Elizabethtown College Director of Prestigious Scholarships and Public Heritage Jean-Paul Benowitz recently published a historical biography, “William Wilbur Miller Barbour: A Faith Full Witness for Human Rights,” exploring the life of influential civil rights activist and Etown alumnus W. Miller Barbour ’32.
“For more than 30 years I have walked with students and wrestled with primary sources in pursuit of the same great question: how does a people, in the crucible of injustice, find the moral courage to act? William Wilbur Miller Barbour is my answer,” Benowitz said. “He drew his formation from the same Historic Peace Church tradition Elizabethtown College was built to embody, and he carried it into the contested cities of mid-century America with quiet, costly faithfulness. Writing this biography felt less like research and more like a homecoming.”
Barbour (1908 to 1957) grew up in nearby Middletown, Pa. He graduated from Etown in 1932, making him one of the College’s first African American graduates. After graduating, he dedicated himself to the pursuit of civil rights in America, advocating for improvement in some of the country’s most contested cities of the time. He was integral in establishing fair employment coalitions in Denver, Colo., where he gained national prominence as the Executive Secretary of the National Urban League Denver affiliate from 1947 to 1952. Responsible for some of the most valuable documentation of racial discrimination across the American West, Barbour led significant efforts for fair housing and employment across the region.
The book made its physical debut at Etown’s annual “Return to the Nest” celebration for alumni of 50 or more years on June 3. Barbour posthumously received the “Educate For Service: Service To Humanity Award,” accepted on his behalf by his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Benowitz delivered the keynote speech, detailing Barbour’s legacy and transformative undergraduate experience at Etown.
The book’s proceeds will support the Elizabethtown College Summer Enrichment Grants, offered through the Office of Prestigious Scholarships and Fellowships. These grants provide students with meaningful opportunities for academic enrichment, including faculty-mentored research, internships, conference participation, specialized training, or study-related travel, equipping them with the skills necessary to apply for nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships.
About the Office of Prestigious Scholarships and Fellowships
Etown’s Office of Prestigious Scholarships and Fellowships works to enable students to produce applications for nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships that best reflect their experience, goals, and future direction. Prestigious Scholarships and Fellowships provide students with funding to pursue opportunities they might not otherwise be able to afford, including short-term programs to multi-year graduate study in the U.S. and abroad.
Etown students who are interested in opportunities available through the office are encouraged to contact Jean-Paul Benowitz, Director of Prestigious Scholarships and Fellowships and Public Heritage Studies (benowitzj@etown.edu / 717-361-1110), Myer Hall, Honors Center. Learn more at etown.edu.
