Ernest Just

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Everett_Just This morning's homeschooling was on Ernest Just, an African American pioneer in the field of biology. He was born in Charleston, North Carolina in 1883. His father died when he was four. His mother supported him and two younger siblings. He developed typhoid in his youth and had to relearn how to read. He eventually graduated from Dartmouth College at the top of his class, winning every prize and was not allowed to give the commencement speech because he was the only black student. He found less racism later in his research career in France and refused to leave when war broke out and Germans invaded France. He was taken as prisoner of war, was rescued and died on pancreatic cancer on his voyage back to the states.