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FOR RELEASE: Monday, January 28, 2008
School of Law to Recognize Integration Anniversary, Celebrate Six Decades of Success
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Silas Hunt, the first African American student admitted to a Southern public university without litigation in the modern era, registered to attend the University of Arkansas School of Law Feb. 2, 1948. To celebrate the 60th anniversary of Hunt's enrollment, the School of Law will host a panel discussion titled "Sixty Since Silas: A Celebration of Pioneering Excellence" at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 4, in the E.J. Ball Courtroom in the Leflar Law Center. The event is open to the public, and a reception will follow. The event will feature School of Law graduates from the past six decades discussing defining moments in their lives and how racial integration shaped their values and professional lives. The eight panelists will include George W.B. Haley, former U.S. ambassador to The Gambia; Christopher C. Mercer, a longtime Little Rock attorney; Sharon Bernard, the first African American woman to graduate from the School of Law; Gene McKissic of Brown & McKissic Law Firm in Pine Bluff; Rodney Slater, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation; Carrol Williams-Perkins, a tax attorney for Siemens Corp.; Andre Valley, the Helena-West Helena city attorney; and Carla Martin, a Wal-Mart Realty transaction manager. "We have assembled an outstanding panel of law school graduates who will comment on their experiences in educational and social settings that have been affected by racial integration," said Chauncey Brummer, professor of law and event chair. "This is an opportunity to learn about the university's integration history and to hear first-hand accounts of the struggles and successes of our graduates. I think Silas would be proud of the progress we've made since he was a student." Hunt was one of the School of Law's "Six Pioneers" - the first six African American students admitted to the law school. Two of the panelists participating in the discussion are also members of that elite group. Haley and Mercer were the third and fourth African American students to attend law school at the University of Arkansas and continued Hunt's legacy. Hunt was born in 1922 in Ashdown, Ark. He served in World War II and graduated from the Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal College at Pine Bluff in 1947. Although he was the first to enroll in the School of Law, he never graduated. He died of tuberculosis in April 1949, just a little more than a year after starting classes. However, Hunt's brave actions have continued to affect students in the past 60 years. "This historically significant event recognizes the efforts of Silas to break down racial barriers and to open the door for other African American students to earn a legal education," Dean Cynthia Nance said. "But it also celebrates the strides made in each decade since his admittance and the accomplishments and triumphs of all minority students." ### Contact:
Chauncey
Brummer, professor of law Macey
A. Panach, director of communications |
