Who was Ripon’s first black student?

Who was the first black student at Ripon College? It is a challenging question. Over the years, it has been thought to be answered and then corrected.

Turner Jones, class of 1939, of Piney Woods, Mississippi, was incorrectly identified in the Spring 2001 issue of Ripon Magazine as the first African American to attend Ripon. Then in 2021, Robert Page Sims Jr. 1928, who came to campus in the fall of 1924 from Bluefield, West Virginia, was believed to be the first. 

A look through Crimson yearbooks, however, uncovered George R. Young, class of 1915. Young, a 1911 graduate of Jacksonville (Illinois) High School, is pictured in the 1913 Crimson in the freshman class photo and the cross country team photo; and the 1914 Crimson (pictured here) as a member of the track team. He is listed in the 1916 Crimson as holding the school record in the 440-yard run with a time of 51-⅖ seconds set in 1912.

Although there is no name or photo available, the following was printed in the College Days, vol. VII no. 1, October 1887: “Ripon College has a young colored student from the northwestern part of the state. … he is well received and joins in baseball and other games in full accord.” It is quite possible this unnamed gentleman was the first black student to attend Ripon College.