Wesley Acton was the first black teacher in an integrated school in Owensboro and Daviess County. He recounted his experience, which began at St. William School in Knottsville, and his over 50-year journey as an educator and civil rights pioneer.
Acton sat at his kitchen table in the home he built on a small farm in Pleasant Ridge, where his father was once a sharecropper. He dug through multiple accolades, newspaper clippings, and several more artifacts from his experiences, holding back tears and searching for words.
“I don’t much want to do this; I don’t like bringing attention to myself,” Acton humbly expressed.
After some convincing, he opened up a little more.
“I suppose if you think people will want to hear my story, we can do this,” he said. “I was the first black teacher in an integrated school in the county. It made me feel good, and I hope I’ve inspired other black educators. The Ursuline sisters were at the forefront of some of these changes, but it was definitely a slow movement.”
Acton graduated from Western High School—the segregated all-Black high school in the community—in 1955. His efforts to save enough money after graduation to enroll at Kentucky State in Frankfort fell through, but his faith and determination to obtain a college degree never wavered.
Brown v. Board of Education was passed in 1954, but schools in Owensboro and Daviess County did not begin to integrate until the late ‘50s and early ’60s. Brescia College (now Brescia University) and the Ursuline Sisters integrated well ahead of the local public systems, admitting Acton to the school in the Autumn of 1955.
His education was almost cut short due to financial reasons, but as he put it, “Those nuns were always there for me.”
“After studying for a year, my financial situation almost prevented me from returning for my sophomore year,” he said. “The college treasurer, Sister Isadore Brown, the dean, Sister Mary Antonia Wathern, and several other sisters assured me that as long as I wanted an education, money would not pose a problem.”
The Sisters offered Acton enough work on campus to help offset the cost of tuition. He rallied off several names who helped pave the way for him.
“I indeed appreciate the financial opportunity afforded me and enjoyed my hours working at Brescia, but I count the friendships made and life lessons learned from those pioneers to be a treasure of inestimable value,” he said.
Acton graduated in 1960 with a bachelor’s degree in history and a minor in English, satisfying the Kentucky Provisional High School Teaching Certification requirements.
As Acton put it, this was only the beginning.
Initially struggling to find employment, the Ursuline Sisters, who ran St. William’s High School in Knottsville, contacted Acton midway through the 1961 school year. One of the sisters needed a 2-week medical leave, and they wanted him to teach in her place temporarily.
“When they came to tell me the two weeks were up, I melted with sadness,” he said. “They saw how sad I was when they told me I wouldn’t be there anymore, so they took it upon themselves to create a position. I could stay where I was, and the returning sister began teaching all the religion classes. We were all happy about it.”
Acton spoke kindly of the Knottsville community but admitted his tenure there was challenging at times. He said there were two black students in the school when he started.
He recalled one afternoon when three boys left school early and walked down the highway to try to catch him in his car. To their surprise, Acton had two Sisters with him, immediately prompting the boys to run. He feared their intent was malicious but make no mistake: Those Sisters identified the three boys.
Those who attended a rural Catholic school in the ‘60s will likely have an idea of how the Sisters handled it. All Acton knows is he never had an issue with those three individuals ever again.
“I had some battles, but the nuns were always there to defend me and had my back,” he said. “They saw to it the kids did not run over me and were always very supportive. It was a battleground, but it paved the way, and they (defiant students) did not run me away.”
Daviess County and Owensboro public schools began integrating students in 1957. The county started with first grade and added another grade each subsequent year. The city started with 12th grade and worked backward.
F.T. Burns was the county schools superintendent at the time and Acton said he always wanted to “stay ahead” of the city. In 1963, he offered Acton a position teaching at Thruston School, making him the first black educator in either school system.
He gave him two days to make a decision.
Reluctant to leave the Sisters because of their constant support, Acton knew he had to accept the position, if not for professional reasons, for what it could mean for the black community.
“Over the years, things got easier, but it was never easy,” he said. “It was a different teaching structure and a nice area, but it was still tough. I think preparing yourself for future events is crucial. You must be ready to jump on board and move things forward.”
In 1969, he moved to Apollo Junior High School before transitioning to a position at F.T. Burns Middle School in 1972. He finished his career there, retiring in 1993 after over 32 years of service.
For the next 30 years, he substituted in Owensboro Public Schools and Daviess, Hancock, and Ohio counties. Acton earned his Master’s degree and Rank I from Western Kentucky University. He was also president of the Daviess County Education Association and the second district of the Kentucky Education Association.
“I have enjoyed a life-long commitment to helping people,” he said. “Just as I was encouraged by my Brescia professors to be knowledgeable in all areas of the curriculum, I have encouraged my students to do the same.”
As if breaking the color barrier for other black educators in the area wasn’t enough, Acton’s civil rights efforts didn’t stop there.
He co-founded the Human Relations Commission in 1963 and was one of 27 founding members of the Owensboro Area Museum. He worked several summer youth programs with the Neighborhood Youth Corps, the Operation Youth Program, and the H.L. Neblett Center, where he is a lifelong board member and former two-time president.
Acton was also a member of the Daviess County Citizens Access Board, the Daviess County-Owensboro Retired Teachers Association, the Owensboro branch of the NAACP, and countless other community outreach programs.
Many say Acton’s involvement in civic service stems from his ever-on-task attitude and leadership style, where he says he’s always “working right beside you.”
“I experienced what it was like to be denied entrance into the parks and playgrounds of my home community, not to be allowed to drink at a public water fountain, not to be able to eat at a restaurant, or sit where I pleased at a movie theater,” Acton said. “I remember using hand-me-down materials and desks at schools and quickly discovered that ‘separate but equal’ was simply a euphemistic phrase to justify holding onto segregation.”
Acton and his friends acknowledged that real change comes slowly. They once conducted a “sit-in” at the movie theater by informing management of their plan and sat on the lower level rather than exclusively on the balcony.
“Although plain-clothes policemen were assigned to sit right behind us, to the surprise of many, there were no arrests or negative repercussions,” he said. “As a result of our peaceful protest, African Americans could sit wherever they pleased.”
They repeated these efforts in local restaurants, and after innumerable attempts, they accomplished the same goal.
Acton said he continually strives to emulate the directions and examples of his mentors at Brescia in the areas of human and civil rights and his attitude toward life.
“They encouraged me to use my talents to ‘level the playing field’ for those whose lives reflected the folly of segregation and other forms of racial discrimination,” Acton said. “I hope that when my time comes, my life can best be summed up by the word ‘service.’ My goals, motivations, and intentions are best measured by what I do, not by what I say.”
Acton acknowledged that his job wasn’t finished. He ended the conversation by going to help a friend in need, as he does nearly every day of his life.
His efforts and accolades have come and gone quietly, likely at his request, but his impact will withstand the test of time.
