Bessie Alethia Anderson Speights is believed to be the first Black student to graduate from Arsenal Tech. Author: Rich Nye Updated: 9:43 PM EDT May 14, 2021
INDIANAPOLIS The Arsenal Technical High School class of 1970 wanted to do something special for their alma mater for their 50-year reunion.
The pandemic delayed the plans until 2021, but on Saturday, the alumni remember one of Tech s groundbreaking graduates whose legacy might otherwise be forgotten.
Bessie Alethia Anderson Speights died in 1982, a widow with no children. Her obituary lists no survivors. Bessie had no grave marker at Floral Park Cemetery, despite a remarkable life that included being the first Black female graduate of Tech High School in 1916.
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