Murray in Calloway County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)

Desegregation of Murray State College

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 14, 2021

1. Desegregation of Murray State College Marker (side A)

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Shortly after the historic U. S. Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education, et. al. decision, Murray State College "with all deliberate speed," welcomed Mary Ford Holland of Kuttawa, Ky., as a student in the summer of 1955. Holland's enrollment earned her the distinction of being Murray's first African American student.

Holland's enrollment at Murray State occurred without incident. In the fall of 1955, four more African American students enrolled. They were Geneva Arnold, Bobby Brandon, Arlene Keyes, & Willie Earl Perry — graduates of Murray's segregated Frederick Douglass High School.
Given by MSU Office of Equal Opportunity.

Erected 2005 by Kentucky Historical Society • Kentucky Department of Highways. (Marker Number 2191.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education. In addition, it is included in the Kentucky Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1955.

Location. 36° 36.734′

Desegregation of Murray State College Marker (side B) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 14, 2021

2. Desegregation of Murray State College Marker (side B)

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N, 88° 19.358′ W. Marker is in Murray, Kentucky, in Calloway County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of North 15th Street and Olive Boulevard, on the left when traveling north. Marker is located in the quad behind the Pogue Special Collections Library. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 298 North 15th Street, Murray KY 42071, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Cleanth Brooks (1906-94) (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Murray State University (about 800 feet away); First Courthouse (approx. one mile away); Will Linn House (approx. one mile away); First Christian Church (approx. 1.1 miles away); Waters Schoolhouse (approx. 1.1 miles away); Calloway County War Memorial (approx. 1.1 miles away); Confederate Memorial (Murray, Kentucky) (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Murray.

Also see . . .
1. 65th Anniversary of Desegregation: Celebrating Our Past, Embracing the Future. By Murray State University's diversity office. Includes profiles of Mary Ford Holland (first African American student) and Nancy Tyler Demartra (first African American graduate). (Submitted on August 16, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Desegregation of Murray State College. By Tim Talbott for ExploreKYHistory, a Kentucky Historical Society series. (Submitted on August 16, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Desegregation of Murray State College Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, August 14, 2021

3. Desegregation of Murray State College Marker

The Pogue Special Collections Library is in the background.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 16, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 16, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 82 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 16, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.