| From
the March 30, 2006, edition of “Northwest This Week.”
Northwest students ring the Bell of ’48 to announce the
beginning of “Black Week.”
The following is excerpted
from “Transitions: A Hundred Years of Northwest” by
Dr. Janice Brandon-Falcone. An illustrated history of the University’s
first 100 years, “Transitions” is available from the
Bearcat Bookstore on the first floor of the J.W. Jones Student
Union. The book can also be purchased online at www.nwmissouri.bkstore.com
or by calling (660) 562-1246 (ext. 1246 on campus).
The region served by Northwest never had
much ethnic or religious diversity, and the College’s first
introduction to diverse culture and color came in the form of
international students and a few faculty. In 1937, President Uel
Lamkin admitted two Philippine girls without fees in order to
bring foreign-speaking students to campus. Before, during, and
after World War II, a dozen international students attended. Most
of the early international students came from Europe, Mexico,
and South America, with a few students hailing from the Middle
East. One international student became president of the student
body in the 1950s.
Shoba Mansukhan Brown came from India in
1971 and was eager to try all things American. She even majored
in English and went on to work at the United Nations in New York,
becoming a citizen in 1985. Her years at Northwest were spent
developing strong lasting friendships with the women in Franken
Hall. “I don’t remember discrimination,” she
recalled. “I went home to my friends’ homes in Iowa,
Nebraska, Missouri, and their families took me in. We borrowed
each other’s clothes and went to Kansas because you could
drink at 19 there.”
The University’s first African-American
graduate was Joe Bell, who arrived in 1959. He had played football
in Waterloo, Iowa, and his coach, Don Hanson, a Northwest alumnus,
encouraged Bell to visit Maryville and try out for the football
team. Bell moved into a men’s residence hall, received a
scholarship to play football, and graduated in 1963.
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