Friday, March 13, 2020 / Published in African Americans, Education, Local History

A Most Exceptional Man: The Conclusion of the Edward S. Stephens Story

The first two posts in this series traced Edward Stephens’s career from St. Louis to Asheville to Topeka.  We saw him succeed as well as fail as he tried to lift up his race with his work in schools and black YMCAs.  This new post brings the story to a conclusion by looking at how
Thursday, March 05, 2020 / Published in African Americans, Asheville History, Education, Local History

A Most Exceptional Man: The Edward S. Stephens Story (Part Two)

In Part One we focused on Stephens’s work as a principal and teacher in the Asheville City Schools and as the organizer and first general secretary of the Young Men’s Institute (YMI).  In this new post, we’ll look at the events that led to Stephens’s departure from Asheville and the work he and his wife