Washington & Jefferson honors alum with sign dedication
Courtesy of Washington & Jefferson College
The Pennsylvania State Marker honoring Dr. Charles F. West was erected last year on the campus of Washington & Jefferson College. A marker honoring Andrew Gardner Happer will be placed at 130 E. Wheeling St., outside of the Admission House on W&J’s campus.
Courtesy of Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson President John C. Knapp addresses guests gathered for the dedication of a Pennsylvania State Marker honoring Dr. Charles Fremont West on Sept. 18.
Courtesy of Washington & Jefferson College
Courtesy of Washington & Jefferson College
Ken Turner, commissioner for the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission; Linda West Nickens, daughter of Dr. Charles Fremont West; W&J President John C. Knapp; and Kenneth Clark, Charles West Scholarship recipient, unveil the marker honoring West in September.
Courtesy of Washington & Jefferson College
Amy Wainscott, Executive Vice President of the Rose Bowl; Linda West Nickens, daughter of Dr Charles Fremont West; Michael Nickens West, and Kenneth Clark, Charles West Scholarship recipient, with the marker honoring West
Washington & Jefferson College recently dedicated a state marker to an alum who broke racial barriers.
The marker is on W&J’s campus, and recognizes Dr. Charles Fremont West, who graduated from W&J in 1924. West was the first African American quarterback to play in the Rose Bowl, in 1922.
“Over the decades, the story of Charles West has held a special place in the hearts of all in the W&J community,” said W&J President Dr. John C. Knapp in press release issued by the school. “Dr. West personified W&J’s mission to produce graduates of uncommon integrity, and we are better today because of his personal character and fine example.”
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) also took part in the Sept. 19 dedication. Guests at the ceremony included Linda West Nickens, West’s daughter; PHMC Commissioner Ken Turner, and Kenneth Clark Jr., a 2018 graduate who received the Charles West Scholarship.
After W&J, West attended Howard University Medical School in Washington, D.C., and went on to practice medicine in Alexandria, Va., for 50 years, according to the release.
At the ceremony, Nickens discussed her father’s dedication to serving the poor and thanked the school for supporting him.
“My father was forever grateful to W&J for their support, especially at a time when it was not popular to do so,” Nickens said.
Clark spoke about the impact West had on future generations of African American students.
“I was not only welcomed on campus, I also felt wanted,” Clark said. “I simply can’t overstate the impact that support from the Charles West Program had on me, and still has on me today.”