Aaron Douglas

In 1922, Aaron Douglas completed his bachelor of fine arts degree at the University of Nebraska and a year later took a job as an art teacher at Lincoln High School in Kansas City, Missouri. From 1923 to 1924, Douglas taught here in Kansas City, before leaving for New York, where he and artists like Langston Hughes collaborated to produce works of art to articulate the changes taking place within the psyche of black Americans in the post World War United States.

The Paseo YMCA

Constructed in 1914, the Paseo YMCA has had a significant role in the unfolding history of the African American community in Kansas City, Missouri, especially in the 18th & Vine district.  What began as a modest goal of raising $10,000 to begin construction of a new, more modern facility soon became a community wide project. 

Bobby Lee Kountz

Bobby Lee Kountz (’54, School of Pharmacy) moved with her family to Kansas City in 1935 from Roland, Okla., and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1947. In 1949, after attending the University of New Mexico, Kountz returned to Kansas City and entered the School of Pharmacy. One of the first black women to graduate from UKC, Kountz established her career locally. In 2005, Kountz received a certificate from the Missouri State Board of Pharmacy honoring her 50 years of service in pharmacy.

William Dawson

William L. Dawson (’23, Conservatory of Music and Dance), a composer and arranger, earned his degree in music education from the Horner Institute of Fine Arts, which became the UKC Conservatory of Music in 1959. While studying at the Institute, Dawson taught in the Kansas City, Mo., public school district at Lincoln High School with the Harlem Renaissance artist Aaron Douglass. He went on to earn his master’s degree from the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, before taking a position at the Tuskegee Institute, where he established the music department in 1931. At Tuskegee, Dawson influenced a number of students’ professional pursuits, including the future novelist Ralph Ellison, the author of Invisible Man.

Leodis Davis

Leodis Davis (’56, College of Arts and Sciences), the 1986 UMKC Alumnus of the Year, distinguished himself as a pioneer in the field of biochemistry and as a member of the Kansas City community. While attending Lincoln High School, Davis was influenced by a faculty made up of Harvard and the University of Chicago graduates who cultivated an intellectual environment that inspired students to pursue academic success. Davis excelled in this environment, achieving high marks and recognition for his efforts graduating with honors. In 1952, after scoring extremely well on the UKC entrance exam, Davis was not only accepted to the university, he was awarded the Victor Wilson Scholarship for academic achievement. Upon graduation from UKC in 1956, Davis continued his studies at Iowa State University (1956-1960), where he earned both a master’s and a doctoral degree in biochemistry. From 1961-2006, Davis taught at several universities, including Tennessee State University in Nashville (1961-1962); Howard University Medical College in Washington, D.C. (1962-1969); and the University of Iowa in Iowa City (1969-2000). During his tenure at the University of Iowa, Davis chaired the chemistry department, served as senior associate provost and the dean of the Graduate College. In 2005, Davis and his wife, June, established the Leodis and June Davis Minority Scholarship for minority students majoring in any department within the College of Arts and Sciences and demonstrating financial need.