The Character of an Educator
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 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 in 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 in 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. 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, 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:
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- 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.
An Industrious Administrator
Community Involvement
LeRoy Christophe believed that substance was primary over form. He believed that dedication to hard work and delivering positive results was the substance on which success is built. Because he believed in delivering results through hard work, Dr. Christophe made the effort to improve his community however he could through volunteer work.
Christophe was a member of multiple community improvement groups. He was the Director for the United Negro College Fund from 1975 to 1985, a member of the Americans for Competitive Enterprise, along with the People’s Settlement, The Committee of 39, The New Castle County Parks & Recreation, Junior Achievement, and the Cooperative Area Manpower Planning System. Christophe was also an active volunteer at the YMCA for over 40 years.
Dunbar High School: A Story of Success
While employed in Little Rock as principal of Dunbar High School and Junior College, Dr. Christophe worked closely with teachers and parents to upgrade the school’s curriculum and make improvements to the campus. Instead of leading by authority, Christophe led by his personal acronym PEP: Preparation, Experience, and Performance.
Upon his arrival, Christophe encouraged the faculty to adopt a five-year plan to improve the quality of education for the students. During the first five years of his work there, he and the faculty strove to improve guidance and counseling services, literacy skills, instruction, and discipline.
In order to improve the quality of education, Christophe expanded the faculty and staff of Dunbar High School, and brought in additional classes in mathematics and foreign languages. He also replaced bookkeeping with a more advanced general business course, and implemented carpentry, which had been removed from the curriculum four years prior.
Finally, Dr. Christophe made improvements to the school building and grounds by adding exterior lighting, drinking fountains, new classroom equipment, new audio-visual aids, and a new sports field. Christophe made sure to provide his teachers with the best tools, support, and guidance in order to offer the best education possible for students.
Mastery as a Force of Success
For LeRoy Christophe, mastery came from active community involvement. His own community involvement helped him to enhance his skills in public speaking, finance, education, and leadership.
Throughout his adult life, he remained committed to teaching these valuable life skills to the young men and women under his tutelage. Under his leadership, the graduation rate increased at Dunbar High School and Junior College, showing that Dr. Christophe was a force for success in the lives of his students.
"I think that Mr. L.M. Christophe, the principal of the school I attend has the finest characteristic of any man in his position and for thinking as I do is because his loyal, courteous, trustworthy and has great respect for the faculty and student body and for that I am proud. That is the chief reason why he will continue his progress in life.” – Charles Lee, Dunbar High Alumni
Purpose of Serving a Community
Community, Culture, and Education
Dr. LeRoy Christophe sought to expand the educational opportunities for African-American students in Arkansas and beyond. He understood that education needed to be engaging and purposeful in order to keep his students involved. Christophe knew that students needed to be challenged and held accountable for their actions in order to succeed. He also knew, however, that students needed to be respected as individuals and given support so they could reach their full potential. Dr. Christophe believed that his purpose in life was to educate to his community and preserve their culture.
Desegregation in Arkansas
One of the major disadvantages in Dr. Christophe's life was the impact of racism and segregation on the African-American community. By the 1950s, the United States was in a maelstrom of social and political unrest after the 1954 Supreme Court ruling, Brown vs The Board of Education, which desegregated public schools.
The Governor of Arkansas at the Time, Orval Faubus, was supported segregation, which led infamous stand-off at Little Rock Central High School in 1957. With desegregation came the "Lost Year," when Little Rock high schools were closed during the 1957-1958 school year. After the lost year came the teacher "purge" (of those who supported desegregation) that occurred in 1959. After being swept up in the teacher purge, Dr. Christophe chose to resign from the Little Rock School District, to take another position in Wilmington, Delaware.
Christophe's Legacy
In 1959, Dr. Christophe moved with his wife and son from Little Rock to Wilmington to work for the Wilmington School District until his retirement in 1975. After leaving the Little Rock Area, Dr. Christophe continued to work with the Dunbar community to establish the National Dunbar Alumni Association in 1949, of which he served as president for three years. He also worked to establish a Youth Perpetuity Scholarship Award in 1987, and in 1991 he published his book entitled The Arkansas African-American Hall of Fame.
Dr. LeRoy Christophe passed away at age 84 on March 3, 1992, in Wilmington, Delaware, and is buried at Haven of Rest cemetery in Little Rock.
"Teaching has to go beyond the catechistic—assign, recite, test, evaluate—syndrome. Teaching must really focus on all the forces playing on youth.” – Dr. LeRoy M. Christophe
This character collection was developed by Teresa Gryder, who completed an internship with the Center in pursuit of a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology.