Jefferson Thomas's Page

Education

I went to school at Dunbar Junior High School until 1957 when I volunteered to integrate to an all-white High School. I went to Central High School and graduated in 1960, After High School, I went to Wayne State University in Detroit. Later, I moved to Los Angeles with my family. There I attended Los Angeles State College.

Book Source:

Miller, Mara. School Desegregation and the Story of the Little Rock Nine. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, 2008. Print.

Profession

I was in the United States Army. I was part of the 9th Infantry Division and served in South Vietnam. I was discharged from the army in 1968 and returned to civilian life. Then after attending Los Angeles State College and getting a Bachelors degree in Business Administration, I started to work as an Accounting Clerk. Then, I became the supervisor for Mobil Oil Corporation at the Los Angeles Credit Card Center. Later on in life, I became an Accounting Clerk for the Department of Defense. The DOD moved its LA operation centers to Columbus so I moved along with it. At Columbus, I served as a member of the Board of Directors for the City of Refuge Learning Academy. I also did volunteer work for the Village to Child Program. I also do a lot of public speaking across the country at High schools and colleges.

Organizations

I was part of the Little Rock Nine, the group of black students who desegregated Central High School. 

My Goal

My goal in life was to make education better for African-American children by desegregating schools. 

Signature Quote

“I had no reason to think that the quiet, peaceful place where I grew up could change so drastically, I used to go to Central on weekends and play ball with the [white] kids there.”

Source: http://hopeseguin2010.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/jefferson-thomas-dies/

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