Duke University Honors Its First Black Students

Gene Kendall, Wilhelmina Reuben-Cooke, and Nathaniel White Jr.

Duke University has announced that it is establishing a scholarship fund to honor the first five African American students to enter the university as undergraduates. The scholarships will be earmarked for students who will enhance diversity at the university.

The scholarship fund was established with a $1 million gift from Jack O. Bovender, a White classmate of the five Black students and current member of the Duke Board of Trustees. Bovender said of his classmates, “Their bravery changed Duke forever.”

Gene Kendall, Wilhelmina Reuben-Cooke, and Nathaniel White Jr., the three surviving members of the initial group of Black students to desegregate the university’s undergraduate programs, were attending the Class of 1967 reunion on campus when the announcement was made.

Reuben-Cooke, a law professor and former member of the Duke Board of Trustees, stated, “I was completely taken by surprise. Little did I expect that President Brodhead would announce such a gift, made more special because it came from a classmate.”

Two members of the “First Five,” Mary Vashtie Mitchell Harris and Cassandra Smith Rush, have died.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Howard University Achieves R1 Status While North Carolina A&T State University Falls Short

Howard University has received the prestigious R1 Carnegie Classification, making the institution eligible for major federal grants. NCA&T University narrowly missed the achievement, averaging just three less annual doctoral graduates than the classification's requirements.

Three Black Scholars Selected for Endowed Faculty Positions

The new endowed professors are Eddie Chambers at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Stefanie Dunning at the University of Rochester in New York, and Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire at Harvard University.

North Carolina Central University Establishes Early Assurance Program With the UNC School of Pharmacy

Students at North Carolina Central University now have the opportunity to apply to an early assurance program for the doctor of pharmacy degree program at the University of North Carolina's Eshelman School of Pharmacy, the top-ranked pharmacy school in the United States.

Five Black Administrators Taking on New Roles at HBCUs

The appointments are Anthony Neal at Florida A&M University, Tara Cunningham at Dillard University in New Orleans, David Camps at North Carolina A&T State University, Michael Meyers at Paine College in Georgia, and Sidney Brown at Tuskegee University in Alabama.

Featured Jobs