University renaming park to honor first black faculty member

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – The University of Louisville’s Freedom Park is being renamed in honor of the university’s first African-American faculty member.

Charles H. Parrish Jr. taught for 20 years at U of L’s segregated Louisville Municipal College. U of L’s website says Parrish was the only tenured black faculty member retained when LMC was absorbed into U of L’s College of Arts and Sciences in 1951.

Parrish was born in Louisville and educated at Howard University, Columbia University and the University of Chicago. He chaired the U of L sociology department from 1959 to 1964 and was involved in founding the Southern Police Institute.

The park will be rededicated in Parrish’s honor Wednesday morning.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.