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Otterbein’s First Black Graduate William Henry Fouse ’1893 In His Own Words.

Otterbein University’s first Black graduate, William Henry Fouse, class of 1893, was a teacher, a principal, a lifelong learner, a musician, and an inspiration to students and educators in his 45 years of work in public education. On the 130th anniversary of his graduation from Otterbein, there is no one better to tell his story than Fouse himself.

In 1927, Fouse wrote to Mrs. George Alexander of Westerville, thanking her for an invitation to the Westerville High School Golden Anniversary. He wrote:

“I will not be garrulous but I must say that I was born in your beautiful town 59 years ago, son of two slaves who came to Ohio from bondage and never were able to read or write. They gave 27 years of their lives without recompense. I was born in a log cabin a mile or so from Westerville.”

Fouse’s family later purchased a house on Home Street, where William and his two brothers were raised. In 1889 his father, Squire, purchased a home that had been owned by William Hanby and had it moved to a plot of land on Home Street, where the Campus Center is today. In an article written for the Westerville Public Opinion in 1938, Fouse wrote:

“Three interests dominated the life of Squire Fouse. They were a home, the education of his children, and his church. If he could speak now, (he) would say that the spirit and literary gifts of Ben Hanby had been infused into his own son, and that he, though a slave for many years, had made the correct appraisal of the magic and power of education.”

Fouse was the first Black graduate of both Westerville High School and Otterbein University.

According to Otterbein historian Harold Hancock, “[Fouse] taught school in Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky, serving as principal of Dunbar School in Lexington, KY, for 24 years. In Kentucky he organized the Bluegrass Oratorical Association and Bluegrass Athletic Association, instituted the Penny Saving Bank Plan in schools, and guided the development of Dunbar School into a modern school. He became president of the Kentucky National Education Association [in 1937]. Just before he retired in 1937, he received an M.A. from the University of Cincinnati.”

That same year, Otterbein gave him the honorary degree, Doctor of Pedagogy.

William Henry Fouse died on June 1, 1944. His work continues to bear fruit today in the schools of Lexington, KY, where he worked for a quarter of a century, and in his hometown of Westerville, where an elementary school bears his name, and his alma mater hosts The William Henry Fouse House of Black Culture. In addition, he continues to inspire us over a century later through his writings.

Henry William Fouse wrote of his father, Squire Fouse:

“He, though a slave for many years, had made the correct appraisal of the magic and power of education.”

In a 2022 survey conducted by Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse, 85% of college students say it’s important for their campus to prioritize sustainability. At Otterbein, students are taking leadership roles in developing sustainability projects and educating others on topics from pollinators and recycling to food waste.

Senior Hannah Brown, a double major in biology and zoo and conservation science, has been working with Facility Services on a project to plan a pollinator and rain garden since spring 2022. Now, in her final semester, the gardens are ready to be planted north of the Campus Center, with Facility Services planting an additional pollinator garden at The Point.

Brown received funding for the project from the Otterbein Sustainability Committee and a Vernon Pack Fellowship of $1,000, as well as a seed donation from Marci Lininger, a district environmental coordinator at the Ohio Department of Transportation. Professor Jeff Lehman and the Otterbein Chapter of the Botanical Society of America recommended native plants for the garden.

Rain gardens improve drainage, purify storm water runoff, and prevent erosion using a combination of rocks and deep-rooted plants. Brown stressed the importance of using native plants as habitat for bees, songbirds, and butterflies in this plan.

“We’re losing pollinator species, and they’re in great decline all throughout the world. Just by starting off small, we can make a big difference in the pollinator species around Otterbein,” she said.

Brown hopes students will use the gardens in many ways.

Although he retired from Abbott Labs in 2018, Cordle says he was mesmerized as the COVID-19 pandemic hit. He closely followed the race to develop a vaccine to combat it.

“Students can go out and collect observational data for research projects, or just go out and use the garden for leisure. There are going to be signs talking about the different plants that are there and the types of pollinators you might see,” said Brown. She also hopes it will inspire more projects across campus.

Student Organizations

In addition to the students profiled in this story, these student leaders are running programs to educate their peers about sustainability issues:

Students also kick-started a new initiative by the campus Sustainability Committee.

Junior Lukas Patel, a studio art major with a ceramics concentration, brought concerns about campus recycling from the Otterbein University Student Government to the Sustainability Committee. As a member of both, Patel has a unique opportunity to generate change.

The biggest concern was the mixing of recycling and trash on campus. As a result, the Sustainability Committee is starting a “Recycling Reboot” following conversations with students, faculty, staff, and Rumpke, Otterbein’s waste management vendor.

Patel explained that this project was created to divert items going into the landfill and improve recycling habits on campus. “The plan will start with a focus on the things we can recycle correctly and phase in more items as we are able to educate everyone on campus. Creating better signage for all recycling and trash bins is included in this plan,” he said.

“The reboot has already begun as a pilot in Roush Hall, and we hope to fully implement the plan across campus in the fall,” Patel said.

Brown hopes students will use the gardens in many ways.

As for the student role in this project, he said, “I think it is essential to have student voices in conversations affecting campus, like this committee does.”

Associate Professor Bethany Vosburg-Bluem, chair of the Sustainability Committee, agrees. “I believe it truly takes a whole community to successfully contribute to sustainability efforts and student voices and participation are both essential.”

First-year Student Rachel Malek, used an art class project to educate others about food waste. For Art 1150: Design 3D, the freshman art and psychology major created a board game.

“I was inspired to make this game because I think teaching people about certain food groups might help people better understand the choices that they make when shopping or throwing their food away,” said Malek.

The four-player game, Let’s Taco ‘Bout Food Waste, is designed with lunch tray-styled game boards and food chips with “trash points” based on the environmental impact of the food. ​For instance, salmon is ranked as a six because it contains chemicals that contaminate water and hurt biodiversity. Mushrooms are zero because they are natural decomposers and help the environment.

“I found out that for a lot of healthier foods, there’s a lot of fertilizer that goes into production,” said Malek.

Academic Programs:

Students with an academic interest in sustainability and the environment can combine their interest in science with their passion for the planet in these programs:

• Environmental Chemistry >
• Sustainability Studies >
• Environmental Science >