Page 12 - Ambassdor Delano Lewis Sample

But high schools were integrated in all of the major cities except

Kansas City, so that's another story.
I grew up in this segregated environment and went to Sumner
High School. Mr. Thompson was not only my principal: he was
my neighbor. I faced Freeman Street and he faced 10th Street. My

address was 1006 Freeman. His garage was sort of in the back
across from my house. He was a real scholar, a real disciplinarian.
He ran a great high school. He was the one who nominated me,
along with my good friend Dan Matthews, to go to Kansas Boys

State, a government action program by the American Legion
which is still going on today. That was one of the formative
experiences in my life. We had a solid education, we had great
teachers. When I think about it, he stands out as probably one of

the most important heroes in my life, along with my mom and
dad: my principal Sol Thompson.

Was he Black?

Yes. Interesting question. All my teachers were Black. It was
not only a Black high school with all Black students, but all the

teachers were Black. Because of segregation, those teachers had
Master’s Degrees and were working on their PhDs. They were
excellent teachers but couldn't find other kinds of jobs or other
teaching positions in other situations because of discrimination

during the ‘40s and ‘50s. I went to high school from 1953 to 1956.
My band teacher, Mr. Robert Clark would loom high as a real
hero as well. I played trumpet in the band and I was also a drum
major for the band for all three years of my high school

experience. He was a standout for me. He's the one who enrolled
me in the band camp at the University of Kansas. So, I got a
chance to work with the band as a drum major at Kansas

University in Lawrence when I was in high school. I knew which

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