Wilkes University Archives is excited to celebrate Black History Month by honoring Wilkes College’s first African American graduate, William Crowder. William’s tenure at Wilkes was marked by numerous musical contributions and achievements. From his involvement in theatrical and musical productions to his leadership and participation in student activities, it was evident that William made a lasting impact on our institution.
His legacy will be highlighted in a blog post by Ella Villani, a Junior Musical Theater major with a minor in dance, who has been adding new materials that were found in the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center in Summer 2025 to the Theater Collection.
Please read Ella’s blog post highlighting Crowder’s enduring musical legacy at Wilkes and feel free to listen to his music composition of Man Against the Sky which has been digitized and made available on our Omeka Digital Repository!