TEI | Concise Encyclopedia of Tufts History | ID: f1881x54h

Concise Encyclopedia of Tufts History

Sauer, Anne

Branco, Jessica

Bennett, John

Crowley, Zachary

2000

Hairston, Jester, 1901-2000



	Jester Hairston (1901-2000), A1929, H1972, was a talented musician, composer, and actor who appeared in such films as "To Kill a Mockingbird" and, most recently, "Being John Malkovich."
	Hairston was born on July 9, 1901 in Belews Creek, North Carolina. His family soon moved to Pennsylvania, and Hairston spent his childhood outside of Pittsburgh. During high school, he worked in a brickyard to earn money for college, finally matriculating at the Massachusetts Agricultural School, now UMASS/Amherst, to study landscape architecture. After one year of schooling, Hairston realized he could not afford to go back. He moved to Boston, and for the next five years, he worked winters hauling coal, and waited tables on a Boston to York passenger boat during the summer. In 1926, Hairston was able to go back to Amherst, and it would be there that his singing talent would change the direction of his life. A local school teacher and choral accompanist named Anna Laura Kidder recognized Hairston's talent, and offered to loan him enough money to complete his education. Hairston applied to Tufts to study music, but was rejected. That summer, he met a 1927 Tufts graduate, who suggested that Hairston meet with Tufts music professor Leo Lewis. Hairston auditioned for Lewis on the front porch of Lewis' Professors Row home, and was immediately accepted to Tufts. After one semester, his singing talent earned him a full scholarship for the rest of his Tufts years.
	After graduating in 1929, Hairston moved to New York City, where he spent two years at Juilliard before entering the workforce. After Juilliard, Hairston joined the Howell Johnson Negro Choir and developed a strong interest in spirituals. Soon, he was assistant director of the choir, and led the group on a trip to Hollywood to search out film roles. After auditioning for a few films, Hairston was hired to arrange the music and conduct the choir for the soundtrack of Dmitri Tiomkin's film "Lost Horizons." This film would jumpstart Hairston's career. He went on to write scores for numerous films, even composing a spiritual for use in the film "Lilies of the Field." In that film, Hairston's dubbed voice can be heard singing his song "Amen" while Sidney Poitier lip synchs.
	Hairston also found success as an actor. For sixteen years, he was the voice of Leroy on Amos 'N' Andy, and he played a native in eight of the ten Tarzan films. Hairston also portrayed Brock Peters' father in "To Kill a Mockingbird," and acted in a number of John Wayne films. Most recently, Hairston appeared in the critically praised film "Being John Malkovich."
	Hairston also gained fame for his work with the African American community. He traveled in the United States directing choirs, and was sent to Europe by the State Department twice, in 1961 and 1963, to instruct foreign groups in performing American folk songs. In 1965, he spent six months in Africa teaching children involved in different choirs. In recognition of his service to the country and to the world, Tufts University presented Hairston with an honorary degree in 1972, and with the Distinguished Service Award in 1990.
	Hairston died of natural causes on January 18, 2000.
	Source: VF

	Subject terms: Hairston, Jester Lewis, Leo R. College of Liberal Arts and Jackson College People Alumni and alumnae

Information
Table Of Contents

Description

The encyclopedia seeks to capture more than 150 years of Tufts' achievements, societal contributions and outstanding alumni and faculty in concise entries. As a source of accurate factual information, the Encyclopedia can be used by anyone interested in the history of Tufts and of the people who have made it the unique institution it is.

This object is in collection

Digital Collections and Archives records

Subject

Tufts University--History

Temporal

2000

Permanent URL

http://hdl.handle.net/10427/14829

ID:: f1881x54h
Component ID:: tufts:UA069.005.DO.00001
To Cite:: TARC Citation Guide EndNote
Usage:: Detailed Rights

	View all images in this book
	Introduction
	Content
	Numeric Entries 11 Talbot Avenue, 1940 20 Professors Row, 1854 55 Talbot Avenue, 1922 72 Professors Row, 1857 80 Professors Row, 1868 101 Talbot Avenue, 1894 114 Professors Row, 1863 126 Packard Avenue, 1883 123 Packard Avenue, 1893 136 Harrison Avenue, 1949 188 Boylston Street, 1893-1896
	A A. Warren Stearns Research Building, 1940 African American Center, 1969 Aidekman, Alex, 1914-1990 Aisner, Mark, 1911-1999 Alan Shawn Feinstein International Famine Center, 1996 Albert H. Imlah European History Prize Albert H. Imlah Excellence in History Prize, Alex Elias Memorial Prize Scholarship, 1966 All-Around Club, 1898-ca.1970 Alumnae Hall, 1955 Alumni House, 1933 Amalgamates, 1984 Amelia Peabody Chair in Agricultural Sciences, 1988 Amelia Peabody Pavilion, 1980 Amos Emerson Dolbear Scholarships, 1947 AMRAD, 1915-25 Anderson, Arthur J., 1889-1964 Anderson, Nancy W., 1922-1997 Anderson Hall, 1961 Anna Quincy Churchill Prizes, 1954 Anne E. Borghesani Memorial Prize, Anthony, Gardner Chace, 1856-1937 Anthony House, 1895 Arlanson, Harry, 1909-1998 Armstrong, Thomas Henry, 1847-1927 Arnott, Peter D., 1931-90 Arthur Michael Chemistry Laboratory, 1965 Audrey Butvay Gruss Science Award, 1992 Audrey L. Hale Prize, 1995 Averill, Harvey E., 1884-1974
	B Baby Parties, 1915-1954 Bacon, George Preston, 1866-1942 Bacon Hall, 1952 Balch Arena Theater, 1991 Balch, Marston Stevens, 1901-1987 Ballou Hall, 1852 Ballou, Hosea, 2d, 1796-1861 Banks, Henry H., 1921 Barney, Charles Neal, 1876-1949 Barnum Hall, 1884 Barnum, P. T., 1810-1891 Bartol House, 1894 Baseball, 1863 Bates Student Research Group, 1935 Beelzebubs, 1962 Bendetson Hall, 1947 Benjamin G. Brown Scholarships, 1947 Bennett Memorial Scholarship, 1924 Bennett, William Joseph, [1894-1917] Bernice Barbour Wildlife Medicine Building, 2000 Bisbee, Horatio, 1839-1916 Black, Herbert, Blakeley Hall, 1926 Blakeslee House, 1939 Bolles, Edwin Courtlandt, 1836-1920 Bolles House, 1900 Bonfires, 1875 Boston School of Occupational Therapy, 1945 Bouve-Boston School of Physical Education, 1942-1964 Bowen, Eugene Bucklin, 1855-1952 Braker Hall, 1926 Braker, Henry Jones, 1856-1908 Bray Memorial Laboratory of Mechanical Engineering, 1947 Brown, Benjamin G., 1837-1903 Brown, Moses True, 1827-1899 Brunswick, Ruth Jane Mack, 1897-1946 Bumpus, Hermon Carey, 1862-1943 Burch, Betty, 1907-1998 Burden, Harry Poole, 1890-1972 Bush, Edith L., 1882-1977 Bush Hall, 1959 Bush, Vannevar, 1890-1974
	C Cabot Intercultural Center, 1981 The Cannon, 1956 Capen, Elmer Hewitt, 1838-1905 Capen House, 1876 Capen, Samuel Paul, 1878-1956 Cardozo, Antonio de Jesus, 1903-1984 Carmichael Hall, 1952 Carmichael, Leonard, 1898-1973 Carpenter House, 1940 Carpenter, Russell LeGrand "Bud", 1901-1991 Cavazos, Lauro, 1927 Chandler House, ca. 1900 Chandler, Martha, 1894-1984 Chapel Bells, 1908 Charles E. Stearns Scholarship Prize, 1997 Charles F. Seymour, Jr. Prize, Charles G. Bluhdorn Prize in Economics, 1983 Chase Gymnasium, 1996 Cheap Sox, 1985 Chipman, William Reginald, 1849-1918 Ciardi, John Anthony, 1916-1986 Class of 1947 Victor Prather Scholarship Fund, 1972 Coat of Arms, 1939-66 Cohen, Edward E., 1891-1959 College Acres, 1918-1950 College Equal Suffrage League, 1915-1920 College of Engineering, 1898 College of Liberal Arts and Jackson College,1980 College of Special Studies, 1939 College Pump, 1852-1944 College Seal, 1857 College Within, 1971-1977 Commencement, 1856 Commons Club, 1908-1924 Coolidge, Arthur W., 1882-1952 Coolidge, Robert Tilton, ca.1905-55 Cormack, Allan McLeod, 1924-1998 Countway, Gussanda, 1882-1963 Cousens Gymnasium,1931 Cousens, John Albert, 1874-1937 Crane Room, 1929 Crane Theological School, 1869-1968 Crane, Thomas, 1803-75 Crook, Dorothea J., 1903-2000 Curtis Hall, 1893
	D Dame, Lorin Low, 1838-1903 Dana, Charles A., 1881-1975 Dana Laboratory, 1963 Daniel Ounjian Prize in Economics, Davies, Caroline Stodder, 1864-1939 Davies House, 1894 De Florez Prize in Human Engineering, 1964 de Pacheco, Kaye MacKinnon, ca. 1910-ca. 1985 Dean Hall, 1887-1963 Dean, Oliver, 1783-1871 Dearborn, Heman Allen, 1831-1897 Department of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, 1893 Department of Anesthesia, 1970 Department of Art and Art History, 1930 Department of Biochemistry, 1893 Department of Chemistry, 1882 Department of Community Health, 1930 Department of Dermatology, 1897 The Department of Economics, 1946 Department of Medicine, 1893 Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology Department of Neurology, 1893 Department of Neuroscience, 1983 Department of Neurosurgery, 1951 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1893 Department of Ophthamology, 1893 Department of Orthopedic Surgery, 1906 Department of Otolaryngology, 1895 Department of Pathology, 1893 Department of Pediatrics, 1930 Department of Pharmacology, 1915 Department of Physics and Astronomy, 1854 Department of Physiology, 1893 Department of Psychiatry, 1928 Department of Radiation Oncology, 1968 Department of Radiology, 1915 Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, 1955 Department of Surgery, 1893 Department of Urban and Environmental Policy, 1973 Department of Urology, 1910 Dental Health Sciences Building, 1969 Dewick, Cora Alma (Polk), 1875-1977 Dewick/MacPhie Dining Hall, 1959 Dickson Professorship of English and American History, 1913 Dirlam, Arland A., 1905-1979 Dog Cart, 1900 Dolbear, Amos Emerson, 1837-1910 Donald A. Cowdery Memorial Scholarship, 1946 Dr. Benjamin Andrews Professorship of Surgery, 1987 Dr. Philip E. A. Sheridan Prize, 1977 The Drug Bust, 1970 Dudley, Henry Watson, 1831-1906 Dugger, Edward Jr., 1919-75 Durkee, Frank W., 1861-1939 Durkee, Henrietta Noble Brown, 1871-1946
	E Earle F. Littleton Scholarship, Earle, Samuel Chandler, 1870-1917 Ears for Peers, 1989 East Hall, 1860 Eaton, Charles Henry, 1852-1902 Eaton Hall, 1908 Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship, 1986 Edward E. Cohen Arts Center, 1955 Edward R. Murrow Center, 1965 Eliot, Jr., Theodore L., 1928 Eliot-Pearson Children's School, 1926 Eliot Pearson Children's School [building], 1962 Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development, 1964 Elizabeth Van Huysen Mayer Campus Center, 1983 Elizabeth Verveer Tishler Prize in Music Performance, 1984 Ellen C. Myers Memorial Prize, 1982 Ellis, Fredrick M., "Fish", 1906-1967 Ethel M. Hayes Scholarship, 1946 European Center, 1978 Evening Party Association, ca. 1860 - ca. 1940
	F F.W. Olin Center for Language and Culture Studies, 1990 Fay, Charles Ernest, 1846-1931 Fischer, Theodore Adolph, 1873-1938 Fletcher, Austin Barclay, 1852-1923 Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, 1933 Football, 1875 Forsyth Dental Infirmary for Children, 1910-1955 Forsyth School for Dental Hygienists, 1916-1964 Franklin M. Loew Veterinary Medical Education Center, 1993 Frederic J. Shepler Memorial Prize in French, 1984 Frederick Melvin Ellis Prize, 1968 Freshman Beanies, 1854-1969 Freshman Buttons and Bows, 1915-1969
	G Garnett, Jessie (Gideon), 1897-1976 Gemma Cifarelli Memorial Scholarship, 1956 Gershoff, Stanley N., 1924 Gifford, George Hussey, 1892-1969 Gifford House, 1938 Ginn, Edwin, 1838-1914 Goddard Chapel, 1882 Goddard Hall, 1883 Goddard Rhetorical Prizes, 1862 Goddard, Thomas, 1811-1868 Golf Course, 1924-1958 Gordon, Bernard, 1927 Gordon Institute, 1992 Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 1909 Granoff Family Hillel Center, 1994 Grant, Mary Charles, 1896-1975 Graves House, 1895-1986 Gravity Stone, 1961 Grinnell, William G. "Johnny", ca.1915-1997 Gullion, Edmund Asbury, 1913-1998
	H Hairston, Jester, 1901-2000 Hall, Edith F., 1900-81 Hall House, 1885- Hall, Walter Langdon, 1846-1906 Halligan Hall, 1925 Halligan, William J., 1899 Hallowell, Burton Crosby, 1915- Hallowell Hall, 1981 Hamilton, Frederick William, 1860-1940 Hamilton Pool, 1945 Hammond, John W., 1837-1922 Harpswell Laboratory, 1898-1922 Harry Poole Burden Prize, 1973 Haskell Hall, 1965 Haskell, Harold Clifford, 1885-1957 Haskell, Ruth Sibley, 1884-1973 Hauck, Frederick H., Hayes, Elliot W., 1892-1936 Hayes, Ethel Munroe, 1873-1950 Hayman, Joseph M., 1896-1986 Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals, 1984 Henry J. Leir Hall, 1987 Hersey, Harry Adams, 1870-1951 Heth Aleph Res, 1891-1900 Hill Hall, 1968 Hill, Robert W., 1883-1966 Hillside Apartments, 1981 Hillside House, 1959 Hodgdon Hall, 1954 Hodgdon, Fredrick Crosby, 1873-1947 Holmes, John A., 1904-1962 Homecoming, 1925 Hooper House, 1892 Hooper, William Leslie, 1855-1918 Horribles, 1915-1925 Hosea Ballou Medal for Distinguished Service, 1939 Hoskins, Halford Lancaster, 1891-1967 Houston, Clarence P., 1892-1965 Houston Hall, 1962 Howard Sample Prize Scholarship in Physics, Howe, Ephraim Dana, 1842-1917 Howe Memorial Laboratory, 1901-1960 Hume, James David, 1923-1995 Hurricane of 1938, 1938
	I Imlah, Albert Henry, 1901-1989 Ingalls, Jeremy, 1911-2000 Ivan Galantic Special Achievement in Humanities Prize, Ivy Book, 1902-1971 Ivy Society, 1901-1970
	J Jackson Baseball, ca. 1920-32 Jackson College, 1904 Jackson, Cornelia Maria, 1822-1895 Jackson Gymnasium, 1947 Jackson Jills, 1963 Jam, 1905-1952 James D. Hume Field Geology Scholarship Prize, 1996 James Vance Elliott Political Science Prize, Jane Anne Herman Prize, Jean Mayer U.S.D.A Human Nutrition Research Center, 1979 Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, 1977 Jeffers, Katherine Rosetta, 1907-1959 Joanne Mary Sullivan Prize, 1990 Johansen Professorship, 1994 John Baronian Field House, 1895 John S. Gibson Prize, Johnson, Brooks T., Johnson, Frederick, 1904-1994 Johnson, John Waldo, 1856-1914 Joseph and Sara Stone Prize, Jumbo, 1882-1885
	K Kalman A. Burnim Prize for Scholarly Excellence, Kursaal, 1940-84
	L Lamb, Arthur Becket, 1880-1952 Lambert, Fred D., 1931 Laminan Prize in Romance Languages, 1963 Laminan, Toivo, Lane, Alfred Church, 1863-1948 Lane Hall, 1959 Large Animal Hospital, 1982 Latin Way Dormitory, 1979 Latino Center, 1993 Leir, Henry J., 1900-1998 Leonard Carmichael Society, 1958 Leonard, Charles Hall, 1822-1918 Lewis Hall, 1969 Lewis, Leo Rich, 1865-1945 The Lincoln Filene Center, 1962 Lincoln Filene Center for Citizenship and Public Affairs, 1954 Littleton, Earle Frederick, 1908-1994 Livermore, Mary A., 1820-1905 Lloyd MacGregor Trefethen Award, Loew, Franklin M., 1939 Lt. Commander Robert James Manning Memorial Prize, 1990
	M Mabel Daniels Prize in Music and Literature, 1960 Mace, 1938 MacJannet, Donald Ross, 1894-1986 MacPhie, Elmore I., 1888-1955 MacPhie, Etta Phillips, 1891-1978 Madoff, Morton A., 1927 Magic Circle Theater, 1952 Manly, Lewis Frederick, 1903-1970 Marianne J. H. Witherby Prize in Archaeology, Marshall, John P., 1823-1901 Marjorie B. Greene Award, Mary Grant Charles Prize Scholarship, 1975 Mason, Arthur Ellery, 1865-1943 The Masque Society, 1916-1930 Mathetican Society, 1854-1896 Max and Herta Neubauer Chair and Professorship in Economics, 1988 Max Tishler Prize Scholarship, 1951 Mayer, Jean, 1920-1993 Mayoralty, 1937-1959 McCollester House, 1910 McCollester, Lee S., 1859-1943 McNaught, John Patrick, 1920-2001 Mead, Leonard Chapin, 1913- Medford Campus, 1852 Melissa Beth Meyers Award, Mellen, Helen L., 1836-1929 Meserve, Robert W., 1909-95 Metcalf, Albert, 1824-1912 Metcalf Hall, 1893 Michael E. Avtges Memorial Prize, 1989 Miller, George Stewart, 1884-1971 Miller Hall, 1959 Milne House, 1908 Milne, Rachel E. (Hollister), 1900-1981 Miner, Alonzo Ames, 1814-1895 Miner Hall, 1891 Moses True Brown Prize, 1903 Mugar Hall, 1967 Mugar, Stephen P., 1901-1982 Munro, Melville S., 1881-1945 Murrow, Edward R., 1908-1965 Mussey, Benjamin B., 1804-1857
	N Nancy W. Anderson Award for Environmental Sustainability, 1998 Nathaniel Hobbs Knight Prize in Physics, 1957 Navy V-12 Program, 1942-1945 Nichols, Robert L., 1904-1995 Norbert Wiener Award in Mathematics, North Hall, 1915-1972 Nott, Albert, 1847-1903 NROTC, 1941-1972
	O The Observer, 1969 Office of the Provost, 1951 Oxfam Cafe, 1984
	P Packard Hall, 1856 Packard, Silvanus, 1789-1866 Paige Hall, 1892 Paige, Lucius Robinson, 1802-1896 Painter, Charles, 1869-1947 Paula Frazier Poskitt Scholarship, 1995 Pearson Chemical Laboratory, 1923 Pearson, Fred Stark, 1861-1915 Pen, Paint, and Pretzels, 1910 Peter Belfer Award in Political Science, 1973 Pierce, Marjorie Patterson, 1891-1984 Posner Hall, 1954 Power, Harold J., 1892-1969 Prather, Victor, ca. 1923-1961 Provost's House, 1857
	R Ralph S. Kaye Memorial Prize, 1947 Research Building, 1895-2000 Reservoir, 1865-1944 Reverse Panty Raid, 1958 Richardson House, 1857 Richardson, Mary A., 1855-1910 Robert L. Nichols Scholarship Prize, 1979 Robinson Hall, 1900 Rollins, Edwin B., 1878-1980 Root, Waverly L., 1903-82 Rosener, Harry, ca. 1906-2000 Rushmore, Stephen, 1875-1960 Russell E. Miller History Prize,
	S Sackler, Arthur M., 1914-1987 Sackler Center for Health Communications, 1984 Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, 1980 Sample, Dirrell D., 1891-1954 Sawyer House, 1863 Sawyer, Thomas Jefferson, 1804-1899 Schmalz, Esther (Fowler), 1900-1986 School Colors, 1876 School of Dental Medicine, 1899 School of Medicine, 1893 School of Nutrition Science and Policy, 1981 School of Veterinary Medicine, 1978 Science and Technology Center, 1990 Seymour and Marcia Simches Scholarship Fund, 1986 Shipman, William R., 1836-1908 Shirley and Alex Aidekman Arts Center, 1987 Sigma Kappa, 1913-1960 Simpson Chair in Equine Medicine, 1995 Skinner, Rev. Otis Ainsworth (1807-61) Smokers, 1860-1965 Snow, Frederic E., 1864-1935 South African Divestment, 1977-1991 South Hall, 1991 Spognardi, Andrew, 1908-2000 Spring Fling, 1980 Spring Sing, 1941-1967 SS Charles Tufts, 1944-1968 SS Tufts Victory, 1945-1947 Start, Edwin Augustus, 1863-1923 Start House, Stearns, Albert Warren, 1885-1959 Stearns Village, 1946-1955 Stephen Sapuppo Prize, 1993 Stratton Hall, 1927 Students Concerned About Racism, 1968-1969 Sweet Hall, 1953-1999 Sweet, Harold E., 1877-1962 Sword and Shield, 1902-1970
	T Tau Beta Pi, 1927 Thayer, Charles Paine, 1843-1910 Theresa McDermott Carzo Award Thomas Harrison Carmichael and Emily Leonard Carmichael Prize Scholarship, 1950 Tilton Hall, 1961 Tilton, John P., 1900-1959 Tisch Library, 1996 Tishler, Max, 1907-1989 Torn Ticket II, 1971 Tousey House, 1875 Tower Cross, 1897-1970 Traveling Treasure Trunk, 1987 Tuftonia's Day, 1985 Tuftonian, 1864-1965 Tufts Abyssal Plain, 1959 Tufts Administration Building, 1988 Tufts, Charles, 1781-1876 Tufts Community Union Class Councils, Tufts Community Union Elections Board, 1981 Tufts Community Union Judiciary, 1981 Tufts Community Union Senate, 1968 Tufts Community Union, 1924 Tufts Daily, 1980 Tufts Dance Collective, 1978- Tufts Elv, 1968 Tufts Emergency Medical Services, 1985 Tufts in Barcelona, 1979-1984 Tufts in Ghana, 1996 Tufts in Italy, 1961-1968 Tufts in Kanazawa, 1999 Tufts in London, 1967 Tufts in Madrid, 1985 Tufts In Moscow, 1991 Tufts in Paris, 1965 Tufts in Tubingen Tufts Mountain Club, 1939-3000 Tufts Mountain Club Loj, 1940-2000 Tufts New England Medical Center, 1930 Tufts Night at the Pops, 1901 Tufts Pass, 1937 Tufts University, 1852 Tufts Weekly, 1895-1968 Tufts Wives Club, 1946-1955 Tufts Yacht Club, 1948 Tweed, Benjamin Franklin, 1811-1896
	U Undergraduate Majors, 1894
	V Vietnam War, 1966-1973
	W Washburn, Israel, Jr. 1813-83 Wendell Phillips Memorial Scholarship, 1896 Wessell Library, 1964-1997 Wessell, Nils Yngve, 1914- West Hall, 1871 WGI, 1914-1925 Wheatley, Frank George, 1851-1926 White, Zebulon Lewis, 1842-89 Whittemore, Thomas, 1800-1861 Wiener, Norbert, 1894-1964 William Frank Wyatt Prize, 1962 William Howell Reed Prize in German, Williams, Harold, 1853-1926 Wilson, George Grafton, 1863-1951 Wilson House, 1936 World War, 1914-1918,1914-1918 World War, 1939-1945, 1939-1945 WMFO, 1971 Wren, Frank G., 1874-1940 Wren Hall, 1964 WTCR, 1956-1961 WTUR, 1967-1971 Wulsin, Frederick R., 1891-1961 Wyatt, William F., 1878-1961 Wyeth House, 1910
	Z Zimman, Harold O., 1916-1994
	List of Sources

Concise Encyclopedia of Tufts History

Hairston, Jester, 1901-2000

Subject terms: