Oscar W. Ritchie facts for kids

Oscar Washington Ritchie (born February 16, 1909 – died June 16, 1967) was a very important person in American education. He was the first African American professor at a mostly White university in the state of Ohio. This was a big step forward for equality and showing that everyone deserves a chance to teach and learn.

His Early Life and School

Oscar's parents moved to Hallandale, Florida, from the Caribbean. His dad owned a fruit stand there. Sadly, his father passed away before Oscar finished high school.

When he was 17, Oscar went to Florida A & M University (FAMU). He even started and edited the school newspaper! But the Great Depression in 1929 made him stop college. He joined a band and played the banjo while they traveled.

In Chicago, Illinois, Oscar met his wife, Edith. They had one child, a son named George. After the band stopped playing, the family stayed in Chicago. Oscar worked different jobs for a few years. Later, he found a job as a porter in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1933, he got a job at Republic Steel in Massillon, Ohio.

Back to College

By 1942, Oscar was back in school. This time, he went to Kent State University in Ohio, which was a mostly White university. He first studied pre-law, but then he switched to sociology. Sociology is the study of how people live together in groups and societies.

He graduated in 1946 with a degree in Sociology. He did all this while working a full-time job at the steel mill!

A Groundbreaking Career

After graduating, Oscar immediately started a graduate program at Kent State. He impressed the head of the Sociology department, James T. Laing, so much that he was given a teaching job in 1947. This was very unusual because he was still a graduate student.

By the fall of 1947, Oscar Ritchie became a full-time professor in the Sociology Department. This was a huge moment! It made him the first African American professor at a mostly White university in Ohio.

Fighting for Fairness

The university president at the time, Bowman, was okay with Oscar teaching. But he didn't like the NAACP, calling it "radical." He wouldn't let students start a local NAACP group in 1954.

The university also had unfair housing rules that treated people differently based on their race. Oscar Ritchie fought against these rules. In 1963, he helped force the university to change them. The Sociology and English departments helped by protesting and even threatening to stop working until things changed.

His Important Studies

Oscar Ritchie was a very smart scholar. He received a special scholarship to Yale University. In 1948, he won the Julius Rosenwald Scholarship, which is given to people who work for "the well-being of mankind." He was the first Kent State graduate to win this award. He also received the Guggenheim Award for graduate students.

Oscar took a year off from Kent State to study at the University of Wisconsin. In 1949, he returned to his teaching duties. He earned his PhD in Sociology from New York University in 1958. His studies focused on how young male delinquents viewed their industrial school.

Just before he passed away, his fellow professors chose him to be the head of the Sociology Department.

Helping Students and Community

Oscar Ritchie loved working with students. He advised several Greek organizations on campus, like the Kappa Alpha Psi and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternities. He also helped start the Alpha Phi Alpha Education Foundation, which gave scholarships to students. His work with Alpha Phi Alpha led him to become the Director of Educational Activities for their national chapter from 1966 until his death.

A Lifelong Musician

Oscar was also a musician his whole life. Even though he didn't play in a band like before, he directed music groups outside the university. In 1938, he brought back the Massillon Community Chorus. By 1941, it was a big choir with 40 members! They toured more than 50 cities in Ohio. The group was made up of everyday people like mill workers and house maids. They gave all their earnings to the Urban League to buy music and choir robes.

With his wife Edith singing in the choir and him playing piano, Oscar kept his love for music alive. They performed Negro spirituals, like the famous Fisk Jubilee Singers.

Community Leader

Oscar also helped start the Portage County Family Planning, Counseling and Mental Health Center in Ravenna, Ohio, in 1962. He worked with other professors from Kent State on this important project.

He was also an active member of the Massillon Urban League and the Canton NAACP. He led a drive in the 1950s that almost doubled the NAACP's local membership. This was a brave thing to do, especially since the Kent State president didn't like these groups. Oscar also spoke out against unfair housing rules and problems in the juvenile justice system.

Recognition and Legacy

Interior of Oscar Ritchie Hall at Kent State University.

To honor his 29 years of service, a building at Kent State University was renamed Oscar W. Ritchie Hall on November 9, 1977.

The Oscar W. Ritchie Four-Year Scholarship Fund was also created in 1977. This fund gives money to qualified African American students who want to attend Kent State University. It helps many students achieve their dreams of going to college.

Death

Oscar Ritchie passed away on June 16, 1967, in Ravenna, Ohio. He was 58 years old. He was survived by his wife Edith, his brother Alfred, his sister Mary, his son George, and three grandchildren: Jocelyn, Victoria, and Bradford.

Published Articles

• Ritchie, O.W. (1999). "Thoughts Upon an Impact Study of an Industrial School for Male Delinquents". Juvenile Criminal Law & Criminology.