Black History Walking Tour of Drake University

1. Aliber Hall (2847 University Ave.)
2. Morehouse Residence Hall (2803 University Ave.)
3. Cole Hall (2509 University Ave.)
4. Memorial Hall (front lawn of Old Main, facing University Ave.)
5. Drake Fieldhouse (Forest Ave. and 27th)
6. Drake Stadium (Forest Ave.)

Eddie Easley was born on November 16 ^th , 1928, in Lynchburg, Virginia. Valedictorian of his high school class, he then graduated from Virginia State College with a Bachelor of Science in 1948.

During his time in college, Dr. Easley was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first Black fraternity. Two years after he obtained his bachelor's degree, he obtained his master's and Ph.D. degrees in both economics and statistics from Iowa State University. Dr. Easley took a two-year gap before finishing his Ph.D.; during this time, he worked for the U.S. Army’s Quartermaster Research and Development Agency as a research assistant from 1954-1956. 

In September of 1956, he married Ruth Hortense Burton, an elementary school teacher. They had three children together, Jacqueline (born in 1957), Michael (born in 1962), and Todd (born in 1963). 

In 1970, Dr. Easley became Director of Drake's new Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) Program, created two years prior to his appointment.  

Dr. Easley remained the Chair of the Marketing Department at Drake until 1984. He left Drake to join the faculty of the Calloway School of Business and Accountancy at Wake Forest University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to be closer to his aging mother. At Wake Forest, he taught marketing courses and created a course specializing in sports marketing.  Dr. Easley retired in 1999, but still taught part-time at Wake Forest for several years.  After a fifteen-year battle with cancer, Easley passed away at the age of 81 on January 13 ^th , 2010. 

Elaine Estes was born on November 24 ^th , 1931, in Springfield, Missouri where she graduated high school at 16 years old. She chose to come to Drake University due to the reputation of its School of Business Administration.

Estes became one of the first Black students to live on-campus along with several others including Johnnie Lockett and Hetercene Turner. She graduated in 1953 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in the area of retailing.  

Post graduation, she worked at Younker’s department store for a bit of time after interning with the company. After being denied a promotion to an open buyer position with Younker's, Estes realized she would not have many future opportunities working in retail and applied for a job at the Des Moines Public Library.

Working in the library for a few years, Estes realized that she needed more special training and applied to the University of Illinois to obtain a Master's Degree in Library Science. During this time, she took an educational leave from her job. On her return, Estes worked in various departments and in 1970 was promoted to head librarian at the Westside Branch library location.

Estes was responsible for the creation and operation of many library programs such as security advice for the elderly, classes on nutrition, crafting, international cooking classes, travel sessions, hairstyle classes, and antiquing programs. Estes also introduced several accessibility ideas to the library, including library reading machines to accommodate blind members of the community, construction of a library parking lot, and proposed a bookmobile for the library as well.

If you want to hear more about the life of Estes, click  here  to listen to an Oral History Interview she gave in 2022.

Howard P. Drew was born in Lexington, Virginia on June 28 ^th , 1890. Approximately 12 years later, his family moved to Springfield, Massachusetts. There, young Howard helped support himself and his family by working two jobs. He spent this time as a bellhop at the Henking Hotel and as a train porter at the City’s Union Station. 

Drew was also quite the athlete. In the Summer of 1905, he won in his first track meet, the Springfield City Games, despite the fact that he wore homemade shorts (made from an old bedsheet) and shoes without spikes. In order to keep training, Drew created his own pair of track shoes by hammering 6 roofing nails into his shoes to serve as spikes. Wearing these makeshift shoes, he defied expectations and won the 100-yard dash. However, the shoes hurt his feet so he ran the next race, which he also won, shoeless. Drew enrolled in high school in 1906, but had to drop out later the same year because of work obligations.

In 1910, he re-enrolled in high school, at the age of 20 years old.  By this time, he had also married his first wife, Edna Mae. Within a few years, they had two children. In high school, Drew had an extremely successful track career. Running was not his only strength; he was a very successful in other events such as the broad jump, hurdles, and high jump. Drew also served as the captain of the track team, centerfielder on the baseball team, and an ace halfback on the football team.   

Drew's running career had so many accomplishments that he was selected to be on the 1912 US Olympic team as a senior in high school after winning the 100-meter dash in the US Olympic trials. His performance was so extraordinary that his results tied those of the previously held world record for this race and beat the American record (which was previously held by his Olympic teammate, Ralph Craig). In the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, Drew set world records in the 45, 50, 70, 90, 100, 120, and 220 yard dashes. 

After the Stockholm Olympics, Drew completed his high school education and began his college journey at Lincoln University, an HBCU in Eastern Pennsylvania. His exceptional academic and athletic abilities garnered attraction from prestigious institutions, and he transferred to University of Southern California (USC) due to its work-study program which would help him support his family. 

While at USC, Mr. Drew wrote articles for the Los Angeles Express and made history as the first Black man to write for the Daily Southern Californian, the University’s newspaper at the time.  His columns covered a wide array of topics including civil rights, physical fitness, and the importance of studying and applying oneself. 

Although Drew aspired to join USC's football team, concerns over potential injuries led campus administration to discourage his participation. Consequently, he continued his track career instead and assumed the role of managing the freshman football team. In 1914, Drew became the first Black person to be inducted into the Skull and Dagger Society (the All-University Honor Society at USC). Drew continued to be a star track athlete during his time at USC. He was an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) champion in the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash, while also setting world records in the 100-yard dash, the 220-yard dash, the 70-yard sprint, and the 90-yard sprint. In 1916, he was invited to race against some of the world’s fastest sprinters in Madison Square Garden in New York City, where he won the 70-yard sprint, tying his own world record of 7.2 seconds. An article published two years after this race stated that Drew's 100-meter dash record of 9.6 seconds was the fastest that any man had run, creating the title of “World’s Fastest Human.”

Following his graduation from USC, Drew separated from (and eventually divorced) his wife, and was admitted to Drake Law School. While at Drake, Drew coached the track team and played football. Despite his ambitions to join the U.S. Olympic team, the outbreak of World War I thwarted his plans as the 1916 games were cancelled.

Drew's education was disrupted by the war, prompting him to enlist in August, 1918 as a private in the U.S. Army. He later rose to the rank of sergeant and during his service, received a victory medal and a defensive bar. He also was featured in promotional events for the Allied Troops’ Inter-Allied Games in Paris in the summer of 1919, where he helped choose and train the U.S. team. Drew was discharged with honors later that year and resumed his law studies at Drake.

Drew passed away in 1957 at the age of 67, but his legacy lived on. He was posthumously honored by several organizations including induction into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame and USC Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004 and 2006, respectively. Also, Drew was posthumously inducted into the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association Athlete Hall of Fame in 2012. Drew's many lifetime achievements were officially recognized by the U.S. Congress in 2016.

Connected to the Des Moines community since her birth in 1925, Harriette Curley Bruce is an extremely important figure to Black History at Drake University and in Iowa. Bruce grew up in East Des Moines and went to East High School, from where she graduated in two and a half years.

Bruce then enrolled at Drake University to pursue a degree in education. At Drake, she was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and Beta Gamma Kappa (a Christian service sorority). She graduated in 1946.

Since she had done her student teaching in Des Moines and her parents wanted their only daughter to stay close to home, Bruce decided to stay in the area after graduation. She applied for a teaching position at Perkins Elementary that same year, becoming the first Black teacher in Des Moines Public School history.

She taught at Perkins for 12 years. While employed there, she married fellow Drake graduate, Nevin E. Bruce, on August 26 ^th , 1950. Nevin E. Bruce became the first Black man to be hired in Des Moines Public Schools in 1952, where, like his wife, he also taught at the elementary school level. Bruce went on maternity leave when she had her son, Nevin E. Bruce Jr.

After her time at Perkins had ended, she taught at Watrous School, and later at Mann Elementary School once it opened in 1962. Bruce was such a well-respected teacher that she was selected to supervise student teachers. Renowned for her expertise and dedication, Bruce was chosen to supervise and serve as a demonstration teacher for several summers at the Drake University Laboratory School.

Bruce passed away in 2001, but her memory still lives on. Most recently, the library at Perkins Elementary was named in her honor. This thoughtful tribute serves as a poignant reminder of Bruce's groundbreaking career and her profound impact on the school's history, ensuring that her contributions are never forgotten.

Born in 1964, Wanda Ford grew up in the projects of Cleveland, Ohio. Growing up, she did not think she would go to college since she assumed she did not have the grades for it. However, Ford was quite the athlete. While attending East Tech High School, her talent on the basketball court caught the attention of college coaches, leading to her recruitment by Drake University.

During her time at Drake, basketball games were held in the Fieldhouse, where Ford's remarkable skills on the court earned her widespread acclaim. Ford never missed a game during her collegiate career, appearing in 117 games and starting in an impressive 110 of them. At Drake, she excelled, both on the court and in the classroom. In 1986, she was named the University Division Basketball Player of the Year by the American Women’s Sports Federation publication, Fast Break. Additionally, she was also honored as the Middle America Region Player of the Year, further solidifying her status as a standout athlete. Her performance against Southwest Missouri State was chosen as the University Division Performance of the Year, where she scored 54 points and picked up 16 rebounds.

After graduating with a degree in education with an emphasis in special education, she embarked on a professional basketball career. She was drafted as the first draft pick for the Cedar Rapids Aces, Iowa's team in the newfound National Women’s Basketball Association. However, she declined and opted to pursue opportunities overseas with a women’s team in Italy. Ford's decision proved astute, as concerns about the viability of the American league were validated when it failed before the start of the season. Ford's European basketball career spanned 16 years during which she played in Italy, Brazil, Sweden, and Israel. During this time, she earned several prestigious accolades such as Most Valuable Player and Newcomer of the Year.

Following her retirement from professional basketball, Ford returned to her hometown of Cleveland, where she teaches physical education at Summit Academy Community School in Parma, Ohio.

Johnny Bright was born in Ft. Wayne, Indiana in 1930. In high school, he excelled in multiple sports including football, basketball, and track. He continued to showcase his athletic talents at Drake University, where he set twenty records across football, basketball, and track. Bright became a standout football player, playing quarterback and tailback. During Bright's football career, he was a 3-time All-Missouri Valley choice. In addition to that, over three seasons he had gained more yardage (5,699 yards) than any player in college history. In one season, Bright set an all-time record where he averaged 266.7 yards per game and contributed to 30 touchdowns. Under the guidance of Warren Gaer, his football coach at Drake, Bright emerged as a star player, earning him praise as the best player Gaer had ever coached.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Education in 1952, Bright was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the NFL draft. However, he chose to pursue a career in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played for the Calgary Stampeders in 1952, before being traded to the Edmonton Eskimos. Here, he helped the team win three consecutive Grey Cup championships in 1954, 1955, and 1956. His career made history in both American and Canadian Football.

He played in the CFL for 13 seasons, retiring from football in 1964, but continued to live in Canada, transitioning into a career in education and coaching. In 1970, he became the principal of a junior high school in Edmonton, and remained in this role until he died on December 14 ^th , 1983, at the age of 53 of a heart attack.