Joseph Russell Fugett (June 17, 1890 – July 5, 1975) was an American activist and educator. In 1920, he became the principal of the all-black Gay Street School in

West Chester, Pennsylvania West Chester is a borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Located within the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,461 at the 2010 census. West Chester is the mailing address for most of its neighb ...

Early life

Joseph R. Fugett was born on June 17, 1890, in

Baldwinsville, New York Baldwinsville is a Village (New York), village in Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 7,898 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Syracuse, New York, ...

to Joseph Martin Fugett and Electra Josephine Bakeman Fugett. His father, Joseph Martin, was formally enslaved in the state of Tennessee; and his mother, Josephine (the daughter of Oliver Bakeman and Sarah Day Bakeman), was from the state of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. His mother, Josephine, was a direct descendant of Revolutionary War participant, Henry Bakeman. In 1900, Fugett lived in

Van Buren, New York Van Buren is a town located in Onondaga County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 13,185. The town is named after then-Senator Martin Van Buren, who would later become the eighth president of the Unit ...

with his parents and siblings (Frank M., Bessie J., James K. and Sarah E.). He graduated from Waterloo High School.

Education and career

Fugett attended Cornell University, where he studied agriculture and became a member of the

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate List of African-American fraternities , historically African American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the ...

, the first black intercollegiate Greek-lettered fraternity. He served as general secretary of Alpha Phi Alpha from 1912 to 1913, as treasurer at the Fourth General Convention, and as incorporator when the fraternity was incorporated on April 3, 1912. On October 21, 1908, Fugett was an initiate at the Alpha Chapter Annual Banquet. In 1975, Fugett entered the Omega Chapter. After graduating from Cornell, Fugett became an

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...

instructor at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. He later taught at Bordentown High School in New Jersey, and at Delaware State University. He came to West Chester in 1920, and earned a master's degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania in 1926. Fugett was an active member in both the National Education Association and the Elementary School Principals Association. He was also a charter member and President of the Suburban Philadelphia Elementary School Principals Association. The State Department of Public Instruction invited Fugett to be a part of a statewide committee whose purpose was to prepare educational materials on cultural competency. In 1945, Fugett served as secretary to Major Richard R. Wright at the United Nations Conference on International Organization. During the commencement ceremony at

Cheyney University Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is a public historically black university in Cheyney, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1837, it is the oldest university out of all historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States. It is a mem ...

in 1957, Fugett was cited for "advancing education, serving the community, and enlightening human relations." During the second year of the West Chester

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

, Fugett served as one of the branch officers.

Legacy

When Fugett retired as principal of the Gay Street School in June 1965, the local school board renamed the school to Fugett Elementary School in his honor. At a ceremony to formally rename the school, it was proclaimed that October 13, 1965 would be declared "Joseph R. Fugett Day." When Fugett Elementary School closed in 1977, the Fugett name was transferred to another local school. Thus, East Junior High became J. R. Fugett Middle School. Fugett's name is included on a plaque which lists notable West Chester area teachers. For many years, Fugett lived in West Chester, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Hazel Estelle Schloss Fugett (November 11, 1892 – January 9, 1965), and two sons, Joseph R. Fugett Jr. and Jean Schloss Fugett Sr. (November 25, 1927 – July 19, 2016). In 2004, Fugett's son, Jean Schloss Fugett Sr., became the first black man to join the Maryland division of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). Jean Schloss Fugett Jr. (son of Jean Schloss Fugett Sr. and grandson of Joseph R. Fugett) is a lawyer and a former professional American football player. Fugett died on July 5, 1975, and is buried in Rolling Green Memorial Park in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fugett, Joseph Russell 1890 births 1975 deaths Political activists from Pennsylvania Cornell University alumni People from Baldwinsville, New York Tuskegee University faculty University of Pennsylvania alumni African-American schoolteachers Schoolteachers from Pennsylvania American school principals Delaware State University faculty African-American activists 20th-century American educators People from Van Buren, New York People from West Chester, Pennsylvania Burials in Pennsylvania