Donald Andrew Spencer Sr. facts for kids
Donald Andrew Spencer Sr. (born March 5, 1915 – died May 4, 2010) was a very important person in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was a pioneer for African Americans in many fields. He was one of the first African American real estate agents in Cincinnati. He was also the first African American to lead the Cincinnati Board of Realtors.
Spencer was also a leader at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. He was the first African American trustee (a board member) there. Later, he became the first African American to lead the university's board of trustees. He was appointed by Ohio Governor John J. Gilligan. Donald Spencer also helped start the Beta Eta chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, a fraternity for African American men, at the University of Cincinnati in 1939.
About His Life
Donald Spencer grew up in Cincinnati. His grandparents had been enslaved. He lived with his mother, Josephine, his father, Charles, and his siblings, Joseph and Valerie. He graduated from Walnut Hills High School in 1932.
He then went to the University of Cincinnati. There, he earned degrees in Chemistry and Education. While at the university, he started a group called Quadres. This group worked to create equal chances for African American students.
In 1940, he married Marian Spencer in her hometown of Gallipolis, Ohio. They had two sons, Donald Jr. and Edward Alexander. They also had two grandsons, Matthew and Oliver, and one granddaughter, Benita.
His Career and Community Work
Before becoming a real estate agent, Donald Spencer was a school teacher. He taught for eighteen years in the Cincinnati Public Schools. He taught at Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School and Frederick Douglass Elementary School. He also taught at Bloom Junior High School.
In 1986, he became the first African American real estate broker to join the Cincinnati Board of Realtors. He later became the president of this group. He made it clear that he would not support any unfair housing rules. He also started his own real estate company, Donald A. Spencer and Associates. It grew to have many agents and offices in Walnut Hills, Cincinnati and Avondale, Cincinnati.
Donald Spencer was a successful businessman. He was also a lifelong civil rights activist. He was a member of the NAACP. He was also a talented jazz musician. He even wrote two musical plays that were performed at the University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Art Museum.
Spencer cared deeply about Cincinnati Public Schools. In 2001, he led a successful effort to pass a tax that helped the schools. In 2003, he helped pass a large levy (a special tax) to build new schools and fix old ones.
In 2005, he was named a "Great Living Cincinnatian." This is a special award given by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. He was the first person to receive this award whose spouse had also received it (his wife, Marian).
In 2006, the University of Cincinnati gave him an honorary doctorate degree. In 2010, a Cincinnati Public School was renamed the Donald A. and Marian Spencer Education Center in his honor.
In 1992, Donald and Marian Spencer created a special fund at Ohio University. This fund helps support the African American Library Collection. Both Donald and Marian Spencer received honorary degrees from Ohio University in 1994.
Donald Spencer was involved in many community groups. These included the Avondale Community Council, the Cincinnati Board of Housing Appeals, and the YMCA. He was also a founding board member of the Friends of Cincinnati Parks. He helped raise private money to add to Walnut Hills High School. This was a first for a public high school in the United States.
He also worked with the Boys Club, the Cincinnatus Association, and the Task Force on Racial Isolation in Cincinnati Public Schools. He was a trustee at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church for thirty years.
In 1997, he received the Charles P. Taft Civic Gumption Award. In 2001, the Cincinnati Park Board created the Donald A. Spencer Overlook in Eden Park to honor his work. He also received the Founders’ Citation from the Ohio University Board of Trustees. Only fourteen people in the university's 200-year history have received this honor.
Donald Spencer once said, "My philosophy in life has been when you leave this world it should be better because you have lived."
Working for Justice
Donald Spencer was a strong supporter of civil rights. He helped his wife, Marian, in her efforts to integrate Coney Island amusement park in 1952. She filed a lawsuit that helped end segregation there.
In 2004, Donald and Marian Spencer took legal action to protect voting rights. They wanted to stop people from unfairly challenging African American voters in Hamilton County, Ohio. They believed that the way challengers were being used was unfair to black voters.
A judge, Susan J. Dlott, agreed with the Spencers. She ruled that the plan to have many challengers could cause "chaos, delay, intimidation and pandemonium" at the polls. She noted that a much higher percentage of new African American voters would face challengers compared to new white voters. The judge said the law allowing challengers did not fully protect people's right to vote. The Spencers were represented by attorney Alphonse Gerhardstein.
His Legacy
Donald Spencer was a respected friend to many important African American leaders in Cincinnati. These included Cincinnati Mayor Theodore M. Berry and Judge Nathaniel R. Jones. Both spoke at his funeral.
The Donald A. Spencer Achievement Award was created to honor him. It recognizes the achievements of minority students at Ohio University. The Blackburn-Spencer Scholarship and Achievement Awards are also partly named after him.
