U of M honors Memphis State 8 — 60 years later
Zelma Dillihunt, sister of the late Memphis State 8 member Sammie Burnett Johnson, listens intently as one of her sister's colleagues reminisces about their groundbreaking time as the first African American students to attend the university. The Memphis State 8 were honored on campus Sept. 18 at a 60th anniversary ceremony. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian)
Five of the original eight students who integrated Memphis State University in 1959 are still living and attended the event.
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Bertha Rogers Looney John Simpson Luther McClellan Memphis State 8Jane Roberts
Longtime journalist Jane Roberts is a Minnesotan by birth and a Memphian by choice. She's lived and reported in the city more than two decades. She covers business news and features for The Daily Memphian.
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