History of The William Henry Fouse Black Studies Festival

William Henry Fouse

The Westerville native, determined to succeed, strived to instill his own virtues in the students he taught. In a letter preserved at the Westerville Public Library, William wrote, "I worked my way through college blacking boots, offbearing tiles ... waiting tables in Columbus and elsewhere. But I must say that I am glad I did so, since it prepared me to be of some little service to my own people and to the community in which I live."

After graduating from Otterbein, William went on to serve with distinction as a teacher and a principal at schools for African-Americans in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. During his 24-year tenure as principal of Dunbar High School in Lexington, Kentucky, the school's enrollment grew from 89 students to 535 students.

This inspirational educator served as president of the Kentucky Negro Education Association and organized the Bluegrass Oratorical Association, the Bluegrass Athletic Association and the first Penny Savings Bank in Kentucky African-American Schools. Additionally, he was the first person in Kentucky to develop a scholarship for African American high school graduates.

Shortly after his death in 1944, a Lexington newspaper editorialized: "He worked quietly and hopefully for the development of colored youth, and as a citizen for friendly and understanding relations between black men and white. It can be said of him, without exaggeration, that no educator of our day and place served his race more loyally or contributed more to the good relations that mark the association of the races in Lexington. Indeed, he accomplished more for his race during his lifetime, through his humility and appreciation, than many groups which so often have acted first and reasoned too late."