ALUMNI N E WS
PORTRAIT OF MAURICE R. HORTON, SR., UNVEILED AT CEREMONY
Family members and friends of Maurice R. Horton, Sr., gathered on campus May 6, 2021 for a reception and unveiling of a portrait in his honor. In 1957, Horton became the first African American to receive an undergraduate degree from Henderson. HORTON GRADUATED from Peake High School in Arkadelphia and originally attended college in Pine Bluff. At the encouragement of his mother and others, he returned home and transferred to Henderson State Teachers College. Following graduation, he taught math and science at Peake High School and returned to Henderson in the early 1960s to pursue a master’s degree, which he completed in 1963. The Horton family established the Maurice R. Horton, Sr., Emerging Leader Scholarship in 2012 through the Henderson Foundation. The scholarship is awarded annually to an incoming freshman from Clark or Jefferson County. Henderson’s Black Alumni Chapter started the Maurice R. Horton Awards Ceremony in 2018 where African American graduates receive a medallion to wear during commencement. Ed Martin, professor emeritus of art at Henderson, painted Horton’s portrait, which is on display in the Garrison Center.
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HENDERSON MAGAZINE
Family members participated in the unveiling of Maurice R. Horton, Sr.’s, portrait at a ceremony on May 6, 2021. Ed Martin, professor emeritus of art at Henderson, poses with the portrait he painted of Maurice R. Horton, Sr.
