To make ends meet, he worked as a timekeeper in a local mill.Amazingly, that same year he managed to become the first African American to graduate from his high school.

• 为支付生活所需，他在当地的一家面粉厂担任工时记录员，令人惊奇的是，同年他也成为就读中学里，第一个毕业的非裔美国人。