Black at Kenyon: Lowry to share memories

When Bill Lowry '56, H'99 arrived at Kenyon as an African-American student from inner-city Chicago in 1952, he found minority representation meager at best in the student body and nonexistent in the faculty. Nevertheless, he thrived at the College and made history in the process. In the spring of 1954, he became the first black student to be initiated in the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity.

Almost fifty years after graduating from Kenyon, Lowry-now a College trustee-will share his memories about life as a black student in a talk on Thursday, October 27, at 8:00 p.m. in Peirce Hall. Titled "A Conversation With Bill Lowry: Being Black at Kenyon in the 1950s," the discussion will include amusing stories as well as themes of strife and struggle surrounding Lowry's time as a star athlete at the College and his role as president of the student body. He will also look back on his relationship with members of the black community in Mount Vernon. Associate Provost Ric Sheffield will moderate the discussion.

Lowry was initiated into Kenyon's chapter of Beta Theta Pi on April 27, 1954. It would be almost two years before Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger, an event that many historians credit with kicking off the civil rights movement in the United States. But according to Sheffield, Lowry's election to the fraternity shouldn't necessarily be viewed as a precursor to the civil rights movement or even in the same context as the events of that era.

"I think it had little if anything to do with civil rights in the larger sense. Bill was a person of such dynamic influence on this campus and so liked and respected among his peers that some people may have been able to overlook his race," says Sheffield. "In some ways, that was revolutionary in that familiarity allowed them to transcend race. I don't think, however, that this was a symbolic gesture by the fraternity or a statement by them about race relations. I think Bill's relationships were so strong that they wanted to bring him into the organization."

In addition to serving as the student body president, Lowry won twelve varsity letters and served as captain of the baseball, basketball, and football teams. He has also been honored as an alumnus, winning the 2001 Gregg Cup, an award given each spring to the alumnus or alumna who has done the most for Kenyon during that year.

Lowry is the vice president for human resources and administration at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, a post he has held since 1994. He previously served as director of personnel and recruiting for Inland Steel Industries, which he joined in 1962.