Bret Vollmer and Rodger Nayak

University will recognize black alumni from 1950s, 1960s this weekend

Thirty of the first black students to graduate from the University during the 1950s and 1960s will return to Grounds this weekend for events in their honor, said Marcus Martin, interim vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity. The Early Days Celebration will recognize these former students who desegregated the University and "opened new territory for future generations and with courage and dignity, set an example for others to follow," Martin said. Walter Ridley, who graduated from the Education School in 1953, was the first black alumnus to receive a degree from the University.