As a graduate of Tennessee State University which is an HBCU (Historically Black College or University) I began to wonder about Black college graduates from Ripley and the surrounding areas during segregation. Of course these individuals would have had to have attended HBCUs. I decided to do a search of Tennessee’s HBCUs to see if I could find graduates from the Ripley area.
I decided to start with a quick search of Tennessee State University commencement records.
1932 Graduates of Tennessee State University
Dupree D. Davis – Jackson, TN
James C. Jones – Henning, TN
George A. Newbern – Jackson, TN
1935 Graduates of Tennessee State University
Johnnie Turner Baker – Dyersburg, TN
George Charles Newbern – Dyersburg, TN
1936 Graduates of Tennessee State University
Kathaleen F. McCadden – Elementary Education – Covington, TN
Ida Belle Powell – Home Economics – Jackson, TN
Arthur Lee Robinson – Agriculture – Dyersburg, TN
Other Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Tennessee include,
Fisk Univeristy – Nashville
Lane College – Jackson
Lemoyne Owen – Memphis
Knoxville College – Knoxville
Meharry Medical College – Nashville
Over the course of the next few weeks I hope to do more research into the Black college graduates from this area.
Source: Tennessee State University Digital Archives Records – http://www.tnstate.edu/library/digitalresources/commencements.aspx
– Tiffany
Black Ripley 
I appreciate reading your tidbits of knowledge, thanks you. Do know one of the 1936 graduated of TSU, Miss Kathleen F. McCadden was an agricultural administratrator in education Covington Tennessee when I was a child. She was noted in your graduate section.