Frostburg State's First African American Graduate

Writer’s Note: I met Leon Brumback ’61/M’67 when I first started writing for Frostburg State University. It was a gray day in 1994 and Brumback was on summer vacation from teaching at North High in Hagerstown, Md. I traveled with another writer and was dropped off at Brumback’s modest home. I recall being concerned about finishing my interview early and not having my own transportation to leave. But that worry soon dissipated, as Brumback and I hit it off swimmingly. He was the kind of man who never met a stranger and made everyone feel welcomed and valued. We laughed as he shared stories of being the first African American graduate of Frostburg State College and talked about the many students he mentored – encouraging many of them to attend Frostburg. Since that delightful interview, Brumback retired from his beloved teaching career in 1998. Today, at 85, he is living in a nursing home in Washington County. His sister, Leona Watson, was brimming with pride when I called her for an update on her little brother. “He made history wherever he went,” she said. Thank you, Mr. Brumback, for your legacy and continued impact. Here is the article I wrote after that wonderful meeting with a man this writer and our University will never forget.

Brumback celebrated a long career as a Washington County educator and tennis coach. Photo by Kevin G. Gilbert, USA Today Network.

Leon Brumback ’61/M’67 stands in his kitchen, looking at miniature figurines of an all-Black jazz band on his countertop. “When I saw them, I thought, ‘I’ll be taking those back with me,’” he said with an impish grin.

Studying the female of the set, Brumback ponders which 1940’s jazz artist the doll resembled – Billie Holiday or Sarah Vaughan? It doesn’t concern him for long and he enthusiastically tells the tale of how he found the set in New Orleans and will add them to his assembly of African American figurines, a collection he began to honor his heritage.

Brumback was the first Black to graduate from Frostburg State. He described his stay at “the ’Burg” during a time when racial tensions were on the front burner as a “learning and rewarding experience.” He was graciously welcomed back then, much to his surprise, and the color of his skin was not a major issue.

“In this little, isolated town in Western Maryland, you would think that everyone would be a racist. But there was never a real problem,” he recalled.

Roaming around his Hagerstown home today, Brumback exudes warmth, gentleness and an obvious appreciation for his history. In addition to the African American collectibles, he passes a self-made needlepoint embroidery on his hallway wall. Stitched close together in the sampler are the letters “FSC” and the frayed words “Best Teacher.” The two go side by side, he said.

“Having completed nearly 33 1/2 years in my chosen profession, I realized it was Frostburg that prepared me to be successful. As an institution, it is truly dedicated to providing the best for its students.”

As a student growing up in Hancock, Md., in 1950’s segregation, Brumback and other Black students were bussed to North Street School in Hagerstown – the only all-Black school in Washington County. The hour-plus daily commute stopped in Brumback’s junior year of high school, when segregation ended in 1956, and he was allowed to attend Hancock High School with his White friends. “I thought segregation was stupid then. No one caused us any harm. Everyone knew one another anyway.”

He modestly refers to his early achievements as the product of “fate” when he scored outstanding on a college placement test from the University of Maryland. A teacher at Hancock High noted the high scores and encouraged Brumback to apply to colleges immediately.

“It was almost like it was my destiny and I had no control over what was happening to me,” said the man from a family of six. “I never thought about my education because there was no money. All the way through college, I had to find other sources of money, like scholarships.”