Born a slave, he taught himself to read and attended school after working all day. At age 25, he founded Tuskegee Institute and recruited George W. Carver. By his death on this day, Nov. 14, 1915, the school had over 1,500 students. His name was Booker T. Washington, and he was the first black to have his picture on a U.S. postage stamp, coin and elected to the Hall of Fame. In his book, “Up From Slavery,” Booker T. Washington wrote: “While a great deal of stress is laid upon the industrial side of the work at Tuskegee, we do not neglect … the … spiritual side. The school is strictly undenominational, but it is thoroughly Christian. … Our preaching service, prayer meetings, Sunday school, Christian Endeavour Society, Young Men’s Christian Association and various missionary organizations testify to this.”
