![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/diversity-inclusion\/commemorating-desegregation\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/169\/2020\/01\/VaughnHead.jpg\")
Joseph Vaughn<\/p><\/div>\n
In May 1964, Vice President Francis Bonner and civic leader Sapp Funderburk hand-selected Vaughn to become the first African-American student at\u00a0Furman University. He enrolled on January 29, 1965, hoping above all “to be a student”\u00a0and “to be accepted as Joe Vaughn.”\u00a0Though he experienced stress and loneliness at Furman, his joy and exuberance helped diffuse much of the tension he faced. He excelled both socially and academically, joining the Pershing Rifles, the Baptist Student Union, and the cheerleading squad. As chairman of the “Talk-a-Topic” committee, he organized forums to discuss race relations, student rights, and the Vietnam War. His senior year, as vice president of the Southern Student Organizing Committee, he led two peaceful civil rights demonstrations through downtown Greenville.<\/p>\n
Vaughn graduated Furman cum laude<\/em> in the spring of 1968 with a degree in English and became a teacher in the Greenville school system. His co-workers remember him as a “committed,” and “enthusiastic” teacher whose joy inspired students and whose words could “move crowds.” He led several district-wide drug education programs and reached out to students through special courses in creative writing, drama, and modern dance. He was a passionate political advocate, serving as president of the Greenville County Association of Teachers and the South Carolina Education Association. Though he retired from teaching in 1982, he remained a vocal social and political activist. He died at age 45 in Columbia on May 31, 1991.<\/p>\n In May 2019, the Furman Board of Trustees approved<\/a> a number of recommendations outlined by the Task Force on Slavery and Justice<\/a> in its\u00a0\u201cSeeking Abraham\u201d report [PDF]<\/a>, including creating a sculpture of Vaughn and a place of celebration and reflection where the statue would be placed.<\/p>\n Located on and to the right of the front steps of the Duke Library, the place of celebration and reflection will help tell the story of Vaughn\u2019s and others\u2019 important contributions to Furman\u2019s history.<\/p>\n The creation of Joseph Vaughn Day, held each year on January 29, and an enhanced scholarship in his name were also\u00a0among these and other recommendations that were endorsed or approved\u00a0by the university\u2019s Board of Trustees.<\/p>\n