Professor H. B. Pemberton

Henry Bertram Pemberton was born on January 20, 1867 to Charles and Eliza Pemberton. In 1876, Charles and his family moved to Marshall and purchased a house near Wiley College. He died in 1883, leaving Henry to care for his mother and sisters. Henry graduated magna cum laude from Wiley in 1888. Following graduation, he married Norella Hawley, also a graduate of Wiley. Pemberton, considered to be the first college graduate of Wiley, was immediately hired to teach English in the Elementary Department. He worked his way into higher positions until he became the Chairman of the Department of Math and Science.

In 1894, Pemberton was hired as the principal of the Colored School in Marshall and he immediately saw the need for a new school building. Given permission but no funding, Pemberton arranged for a loan on his personal credit and constructed a two-story four room building on what is now Travis and Alamo streets. The loan was repaid by the African American community and the school experienced rapid growth. Pemberton guided the expansion of the black schools in Marshall, and attracted educated and qualified teachers which created a solid atmosphere for scholarly education in the black community. He also served in a number of regional and state professional and civic organizations, and was a charter member of the local NAACP chapter. Petitions signed by thousands of Harrison County citizens in 1940 led the Marshall school board to name Central High, the school he founded, in his honor. Pemberton died on April 27, 1944 but remains an inspiration for his courage, leadership and his dedication to education.

(2014)