Marjorie Casson ('59)

Marjorie Casson's senior photo in the 1959 Ragout.

A note on language: In 1959, “Negro” was a polite term to describe a person of African, Black, or African American ancestry, and was occasionally used by those groups of people to describe themselves.  Today, the word “Negro” is considered offensive and is no longer used.

When Marjorie Casson entered CMU in 1953, she was the first African American to be admitted.  She was, also, 44 years old, already both a teacher and a minster in the African Episcopal Church (A.M.E.) with a master’s degree.  A part-time, and then later full-time student, she kept up both her professions and supported herself with full-time work to graduate in 1959 with a Bachelor of Arts in Education. In 2005, Rev. Casson received the Central Methodist University Heritage Award.