Page 39 - Georgetown Prep - Endowment of Tears, Hope for Reconciliation

the Washington, D. C. Public Schools.
He went on to graduate Lafayette College and to earn an MBA and a law degree from American University. Meanwhile, he forged a 30-year career as an attorney
Billie R. Spellman,
Independent and free-spirited, Frank, who had entered Prep as a
7th grader in 1962, and who was the lone black student in the school until his
freshman year, This included , Jr.,
Inspired by the example of his father and grandfather, Frank entered the
pre-med program at Johns Hopkins University, and from there advanced to medical school at the University of California at Santa Barbara. His academic experience at UCSB Medical School, which he found extremely stimulating, fueled his passion for academic excellence and his fascination with ophthalmology. He has practiced as a noted ophthalmic surgeon in the Washington, D. C. metropolitan area for decades. Frank served on the Georgetown Prep
John E. McKnight ‘70
H. Vincent McKnight, Jr. ’71
Michael R. Brooks ‘71
The initial cluster of African American graduates to follow Frank Spellman to Prep included John E. McKnight ‘70, H. Vincent McKnight, Jr., ’71, and Michael R. Brooks ‘71. They, and Wendell A. Goins, MD. ’72, Peter E. Clarke ‘72, Darrell C. Beatty ’72, Guerdon H. Stuckey, Jr. ’73, and Alan Smith, MD. ’73, who entered Prep between 1964 and 1970, would vanguard the slow process of moving Prep from desegregation to greater integration. The three earliest graduates of the group -- John and Vincent McKnight, and Michael Brooks, were the sons of highly educated and distinguished Washington, D. C. professionals.
John, Vincent, and their seven siblings were raised in Washington, D. C., by their parents, Herbert V. McKnight M.D., and Mrs. Alma M. McKnight. Michael Brooks was also brought up in D. C., but spent his middle school
years and first two years of high school at Escola Americana do Rio Janeiro in Brazil with his brother and his parents, George T. Brooks and Marie E. Brooks. George Brooks held a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in etymology and spent 33 years in federal government service advising foreign governments on the control of locusts and other pests and as a scientist-administrator. When Michael transferred to Prep for the 11th grade in 1969, his father had recently returned to Washington, D. C., after having served as chief of the National Institute of Health’s Latin American Office.
Dr. and Mrs. McKnight maintained lifelong bonds with Dr. Mitchell Spellman and his wife, Billie. The two physicians had connected as students at the Howard University College of Medicine in the mid 1940’s. They also served together as faculty members at the Howard University Medical School where, over the years, they trained scores of young African American physicians. The bonds between the Spellman and McKnight families were further girded by their shared Catholicism and devotion to securing the best educational opportunities for their children. Mrs. McKnight modelled commitment to educational excellence, having graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the Minor Teacher’s College in Washington, D.C., with degrees in both mathematics and English. As a young wife and mother, she pursued a Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania. Only a diagnosis of cancer sidetracked her from achieving her graduate degree.
John and Vincent entered Prep as 7th graders in 1964 and 1965, respectively, as members of the final two seventh and eighth grade classes in Prep’s history. More importantly, they entered Prep as twelve-year-old African American students before the ink had completely dried on the landmark Civil Rights Act ( July 1964) and Voting Rights Act (August 1965). John’s entrance as a 7th grader in 1964, when Frank Spellman was a freshman, marked the first time that more than one black student was enrolled at Prep in a given school year. Michael Brooks later joined the group as an 11th grader. In the decade from 1960 to 1970, a period characterized by racial unrest, demonstrations, and new civil rights legislation, there were never more than 7 African American students at Prep at any given time.
At Prep, John and Vincent excelled academically and in sports. They were the first African American members of the varsity football team, and John was selected captain in his senior year. He served in that capacity despite a knee injury prior to the beginning of the season that sidelined him for the duration. John was also an outstanding 4-year baseball player who, as a freshman, started in center field on the varsity baseball team. Vincent was a member of the Prep football team that was ranked #1 in the D. C. area. Beginning in 7th grade, Vincent ran several events for the varsity track team culminating in the school’s first IAC track championship in 1970.
Entering Prep as a junior in 1969, Michael Brooks quickly became engaged in school life. Michael ran cross country his junior year and was a member of the varsity wrestling and tennis teams in both his junior and senior years. He showed his love of books by his membership in the Library Club. The club’s aim was “to help the school librarian to increase t he quality and quantity of reading material.” Michael and his fellow club members did this by preparing new books, filing them on the shelves, and withdrawing old ones. As the club motto proclaimed, “Through books, we grow, change, and live.” At graduation ceremonies in 1971, Michael’s sterling character was recognized as he was awarded the Prep Medal for Christian leadership. After Oberlin College, Michael pursued a career in banking in Brazil.