David Arlington Talbot
David Talbot was born in Guyana (then British Guiana) Jan. 25, 1916. He died on March 9, 2003. He came to what was then East Texas State University in 1968, just a short time after the school’s desegregation, as the first Black faculty member. Talbot came to America in the 1930s. He received his undergraduate degree from Morris Brown College in 1939. Talbot continued his studies at Columbia University and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he received his master’s in 1951 and his doctorate in 1966.
Dr. Talbot served at East Texas State as Professor of Counseling & Guidance and worked in the Center for Counseling and Student Development Services. He organized and established a multi-cultural Teacher Training Institute as well as an Inter-Cultural Living Experience on the university campus. Talbot spoke seven languages and served as an interpreter under General George Patton in World War II.
Many luminaries in the university community, as well as family and friends, spoke of Talbot’s caring and understanding nature, and how he strove to educate the youth of America. One of Talbot’s sons, James Talbot, who had a successful football career at East Texas State, commented about the kind of person his father was. “Time and time again, my father showed how intelligent and courageous he was throughout his life,” James Talbot said. “There are many who considered him not just a friend, but family as well.”
Civil Rights icon Andrew Young who had been a close aide to Dr. Martin Luther King, as well as former Ambassador to the United Nations and Mayor of Atlanta, told the story of how a young Talbot used to babysit King in the 1930s, and spoke about the character of Dr. Talbot, and how important he was to the students he served. “I did not personally know David Talbot,” Young said. “But his impact is known to me by the amount of people that I have met throughout the years whose lives were touched by him.”
In 2017, the Hall of Languages at Texas A&M University – Commerce was rededicated as the David Talbot Hall of Languages in his honor.
Ivory Moore
Ivory Moore was born in 1924 He died on August 1, 2014. Moore was the first Black administrator at the recently integrated campus. He was also the Director of Minority Affairs at ETSU. He was Commerce’s first Black mayor and was responsible for many major improvements for the Black community on campus and throughout the Norris Community. He established the Trio mentoring program and Upward Bound at the college. He worked on improving the unpaved streets, inadequate plumbing, phone and police services in the Norris Community. Moore added a fire station, public housing, parks and was a founding member of the Norris Community Club.
Rev. Charles Faulkner
Charles Faulkner was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 16, 1944, Faulkner is one of four sons born to Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Stella Faulkner. He grew up in Mount Sterling, Kentucky. After graduating from Dubois High School in 1962, he attended Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Texas. He graduated in 1966 with a BS in Elementary Education and two minors in Religion and History. In 1971, Faulkner received a Master’s Degree in Sociology from East Texas State University and earned numerous certifications in the teaching field. He received his Master of Divinity from Houston Graduate School of Theology in 1987.
Faulkner worked as a 5th grade teacher at Booker T. Washington High School from 1966-1967 and then as a 6th grade Teacher at Crockett Elementary from 1967-1982. After working for 48 years at many other schools in Texas, Faulkner retired from teaching full time but remained involved with students as a substitute teacher. He was Pastor at Clark Street Church from 1968-84 and Center Point Christian Church from 2004-2007. He founded the Rising Star Christian Church-Disciples of Christ in Greenville, Texas, in 2008 and is still pastor there. Rev. Faulkner was also involved in securing the funding that was needed to pave the streets in Dark Town. He married Frankie Jean Alexander on September 16, 1972 and is the father of three daughters and grandfather of three grandchildren.
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