George Haley, the last surviving member of a group of students who integrated the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, died Wednesday at his home in Maryland, according to The Kansas City Star. He was 89.
Later in life, Haley served as ambassador to Gambia under President Bill Clinton.
At UA, Haley was part of a group that enrolled in the law school during 1948-51 at a time when UA had no black undergraduate students.
The group endured racial taunts but persevered, though the first enrollee, Silas Hunt, died of tuberculosis after a semester of study. Haley, speaking last year at UA, described "most demeaning and unpleasant" separate facilities like study rooms, restrooms and chairs apart from white students. A historical marker on campus recognizes the "Six Pioneers" for their role in integrating UA.
Stacy Leeds, dean of UA's law school, said Haley was "incredibly successful academically," earning top marks in several courses and serving on the student law review. He was "one of the iconic figures of the civil-rights movement," Leeds said.
Haley, born in Tennessee but raised in Pine Bluff, was elected to the Kansas Senate and served in various roles in the administrations of several different U.S. presidents. His older brother, Alex Haley, was the author of Roots: The Saga of an American Family.
In November, he spoke at the Wiley A. Branton Issues Symposium, named after another member of the "Six Pioneers" group.
"Closing the educational achievement gap between African-Americans and other communities is the new civil-rights challenge," Haley said.
He is survived by his wife, Doris Haley, son David Haley, and daughter Anne Haley-Brown, according to The Star.
Metro on 05/19/2015