MSU adds marker honoring first African American to apply

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Another marker is being added to the Springfield-Greene County African-American Heritage Trail at Missouri State University (MSU).

A ceremony took place at the Mary Jean Price Walls Multicultural Center, named after the woman the marker honors. Walls was the first African American to apply to MSU.

Due to segregation, Walls was not accepted when she applied in 1950, despite being qualified and named salutatorian of her class.

“So she was a pioneer. She opened doors,” said Dr. Lyle Foster, an associate professor at MSU. “And it’s important that students today know and understand that doors were open for so many of us, and it’s important to remember that. So this is an opportunity to mark that.”

Before Walls passed away in 2020, she was given an honorary degree from MSU in 2010 and the multicultural center at MSU was named after her in 2016.

Today’s marker dedication is the eighth one placed in a collection of physical markers honoring the unrecognized contributions of the African American community in the Springfield and Greene County areas.

“It’s significant that we mark, that we remember, that we learn and that we celebrate the contributions of those who come before us, as well as those who walk beside us now, particularly in terms of underrepresented communities,” Foster said. “There have been many stories, many events, many histories that were not always told, that were not always known about, and that we need to bring to the forefront so that we can remember them, we can learn from them.”

There are plans to add 20 markers to the existing eight, located at impactful places around the area for the African American community, including Silver Springs Park and Lincoln School.

“We really just want to invite our larger community to come see the marker, as well as some of the other markers in our community,” Foster said. “So we can learn those stories and tell them to our children and generations to come.”

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