Ruth Tanner Carleton ’51

In 1950 in my sociology class, we had the unique privilege of having as our teacher Dr. William Cousins, a Black sociology professor visiting from Yale. Dr. Cousins shared with us about his tumultuous upbringing in Chicago and introduced us to the brilliant works of such authors as James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, among others. In addition to inspiring my long life passion for peace and justice, Dr. Cousins also wrote a letter of reference for me for a position as a teacher in the Palo Alto Unified School District which I held for over 30 years!