Unlikely First At Historic Black College

Morehouse College To Graduate First White Valedictorian In 141-Year History

(CBS/AP)  From his first day at Morehouse College - the country's only institution of higher learning dedicated to the education of black men - Joshua Packwood has been a standout.

His popularity got him elected dorm president as a freshman. His looks and physique made him a fashion-show favorite. His intellect made him a Rhodes Scholar finalist. His work ethic landed him a job at the prestigious investment banking firm Goldman Sachs in New York City.

But it's his skin that has made all of this an anomaly. This month, Packwood is set to take the stage and address his classmates as the first white valedictorian in Morehouse's 141-year history.

The 22-year-old from Kansas City, Mo., will graduate on May 18 with a perfect 4.0 GPA and a degree in economics.

Speaking about his experience with CBS' The Early Show, Packwood relished his time at Morehouse. "It has really helped me dig deep
down inside and really look for what makes me, me," Packwood said.

He could have gone elsewhere, to a school like Columbia, Stanford or Yale, but his four-year journey through Morehouse has taught him a few things that they could not, and he makes it clear that he has no regrets.

"I've been forced to see the world in a different perspective, that I don't think I could've gotten anywhere else," he said. "None of the Ivies, no matter how large their enrollment is, no matter how many Nobel laureates they have on their faculty ... none of them could've provided me with the perspective I have now."

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When Packwood applied to Morehouse, he had frequent conversations with George Gray, an alumnus who was a recruiter at the school. Gray was impressed by Packwood's credentials and spent months trying to talk the sought-after senior into choosing Morehouse over other elite schools.

"He had outstanding numbers," said Gray, now director of admissions at historically black Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark. "He was the kind of kid we were looking for to be a presidential scholar."

After several conversations, Packwood began to suspect that Gray had no idea that he was white. His suspicions were confirmed when one of Gray's calls caught Packwood in the middle of track practice.

"Don't let the white kids walk you down," Gray quipped.

"Wait," Packwood responded. "You know I'm white, right?"

Silence. Uneasy laughter. Confirmation.

"The challenge was to get the best student that we could, and Josh definitely fit that," Gray said.

And for Packwood, knowing that he had been picked on his merits, and not as a token white recruit, made the difference.

"That said I could come here and, ironically, be accepted for who I am," Packwood said. "I thought I made the right decision then, and I know I made the right decision now."

It was not as if this was the first time Packwood experienced life in the minority. He was among the few white students in his class at Grandview Senior High School in Kansas City, Mo. He has mixed-race siblings and his mother was married to a black man. Packwood's experiences growing up have helped him navigate black culture while remaining comfortable with his own complexion.

Packwood's mere presence on campus wouldn't make history at this school founded by a black minister and cabinetmaker two years after the end of the Civil War. Howard Zehr, Morehouse's first white student, graduated in 1966, and there have been dozens of other whites on campus since.

And so Packwood turned down Columbia University, postponing his dream of living in New York City. He ignored some in his family who warned that he might not have the same opportunities he would have as a Columbia graduate, and headed South.

Packwood still laughs when he remembers his first day on campus, wandering the grounds in pajama pants and getting stares from black classmates who wondered if the freshman wasn't a wayward student from Georgia Tech, Georgia State or perhaps Emory University.

After convincing the photographer to take his student ID, Packwood headed to his room in Brazeal Hall. Shortly after, his roommate arrived with his mother. Four years later, Packwood still can't get over the irony: After years of being one of a few blacks at majority-white schools in Dallas, Phillip Smithey had come to Morehouse to get the "black experience."

Instead, he was sharing a room with the only white guy in his class.

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When he came to Morehouse, Packwood was sweating a bit under his swagger, which is why he was reluctant to run for president of his dorm at the end of his freshman year. The novelty was wearing off, but Packwood didn't want his new friends to think he was the white guy trying to "act black" or take over their school.

Classes proved to be a challenge socially and academically when the discussions shifted to issues of race. Once, Packwood was asked to sit on a panel about interracial relationships. Though he had dated black girls since high school, he spent the first hour of the panel getting warmed up, feeling out the crowd and trying to couch his thoughts.

"It was kind of heated, and there were very strong views on both sides," he said. "But eventually I realized they put me on the panel not to just pander to the crowd, but to voice my opinion."

Packwood said such exchanges taught him a lesson.

"Sometimes I kind of wanted to hold back," he acknowledged. "A lot of the professors and students have been like, 'No, don't hold back. We want your perspective here. If we're not going to get it from you, it's going to be very difficult for us to get it somewhere else."'

Both students and faculty, he said, seemed to appreciate his honesty.

"The few times I have held back and tried to pick my words wisely or even go against what I truly believe, that's when I've caught the most flak," he said.

With each semester, Packwood's grades remained high, his confidence grew and his resume became more impressive. Summers were spent on Wall Street at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, he studied abroad in London and Costa Rica, and his studies have taken him to China and Switzerland.

He also drew attention with his looks - some Atlanta University Center coeds took to calling him "Tom Cruise." His photo album on Facebook shows a smiling Packwood posing with dozens of young, black women who fill his page with notes.

As Morehouse embraced him, Packwood became an unlikely ambassador for the school.

"Josh Packwood is Morehouse," the college's president, Robert Franklin, said in his inauguration speech in February. "He happens to be Euro-American and brings much appreciated diversity to our campus."

Wendell Marsh, a junior English and French major who is black, said talking to Packwood as a high school senior helped make up his mind to come to Morehouse.

"Right now we live in a time where people say the black institution is obsolete, that you can get a better education at a majority institution," Marsh said. "To see a white guy who had declined Harvard for Morehouse, I figured it was good enough for me."

Packwood raised "the bar for everyone," said Stanton Fears, a senior economics major.

"The best man got it, that's how I look at it," Fears said. "It's about equality here, too. If he wants to come here and make a name for himself, he should be allowed the same types of things we're allowed."

Being surrounded by black men for his undergraduate career has taught him more about diversity, Packwood said.

"I've been here for four years and yet, I cannot give you the definition of black," he said. "I cannot tell you what a black man is. I really learned to look much deeper. It takes a lot of effort to know people."

[jboxton]

I knew this kid. It doesn''t say how many times he got beat up. You can tell this isn''t a true story anyway. There are not THAT many African Americans who graduate from college.

[paigeinpa]

mahler2112

Then why are you still attending said HBCU???...and to say that they all should be abolished makes me think you are just a troll who just wants to make trouble & who has never set foot on a HBCU campus...I went to one..and like everything in life there are good and bad situations & everything in between...but the experiences that I had at my school were indeed life lessons.

And if you REALLY were going to a HBCU then you would know that, like Josh.

[megamanx1-2009]

IM BACK AND I HAD MY NAP....FEEL A LOT BETTER NOW. :^D

BUT THAT SHAWNP GUY IS STILL A *********...

[theoldman56]

I%u2019m curious mahler2112 . You say that you believe that all HBCUs should be abolished? It seems to me that any institute of higher learning that allows any person of any race to better themselves and mankind should be preserved at all cost. Wouldn%u2019t you agree?

[nonayabiness]

Nonaya-

That''''s a bunch of BS; we see stories about minorities succeeding in predominately white colleges (which is to say all of them) all the time. He went to a predominately black college and worked just as hard as he would have if he went to Harvard, what''''s the big deal?


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Posted by spadeisspade at 04:23 PM : May 15, 2008

-Spade-

I get your point. The point I''m making is that this SHOULDNT be a story in our society today, but is. It''s about progress and acceptance all around.

[philtheiaguy]

OOPS.. forgot to grammar check the last entry. I wanted to say It took courage for the black men and women...

[philtheiaguy]

I have been reading through the last few pages of postings and find some of them to be intelligent statements of a few honest individuals who see the merit of a man attending and succeeding and a school where no other of his color have succeeded. Kudos to him. It took courage for the black mane women and in many cases - children that succeeded in all white schools in a time where much of a nation was against it. Are we a nation of tolerance? Bye and large - yes but to think that we are a country that wholly embraces each other regardless of race, religion or any other factor... we have much improvement ahead before that happens. Unfortunately there are those who feel that this forum is a stage to bait each other into a fight that is unneeded and unnecessary. As for me... I commend all that walk where few have gone before and those who continue to excel.

[spadeisspade]

Nonaya-

That''s a bunch of BS; we see stories about minorities succeeding in predominately white colleges (which is to say all of them) all the time. He went to a predominately black college and worked just as hard as he would have if he went to Harvard, what''s the big deal?

[nonayabiness]

I think this is a beautiful story of togetherness, acceptance and understanding. Someone got it right, would this even BE a story if this young man had attended a predominantly white college? No.

Should it be a story today, really, again, no. It''s really sad that something like this needs to be a story in today''s day and time, meaning that there is enough separation and segregation and racism still unfortunately alive that this is news. However, it is progress and news for the good, and means that one more hurdle has been crossed.

I think this young man and his college and peers should all be very proud of themselves and their collective accomplishments. You are teaching younger children great things with the success you''ve all achieved. GREAT JOB!!!

[krenz4]

Mega and Shawnp:
I know you are the same person, so you'' better get back on your meds. You are actually answering yourself. Kudos to you for being the biggest azz here and pretending to be a great thinker. Unfortunately, you dont get an emmy or an oscar for you bigoted, histronic performance on this post. SOrry... Take your meds and come back after a nap.

[mahler2112]

I am a white man and I attended a historically black
college. Let me say that this experience was HORRIBLE.
I used to think they treated me badly because I am white. Now I believe that they want to treat everyone
like ***. I have been fighting this school for three years because they are committing fraud against students on a daily basis. Kudos for this guy and
Morehouse but I think that HBCUs should be abolished.

[mahler2112]

As a white man who attended a historically black university, I applaud Morehouse and this gentleman''s
accomplishment. However, my experience was a very
negative one. I was already open minded about race
and culture and my experiences pushed me in the other
direction. I can only hope that more HBCUs use this
example to be more open-minded.

[theoldman56]

If it were an all white collage and a black student, then I would like to think the outcome would have been the same. Hard work and tolerance always pays off.

As for the Black man on the moon, only 6 men in the entire world have walked on the moon. You might also ask why one wasn%u2019t Hispanic, or American Indian or Cajun. The fact is most of us are just to smart to go some place where there%u2019s not even any air. %u263A

[parrot123-2009]

Do not label him, he is not a "Euro-american" - WHAT is that? He is an American. Whites do not go around adding ethnicities or the names of other countries to their national identities - they are simply Americans, and all American citizens should be proud to be Americans, or United States citizens.
Posted by rosesnpearls at 01:23 PM : May 15, 2008

Americans are FREE and ABLE to cal themselves whatever they feel like. Cheers!

[libh8er]

Wonder what the story would have been like at an Historic White College?

[witchsince91]

I''M STILL WONDERING WHEN A BLCK MAN WILL MAKE IT TO THE MOON. I GUESS ON AN EVOLUTIONARY SCALE, THEY''LL HAVE TO WAIT ON THE "MAN" TO GIVE "HIM" A TOKEN RIDE ON A ROCKET SHIP.

]:-/

[differnet]

I wish extraterrestrials would show up. Maybe then, finally, we would stop being so conscious of race. We could hate other because of their species then. (sighs)

[ccdsswrkr08]

Cheers to TheOldMan56

[megamanx1-2009]

To: MegamanX1 and ShawnP1968

Both of you should be ashamed of your selves!

This is a story of courage, hope and tolerance, not only by Mr. Packwood but also the other students and faculty. As passionate as you both seem to be about your viewpoint, neither of you seem to have the convection to try to make things better. This is a great story, but rather than trying to build upon it, the two of you want to tare it down by exhibiting the kind of behavior that that it seeks to over come. Grow up children. If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.



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Posted by TheOldMan56 at 02:13 PM : May 15, 2008

SORRY :^D

[theoldman56]

To: MegamanX1 and ShawnP1968

Both of you should be ashamed of your selves!

This is a story of courage, hope and tolerance, not only by Mr. Packwood but also the other students and faculty. As passionate as you both seem to be about your viewpoint, neither of you seem to have the convection to try to make things better. This is a great story, but rather than trying to build upon it, the two of you want to tare it down by exhibiting the kind of behavior that that it seeks to over come. Grow up children. If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.