Geneva’s Stories: Alger Adams in Geneva, 1928-1932
In 1932, Alger Adams was the first African American graduate from Hobart College. The college didn’t know his race when they offered him a scholarship. When he arrived in Geneva, he was told he couldn’t live on campus. This is a story of Geneva’s Black community in the 1920s and 30s and how they assisted Alger Adams.
As a Genevan and Hobart grad, this was truly enlightening. In some respects, we have come so far. Yet in another respect, we were so low that any progress just to get us to some semblance of equality isn’t good enough. We have yet to make real progress.
Thank you for this wonderful tribute to my Dad. I do like the way Geneva history provides a context for his time there. I also appreciate keeping his story alive and hope it inspires others.
HWS approached us about creating a video to tell students and community about your father. Because we have little information about his time here, presenting context was the best approach. It’s our pleasure to share his story!
You have done a wonderful job and every last person I share it with comments on the richness of the context and how much more meaningful Dad’s story becomes with that context. I’ve embedded it in a slide show (with full credits, of course) St. Phillips Episcopal Church in Harlem asked me to create about Dad and my mother and their life and contributions. I will send you a link. Thank you again, Mr. Marks.
To JMarks
Here’s the link that includes the Geneva video with the rest of the story about both my parents: https://we.tl/t-3UoDMfh0nQ