson. He was the oldest working horseshoer in Lexington, KY. Thompson shod the winners of five Kentucky Derbys: Dark Star, Proud Clarion, Dust Commander, Gato Del Sol, and Swale. Thompson was an excellent farrier, highly sought by those in the racehorse industry. In 1982, he was inducted into the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame at Churchill Downs and in 1989 was recognized by the International Equine Podiatry Association. For more see, M. Wall, "Legendary farrier shod 5 Derby winners - Jackie Thompson 1926-2007," Lexington Herald-Leader, 09/06/2007, City&Region section, p.C1.
Subjects: Businesses, Jockeys, Horsemen & The Derby
Geographic Region: Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky

Thompson, Malachi Richard
Birth Year : 1949
Death Year : 2006
Thompson was born in Princeton, KY, and grew up in Chicago. He played the piano and trumpet and was a music activist and leader. Thompson graduated from Governor's State University with a B.A in composition. He played with a number of bands before becoming a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) in 1968 [founded in Chicago, IL]. Thompson was also a member of Operation Breadbasket Big Band [Chicago], a division of the Southern Christian Leadership Council that played at rallies and marches. In 1974 he moved to New York, where he continued to perform with various groups, including that of Sam Rivers, the grandson of Kentucky native Marshall W. (Boyd) Taylor. Thompson also toured and recorded in Europe with Archie Shepp's band. He was a founding member of Bowie's Hot Trumpet Repertory Company [later named Brass Fantasy], and he founded the Freebop Band in 1978. He continued traveling and playing until 1989 when he was diagnosed with t-cell lymphoma (cancer) and returned to Chicago. He returned to music in 1991 to lead the Africa Brass band. He organized the Hyde Park/Kenwood Jazz Festival and founded the Sutherland Community Arts Initiative. Thompson's recordings include Buddy Bolden's Rag, Lift Every Voice, and Talking Horns. For more see "Malachi Thompson, trumpeter, 56," New York Times, 07/20/2006, The Arts/Cultural Desk section, p. 7; and "Malachi Thompson" in the Oxford Music Online Database.
Subjects: Activists, Civil Rights, Civic Leaders, Migration North, Musicians, Opera, Singers, Song Writers
Geographic Region: Princeton, Caldwell County, Kentucky / Chicago, Illinois

Thompson, Richard W.
Birth Year : 1865
Thompson was born in Brandenburg, KY, and moved to Indianapolis, IN, when he was a child. At the age of 15, he was the first African American page with the Indiana Legislature. He was hired by Bagby & Co. at the age of 17 and was later a bookkeeper for the secretary of the Marion County Board of Health. He was a mailman from 1888-1893; Thompson had finished first among a class of 75 persons taking the 1888 Marion County civil service examination. He would later become managing editor of the newspapers Freeman and Indianapolis World. Thompson left Indiana to become a government clerk with the Washington, D.C. Census Bureau, beginning in 1894; he was the first African American at that post. While in D.C., he was the managing editor of the Colored American magazine until 1903, then managed the the National Negro Press Bureau, a news service for African American newspapers. Thompson was an affiliate of Booker T. Washington; Washington subsidized the Press Bureau and influenced African American newspaper editors. For more see The Booker T. Washington Papers, vol. 5 (1899-1900), p. 48 [available online by the University of Illinois Press]; Twentieth Century Negro Literature, Or, a Cyclopedia of Thought on the Vital Topics Relating to the American Negro, edited by D. W. Culp [available online from Project Gutenberg]; and Slave and Freeman: the autobiography of George L. Knox, by G. L. Knox.
Subjects: Activists, Civil Rights, Accountants, Bookkeepers, Certified Public Accountants, Stenographers, Journalists, Newspapers, Magazines, Book Publishers, Music Publishers, Migration North, Politicians, Politics, Appointments & Elections, Postal Service
Geographic Region: Brandenburg, Meade County, Kentucky / Indianapolis, Indiana / Washington, D.C.

Thompson, Rudolph
Birth Year : 1913
Death Year : 1956
Thompson, born in Louisville, KY, was a jug blower. He was the son of Juanita and John H. Thompson, and according to the 1920 U.S. Federal Census, the family of five lived in the rear of Chestnut Street on Alley Wadila. John Thompson was a steamer at a tobacco factory. When his son Rudolph was 12, he played with the Mud Gutters Jug Band, one of several groups to perform at the 1926 Kentucky Derby. At the age of 13, he was a member of and recorded with Whistler's Jug Band. For more see "Rudolph Thompson" in the Oxford Music Online Database; and Skiffle Bands and All That Jazz, a Big Bands Database Plus website.
Subjects: Musicians, Opera, Singers, Song Writers
Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky

Thompson v. Wilmot
Start Year : 1805
End Year : 1809
In Maryland in 1790, Ruth Wilmot exchanged her slave, Will, for a slave named Harry who belonged to Thomas A. Thompson. Part of the written agreement was that in addition to the swap, Will would be freed within seven years. Thompson took Will to Kentucky, and after more than seven years, Will was still a slave. Thompson had reneged on the agreement, so Wilmot sued on Will's behalf for his freedom. The Kentucky lower court ruled in Wilmot's favor and awarded her $691.25 in damages; the money was to go to Will. [Slaves could not file a law suit in Kentucky.] Thompson appealed the case to the higher court [Thompson v Wilmot] and lost his case when the lower court's decision was affirmed in 1809. The case set a standard for contractual agreements for the future emancipation of a slave, and allowed the original slave owner to file suit for the emancipation of the slave when the terms of the contractual agreement were not honored. For more see Fathers of Conscience by B. D. Jones; "In Kentucky" in The Encyclopedic Digest of Virginia and West Virgina, volume XII [full view in Google Book Search]; and "Thompson versus Wilmot" in the Afro-American Encyclopedia.
Subjects: Freedom, Migration South, Court Cases
Geographic Region: Maryland / Kentucky

Thornton, Dallas
Birth Year : 1946
Thornton was born in Louisville, KY. A 6'4" guard, he attended Male High School in Louisville and played college basketball at Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC), the team winning the 1966 and the 1968 NCAA College Division Championships [now NCAA Division II], the first two of eight championships for KWC. Thornton was selected by the Baltimore Bullets (NBA) and the Miami Floridians (ABA) in the 1968 draft; he went with the Miami Floridians because they paid more money. The Miami Floridians had been the Minnesota Muskies prior to moving to Florida in 1968. Thornton played pro basketball for two years, scoring 297 points in 45 games. He left the ABA and played with the Harlem Globetrotters from 1970-1983. For more see Dallas Thornton in databaseBasketball.com; and R. Suwanski, "Thornton, others had successful sports careers," Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, 09/21/2004, S section, p.29. See pictures of Thornton as a Globetrotter in The Harlem Globetrotters: fifty years of fun and games, by C. Menville.
Subjects: Basketball
Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky / Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky / Miami, Florida

Thornton, Jerry Sue Owens
Birth Year : 1947
Thornton, born in Earlington, KY, is an educator. Her teaching career began in 1970 at the grade school level; she has since taught at the high school and college level. In 1985 she became president of the Lakewood Community College in White Bear Lake, a predominately white, two year college in Minnesota. In 1991, Thornton became president of Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, OH. Cuyahoga was the first community college in Ohio, founded in 1963, and is the largest in the state. There are three campuses, two corporate locations, and over 50 off-campus sites, all serving more than 55,000 students per year. Thornton is a two time graduate of Murray State University and earned her Ph.D. at the University of Texas in 1983. For more see J. Funk, "CCC's president to get a model contract," The Plain Dealer, 12/30/1991, Metro section, p. 1B; and "Jerry Sue Owens" in Who's Who Among African Americans (22nd ed., 2008).
Subjects: Education and Educators, Migration North
Geographic Region: Earlington, Hopkins County, Kentucky / Cleveland, Ohio

Thruston, Felix
Birth Year : 1949
Born in Owensboro, KY, Thruston was the 10th all-time leading scorer for the Owensboro High School basketball team, scoring 1,421 points from 1965-1967. He was coached by Bobby Watson. He went on to play college ball at Trinity University in Texas, where he was the third all-time leading scorer and rebounder for a season with 591 points and 268 rebounds. He came within two points of breaking the school record for single game individual points, scoring 45 points in the game against the Mexican Olympic team in 1970. Off the court, Thruston was active in the struggle for racial equality at Trinity University, speaking out in the newspapers concerning racism at the school; he was instrumental in presenting four proposals on the issue to the school administration. He was selected in the 8th round of the 1971 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. He is the brother of Jerry Thruston. For more see the Owensboro High School yearbook, the Owensboroan, available at the Daviess County Public Library; Mirage, the Trinity University yearbook; and Trinitonian, the Trinity University newspaper, especially the issues dated 12/04/1970, 03/05/1971, & 04/16/1971, at the Trinity University Library.
Subjects: Activists, Civil Rights, Basketball
Geographic Region: Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky /San Antonio, Texas / Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Thurman, Alfonzo
Birth Year : 1946
Thurman was born in Mayfield, KY, moving to Racine, Wisconsin, with his family when he was 7 years old. As an undergraduate at Wisconsin State University [now the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Pointe] in La Crosse, he was a member of the group that helped organize the campus black cultural center and was active in raising local public awareness of racial justice issues. In 1996 he was named Dean of the College of Education at Northern Illinois University, the first African American dean at the school. Thurman is currently Dean of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Chancellor Deputy for Education Partnerships. Alfonzo Thurman is the son of Togo and Georgia May Jones Thurman. For more see the oral history interview with Alfonzo Thurman, available at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Library's Special Collections & Area Research Center. See also the Directory of American Scholars, 9th & 10th ed.; Who's Who Among African Americans, vols. 5-18; and Alfonzo Thurman at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Faculty and Staff page.
Subjects: Education and Educators
Geographic Region: Mayfield, Graves County, Kentucky / Racine, La Crosse, Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin / DeKalb, Illinois

Tinsley, George W., Sr.
Birth Year : 1946
Tinsley was born in Louisville, KY. The 6'5" forward played high school ball at Male High School in Louisville and his college ball from 1965-1969 at Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC), where he was a member of the championship teams in 1966, 1968, and 1969. Tinsley was the 4th all-time leading scorer for KWC with 2,014 points as well as the all-time leading rebounder with 1,115 rebounds. The Kentucky Colonels, an ABA team, drafted Tinsley in 1969. He played for the ABA's Miami Floridians during the 1970-1971 season. Overall, he played in 133 games and scored 120 points. In 1976, Tinsley began his business career with Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and became the owner of five restaurants. He was the founder and president of the KFC Minority Franchise Association. He has been the owner of several other successful businesses and has received a number of business awards and recognition. In 1991, Tinsley was appointed to the KWC Board of Trustees. In 2005, George Tinsley was inducted into the Kentucky Wesleyan College Alumni Hall of Fame. He is the husband of Seretha S. Tinsley. For more see M. Story, "Panthers' tradition transcends individuals," Lexington Herald-Leader, 11/17/1991, Special section, p.16; George Tinsley at databaseBasketball.com; and the George William Tinsley, Sr. website.
Subjects: Basketball, Businesses
Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky / Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky / Miami, Florida

Tinsley, Lee O.
Birth Year : 1969
Tinsley was born in Shelbyville, KY, where he was an outstanding football and baseball player. By the end of his senior year, the 5'10" Tinsley had accumulated 969 yards on 105 carries as an option quarterback. In baseball, he batted .569, hit 14 home runs, and stole 21 bases. He graduated from high school in 1987 and was torn between professional baseball or college football at Purdue University. Tinsley decided on baseball and played professionally for 14 seasons; he was selected in the first round of the 1987 June draft by the Oakland Athletics and ended his career in 2000 having played in the Mexican League and the Independent Western League. Today, Tinsley is the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team's minor league outfield and first base coordinator. He and his family live in Scottsdale, AZ. For more see "A's draftee ponders Purdue," Detroit Free Press, 06/04/1987, SPT section, p. 5D (the article has the incorrect height for Tinsley); Lee Tinsley, at the Arizona Diamondbacks' website; Who's Who Among African Americans, 1994-2000; and Lee Owen Tinsley at baseball-reference.com.
Subjects: Athletes, Athletics, Baseball, Football, Migration West
Geographic Region: Shelbyville, Shelby County, Kentucky / Scottsdale, Arizona

Tisdale, Clarence
Birth Year : 1875
Death Year : 1945
Born in Louisville, KY, Tisdale toured with the McAdoo Jubilee Singers in Australia and New Zealand. The group also sang in England and France before returning to the U.S. in 1910. In 1914 Tisdale was a member of the Right Quintette; the group had four recordings in 1915. Tisdale also recorded by himself. He was living in New York in 1920, rooming with playwright Jessie Shipp and his son Jessie Jr., according to the U.S. Federal Census, the three lived on W. 131st Street. [Jessie Shipp, Sr.'s mother, Ellen Shipp, was a Kentucky native.] Tisdale was still living in New York in 1930, he formed his own trio in the 1940s just prior to his death. Tisdale was the son of Carrie Tisdale, who was matron of the Colored orphan home in 1900, according to the U.S. Federal Census. Clarence was a printer at the home, which was located on 18th Street in Louisville. For more see Lost Sounds: blacks and the birth of the recording industry, 1890-1919, by T. Brooks.
Subjects: Migration North, Musicians, Opera, Singers, Song Writers, Orphans and Orphanages in Kentucky, Migration Outside the U.S. and Canada
Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky / Australia / New Zealand / England / France / New York

Tobacco in Upper Canada
Start Year : 1819
Escaped slaves from Kentucky and Virginia had raised tobacco in their respective state and took those skills with them to Upper Canada in 1819. During the 1820s, the city of Amherstburg became the major location for tobacco farming, and the city attracted even more escaped slaves with experience raising the crop. "Six hundred hogs head [sic] of tobacco was exported to Montreal annually." The Canadian tobacco market was glutted by 1827, resulting in the dramatic deterioration of both the price and quality of the tobacco, so the economic tobacco boom came to an end. For more see p. 23 in Unwelcome Guests: Canada West's response to American fugitive slaves, 1800-1865, by J. H. Silverman.
Subjects: Agriculturalists, Freedom, Migration North
Geographic Region: Kentucky / Virginia / Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada

Tools, Robert
Birth Year : 1942
Death Year : 2001
Robert Tools was born in Mobile, AL, and lived in Franklin, KY, the last five years of his life. Tools was the first human to receive the fully contained, two pound artificial heart, AbioCor, developed by Abiomed in Massachusetts. Tools suffered from renal failure and diabetes, which made him ineligible for a heart transplant; he was given only a couple of months to live. He received his artificial heart on July 2, 2001, at Jewish Hospital in Louisville, KY. Tools survived for 151 days with his new heart. The published accounts of Tools's new heart were voted Top Story of the Year in Kentucky. For more see the CNN story, "Heart patient had to take chance," 08/22/2001; The Implantable Artificial Heart Project site by Jewish Hospital, University of Louisville Health Sciences Center and Abiomed; and "It was great...Absolutely great," Lexington Herald-Leader, 12/24/2001, p. B1.
Subjects: Medical Field, Health Care, Migration North
Geographic Region: Mobile, Alabama / Franklin, Simpson County, Kentucky / Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky

Townsend, Bross Elvie, Jr.
Birth Year : 1933
Death Year : 2003
Townsend was born in Princeton, KY, the son of Jean Calvert and Bross Townsend Sr., who was a truck driver for a grocery store, according to the 1930 U. S. Federal Census. Both parents were Kentucky natives. The family lived on Cave Street in Princeton. Bross Jr. was a jazz pianist who had studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He played with greats such as Woody Herman, Coleman Hawkins and John Coltrane as well as for singers such as Diana Ross, Big Maybelle, and Dinah Washington. He appeared in the movie Sweetback. Townsend died in Jamaica, New York. His performances can be heard on a number of recordings, including the albums I Love Jump Jazz, Darling Please Save Your Love for Me, and The Dynamic 3B's After Hours. For more see The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed.; and A tribute to jazz pianist Bross Townsend by A. Bernstein.
Subjects: Migration North, Musicians, Opera, Singers, Song Writers
Geographic Region: Princeton, Caldwell County, Kentucky / Cleveland, Ohio / Jamaica, New York

Travis, Oneth M., Sr.
Birth Year : 1895
Death Year : 1991
Travis was born in Albany, KY, and graduated from Lincoln Institute. He owned a family dry goods store and was also an educator and community leader in Monticello, KY. Travis purchased a bus from Wayne Taxi Company to establish the first school transportation system in Wayne County, KY. Travis also purchased land and established the Travis Elementary and High Schools in Monticello. In 1955, Travis and Ira Bell helped facilitate the integration of the Monticello and Wayne County Schools. In 1965, Travis was appointed to the Kentucky Board of Education, the first African American to be named to the post. Later, Bell was inducted into the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame. Travis also developed a recreation center in Wayne County. He was a World War I veteran and a Kentucky delegate to Republican national conventions. Travis moved to Pittsburgh in 1986, where he passed away in 1991; he is buried in the Monticello Cemetery. He was the uncle of Thomas J. Craft, Sr. and the father of Oneth M. Travis, Jr. For more see "Oneth M. Travis," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 08/20/1991, OBIT section, p. B4. See also African American Schools in Wayne County, KY.
Subjects: Education and Educators, Military & Veterans, Politicians, Politics, Appointments & Elections, Appointments by Kentucky Governors, Grade Schools & High Schools in Kentucky, Board of Education
Geographic Region: Albany, Clinton County, Kentucky / Lincoln Ridge, Shelby County, Kentucky / Monticello, Wayne County, Kentucky / Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Tri-City Messengers
Start Year : 1999
Tri-City Messengers is a six part a capella gospel group from the Benham-Lynch, KY, coal mining area. All but one of the men are retired coal miners. The members are Roy Wilson, Alfonson Sims, George Massey, Bennie Massie, Sanford Baskin, and Willis Bates. For more about the group see the DVD, A Beautiful Sound, by Pigeon Pie Films; and the group's performances on Rhythm of My Soul, a PBS Home Video, and More Than Music, by the Kentucky Historical Society.
Subjects: Miners, Mines, & Steel Mills, Musicians, Opera, Singers, Song Writers, Religion & Church Work
Geographic Region: Benham and Lynch , Harlan County, Kentucky

True Reformers
Start Year : 1872
End Year : 1930
The True Reformers began in 1872 as an affiliated organization for African Americans who were not allowed to become members of the Independent Order of Good Templars in Kentucky. The initiative is said to have come from Colonel John J. Hickman (who was white), from Lexington, KY. Hickman is remembered for his temperance advocacy and leadership in the United States, and the Good Templar lodges he organized in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and the Isle of Man. Hickman did not oversee the True Reformers in Kentucky and other southern states, these were independent lodges managed by African Americans, and the lodges limped along during the first decade, several folded. In 1881, William Washington Browne, a former slave born in Virginia, was elected head of the Grand Fountain of the True Reformers in Virginia, and he is credited for the revival of the True Reformers. He developed the Virginia organization into a successful fraternal insurance society that owned businesses, including a bank and the newspaper The Reformer. The structure of the Virginia organization was applied to True Reformers in northern cities and in cities located in upper southern states. The True Reformers continued to exist until the early 1930s, around the beginning of the Great Depression. William Browne's success with the True Reformers was due to his ability to redirect the True Reformers away from temperance and prohibition, to a more practical issues that African Americans faced. The organization was a trend setter for the operation of other African American fraternal organizations and it impacted the insurance business by redefining premium terms and benefits, and how they were handled by a national organization. True Reformers promoted self-help and introduced African Americans in 20 states to business, management, and entrepreneur practices. The True Reformers Hall in Louisville, KY, was located at 822 W. Walnut Street, according to the 1909 city directory. For more see D. T. Beito, "To advance the "Practice of Thrift and Economy": fraternal societies and social capital, 1890-1920," Journal of Interdisciplinary History, Spring 1999, vol.29, issue 4, pp.585-612; see the entry "Grand United Order of the True Reformers" in Organizing Black America by N. Mjagkij; The Black Lodge in White America by D. M. Fahey; and Twenty-Five Years History of the Grand Fountain of the United Order of True Reformers, 1881-1905 by W. P. Burrell and D. E. Johnson. For more on Colonel John J. Hickman, see his entry in History of Boone County, Missouri by the St. Louis Western Historical Company, 1882, pp.881-883 [available at Google Book Search]
Subjects: Alcohol, Bankers, Banks, Finance, Financial Advisors, Businesses, Insurance Companies, Insurance Sales, Journalists, Newspapers, Magazines, Book Publishers, Music Publishers, Fraternal Organizations
Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky / Virginia / United States

Tubman, Sylvia A. E.
Sylvia Tubman was one of the 69 slaves freed by Emily Tubman and sent to live in Liberia, Africa. Sylvia was the wife of William Shadrach Tubman, the mother of Alexander Tubman, and the paternal grandmother of William V. S. Tubman, the 18th president of Liberia. Emily Tubman was a slave owner who grew up in Frankfort, KY, and after her marriage spent part of the year in Frankfort and part in Georgia. For more see A study of the life and contributions of Emily H. Tubman, by J. R. Bennett.
Subjects: Freedom, Liberia, Liberian Presidents & Diplomats, Mothers, Migration Outside the U.S. and Canada, Grandparents
Geographic Region: Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky / Georgia / Liberia, Africa

Tubman, William V. S.
Birth Year : 1895
Death Year : 1971
William's grandfather, (Brother) William Shadrach Tubman, and grandmother, Sylvia A. E. Tubman, were two of the 69 slaves freed and voluntarily transported to Liberia in 1844 by slave owner Emily Tubman (1794-1885), who grew up in Frankfort, KY. Once in Liberia, the slaves took the name Tubman and named their community Tubman Hill. William V. S. Tubman was born in Liberia, Africa, and became the country's 18th president (1944-1971), holding the office longer than any other president before or after him, winning six elections. On a visit to the U.S., he came to Frankfort, KY, in search of information about his family history. For more on Emily H. T. Tubman, see Index to Women of the World from Ancient to Modern Times. Biographies and portraits, by N. O. Ireland; and A Study of the Life and Contributions of Emily H. Tubman, by J. R. Bennett. For more on W. V. S. Tubman see Chambers Biographical Dictionary, 6th ed., edited by M. Parry; and A biography of President William V. S. Tubman, by A. D. B. Henries.
Subjects: Freedom, Liberia, Liberian Presidents & Diplomats, Migration Outside the U.S. and Canada
Geographic Region: Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky / Tubman Hill, Liberia, Africa

Tucker, Charles Ewbank
Birth Year : 1896
Death Year : 1975
Tucker was a lawyer, a civil rights advocate, and a leader in the AMEZ Church. He led early civil rights demonstrations and sit-ins in Louisville, KY, in the 1940s through the 1960s. Tucker also delivered the benediction at Nixon's Inauguration (1960). He was the husband of Rev. Amelia M. Tucker. Charles E. Tucker was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Olivia and William Tucker. The family lived in Jamaica. He was a 1913 graduate of Beckford and Smith's school in Jamaica, and a 1917 graduate of Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. He was the pastor of the Stoner Memorial AMEZ Church [at 1127 West Oak Street] in Louisville and completed the Kentucky Bar Exam in 1929. His son, Neville Tucker, was also a lawyer in Louisville. Charles E. Tucker became a bishop in 1956. He was a Republican. For more see Life Behind a Veil, by G. C. Wright; and the Charles Ewbank Tucker biography in The Last Public Execution in America by P. T. Ryan.
Subjects: Activists, Civil Rights, Lawyers, Kentucky African American Churches, Religion & Church Work, Migration Outside the U.S. and Canada, Appointments by U.S. Presidents/Services for U.S. Presidents
Geographic Region: Baltimore, Maryland / Jamaica / Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky

The Turnbo Family
During the Civil War, Robert Turnbo fought for the Union Army, he was born in Alabama. While her husband was away, Isabella Cook Turnbo, a Kentucky native, fled the state with their two children, Jerry (b.1856) and Nancy Jane (b.1859). The family reunited in Metropolis, Illinois, where Jerry and Nancy were employed by the Cook Family who had lived in Kentucky, according to the 1880 U. S. Federal Census. Robert and Isabella eventually had nine more children, one of whom was Annie Turnbo Malone (1869-1957), who made hair and scalp preparations for rejuvenating African American women's hair. In St. Louis, Turnbo sold her products door-to-door, and with the success of her business she was able to hire sales agents, one of whom was Sarah Breedlove, also known as Madam C. J. Walker. For more see the Annie Turnbo Malone entry in Black Women in America, 2nd ed., vol. 2; and L. L. Wright, "Celebrating her legacy: Museum honors beauty pioneer for contributions to cosmetology, The Paducah Sun, 01/24/2008, State and Regional section.
Subjects: Cosmetologists, Beauty Shops, Hairdressers, Beauty Supplies, Freedom, Migration North
Geographic Region: Kentucky / Metropolis, Illinois / St. Louis, Missouri

Turner, Frank M. and Frosty [Wyatt Burghardt Turner]
Frank Turner (1887-1941) was the son of Wyatt and Emma Mitchell Turner. He and his wife, Frosty [or Frostie] Ann Duncan Turner (b. 1891), were from Richmond, KY. They lived in Jamaica, Queens, New York; according to the 1920 U.S. Federal Census, the family lived on Saratoga Avenue; Frank was recognized in the neighborhood as the father of tennis. The couple had six sons. Frank and Frosty Turner, both 1909 graduates of Wilberforce [now Wilberforce University], were married the summer after their graduation. Frank would become the chief accountant for the NAACP. He had kept the books since the organization opened its first office in the Evening Post building in 1910. He had come to the NAACP with W. E. B. DuBois. Frank had been secretary to DuBois in Atlanta; it was his first job after graduating from college. At the NAACP Office, Frank was also the circulation manager of the Crisis, and he had helped establish the NAACP Branch in Jamaica, New York in 1927, where he served as secretary until his death in 1941. Wyatt Burghardt Turner (1916-2009) was one of Frank and Frosty Turner's sons. He was named after his grandfather; his middle name was in honor of W. E. B. DuBois. Wyatt Turner was born in New York and graduated from high school in Kentucky, where he lived with his grandmother. He would become founder and president of the Brookhaven NAACP, and he served as chairman of the Suffolk County Human Rights Commission. He had also been a history professor at Stony Brook University. Prior to becoming a professor, he was the first African American teacher at Bay Shore. Wyatt Turner was a graduate of Kentucky State University and Columbia University, and he served in the U.S. Army during World War II. For more see "Frank M. Turner," The Crisis, vol. 48, issue 12 (December 1941), pp. 394 & 398; "How the NAACP Began" at the NAACP.org website; H. L. Moon, "History of the Crisis," The Crisis, November 1970; and K. Schuster, "Wyatt Turner dies; pioneer helped found Brookhaven chapter, active in Obama's presidential campaign," Newsday, 01/23/2009, News section, p. A8.
Subjects: Activists, Civil Rights, Accountants, Bookkeepers, Certified Public Accountants, Stenographers, Education and Educators, Fathers, Migration North, Military & Veterans, Mothers, NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
Geographic Region: Richmond, Madison County, Kentucky / Queens, New York

Turner, Samuel
Death Year : 1901
Dr. Turner's death in 1901 was the first suicide on record for an African American in Kentucky. It was thought that he hanged himself due to the shame of being indited for vending lottery tickets. His half nude body was found in the early morning, in the highest tree, 50 feet above ground, in Flora Park in Louisville, KY. The park was located at South and Ormsby Streets. Turner's death was also reported as a lynching. For more see "Suicide: of Dr. Samuel Turner this morning," Newark Daily Advocate, 06/29/1901, p. 1; "He hanged himself high," The Atlanta Constitution, 06/30/1901, p.2.
Subjects: Lynchings, Medical Field, Health Care, Parks, Undertakers, Cemeteries, Coroners, & Obituaries, Gambling, Lottery
Geographic Region: Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky

Turpin, William Henderson "Ben"
Birth Year : 1897
Death Year : 1962
Turpin, also known as Mr. Ben, was a police officer and a baseball fanatic who lived in Detroit, MI. According to author Richard Bak, Turpin came from Kentucky to Detroit in 1925, and he had been a shoe shine boy. Turpin had lived in Burgin, KY, and was a tanner for J. T. Huguley in Danville, KY, according to his WWI draft registration card. He was a porter at Union Station before being appointed a Detroit policeman in 1927. Turpin was a large man who kept the peace in the Black Bottom area with physical force and his two revolvers. Turpin was also a serious baseball fan, and in the 1930s he organized a team called Black Bottom under Turpin's Athletic Club. Turpin sometimes served as the team's catcher with a revolver strapped to each side of his body. William Henderson Turpin was the husband of Bessie Turpin [they are mistakenly listed as white in the 1920 U.S. Federal Census]. For more see Turkey Stearnes and the Detroit Stars, by R. Bak; In Black and White, Supplement, 3rd ed., by M. M. Spradling; "Tough Mr. Ben won respect based on fear", in Blacks in Detroit: a reprint of articles from the Detroit Free Press by S. McGehee and S. Watson, pp.72-73.
Subjects: Baseball, Migration North, Corrections and Police, Shoes: Finishers, Makers, Repairers, Shiners, Stores
Geographic Region: Burgin, Mercer County, Kentucky / Danville, Boyle County, Kentucky / Detroit, Michigan

Twine, William H.
Birth Year : 1862
Death Year : 1933
Twine was born in Richmond, KY, the son of William and Matilda A. Twine. According to the U.S. Census, the family was living in Xenia, OH, in 1880 and William H. was enrolled in school. He would become the first African American to take the law examination in Limestone County, Texas and was admitted to the Texas bar in 1888. William H. practiced law in Texas until 1891 then moved to Oklahoma to practice law in the Indian Territory, which he did until 1897. He was the first African American lawyer to carry a capital case from the U.S. Court (N. Dist. Indian Territory) to the U.S. Supreme Court. Twine was editor of the first African American newspaper in the Indian Territory - the Muskogee Cimeter - beginning in 1897. There was never a lynching in Muskogee County. Oklahoma became a state in 1907. For more see Who's Who of the Colored Race, 1915; and William Henry Twine in the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture [online].
Subjects: Journalists, Newspapers, Magazines, Book Publishers, Music Publishers, Lawyers, Migration West
Geographic Region: Red House, Richmond, Madison County, Kentucky / Xenia, Ohio / Limestone County, Texas / Muskogee County, Oklahoma

Twyman, William
In 1993, Twyman became the first African American from Kentucky to receive a Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award. At the time, he was the assistant principal of Glasgow Middle School. For more see William Twyman at the Milken Family Foundation website.
Subjects: Education and Educators
Geographic Region: Glasgow, Barren County, Kentucky

Tyler, Nancy Pe-ral
From Hickory, KY, Tyler was the first African American to graduate from Murray State University, in 1961 receiving her B.S. in Elementary Education. While a student, Tyler was a member of the Association for Childhood Education and the Student National Education Association. Information provided by the Murray State University Library.
Subjects: Education and Educators
Geographic Region: Hickory, Graves County, Kentucky / Murray, Calloway County, Kentucky