MURPHYSBORO (AP) – The mayor of Murphysboro is seeking to rename a local park in honor of one of the first black graduates from what was then known as Southern Illinois Normal University.
According to The Southern Illinoisan, the Murphysboro City Council will consider renaming Town Center Park after Carl Lee at the council’s Tuesday meeting.
Mayor Will Stephens called Lee a “trailblazer and pathfinder.” Lee attempted to integrate Murphysboro Township High School in 1916, when he was 18. After graduating from college, he became an educator, serving as principal of Douglas School in Murphysboro.