James E. K. Hildreth, PH.D, MD

First Arkansas African American Rhodes Scholar, Noted Scientist

James E. K. Hildreth, M.D. is Director of the Center for AIDA Health Disparities Research, a National Institutes of Health funded center at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Hildreth was born and raised in Camden, Arkansas. He gradated valedictorian from Camden High School in 1975 and began studies at Harvard University that fall. he was selected as the first African American Rhodes from Arkansas in 1978 and graduated from Harvard magna cum laude in chemistry the following...(more)

W.R. Smokie Norful, Jr.

Grammy Award-Winning Gospel Recording Artist

Pastor Smokie Norful, a minister who is the son of an African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E.) minister, was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. He grew up in Pine Bluff, and was deeply involved in his fathers church. He was interested in music from a very young age, reportedly picking out one-finger piano melodies at age two. His parents supported him with music lessons, and unusual for his background, allowed him to experiment with and listen to the current R&B and soul music of the day as well as gospel music. Norf...(more)

Erma Glasco Davis, PH. D.
Distinguished Educator, Humanities Scholar


Erma Glasco Davis was born in Keo, Arkansas and was reared in south central Little Rock, also known as the South End. She is a product of the Little Rock Public School System, graduating from Dunbar High School in May, 1945. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from AM&N college, Pine bluff, Arkansas (now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff). A year or so after the Central High desegregation crisis of 1957, she and her husband moved to Detroit, Michigan and the Doctor of Philosophy degree from the Univers...(more)

Samuel W. Williams, PH.D

Educator and Pioneering Civic and Social Leader
(Posthumous)


Samuel W. Williams, PHD. Was born in Sparkman, Arkansas but spent most of his formative years in Dermott, Arkansas. His love of God, quest for knowledge and love for his fellow man, particularly those less fortunate, propelled him to life’s stage as a scholar, religious, civic and civil rights advisor.

Dr. Williams obtained degrees from Morehouse College (B.A.); Howard University (B.D. and M.A.); University of Chicago (Ph.D) and Arkansas Baptist College (D.D). He also attended Philander Smith co...(more)

Delores Handy-Brown
Trailblazing News Anchor and Emmy Award-Winning Journalist

Delores Handy-Brown was born April 7, 1947 in Little Rock, Arkansas and attended the Little Rock public Schools. She is now a broadcast journalist and news anchor at WNUR, National Public Radio’s Boston station. She is fill-in-in host of Boston University World of Ideas, a weekly one-hour show in which University faculty and the Boston Community speak about current events, national and international politics, academic issues, and public affairs.

Before moving to Boston in 1982 to work at Channel 7, she work...(more)

Charles E. Blake
Presiding Bishop, Church of God in Christ International

Bishop Charles E. Blake serves as presiding Bishop of the 6 million member Church of God in Christ, one of our nation’s largest denominations. He also serves the Jurisdictional Prelate of the First Jurisdiction of Southern California comprised of more than 250 churches.

Bishop Blake is the pastor of West Angeles Church of God in Christ with a membership of over 24,000. West Angeles is deeply involved in providing not only for the spiritual life of its people, but also it provides more than 80 programs for the psy...(more)