Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute-1875 Graduating Class of June 10, 1875.
Booker T. Washington is second from the left in the first row; Mary F. Mackie is first on the left in the second row of women; J. F. B. Marshall and S. C. Armstrong are standing at the extreme left.
In 1872, while working in the coal mines of West Virginia, a young man named Booker T. Washington heard stories of a new school for blacks.
Driven by his quest for knowledge, he walked 500 miles to Virginia, hoping to be accepted into Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute.
Upon arriving on campus, Assistant Principal Mary Mackie hesitated to consider him for admission because of his “tattered clothes and unkempt appearance.”
Yet, his persistence led her to look beyond the superficial.
After some brief conversation, she requested that he sweep the recitation room. He swept and dusted the room three times, thereby passing her rigid "white glove” inspection.
She marveled at his determination and he was admitted to Hampton.
Source: Hampton Institute Archives