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Each day in February I intend to tweet about Spartans, past and present, I'd like you to know about as we honor #BlackHistoryMonth. #SpartanFamily
Day 1: William O. Thompson was the first known African American graduate of Michigan Agricultural College in 1904. Originally from Indianapolis, he was hired as an instructor at Booker T. Washington's Tuskegee Institute in Alabama two years after graduation. #BlackHistoryMonth 
Day 2: Myrtle Craig Mowbray was the first African American female to graduate from Michigan Agricultural College in 1907. The Mowbray Scholars Program @MichiganStateU was established in her honor in 1990. honorscollege.msu.edu/admissions/mow… #BlackHistoryMonth @MSUHC
Day 3: Gideon Smith became MAC's first black varsity athlete. Initially turned away, he reported to practice anyway and earned a spot on the team in 1913. That team was the 1st of many to beat Michigan, by the way. msuspartans.com/news/2013/10/1… #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 4: Delbert Prillerman graduated from MAC in 1917. From West Virginia, he was the son of Dr. Byrd Prillerman, one of the country's most prominent black educators at the time. After serving in France in WW1, he taught Chemistry at West Virginia State College. #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 5: Benjamin Goode, Michigan State College 1925, was a scholar & athlete. He played football, basketball, baseball & ran track for MSC. After earning a degree in Agriculture, he was a professor of Agriculture & football coach at Virginia Collegiate Institute #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 6: Clarence Banks, Michigan State College 1926, was the 1st African American to run Cross Country for MSC. After graduation, he worked 30 years as Superintendent of Agriculture for the Bordentown NJ Manual Training and Industrial School for Colored Youth #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 7: Dr. David Dickson became the 1st African American faculty member at MSU in 1948. Since housing was still segregated in East Lansing, Hannah helped him secure housing inside the city. Dr. Dickson eventually became president of Montclair State University. #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 8: Alpha Phi Alpha, chartered in 1948, was the first Black Greek fraternity formed on campus. Founding member, William Thompson, was the son of William O. Thompson - MAC's first African American graduate, who I showcased on Day 1. #SpartanLegacyFamily #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 9: Alpha Kappa Alpha, chartered in 1954, was the first historically Black Greek sorority formed on campus as the Delta Zeta Chapter. To date, it has welcomed more than 600 young women into a lifetime of service and sisterhood. #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 10: Don Vest was MSC's 1st Black cheerleader & 1st B1G gymnast. His post graduation life involved military service, college recruiting for Ford & ownership of Broadside Press with wife Hilda. Read about the Vest's generosity here: metrotimes.com/detroit/room-w… #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 11: Blanche Martin '59, a former MSU football player & longtime East Lansing dentist, became MSU's first Black Trustee in 1969, serving as Chair from '74-'76. He recruited a former dental school prof, DiBiaggio, for the presidency. msuspartans.com/news/2009/2/27… #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 12: William Harrison Pipes, hired in 1957, was the 1st African American granted a full professorship at MSU. He was also the 1st in the country to earn a PhD in Speech. Prior to joining MSU, Pipes was president of Alcorn State University. #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 13: James Bibbs became MSU's 1st African American Track Coach in 1968 and the #B1G's 1st Head Coach in 1975. His career includes developing 26 All Americans and 52 #B1G Champions. He retired in 1995, but is still active in the East Lansing track community. #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 14: Ernest Green, one of the Little Rock Nine, graduated from MSU with a BA in '62 and a Master's in Sociology in '64 at the top of his class. His @MichiganStateU education was supported by an anonymous donor later revealed to be John Hannah. #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 15: Jimmy Raye arrived at MSU in '64 as part of Duffy Daugherty's 'Underground Railroad', beginning the process of integrating college football. He was MSU's 1st Black starting QB & the 1st from the South to win a national title. rayeoflightbook.com #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 16: Clifton Wharton was appointed president of MSU in '70 becoming the first African-American to lead a major university. The list of 'firsts' Wharton can claim in his life is amazing. Please take a moment to learn about him here: blackpast.org/african-americ… #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 17: Robert James & Henry Baltimore are believed to be @MichiganStateU's first African-American Drum Majors, leading the @MSUMarchingBand in the early 70's. Henry, the brother of a friend of mine, disappeared in 1973. whereaboutsstillunknown.wordpress.com/2017/02/28/hen… #BlackHistoryMonth #HelpFindHenry
Day 18: Rickey Ayala was the 1st African-American to play for @MSU_Basketball from '52-'54. Majoring in Hotel & Restaurant Management, he went on to become CEO of Detroit Kirkwood Hospital and then Detroit Southwest Hospital. msuspartans.com/news/2007/2/12… #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 19: Barbara Ross Lee graduated from @MSU_Osteopathic in 1973. In '93 she became dean of the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine - the 1st African American female to earn the role of dean at a medical college. I'm sure sister Diana was Supremely proud. #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 20: Carlotta LaNier, the youngest of the Little Rock Nine, followed fellow Little Rock Nine member, Ernest Green, to MSU in 1960. She attended until continuing her degree at Northern Colorado. She became the 1st president of the Little Rock Nine Foundation. #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 21: Dennis Archer, JD '70, has a distinguished career as a lawyer, law professor and former mayor of Detroit. He served as president of the National Bar Association from '83-84 - the 1st African American to lead the organization that once barred minorities. #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 22: Wallace Jefferson graduated from @JMCMSU in '85 and went on to study law at the U of Texas. In '01, Governor Rick Perry appointed Jefferson to the Texas Supreme Court. The 1st African American member of the court, he was appointed Chief Justice in '04. #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 23: Andree Layton Roaf graduated with a zoology degree from @MichiganStateU in '62. In '75 she changed course and entered law school in Arkansas, eventually being appointed Arkansas' 1st African American female to serve on the Arkansas Supreme Court. #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 24: Judi Brown Clarke ’83, M.A. ’95, is a 12-time Big Ten champion in track and field, three-time gold medalist at the Pan American Games and silver medalist in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, CA. msuspartans.com/news/2008/2/28… … #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 25: Charles Hines MS'70, served 38 years in the Army and attained the rank of Major General. He was the 1st African American commander of a military installation - Fort McClellan - in the South. He served as president of Prairie View A&M Univ from '94-'02. #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 26: Milt 'Bags' Jackson was the 1st and most influential vibraphone improvisor of the modern jazz era. He began his studies at Michigan State, but left before graduating to join Dizzy Gillespie's sextet. He eventually founded the Modern Jazz Quartet. #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 27: Ty Willingham '77 grew up in a community with segregated schools and few opportunities for African Americans. Always believing being the best would guide his future, he made history in '02 as the first African American hired to coach at Notre Dame. #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 28: Harriette Pipes McAdoo '61 & '63 was a Distinguished Professor at MSU and a pioneer in the study of Black Families in America. She served as National Advisor to President Carter on the topic. She was also the daughter of William Harrison Pipes, Day 12. #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 29: Gene Washington '68 & '72 was part of the storied integrated Spartan football teams of the 60's. The story of his move from Texas to East Lansing for opportunities not available to him in the segregated South is a documentary: throughthebanksoftheredcedar.com #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 30: Earvin Johnson Jr., dubbed 'Magic' by @LSJNews sports reporter Fred Stabley Jr. during his sophomore year at Everett, has had tremendous success on the court, in a variety of business ventures, as an HIV awareness advocate & philanthropist. #HallOfFame #BlackHistoryMonth
Day 31: The MSU Black Alumni Association, founded in 1980, has engaged 1000s of alumni in support of @MichiganStateU students. With a scholarship endowment value in excess of $1M, 100s have been positively impacted by @MSUBA. #BlackHistoryMonth #SpartanFamily
This tweet caps off my 31 day celebration of a Spartan themed #BlackHistoryMonth. I hope you've enjoyed getting to know more about our #SpartanFamily. @ThreadreaderApp, please unroll this thread and I'll share the final link with those interested in sharing beyond Twitter.
