Dr. LeRoy Matthew Christophe understood early in life that the key to being a successful and honorable African-American living in a segregated society was education. His paternal grandmother,including his grandmother who was illiterate and struggled for her civil rights, and both of his parents made sure he learned the value of education at a young age.
Childhood
Dr. Christophe was born August 1, 1908, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was raised by his father, who earned a doctorate in an unknown field and worked as a pharmacist, and his mother, who worked at home raising their three children, and his grandmother. Just before his second birthday in 1910, LeRoy moved with his parents, his paternal grandmother, and two siblings from Louisiana to Newport, Arkansas.
LeRoy’s mother passed away in 1920, when he was only twelve years old. After his mother passed, the family moved to Forrest City, Arkansas, and in 1925 they moved once more to Little Rock where he graduated from Gibbs High School in 1926.
Education
After graduating from high school, LeRoy earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Talladega University in Alabama. He then moved to Chicago to obtain his master’s in Elementary Education from the University of Chicago. After he received his master’s, Christophe went on to receive his Doctorate in Education from New York University in New York City.
Dr. Christophe believed in the importance of community involvement and chose to be an active member of campus life. He was a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity and the Kappa Rho Debating Society, as well as the Pentagon Debating League, the Biology club, the Drama club, and student publicity. He was also a dedicated volunteer at the YMCA. Because of his efforts in the student community, he was elected to Student Body President and Senior Class President by his peers.
Military Service
While attending college in Alabama, Dr. Christophe met his future wife, Maurice Ceal Miller. The couple married January 1st, 1930, and had a son, LeRoy Christophe Jr. By 1940, LeRoy had moved with his wife and child to Little Rock where he began his career in Arkansas as an elementary school principal.
However, when the United States made the decision to enter World War II, Dr. Christophe put his career on hold to serve his country as Chief Petty Officer in the Navy.
Philosophy
Dr. LeRoy Christophe worked as an educator in Arkansas for 29 years, from 1930 to 1959. After serving as a teacher in Dunbar and the principal of two Little Rock elementary schools, Charlotte E. Stephens Elementary and John E. Bush Elementary, Dr. Christophe became principal of Dunbar High School in 1945.
Dr. LeRoy Christophe encouraged all young African-American men and women to follow a set of guidelines for success. According to Faustine Childress Wilson and Erma Glasco Davis, two of his students, these guidelines were:
- Character, which will make people honor, respect, and follow you.
- Industry, which means you are willing to work hard without being “checked on.”
- Mastery, which means a thorough understanding of your work.
- Purpose, which means you have a worthwhile plan for the future.