Mary Morris Burnett Talbert
Mary Morris Burnett was born in 1866 and educated at [Oberlin High School, class of 1883, and at] Oberlin College. Following her graduation in 1886 from Oberlin, Ms. Burnett moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, where she accepted a position as a high school teacher. According to her biographer, Lillian S. Williams, Ph.D., Ms. Burnett taught history, math, science, Latin and geography at Bethel University before being appointed the school’s Assistant Principal. Ms. Williams noted, “She was the only woman ever to be selected for this position.” In 1887, Mary Burnett was named principal of Union High School in Little Rock. While her abilities and talents as an educator and orator were recognized nationally as well as in Little Rock, according to the custom of the time, Ms. Burnett was forced to give up her teaching career once she married. Her marriage to William Herbert Talbert, a City of Buffalo clerk and realtor, took place on September 8, 1891. The Talbert’s only daughter, Sarah May was born in 1892.
Mary Talbert soon settled into the communal life of her new home. She joined her husband as a member of the Michigan Avenue Baptist Church and quickly began to organize educational and cultural programs for church and community members alike. She was the president of the church’s Christian Cultural Congress, the vehicle for many cultural and educational activities. While many of the programs were organized for the education and development of black women, Mrs. Talbert did not limit her activities to the church. In 1899, she became one of the founding members of the Phyllis Wheatley Club of Colored Women. This remarkable group of women, the city’s first affiliate of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, set an ambitious program of service to others in order to achieve the NACW mission and emulate the Club motto, Lifting as we climb.
It is often noted in her biographies that Mary Talbert was the first black woman to receive a Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo. However, this fact has never been proven conclusively. According to Williams, the University did not offer Ph.D. degrees before 1930, but it did offer certificates that were called doctorates. It is possible that Mary Talbert could have received one of these doctorate certificates leading to the confusion over the actual credentials.
In November 1900, Mary Talbert, along with other members of the Phyllis Wheatley Club of Colored Women, organized a protest rally at the Michigan Avenue Baptist Church. They called on the Board of Managers of the Pan American Exposition to include the Negro Exhibit, an exhibit that presented the achievements of blacks since Emancipation, in the upcoming Exposition. The group also advocated for the appointment of a colored commissioner. Mary Talbert was proposed as a most able and capable individual to represent the Negro community in this position.
Mary Talbert’s advocacy for black women included her involvement in and leadership of several organizations, in addition to the Phyllis Wheatley Club of Colored Women . In 1905, she opened her home to Dr. W.E.B. Dubois, John Hope, Monroe Trotter, and others who founded and organized the Niagara Movement, forerunner of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 1911, she became a charter member of the Empire Federation of Women’s Clubs, and the group’s second president from 1912-1916.
In 1916, she was elected President of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs. She was elected to a second two-year term as President of that organization in 1918. During her tenure as NACW President, Mary Talbert was instrumental in the preservation and restoration of the Frederick Douglass Home in Anacostia.
During World War I, Mary Talbert was active in the war bond drives, personally soliciting thousands of dollars in Liberty Bonds. Further, she served as American Red Cross Nurse with the American Expeditionary Forces in France. She also served as a delegate to the International Council of Women in Christiania, Norway in 1920. She was a national and international public figure who was a sought after speaker for her lectures on race relations, anti-lynching and women’s rights. Her tireless efforts on the behalf of African American people earned her the NAACP Springarn Award. Mary Burnett Talbert was the first black woman to be honored with this prestigious recognition.
Mary Talbert died in 1923 [15 October]. She is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery and Garden Mausoleum. Her biography appears in Uncrowned Queens: African American Women Community Builders of Western New York, Volume I
Posted with permission of Uncrowned Queens Institute for Research and Education on Women, Inc., http://wings.buffalo.edu/uncrownedqueens/files/talbert.htm

Miriam L. Tallmadge
Miriam L. Tallmadge, born Feb 6, 1917, died Jan 31, 1998 in her residence in Berea, Ky. The daughter of Marion Martin Lemmon and Waldo Biddle Lemmon, she was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She [graduated from OHS in 1935,] attended Oberlin College and Ohio State University and graduated from the business school in Oberlin, Ohio. After graduation she was secretary to the Vice President of Oberlin College.
She was married to William (Bill) H. Tallmadge for 57 years, and they raised 4 children. When Bill retired in 1976 the couple moved from Buffalo, New York to Berea, Kentucky. There she was a deacon and choir member of Union Church, and volunteered for many years with Woman’s Industrial. She was the secretary for the League of Women Voters. Mim was a charter member and secretary of Body Recall, Inc. and traveled thousands of miles all over the U.S. with their Travel Team ­ demonstrating exercise programs for the elderly. She participated in several National 10 kilometer race walks with her husband; she won a gold medal when she was in her early 70s.
Mim was a lover of wildflowers.
Obituary provided by family.

Charles Finney Tambling
Charles Finney Tambling, teacher and administrator, died on May 6, 1958, in Cathedral City, California, at the age of 86. His death resulted from a stroke.
Mr. Tambling, the son of Corydon L. (OC 1861-63) and Nellie Fields Tambling, was born in Oberlin, Ohio, on November 1, 1871. As a child he studied in the Conservatory, [graduated from OHS in 1889,] later entering the Academy, and continuing on through the college, to receive his A.B. degree in 1895. He did graduate study at Michigan, Harvard, Yale, Chicago, and Columbia, receiving the M.A. degree from Columbia in 1911. In 1896, he went to teach high school at Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, becoming principal of the school two years later. In 1899, he joined the staff of Central State Normal School, also in Mt Pleasant. Two years later, he was named head of the department of physiology and physical education, and for thirty-seven years, he was one of the college’s top administrators. He witnessed the growth of the Health and Physical Education Department into one of the finest in the mid-west. He was the author of several articles for the State Board of Health Bulletin and for the State Department of Public Instruction.
Mr. Tambling married Bessie Fancer (1894-95) in November, 1895; she died in 1936. Later, he married Clara H. Wiggin. After his retirement, they moved to Cathedral City, California.
Surviving are Mrs. Tambling and seven children by the first marriage: Fielden F., Captain Preston S., Charles W., Corydon L., Ralph F., Mrs. Leonard Boller, and Mrs. Elizabeth T. Lee. There are nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
The Oberlin Alumni Magazine, December 1938, p. 38.

Joe Roy Tatum
Services for Joe Roy Tatus, 57, former Oberlin resident, will be at noon today at the Cowling Funeral Home. Friends may call from 11 a.m. until services begin. The Rev. Johathan Ealy will officiate and burial will be in Westwood Cemetery. Mr. Tatum died Nov. 9 at Meridia Suburban Hospital in Cleveland after a long illness.
Born in Patrick County, Va., he was a 1956 graduate of Oberlin High School and was active in sports.
He had been employed as a truck driver at Gilford Systems.
Survivors include his wife, Carol; sons, Joe of Cleveland, Kevan of Sheffield Lake, Stevan of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Tim of Tucson, Ariz.; five grandchildren; his mother, Irene Brodus of Elyria; and a sister, Shirley McGee of Elyria.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Tuesday, November 15, 1994, p. 2.

Geoffrey Taylor
Geoffrey Warren Taylor of Oberlin died Monday, Nov. 24, 2003, at Allen Medical Center following a lengthy illness. He as 67.
Born March 27, 1936, in Chicago, Ill., he lived most of his life in Oberlin, New York, Texas and New Mexico. He graduated from Oberlin High School in 1954 and from Oberlin College in 1957.
He earned a masters degree in film production and film criticism from Columbia University in New York, and while there worked as a statistical analyst for a public opinion survey company. He also worked as a broadcaster in radio and television while living in New Mexico and Texas.
He served in the U.S. Army during the Berlin crisis of 1962.
He was active in drama, acting and directing, and enjoyed studying movies and national politics.
Mr. Taylor is survived by his brothers Thomas William Taylor of Downers Grove, Ill., and Joseph Ransom Taylor with whom he lived in Oberlin; niece, Sarah Adele Taylor and nephew, David Thomas Taylor, both of Downers Grove, Ill. He was preceded in death by his parents, Warren and Adele Elizabeth (nee Wanner) Taylor; and brother, William Dickinson Taylor.
Dicken Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Elyria handled arrangements.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Tuesday, December 2, 2003, p. 3.

Georgia Ann Taylor
Georgia Ann Taylor spent her retirement years in Arizona after a long career as a public school teacher in Connecticut, following an MA degree at Case Western Reserve University and a professional diploma at Columbia University. After settling five years ago in Scottsdale she involved herself in a number of community groups. She used her teaching experience in the children’s department of St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church, chaired the Education Foundation Committee, and published the monthly bulletin, aside from participating in a number of other volunteer activities. Miss Taylor died at age 67 March 22 in Scottsdale’s Mayo Hospital.
Oberlin Alumni Magazine, Oberlin College, Fall 2001, p. 51.

John Wallace Taylor
J. Wallace Taylor died Aug. 7[, 1968,] in Port Clinton, Ohio. [He was an 1898 graduate of OHS.
He was born in Osaka, Japan, 88 years ago. After graduation [from Oberlin College in 1903] he attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mr. Taylor then became a mechanical engineer and worked both in the U.S. and abroad. His inventions included an auto selective delay action fuse, bore safe fuse, supersensitive anti-aircraft fuse and a ballistic parachute which was turned over to government use.
In 1907 Mr. Taylor married Cora Graf, ’99-02. They had no children. His parents, Wallace and Mary Wisner Taylor, were in the class of 1867. He had a brother, Carl, who attended the academy in 1898-1900. His sister, Harriet, ’09, is his sole survivor.
The Oberlin Alumni Magazine, Oberlin, Ohio, November 1968, p. 46.

Laura Scott Taylor Dies at 79, Ran Bedford-Stuyvesant School
Laura Scott Taylor, the co-founder and retired principal of the Concord Baptist Elementary School in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, died on Sunday at Kings County Hospital Center. Mrs. Taylor, who lived in Crown Heights, was 79.
Mrs. Taylor was fatally injured when she was hit by a truck last Friday while crossing a street in Crown Heights.
For 32 years, Mrs. Taylor served as the unsalaried principal of the Concord Baptist Elementary School, which she established in 1960 with her husband, the Rev. Gardner Taylor, now pastor emeritus of the Concord Baptist Church of Christ.
Dr. Taylor, who had been a member of the New York City Board of Education, said the school was founded because many parents felt their children were being "intellectually butchered" by the public school system. "The kids were finished before their lives had started," he said.
The school emphasizes reading and extensive instruction in black history and culture. "It means a great deal to know Negroes are making a success in every phase of life," Mrs. Taylor said in 1967. "For these children to get a good opinion of themselves is very important. They should know that those who want to make it can."
Begun with 25 pupils in grades one through six, the school reached an enrollment of 130 pupils in seven years.
"We have proved that Negroes can learn to do what anybody else can do," Mrs. Taylor said then. "There is something radically wrong with the public school system if our kids can't read."
Today, the school has an enrollment of 150 in its six grades.
Mrs. Taylor, who was born in Cleveland, grew up in Oberlin, Ohio, and graduated in 1937 from Oberlin College. In 1940, after teaching in South Carolina, she married Dr. Taylor, whom she had met at the Mount Zion Baptist Church in Oberlin while he was a student at the Oberlin Graduate School of Theology.
The Taylors moved to New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La., and came to Brooklyn in 1948, when Dr. Taylor was named pastor of the Concord Baptist Church. He retired in 1990 as the dean of black pastors in the United States. In 1952, when the church was destroyed by fire, Mrs. Taylor led its women in raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the construction of a replacement.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Taylor is survived by her daughter, Martha LaCroix; a brother, Eugene Scott; a sister, Elizabeth Taylor; a sister by adoption, Ruby Harris, and a grandson.
The New York Times, New York, N.Y., Friday, February 10, 1995, p. 26.
Laurabelle Scott Taylor
Laurabelle Scott Taylor, 79, of New York City, former Oberlin resident, died Feb. 5 at Kings County Hospital Center after being struck by a city truck on Friday, Feb. 3, as she crossed Brooklyn Avenue.
Born in Cleveland, one of 11 children of Wayman and Rosa Scott, she grew up in Oberlin. She graduated from Oberlin High School [in 1933] and in 1937 from Oberlin College, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
After graduation she taught for three years at the Avery Institute in Charleston, S.C., until marrying the Rev. Gardner C. Taylor, a graduate of the Oberlin Graduate School of Theology.
The Taylors moved to New Orleans where he was pastor of Beulah Baptist Church, then to Baton Rouge, where he was pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church. In 1948 they moved to Brooklyn, N.Y., when he became pastor of the Concord Baptist Church of Christ, which he served until retirement.
Through the years, as the Rev. Gardner Taylor became one of the outstanding religious leaders of the country, Mrs. Taylor was active in the many projects of Concord Baptist Church. When the church was destroyed by fire in 1952, she led the women of the church in raising money for rebuilding. In 1960, she organized the Concord Baptist Elementary School and remained as the unsalaried principal of that school for 32 years without missing ten days.
Mrs. Taylor is survived by her husband, a daughter, Martha LaCroix of Harbor City, Calif.; a sister, Elizabeth Taylor of Washington, D.C.; a brother, Eugene Scott, of Knoxville, Tenn.; and a grandson, Marcus LaCroix.
Services were at Concord Baptist Church on Feb. 9, with burial in Evergreen Cemetery in Bushwick, N.Y.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Laura Scott Taylor Scholarship Fund at Concord Elementary School, in care of Concord Baptist Church, 833 Rev. Gardner Taylor Blvd., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11216.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Tuesday, February 14, 1995, p. 3.

Death Was Sudden
Dr. Maynard Taylor, Formerly of Oberlin, Passes Away at Pittsburg
Dr. T. Maynard Taylor, son of Dr. and Mrs. Wallace Taylor, of 126 East Lorain street, and a teacher in the Carnegie Technical schools at Pittsburg, was found dead in his rooms in that city last Wednesday morning.
The young man’s death was undoubtedly the result of overwork and overstudy. Dr. Wallace went at once to Pittsburg, bringing the remains here for burial. The funeral was held Friday from the home. Dr. Bradshaw officiated.
For several years Mr. Taylor was a member of the Oberlin faculty and he had a large circle of friends here, many of whom attended the funeral services. The deceased was a man of quiet habits, being above all else a student. His was a strong Christian character and his life was clean cut. He graduated from [OHS in 1892 and from] Oberlin [College] with the class of ’97, receiving the degree of S.B. During the following summer he was instructor in physics and chemistry at the Williamson trade school, Williamson, Pa. He studied at the University of Pennsylvania from 1898 to 1901, the first year taking university scholarship in chemistry; 1899, Harrison fellowship in chemistry and in 1901 he was given the degree of Ph.D.
In the fall of 1901 he accepted a position as instructor in chemistry in Oberlin college and remained here until last September when he resigned to accept a position as instructor in chemistry in Carnegie Technical school in Pittsburg.
During his teaching here he devoted considerable time to practical work, being interested in various improvements in the methods of chemical manufacture.
Mr. Taylor’s brothers, William, a Youngstown physician; John W., a Massillon mechanical engineer, and Carl and Norman, of Chicago, were here for the funeral. His sister, Miss Hattie Taylor, is a senior in college.
The Oberlin News, Oberlin, Ohio, Tuesday, March 5, 1907, p. 4.
Thomas Maynard Taylor
T. Maynard Taylor died at Pittsburg, Pa., February 27, 1907.
Mr. Taylor was born May 25, 1874 at Kobe, Japan. He received his preparatory in the Oberlin High School [class of 1892] and Academy and was graduated from the College with the class of ’97. During the years 1897-1899, he was University Scholar in Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. The following two years he held the Harrison Fellowship at the same University and was granted the degree of Ph.D. In the fall of 1901, Mr. Taylor returned to Oberlin, where for five years he was instructor in Chemistry in the College. Last September, Mr. Taylor accepted a position in the Carnegie Technical Schools in Pittsburg. The attack of melancholia, during which he took his life, was no doubt due to overstudy and too close confinement in his class-room and laboratory.
The following resolutions were prepared by a committee of his classmates:
The recent death of Dr. T. Maynard Taylor of ’97 removes another member from the class circle—the fifth in the ten years since graduation.
The news of this sudden bereavement was a great shock to his classmates. Those who were in Oberlin and several from nearby towns gathered to attend this funeral and to pay their last respects to the memory of a dear classmate and friend.
In behalf of the class of ’97 they wish to express to the parents and relatives of Dr. Taylor their heartfelt sympathy in this bereavement, feeling that in the untimely removal of this noble and pure young life, the whole class share in the deep sorrow of his loss.
In behalf of ‘97
     V. O. Johnston [OHS ‘92]
     H. C. Marshall [OHS ‘92]
     A. G. Thatcher
     L. E. Lord
     E. A. Miller
     J. E. Dexter
     G. G. Brown
The Oberlin Alumni Magazine, Oberlin, Ohio, April 1907, pp. 285-6.

Oberlin College Class of 1903 – Anna White Tenney
Word has been received of the death [on Sept. 2, 1941,] of Mrs. Anna White Tenney at her home in Webster Groves, Missouri. [She graduated from OHS in 1898.] Her father, Professor White, was principal of the Preparatory Department from 1876 until his death in 1893, and her mother, Mrs. White, had an active part in the early days of the Oberlin Kindergarten training school. Mrs. Tenney’s husband, Edward H. Tenney, is a son of the late Dr. Henry M. Tenney, for many years an Oberlin pastor and trustee of the College. Besides her husband she leaves a son, Edward H. Jr., ’33, now an attorney in St. Louis, a sister, Mrs. Edward A. Seibert, ’97, of Dayton, and a brother, George F. White, of Cleveland.
The Oberlin Alumni Magazine, Oberlin, Ohio, October 1941, p. 24.

Bernard F. Tenney dies in Oberlin at 105
Bernard Frederick Tenney [died] Dec. 9, 1973, at the Welcome Nursing Home, Oberlin, where he had resided since 1966 and had observed his 105th birthday last May 4.
Mr. Tenney was born in Sandusky, Ohio, when his parents, Luman and Frances Andrews Tenney, were on their way west after the Civil War. His mother had graduated from Oberlin in 1863 and his father had studied at Oberlin before volunteering for the Army and becoming a brevet major. Mr. Tenney attended Oberlin High School [where he graduated in 1884] and the Oberlin Academy (1885-86) and studied at the College for two years before transferring to Amherst where he received his A.B. in 1890.
He was cashier and vice president of the First State Bank of Ada, Minn., from 1903 to 1919. Earlier he was in the real estate business in Edmunds, N.D., and in Duluth. He also did some farming at Glyndon, Minn. He served in the Army Quartermaster Corps during World War I.
Prior to returning to Oberlin in 1922, Mr. Tenney had a peach orchard and did some truck farming in New Jersey. Throughout his life he loved the outdoors and he always enjoyed gardening. He learned to play golf at the age of 63 and continued to play it and to grow roses and gladiolas until he was almost 90.
Mr. Tenney resided for many years in the home at 178 N. Professor St. (now the site of East Hall) which was built by his grandfather, Edward Andrews, in 1853.
He leaves his daughter, Mary Frances, ’17, grandchildren Ruth Tenney Adamitz, ’53, Jane Tenney Griffin, Melissa Tenney Brown, Arthur E., ’51, James B., ’55, and Richard L. and 13 great-grandchildren. His wife (Sadie Snedecker, ’93) died in 1961 at the age of 90. Sons Luman H., ’18, Edward A., ’23, and William H., ’29, are deceased.
The Oberlin Alumni Magazine, Oberlin, Ohio, January/February 1974, p. 41.

Daniel L. Tenney
Daniel L. Tenney, 78, of Wakeman, former Oberlin resident, died Nov. 2 at his home after a long illness.
Born in Lee, Mass., he had lived in Pittsfield and Oberlin before moving to Wakeman.
Mr. Tenney was director of security at Oberlin College for 12 years retiring in 1980. He had formerly worked for Norwalk Truck Lines and was a member of the Teamsters Union, retiring after 23 years.
During World War II, he served in the Coast Guard and the Merchant Marines.
Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Jeanne W.; a daughter, Barbara Fehlan of Wellington; a son, Bill of Columbus; 10 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a sister, Mary E. Tenney of Norwalk.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Bradford M.
A memorial service was held Nov. 5 at Bethany Lutheran Church, Wellington, with the Rev. Dale Huelsman officiating. Burial was in South Pittsfield Cemetery.
Memorial gifts may be made to New Life Hospice, 1212 N. Abbe Rd., Elyria 44035.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Tuesday, November 8, 1994, p. 2.

Jeanne M. Tenney
Jeanne M. Tenney, 79, of Wakeman, former Oberlin resident, died June 17 at Amherst Manor Nursing Home after a long illness.
She was born in Oberlin and lived most of her life in Wellington, Oberlin and Wakeman areas.
Mrs. Tenney was a 1935 [1936] graduate of Oberlin High School. A homemaker, she enjoyed cooking, gardening and collecting antiques. She also volunteered at Allen Memorial Hospital.
Survivors include a daughter, Mrs. Ray (Barbara) Fehlan of Wellington; a son William of Columbus; 10 grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; two sisters, Ruth Avery of Aluras, Calif., and Eva Halliwell of Wellington; and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Daniel; her parents, Joseph and Lulu Wait; a sister, Betty Myers; and a brother, Charles Wait.
Private family services will be held.
Memorial contributions may be made to New Life Hospice, 5255 N. Abbe Rd., Elyria.
The Gerber-Smith Funeral Home, 16 Cooper St., Wakeman, is handling arrangements.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Tuesday, July 21, 1998, p. 2.

Raymond P. Tenney, A Retired Diplomat
Special to The New York Times
Madison, N.J., May 11—Raymond Parker Tenney of San Francisco, a retired foreign service officer, died yesterday at the Pine Acres Nursing Home here. He was 75 years old [and a 1904 graduate of OHS].
Mr. Tenney was born in China and was a graduate of Harvard College and the Harvard Law School. He entered the diplomatic service after returning to China and attending an interpreters school.
He served as consul in Tientsin, Mukden, Canton and Shanghai, where he was the American judge on the Mixed Court.
Before returning to this country at the outbreak of World War II, Mr. Tenney was director of the Salt administration in Chungking during the Japanese occupation. During the war he helped decode Japanese messages for the State Department. He retired in 1946.
He is survived by a brother, Dr. Albert S. Tenney of East Orange; and two sisters.
The New York Times, New York, N.Y., Sunday, May 12, 1963, p. 86.

Mrs. Bernard F. [Sadie A.] Tenny [Tenney]
Mrs. Bernard Frederick Tenney (Sadie A. Snedeker) died in Oberlin on September 11, 1961. She was 90 years old. Mrs. Tenney had spent most of her life in Oberlin. She was born in Aurora, Ohio, on March 17, 1871, came to Oberlin as a child, and attended Oberlin public schools [OHS class of 1889] and the college [OC class of 1893]. She taught for a year under the American Missionary Association in Alabama, then in public schools in Melbourne, Florida, 1891-95. On May 4, 1895 she married Bernard F. Tenney, ’90, and again came to Oberlin to live until 1903. For 17 years, in the period around World War I, the Tenneys lived in Ada, Minnesota, where Mrs. Tenney was active in the Congregational Church and in civic and club work. She served for seven years on the Board of Education in Ada.
The Tenneys returned to Oberlin in 1922 and have lived there since. She was a member of the First Church and the Oberlin Woman’s Club. In 1945 Mr. and Mrs. Tenney celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary, noted in the Alumni Magazine that year.
Surviving Mrs. Tenney are her husband, who lives at 83 Elmwood Place; a daughter, Mary F. Tenney, ’17, professor emeritus of classics at Newcomb College, New Orleans, now of Oberlin; three sons, Dr. Luman H., ’18, director of the Mental Health Center, Asheville, North Carolina, Edward A., ’23, professor of English at Indiana State College, Terre Haute, Indiana, and William H., ’29, professor of English at the University of Idaho at Moscow; six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Four generations of the Tenney family have attended Oberlin College.
The Oberlin Alumni Magazine, Oberlin, Ohio, December 1961, p. 30.

William Harvey Tenney
William H. Tenney died May 14[, 1973,] in Moscow, Idaho, where he was associate professor of English and the humanities at the University of Idaho from 1949 until his retirement in 1971.
Mr. Tenney was born in Ada, Minn., Jan. 29, 1906, and was a son of Bernard F. Tenney, ’90, and the late Sadie Snedeker Tenney who attended Oberlin in 1889-91 and 1895-96. His paternal grandparents were Luman Harris Tenney who attended Oberlin 1857-60 and Frances Delia Andrews Tenney, 1863 Lit. His great-grandmother, Delia Fenn Andrews, received the Lit. degree in 1841. [He graduated from OHS in 1924 and from Oberlin College in 1929.]
He lettered in football in 1927 and 1928 and was a graduate assistant in English 1929-30, receiving his A.M. in 1930. He received the Ph.D. from Michigan in 1944 after serving as instructor in the College of Engineering there (1930-37) and heading the English department at Edison Institute of Technology in Dearborn, Mich., 1937-43.
After serving as assistant professor of English at Michigan State, Mr. Tenney was visiting lecturer at Oberlin in 1945. Before going to Idaho he was dean of faculty at Champlain College in Plattsburg, N.Y.
Mr. Tenney leaves his wife, the former Marion Failacci, daughters Jean (Mrs. Robert Griffin) and Melissa (Mrs. Lowell Brown), two grandson, his father in Oberlin, and sister Mary F., ’17, in Oberlin. Brothers Luman H., ’18, and Edward A., ’23, are deceased.
The Oberlin Alumni Magazine, Oberlin, Ohio, July/August 1973, p. 57.

Mrs. Isaac Terborgh Killed In Accident Near Medina
Memorial Service Held in First Church Monday for Well Known Former Resident
Memorial services were held in First Church Monday for Mrs. Isaac Terborgh, well known former Oberlin resident who died Saturday after being struck by an automobile as she was crossing a highway near Medina. Dr. W. F. Bohn officiated at the services here. Private burial services will be later.
Mrs. Terborgh was born July 31, 1864, in Benzonia, Mich., the daughter of retired African missionaries. When she was 15 she moved with her family to Oberlin, where she attended Oberlin High School[, graduating in 1883,] and graduated from Oberlin College in 1888.
She was a teacher in Oberlin for several years and later taught in Wymore, Neb. In 1894 she was married to Isaac Terborgh, a graduate of the Oberlin Theological Seminary.
Mrs. Terborgh lived the life of a small town minister’s wife until 1905 when her physician recommended a drier climate to alleviate a chronic bronchial irritation, and the family moved to a farm in Alberta, Canada.
Their farm, 27 miles from a railroad was in the wilds of Canada. In the frontier community, Mrs. Terborgh taught the first school organized in the region. She conducted Sunday school classes and organized literary societies, choruses, and amateur theatricals.
In 1916 the family moved back to Oberlin where they continued to live until 1941, when they moved to St. Cloud, Fla. Mr. Terborgh died early in 1946.
Mrs. Terborgh was visiting a niece near Medina at the time of the accident which caused her death.
Surviving are a brother, John Winter Thompson of St. Charles, Ill., three daughters, Mrs. William C. Childs of Westfield, N. J., Mrs. John Murray of Blackburg, Va., and Mrs. Robert Rowe of Metuchen, N. J., and a son, George Terborgh, Arlington, Va.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Thursday, July 3, 1947, p. 1.

Mary Eliza Church Terrell
Upbringing Prepared for Rights Struggle
By Perre Magness
Mary Eliza Church was born in Memphis Sept. 23, 1863, nine months after the Emancipation Proclamation. She died only a few months after the Supreme Court declared segregation unconstitutional.
She was one of the great figures of the struggle for civil rights. Her father, Robert Church, was the son of the white owner of a steamboat line, Capt. Charles B. Church, and a slave. Robert worked on his father's steamboats until the Civil War closed the line. He was able to buy a saloon on De Soto Street in Memphis.
Her mother was Louisa Ayers, who had been a lady's maid. When the Emancipation Proclamation freed her, she opened a ''hair store'' near Court Square, where Memphis ladies could buy chignons and false curls, and have their hair coiffed.
Mollie, as the little girl was known, and her brother Thomas were born into prosperous circumstances, since both their parents were succeeding in their businesses.
But she heard frightening tales of slavery from her maternal grandmother, which sometimes brought her to tears. Her parents divorced when the children were very small, and Louisa eventually moved to New York, where she opened another hair store.
The quality of education for blacks in Memphis was so poor that when Mollie was 6 years old, her parents agreed that she should have better advantages. They sent her to Yellow Springs, Ohio, to the model school connected with Antioch College, whose first president was famed educator Horace Mann.
The child was fortunate to board with a black couple who kept the town's hotel, and who provided a warm and loving home for her for five years. When she was 12, she was sent to Oberlin, Ohio, to attend high school [OHS class of 1879] and then Oberlin College. Oberlin was founded by abolitionists, and was the first college to accept black students, in 1835. Mollie was one of three black women to graduate in the class of 1884.
Despite her popularity with her classmates, she was always aware of the color line, and the prejudices that met her at many turns. After college, she accepted a teaching position at Wilberforce University. Her father, who had remarried, strongly disapproved; he wanted his daughter to be a ''real lady,'' and real ladies did not work because the men in the family could support them. By this time, Robert Church was well on his way to becoming the first black millionaire in Memphis. So few black women were as well qualified, and she was determined to use her excellent education. For a year she was estranged from her father, but he came round to her point of view. After she had taught at Wilberforce for two years and one year in the Washington high school for blacks, he took her to Europe, and supported her desire to study abroad. She spent a year studying French in Switzerland, and another studying German in Berlin. She returned to Washington to teach, and a romance bloomed with Robert Heberton Terrell, the head of the Latin department of Washington high school for blacks. Terrell's education matched Mary's; he had graduated from Groton and with honors from Harvard. They were married in 1891 at her father's home on Lauderdale in Memphis.
Even the Memphis newspaper, which seldom printed news of black people, described ''the elaborate menu and excellent champagne'' and the orchestra, ''which made the air sweet with its beautiful music.'' Marriage ended her teaching career, for married women were not permitted to teach in most parts of the country. The early years of her marriage were full of sadness. She lost three babies; a daughter, Phyllis, survived, and Mary and her husband adopted her brother's daughter, Mary. In the spring of 1892, while she was pregnant for the first time, she heard horrifying news from Memphis.
Tom Moss, who had been a close childhood friend and who had recently sent her a set of silver oyster forks as a wedding present, was one of the owners of the People's Grocery Store in South Memphis, who had been involved in a rivalry with a white grocer across the street. He and two other men had been lynched by angry whites. The tragedy, combined with the death of her baby a few months later, plunged her into depression but her strength of character asserted itself, and she entered into community affairs.
Long Career Paved Way for Women, Blacks
She found plenty to occupy her. She was the first black woman appointed to the District of Columbia Board of Education and served for nearly six years, resigning when her husband was appointed high school principal.
When a new board was formed under a different jurisdiction, she was the only person to have served previously to be appointed. Upon her resignation after 11 years of service, she received many tributes for her devoted work in the cause of education.
One of the innovations she introduced was Douglass Day. The day honoring Frederick Douglass – so black pupils could take pride in their history – was the first official celebration of black history in the nation. She became involved in club work. She was a co-founder of the Colored Women's League of Washington. When it merged in 1896 with more than 100 other clubs to form the National Association of Colored Women, she was elected the first president.
She attended the meetings of the American Woman Suffrage Association, and entered a resolution that the injustices of colored women be included in the association's actions. Her friendship with Susan B. Anthony led to invitations to speak before large suffrage meetings, and this led to another career. She became a popular lecturer, traveling the circuit, delivering talks on such subjects as ''The Progress of Colored Women,'' ''The Bright Side of a Dark Subject'' and ''Harriet Beecher Stowe.'' She told her husband, ''I really feel that I am putting the colored woman in a favorable light every time I address an audience of white people.''
She lectured for more than 30 years, even braving the Jim Crow laws to tour the South and reach audiences who had never seen an educated black woman.
Although her friends warned her not to make her speeches too harsh, she wrote, ''I felt that I could not be true to myself or to my race, if I did not . . . tell the truth about the barbarities perpetrated upon representatives of the race when I discussed the problem.'' In 1904, she was invited to address the International Council of Women in Germany, where she was the only dark-skinned delegate. That in itself aroused curiosity, which turned to awe when she delivered one lecture in German and another in French.
Her husband, who had attended law school while teaching, had been appointed judge of the Municipal Court of the District of Columbia, first by President Theodore Roosevelt and then for five more terms by both Republican and Democratic presidents.
Mrs. Terrell attended the founding conferences of the NAACP in 1909 and 1910 and served on its executive committee. She fought discrimination wherever she found it. Her organizational talents and her speaking ability made her invaluable.
After she was awarded honorary degrees by Oberlin, Wilberforce and Howard colleges, she applied for membership in the American Association of University Women in 1946. It took the board three years of wrangling to accept her and to welcome the black women who followed. When she wrote her autobiography in 1940, British writer H. G. Wells wrote the preface.
In 1950, when she was 87, she joined a protest against Washington's segregated restaurants; leaning on her cane, she led the picket lines. She died July 24, 1954. Her 90 years saw immense changes, and she was a leader in gaining rights for blacks and for women.
Sources: Roberta Church and Ronald Walter, Nineteenth Century Memphis Families of Color 1850-1900 (1987). Mary Church Terrell, A Colored Woman in a White World (Washington: Ransdell Press, 1940). Dorothy Sterling, Black Foremothers (The Feminist Press, 1988).
The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee, Thursdays, July 21 & 28, 1994.
Mrs. Terrell Praised
First Lady Pays Tribute to Negro Woman Leader
Washington, Aug. 1 (UP)—Mrs. Dwight D. Eisenhower said today that the late Mary Church Terrell, first president of the National Association of Colored Women, dedicated her life to “the betterment of humanity.”
The First Lady’s encomium was read to the organization’s convention here by Maxwell M. Raab, secretary to the Cabinet and associate counsel to the President. Mrs. Terrell died on July 24.
“I am proud to honor the memory and the great work of your first president, Mrs. Mary Church Terrell,” Mrs. Eisenhower’s message said. “She was rarely endowed. For more than sixty years her great gifts were dedicated to the betterment of humanity, and she left a truly inspiring record. Her life was the epitome of courage and vision and a deep faith—an example worthy of emulation by all who love their fellow men.”
The New York Times, New York, N.Y., Monday, August 2, 1954, p. 13.

William J. Teves
William J. Teves, 80, of Elyria, former Oberlin resident, died July 22 at EMH Regional Medical Center after a nine-month illness.
Born in Lorain, he moved to Oberlin as a child and graduated from Oberlin High School [in 1932] and from the Oberlin School of Commerce.
In 1937 he started work at the National Tube Co. in Lorain, now known as USS/Kobe Steel Co., as a clerk in the accounting department. He was later promoted to personnel services.
In 1951 Mr. Teves was transferred to the McKeesport, Pa., Works and in 1954 to National Tube’s headquarters in Pittsburgh, where he was a general supervisor of personnel.
From 1957-68 he served as assistant superintendent of personnel services at McKeesport, Pa., and Ellwood City, Pa., returning to the Lorain Works in 1968. He was superintendent of personnel services at Lorain Works from 1969-78.
He served as a board member and was a former president of Goodwill Industries of Lorain and also served on the board of directors at the Lorain Family YMCA.
Mr. Teves was a member of the Lorain Area Chamber of Commerce, the Lorain Works Management Club, Elyria Kiwanis Club and St. Jude Catholic Church in Elyria.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Ruth (nee Eaton); a daughter, Patricia Gary of Los Alamos, N.M.; a son, Thomas W., of Short Hills, N.J.; and four grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Michael.
Services were Monday morning at the Dicken Funeral Home, Elyria, followed by Mass at St. Jude Catholic Church, Elyria, with the Rev. Daniel R. Fickes, associate pastor, officiating.
Burial was in Ridge Hill Memorial Park in Amherst Township.
Memorial gifts may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Tuesday, July 26, 1994, p. 2.

Michael Tevesz
Michael J. Tevesz, 67, of Amherst, formerly of Oberlin, died Sunday at Lorain Community Hospital after a 14-month illness.
Born in Lorain, he grew up in Oberlin and graduated from Oberlin High School in 1936.
He was a utilities analyst in the Fuel and Power Department of U.S. Steel’s Lorain Works, retiring in 1981 after 44 years.
He served with the U.S. Air Force during World War II. He was a member of St. Joseph Church, Amherst.
He is survived by his wife, Mary, a son, Dr. Michael J. Tevesz of Cleveland; and a brother, William of Elyria.
Funeral services were Tuesday at St. Joseph Church, Amherst, with burial in Calvary Cemetery, Lorain.
The family suggests that memorial contributions be made to the American Cancer Society.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Thursday, January 10, 1985, p. 10.

Everett Thatcher, 88, A Naval Researcher
Everett W. Thatcher, a former director of research at the Navy Electronics Laboratory in San Diego, died on April 24. He was 88 years old and lived in San Diego.
He died of respiratory and heart failure, said his son, James.
Dr. Thatcher was appointed to the naval laboratory after leading several research projects involving radar and radio waves during World War II and coordinating nonmilitary research for the Bikini Atoll atomic bomb tests after the war. Before the war he was a professor of physics. He taught at Union College, in Schenectady, N.Y., from 1931 to 1946.
Born in Ohio[, graduating from Oberlin High School in 1921,] and reared in California, Dr. Thatcher earned a bachelor’s degree at Oberlin College in 1929 and a master’s degree there a year later. He was awarded a doctorate in physics from the University of Michigan in 1931. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and a fellow of Sigma Xi, and belonged to the American Physical Society and the American Association of Physics Teachers, among other organizations.
Dr. Thatcher’s wife, the former Fernie Marie Klotz, died in 1988. He is survived by a son, James, of Yorktown Heights, N.Y., a daughter, Lucy Franck, of San Diego, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
The New York Times, Saturday, May 9, 1992, p. 31.

Anne H. Thomas
Anne H. Thomas (nee Helm); wife of the late Harry; died Jan. 18. at age 92. [She was a 1929 graduate of OHS.] Loving mother of Norman (Gloria), Gary (Dolly), and the late Kenneth (Linda). Funeral services will be held Saturday, Jan. 24. Wake 3 P.M., Service 3:30 P.M. at E.F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home, 25900 Emery RD.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, January 22, 2004.

Funeral service set today for Dorothea M. Thomas, 76
Funeral services for Dorothea Mae Thomas, 76, of 171 East Lorain will be today at 1 p.m. at the First Baptist Church with Rev. Paul Buckland and Rev. Steven Hammond officiating. Burial will be in Westwood Cemetery.
Mrs. Thomas died early Tuesday morning at Allen Hospital following a brief illness.
Born in Oberlin on Dec. 9, 1902, she was a lifelong area resident and had studied in the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. For many years she was active in the Oberlin Girl Scout program. She was a member of the First Baptist Church, the Friendship Guild and Missionary Society of the church, on the board of the Church Women United of Oberlin, and active in the Allen Hospital Auxiliary, working during the past two years in the hospital gift shop.
She is survived by here husband Robert S. Thomas, former Oberlin mayor and Lorain Journal reporter; daughter Helen (Mrs. Freeman) Woodson of 171 East Lorain; son Don M. of Orange, New Jersey; sister, Mrs. Arthur Zebbs of 138 South Main; brother, John H. Jones, Elyria; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Thursday, August 23, 1979.

Elizabeth Thomas
Elizabeth G. Thomas, 76, the first black teacher in the Oberlin public schools, died Monday at her home following a long illness.
She died in the same home she was born in on N. Professor Street.
Mrs. Thomas attended Oberlin schools[, graduated from Oberlin High School in 1931,] and was a 1936 graduate of Oberlin College. She taught public school for 36 years, 32 in Oberlin schools.
Mrs. Thomas retired in 1975 but remained an active afternoon volunteer at Eastwood Elementary School for 10 years following her retirement.
Her life was dedicated in service to others. She served as a volunteer at the Allen Memorial Hospital gift shop as well as the local Meals on Wheels program.
She was a member of the Oberlin Community Services Council, the Friends of Oberlin Public Library, the Historic Preservation Commission, the Oral History Committee, the Women’s Progressive Club, Beta Gamma Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, the Oberlin Board of the American Association of University Women, National Association of Ohio Negro Professional Women’s Club, the Martin Luther King Adult Group, the Missionary Society and Church Women United. She served as the superintendent of the Mt. Zion church school for many years.
She is survived by three cousins in New York and was preceded in death by her husband Philip in 1975.
Friends will be received Thursday at the Cowling Funeral Home from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Services will be held Friday at 7 p.m. at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church with the Rev. Fred Steen officiating. Burial will be Saturday at 9:30 a.m. in Westwood Cemetery.
The family suggests memorial contributions may be made to the Eastwood Elementary School library or the Philip M. Thomas Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Tuesday, October 31, 1989, p. 2.

Frances F. Thomas
Frances F. Thomas, 49, of Oberlin died Feb. 27 at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis after a one-year battle with cancer.
Born in Oberlin, she graduated from Oberlin High School in 1961 [sic]. She received a master of education degree from Kent State University.
Mrs. Thomas began her career in education in Oberlin as a Scope teacher aide in 1969. She was hired as a teacher in 1970 and served as Langston Middle School principal from 1978 until she was named assistant superintendent in 1984.
She resigned from the Oberlin schools in January 1986 to accept the job of director of state and federal programs for the Mansfield schools. She had been director of curriculum for the Indianapolis, Ind., school system for two years.
She was a member of Christ Temple Apostolic Church, Oberlin.
Survivors include her husband, John B., to whom she was married 32 years; three sons, Bryan of Elyria, and Kenny and Kevin, both at home; two grandsons, her father, William Payne of Philadelphia; and her mother, Susan Lewis of Elyria.
Visitation will be today, March 3, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. in the Cowling Funeral Home. Services will be at 11 a.m. on Wednesday at Christ Temple Apostolic Church. Burial will be in Westwood Cemetery.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Tuesday, March 3, 1992

George Thomas
George Thomas, 94, of Oberlin, died June 4 at Allen Memorial Hospital after a long illness.
Born in Oberlin [and a 1924 graduate of OHS], he lived in California for many years, returning to Oberlin three years ago.
He was an executive director of the Southern California Conference on Race Relations for 25 years, retiring in 1968.
The state of California designated the Senior Citizens Centers in the name of Mr. Thomas and his late wife, Helen.
Survivors include three grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; sister, Juanita V. Brown of Oberlin; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Helen (nee Anderson); a daughter, Jacqueline Thomas Reynolds; his parents, George A. and Lydia; brothers Robert and Harry; and a sister, Opal Gaines.
A memorial service was held June 6 at the Welcome Nursing Home with Pastor Charles B. Mayle of the Christian Missionary Alliance officiating.
The Cowling Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Tuesday, June 9, 1998, p. 3.

Harry N. Thomas, 89, Post Office Supervisor
Bedford, Ohio – Harry N. Thomas played in the state basketball tournament three years in a row when he was a star on the Oberlin High School basketball team. They won the Class B title in 1926[, the year he graduated].
Mr. Thomas worked in the Cleveland Post Office for 30 years. He was a supervisor at the South Euclid branch when he retired in the 1960s. He had earlier been a clerk in the University Circle branch.
Mr. Thomas died Friday at the Harborside nursing home. He was 89.
He was born in Oberlin, where he graduated from Oberlin Business College. He married Anne Helm in 1933. He was a founding member of the Oberlin branch of the NAACP. He remained active with the organization in Cleveland. He was also a member of the National Postal Alliance.
During the Depression, Mr. Thomas worked as a waiter and red cap in Cleveland's Union Terminal. He lived most recently in Bedford.
A son, Kenneth, is deceased.
In addition to his wife of 65 years, survivors include two sons, H. Norman and Gary, both of Shaker Heights; a sister; a brother; six grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 1:30 p.m. today at the E.F. Boyd & Son Funeral Home, 25900 Emery Rd., Warrensville Heights.
The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, Tuesday, April 21, 1998, p. 7B.

John Bobby Thomas
John Bobby Thomas, 65, of Sycamore Street, died at the Oberlin Medical Center on Friday, Aug. 3, following a long illness. He was known to many as J.B. Thomas.
[Born in Sharpsburg, Ky.,] Mr. Thomas lived in Oberlin all his life, [graduating from Oberlin High School in 1956 and] working for BF Goodrich in Brecksville [as a lab technician] for 33 years before retiring in 1998.
He was a member of Christ Temple Apostolic Church of Oberlin, and attended Grace Lutheran Church of Oberlin as well.
He was a Webelo leader for the Cub Scouts and coached eighth grade football in Oberlin when the high school was located where Langston Middle School is now [and coached high school football for Elyria Catholic for 10 years.] Mr. Thomas was involved in the Community Mentoring Program at Oberlin High School and was a volunteer tutor for the Athletic Study Tables at OHS as well.
He was a member of the Oberlin Schools for Excellence Schools team.
Mr. Thomas was a past master of Central Star Lodge #73 and was Pythagorean advisor. Up until his illness, he was director of personnel for the Oberlin Community Baseball and Softball Federation and was head umpire, affiliated with the organization for 35 years. He was a very active member of the Oberlin Athletic Boosters and received a Community Service Award from the Oberlin Club of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Womens Club.
He is survived by his wife, Harriet Thomas (nee Ahmed Forrest) of Oberlin; sons Bryan of Elyria, Kevin of Youngstown, and Kenny of Elyria; brothers Fred and Jackson of Oberlin; and two grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his first wife of 33 years, Frances Flurette Thomas, and parents, George and Anna (nee Jones) Thomas.
The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Oberlin Community Youth Scholarship Fund, c/o Access Program, 105 Abbe Road North, Elyria, Ohio, 44035.
Funeral Services will be held at Christ Temple Apostolic Church, [370 Lincoln St., Oberlin,] at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 9 with visitation two hours before the time of services. District Elder Laurence Nevels of Christ Temple Apostolic Church will officiate. Interment will be at Westwood Cemetery with Cowling Funeral Home [228 South Main St., Oberlin,] handling the arrangements.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Tuesday, August 7, 2001 [The Chronicle-Telegram, Elyria, Ohio, August 8, 2001]

Kenneth H. Thomas
Kenneth H. Thomas, 33, a former Oberlin High School student (1961-62), was instantly killed in a traffic accident in Phoenix, Ariz., last week. He was the son of Harry and Anne Thomas, formerly of Oberlin, and now living in Phoenix; and nephew of Bob Thomas, 171 E. Lorain, who went to Phoenix for the memorial service.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Thursday, February 3, 1977, p. 10.

Orville Buckner Thomas
Orville Buckner Thomas, 88, of Oberlin, died Nov. 21 at Welcome Nursing Home after a long illness.
A lifelong Oberlin resident, he graduated from Oberlin High School [in 1931] and the Ekles School of Mortuary Science in Philadelphia, Pa.
Mr. Thomas was employed for many years with Ball, Burge and Kraus in Cleveland. After his retirement, he worked at Oberlin Savings Bank as a customer service representative.
Mr. Thomas was a member of Mount Zion Baptist Church for over 65 years and later joined the Church of the Open Door in Elyria.
He was a member of Most Worshipful Prince Hall, Grand Lodge of Ohio F&AM. In 1963, he was installed as worshipful master of Central Star Lodge #63 of Oberlin.
He is survived by daughters Renee Haskins of Covina, Calif., Yvonne Etter of Los Angeles, Calif., and Marie Wakefield of Las Vegas, Nev.; nieces Ferne Moore, M.D., and Shirley Wilson-Young; nephews Harold Coleman and Thomas Georges M.D.; great-nephew Eric Wilson; and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Ethel.
Graveside services were held at Westwood Cemetery Nov. 24.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Tuesday, November 30, 1999, p. 6.
Orville Buckner Thomas
Orville Buckner Thomas, 88, of Oberlin, died Monday at the Welcome Nursing Home after a long illness.
Born in Oberlin, he lived in Oberlin most of his life.
A 1931 graduate of Oberlin High School, he also graduated from Eckels Mortuary College in Philadelphia.
He worked for the W. Stanley Jackson Funeral Home in Philadelphia for a year, but needed to seek other work because of health problems. Mr. Thomas was a clerk for Ball, Burge and Kraus investors on the New York Stock Exchange for 34 years.
He also was a customer service representative at Oberlin Savings Bank for two years before retiring in 1978.
He was a longtime member of the Church of the Open Door in Elyria.
Mr. Thomas was a former member of Central Star Masonic Lodge 73 F&AM, and was active with the Masons in increasing memberships.
He was a member of the Bezaleel Consistory 15 and the El Hasa Temple 28, both of Cleveland.
Mr. Thomas also was a charter member and former president of the Aracis Building Corps of Oberlin.
Survivors include daughters Renee Haskin of Covina, Calif., Yvonne Elter of Los Angeles, and Marie Wakefield of Las Vegas; eight grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Ethel Anna (nee Bowman) Thomas, and his parents, Robert W. and Lulu H. (nee Adams) Thomas.
Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Cowling Funeral Home, 228 S. Main St., Oberlin.
Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the Westwood Cemetery in Oberlin.
The Rev. Howard O. Jones will officiate.
The Chronicle-Telegram, Elyria, Ohio, Tuesday, November 23, 1999, p. E2.

Philip M. Thomas, attorney, dies at 61
Philip Merwin Thomas died Tuesday afternoon at his home, 195 N. Professor, at the age of 61. Funeral services will be held tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. at Mt. Zion Baptist Church.
Mr. Thomas was an attorney. His wife Elizabeth said yesterday, “I would call him a social work attorney because he was more interested in people and what he could do to help them than in getting money.”
Born in Oberlin Nov. 22, 1913, Mr. Thomas [graduated from Oberlin High School and] enrolled in Oberlin College in 1932 but did not receive his degree in sociology until 1939, because he had to interrupt his studies several times to help support his parents. His father worked on Lake Erie ships and had been laid off because of the Depression.
During World War II, Mr. Thomas was with the U.S. Army in the South Pacific. With the rank of sergeant, he served as program director for Armed Forces Radio stations and edited overseas newspapers. After the war he was an adult probation and parole officer and received his law degree from Cleveland Marshall Law School in 1950.
Retaining his Oberlin residence, Mr. Thomas first practiced law in Lorain. He opened an office here in 1960 and in the same year was appointed assistant city solicitor. He became solicitor for a two-year period in 1964. In 1971, he joined Atty. G.L. Severs in the firm now known as Severs, Thomas and Boylan.
Mr. Thomas, whose nickname was “Bud,” served in many civic capacities, including chairman of the civil planning commission and member of the Allen Hospital board of trustees. He was a member of the City Club, NAACP, and Mt. Zion Church, of which he was a trustee. He belonged to the county, state and national bar associations and had served as acting judge here and in Lorain.
Although he had been ill for some time with liver trouble that dated from a wartime bout with malaria and hepatitis, he continued to work part time until Monday. He died of a ruptured liver.
In addition to his wife, a teacher here since 1942 who is retiring this year from her post at the Eastwood School kindergarten, Mr. Thomas is survived by a brother, Wilbur, of Madison, Wis.; and four sisters, Mrs. Gladys Wallace of 180 S. Park, Mrs. Thelma Godette of 229 E. Lorain, Mrs. Linny Leach of Lorain and Mrs. Annie Hargraves of Covington, Ky.
Friends will be received today from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Cowling Funeral Home. Rev. Fred L. Steen of Mt. Zion Church will conduct the funeral service tomorrow, and burial will be in Westwood Cemetery.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Thursday, May 15, 1975, p. 1.

Robert S. ‘Bob’ Thomas, former Oberlin councilman
Robert S. ‘Bob’ Thomas, 90, an Oberlin Councilman in the 1960s and 1970s, died at Allen Memorial Hospital this morning, after an illness of several months.
A lifelong Oberlin resident, Mr. Thomas graduated from Oberlin High School in 1922. He was captain of his high school football, basketball and track teams.
He had several jobs before joining the post office in 1935. In the early 1950s, he began writing for the Lorain Journal and eventually became a full-time writer and columnist, retiring in 1968.
He founded “The Senior Years,” a newspaper for senior citizens in Oberlin and was inducted into the Ohio Senior Citizen Hall of Fame in 1988.
Mr. Thomas was elected to City Council in 1969 and 1971. He was Council president for 2 ½ years. In addition, he was interim city manager for six months in 1971.
He helped found the Oberlin Welfare Council in 1954. He also served on several committees and commissions for fair and adequate housing in Oberlin.
In 1976, Oberlin College officials honored him with the Distinguished Community Service Award. He was a 1993 Oberlin Rotary Club Paul Harris Fellow and was an active member of the First Baptist Church in Oberlin, where he was a deacon.
He was a member of many organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the board of Jeanne Beattie Butts House, the Allen Memorial Hospital Board of Directors, the Oberlin Seniors Inc. trustees, the Senior Citizens Association of Lorain County, the Lorain Metropolitan Authority Board of Directors, the Lorain County Transit Board, the Lorain County Board for the Mentally Retarded, the Lorain County Federation for Human Service, the Western Reserve Area Agency Advisory Board and the Ohio Commission on Aging.
In 1981, he was a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging, Lorain County Blue Ribbon Committee.
He was also a trustee of the Oberlin Historical and Improvement Organization.
Survivors include a son, Don M. of New York City; a daughter, Helen Woodson of Oberlin; four grandchildren; a sister, Juanita V. Brown of Oberlin; and two brothers, Harry N. of Beachwood and George L. of Los Angeles.
He was preceded in death by his wife Dorothea M.
Friends may call 7-9 p.m. Wednesday at the Cowling Funeral Home, South Main Street, Oberlin. Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at the First Baptist Church in Oberlin, with the Rev. Stephen Hammond, pastor, officiating.
Burial will be in Westwood Cemetery in Oberlin.
Memorials may be made to the Oberlin Schools Endowment Fund for the Robert S. Thomas Scholarship.
The Chronicle-Telegram, Elyria, Ohio, Tuesday, March 30, 1993, p. C-2.

Wilbur C. Thomas
Wilbur “Bill” Crawford Thomas, 78, an Oberlin native [and 1936 graduate of OHS], died May 6 at his home in Madison, Wis.
He attended Oberlin College from 1937-40 when he joined the Army Air Corps. He spent part of his tour of duty at Tuskegee Air Force Base in Alabama.
After his military service, he graduated from Kent State University in 1947 and then taught psychology and practiced psychotherapy.
From 1950 to 1958, he worked fro the Urban League in Warren, Ohio. In 1958 he became executive director of the Wisconsin Welfare Council, then administrative director of the Dane County Mental Health Center in Wisconsin.
In 1967, Mr. Thomas was appointed to the University of Wisconsin-Extension Faculty, where he served as chairman of community affairs, Community Dynamics Institute, family living education. He retired as a professor emeritus in 1983.
He was a member of Wisconsin Juvenile Justice, Epsilon Sigma Phi and the Wisconsin Chapter Community Development Association of America.
Mr. Thomas belonged to the Madison Ecumenical Council Convention and the Madison Metropolitan School District’s Sex Equity Committee. He served on various committees of Calvary United Methodist Church in Madison and was a frequent lay liturgist speaker and consultant.
He was a consultant to many organizations, including the Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education, the district’s Affirmative Action Committee, the Urban League, NAACP, the Board of Missions of Wisconsin United Methodist Church and the board of directors of the Madison Urban Ministry.
At one time, he was listed in “Who’s Who Among Black Americans” and the “Who’s Who in the United Methodist Church.”
Mr. Thomas received the Governor’s Special Award for dedicated Service to the state of Wisconsin, the Outstanding Community Service Award from Madison Neighborhood Centers, a citation from the Wisconsin Extension Homemaker’s Council, and a certificate from the Wisconsin Black State Employees.
Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Maria A.; a son, Philip W.C. Thomas of Middleton, Wis.; daughters, Diana R. Thomas of Madison and Maria A. Wakefield of Shoreview, Minn.; and two grandchildren.
A graveside service was held on May 11 in Westwood Cemetery with the Rev. Fred L. Steen officiating.
Memorial gifts may be made to the Ronald McDonald House, American Cancer Society or Calvary United Methodist Church in Madison.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Tuesday, May 16, 1995, p. 2.

William G. Thomas
William Granville (Bill) Thomas was born on December 31, 1929 in Grand Rapids, MI. He was the son of bandleader Burl (Tommy) Thomas and Helen Thomas. The family moved to Oberlin, when he was a child and he was educated in the Oberlin school system. After graduation from Oberlin High School in 1947, he briefly attended West Virginia State University.
He then moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue an acting career. While in California, he was drafted into the United States Army and served in Germany. After receiving a honorable discharge, he moved to Cleveland, OH and appeared in several productions at the renowned Karamu House Theater. He met Christine Thomas at Karamu and they were married in 1955. The couple had two children, Antony Ross and William Lawrence.
Bill attended John Carroll University at night while holding down a day job at Associated Industries and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in English. His early career included positions as a Housing Inspector for the City of Cleveland, an appointment to a management position at the Ohio Bureau of Employment Services by then Ohio Governor Mike DiSalle, and a management position at the Urban League of Greater Cleveland.
In the mid-60s, he accepted a position with the Department of the Navy in the area of Contracts Compliance. During the next fifteen years, he served as Chief of the Office of Federal Contracts Compliance for the Departments of Defense, Treasury and Labor both in Cleveland and Los Angeles regions. He was the recipient of the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal, the highest civilian award conveyed by the Department of Defense.
He remarried in 1971 and had a daughter, Therese Lourdes.
In 1979, he graduated from Pepperdine University with a Master's Degree in Public Administration (MPA).  In 1980, he left the Federal Government to work for Ameron Corporation. He held executive positions in the areas of Equal Employment Opportunity, Labor Relations and Public Relations. Bill was active in numerous organizations and served as President of LABEOL (Los Angeles Basin Equal Opportunity League) and The International Institute of Los Angeles.  He also served as an instructor at UCLA Extension.
Shortly after leaving Ameron in 1985, Bill was diagnosed with lung cancer, a disease he fought bravely for almost three years. He served as an independent consultant for numerous corporations until his death in September of 1988. William G. Thomas was a loving and giving human being and his presence has been sorely missed.
Family-provided obituary. (Obiturary is also in the Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Thursday, October 20, 1988, p. 2, with errors)

Mrs. Carrie LaVerne Thompson
Funeral services for Mrs. Carrie LaVerne (Oliphant) Thompson, 68, 1905 Onaka Drive, Orlando, who passed away Monday, will be held Friday at 10 a.m. from Fairchild Chapel with Rev. Walter Fortune of the Woodhaven Baptist Church officiating. Interment will follow in Woodlawn Memorial Park. Mrs. Thompson was a native of Ohio where she graduated from Oberlin High School [in 1925]. She moved to this area 29 years ago. She is survived by her beloved husband, Floyd Thompson & brother Volney Oliphant. Calling hours will be Wednesday 7 to 9 p.m. Fairchild Funeral Home, Lake Ivanhoe, is in charge of services.
Orlando Sentinel Star, Orlando, Florida, Wednesday, August 4, 1976, p. 8C.

Emmett C. Thompson
Emmett C. Thompson, 82, of Oberlin, died Jan. 20 in the emergency room of Allen Memorial Hospital after an apparent heart attack.
Born in Fenton, Iowa, he lived most of his life in the Oberlin area [and was a 1931 graduate of OHS].
A self-employed painter, he also managed the Oberlin College Bowling Lanes for over 12 years.
During World War II, he served in the Navy. He was a member of the Carl Wilson Locke Post of the American Legion.
Mr. Thompson enjoyed hunting, fishing, golf, bowling and gardening.
Survivors include his wife, Josephine (nee Gibson); a daughter, Mary Jo Bailey of Oberlin; a grandson; brother Max of Vermilion; and three sisters, Kathleen Harbaugh of Toledo, Phyllis Cote of Maumee and Olga Thompson of Oberlin.
He was preceded in death by his parents Emmett C. and Agnes (nee Rorem).
Private services were held with burial in Westwood Cemetery.
The family suggests that memorial gifts be made to the American Heart Association.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Tuesday, January 30, 1996, p. 2.

Idabel Edwards Thompson
Idabel Edwards Thompson died Jan. 29, 1981, in San Bruno, Calif., at the home of her daughter. She was a retired advertising copy writer for Gimbel’s in Milwaukee. She supervised the authenticity of all advertising, directed liaisons between the store and the Better Business Bureau, trained and directed shoppers, assisted with the training program for prospective junior executives and represented the store on speaking engagements.
Mrs. Thompson was born in Gambier, Ohio, April 24, 1895. [She graduated from OHS in 1911 and from Oberlin College in 1918.] She taught history, psychology, English and methods in schools in Ohio, Florida and Wisconsin. She was assistant dean of women at the Lewiston State Normal School in Idaho.
The daughter of Lafayette A. ’83 and Sarah Probert ’86 [OHS ‘81], she was married to Donald C., a former park superintendent for the Milwaukee County Park Board. She leaves daughter Patience and son James F. ’51. Brothers Ellis E. ’15 [OHS ‘09] and Philip P. ’14 [OHS ‘08] are deceased.
The Oberlin Alumni Magazine, Oberlin, Ohio, Summer 1981, pp. 45-46.

James Thompson
James Thompson, 57, of Kipton, died early last Thursday morning at Allen Hospital after a brief illness.
Born in Montreal, Quebec, he [graduated from Oberlin High School in 1947 and] moved to Kipton from Oberlin 16 years ago.
He was manager of the body shop at Schubert Buick for 34 years.
He was an Army veteran of the Korean War and had served in Germany.
A gardener and fisherman, he was also a collector of antique lamps.
Survivors include his wife, Dorothy (nee Welch), to whom he was married 26 years; two daughters, Theresa Brown of Wellington and Judy Baumann of Henrietta; a son, William of Columbus; his mother, Theresa Thompson of Sullivan; a sister, Elsie Mohrman of Sullivan; a brother, George Thompson of Elyria; and three granddaughters.
Services were Saturday morning in the Gerber Funeral Home, Wakeman, with Rev. Leah Matthews, pastor of Brownhelm Congregational United Church of Christ, officiating. Burial was in Camden Cemetery, Kipton.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Thursday, October 10, 1985, p. 2.

John L. Thompson
John L. Thompson, 58, of Oberlin, died Friday at Allen Memorial Hospital after a short illness.
He was born in Williamston, S.C., and came to Oberlin in 1943. He graduated from Oberlin High School [in 1948], and while in high school started working for Schubert Buick and continued there for 42 years.
He was a member of Rust United Methodist Church. He enjoyed golfing and gardening. He was an Army veteran, serving in the Korean War.
He is survived by his wife, Jean; two sons, Freeman Woodson and James Woodson, both of Oberlin; a daughter, Mrs. Jack (Paulett) Marsh of Macedonia; his mother, Mrs. Kathleen Thompson of Oberlin; and four grandchildren.
Services were Tuesday morning at the Cowling Funeral Home with Rev. Sadie Reynolds, pastor of Rust United Methodist Church, officiating. Burial was in Westwood Cemetery.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Thursday, February 12, 1987, p. 2.

Dr. John W. Thompson
Special to the New York Times
Chicago, March 9—Dr. John Winter Thompson of St. Charles, Ill., professor of pipe organ and musical theory at Knox College for forty-eight years before his retirement ten years ago, died yesterday in the Delnor Hospital there. He was 83 years old [and was an 1884 graduate of OHS]. Surviving are his widow and two daughters.
The New York Times, New York, N.Y., Saturday, March 10, 1951, p. 13.
John W. Thompson
John W. Thompson, organist and teacher of piano, theory, and organ, died at his home in St. Charles, Illinois, March 8, 1951.
Mr. Thompson graduated from Oberlin [College in 1890] with a diploma of music which was replaced with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1906. In 1894 he was graduated from the Leipzig Conservatory.
He was a teacher of piano, theory, and organ at Knox College Conservatory from 1890 until his retirement as professor emeritus in 1938. In addition to his teaching schedule, Mr. Thompson was organist at the Central Congregational Church in Galesburg, Illinois, from 1890 until 1926. He also served as president of the Illinois State Music Teachers Association for a number of years.
After his retirement, he and his wife made their home in St. Charles.
Survivors are his wife and two daughters: Edith and Mrs. Glen Seibel (Helen ’23).
The Oberlin Alumni Magazine, May 1951, p. 27.

Josephine ‘Jo’ Gibson Thompson
Josephine “Jo” Gibson Thompson, 88, of Oberlin, died unexpectedly Aug. 5 at her home.
Born in Oberlin, she was a lifelong resident. She graduated from Oberlin High School in 1930.
Mrs. Thompson worked for many years in the children’s room of the Oberlin Public Library.
She enjoyed bowling and most outdoor activities, especially gardening, fishing and golfing.
She is survived by her daughter, Mary Jo Bailey of Oberlin; and a grandson, Todd Bailey of Oberlin.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Emmett Court Thompson; parents, Thomas L. and Mable (nee Fauver) Gibson; and a sister, Elizabeth Conrad.
Funeral arrangements will be announced by the Cowling Funeral Home.
Oberlin News-Tribune, Oberlin, Ohio, Tuesday, August 15, 2000, p. 2.

Merton E. Thompson
Merton E. Thompson, 86, of Portland, Oregon, [OHS class of 1878 and Oberlin College class of 1883,] died on February 19, 1946. Mr. Thompson, who retired two years ago, had been active until a few days before his death. Coming to Albina, now a part of Portland, in 1884, he helped establish the grocery firm of Cole and Thompson in which he continued for about three years. In 1888 he started in the real estate business and continued this until his retirement. He had been president of various improvement associations in Albina and was also a past president of the Albina Pioneers association. He served a term in the Oregon state legislature in 1901.
The Oberlin Alumni Magazine, March 1946, p. 30.

Life’s Scenes Close for a Veteran Teacher
Miss Rose M. Thompson Dies After a Long Illness
After a protracted illness of tuberculosis, Miss Rose M. Thompson, well known teacher, died at the Oberlin hospital Monday morning at 2:30. Miss Thompson had been receiving treatment at the hospital for three months.
The daughter of the late Rev. George Thompson, who spent a number of years in missionary work in Africa and who was for many years prior to his death an honored resident of Oberlin, Miss Thompson was widely known and highly regarded. She was graduated [from OHS in 1881 and] from Oberlin College in the class of 1886. For 18 years she was a teacher in Oberlin Academy, where her work was highly appreciated.
Miss Thompson, who was about 40 years of age, is survived by her aged mother, a sister, Mrs. Lillie Thompson Terborg, and three brothers, John W. Thompson, director of the conservatory of Galesburg, Ill.; Rev. W. L. Thompson, a missionary in East Central Africa, and Moses Thompson, engaged in farming in Michigan.
For a number of years Miss Thompson had been active in the work of the First church. Funeral services will be held at the James Brand House at 2 o’clock Wednesday afternoon. Burial will be made at Westwood.
The Oberlin News, Wednesday, January 29, 1913, p. 1.
Rose M. Thompson
Miss Rose M[aritta] Thompson died in Oberlin, January 27, 1913.
Miss Rose M. Thompson was born in Oberlin, September 28, 1859. She prepared for college at Oberlin [High School, graduating in 1881,] and graduated from the college with the class of ’86. The next year was spent in teaching at Kidder, Mo. In 1889 she received the degree of Master of Arts from Oberlin. In 1894 she began her teaching in Oberlin Academy as teacher of Latin and English. In 1896 she was made tutor in Latin and English and in 1901 instructor in Latin and English. In 1908 her title was changed to instructor in English—the position which she held till her death.
The Oberlin Alumni Magazine, Oberlin, Ohio, March 1913, p. 207.

William Lamarcus Thompson
William Lamarcus Thompson died in St. Cloud, Florida, on January 4, 1947, following a period of gradually failing health.
Born in Oberlin on August 14, 1857 [November 1863?], he received both his A.B. and A.M. degrees from Oberlin College [and was an 1881 graduate of OHS]. In 1889 he received his M.D. degree from the university of the City of New York, after study of medicine at the University of Michigan and later in New York. Dr. Thompson practiced in a hospital in Newark, New Jersey, for two years and then became a medical missionary in East Africa, under the American Board. He was located in the Mount Silinda, Melsetter District of Rhodesia. Dr. Thompson spent several furloughs in the United States and at different times he was a student in Johns Hopkins University, the School of Tropical Medicine in London, England, and in the University of Chicago College of Dental Surgery. After his retirement in 1931, he made his home, for the most part in Florida. Dr. Thompson’s first wife, the former Mary Elizabeth McCornack, died in 1936. He married again and is survived by his wife, the former Eloise Marcy, x’98, as well as a sister, Mrs. Lillie Terborgh, ’88.
The Oberlin Alumni Magazine, March 1947, p. 16.

Eleanor B. Thornblade
Salisbury — Eleanor Barnard Thornblade, 97, died Sept. 17, 2003, at Porter Hospital in Middlebury.
She was born April 13, 1906, in Oberlin, Ohio, the daughter of John and Clara Barnard.
She [graduated from OHS in 1924 and] attended Oberlin College and later received her master’s degree in music education from Northwestern University.
She taught at Bluffton College and schools in Princeton, N.J., and was a choir director and keyboardist.
She enjoyed French cooking and playing the piano.
Survivors include a son, Nicholas of Castleton; and five grandchildren.
She was predeceased by her husband, Herbert; a son James; and two brothers, Dudley and Jack.
A private memorial service will be held at