# Blacks in Colorado Hall of Fame

Blacks in Colorado Hall of Fame is a collaboration between Denver Public Library and Denver Public Schools to honor African American Coloradans who were the first in their field to accomplish a professional goal and/or who have actively supported the African American community while achieving their goal.
The original series contained forty-one photographs and was created in 1973 as part of a cooperative venture for Black Awareness Month between the Denver Public Library and the Denver Public Schools. In 1985, as part of the Ford-Warren Branch Library’s 10th Anniversary Celebration, an additional four black Coloradoans were inducted into this Hall of Fame. Since then, every other year at least one is entered into the Hall of Fame Series.

## Inductees

Blacks in Colorado Hall of Fame :
| Name | Birth–Death | Year | Area of achievement |
| Walker Anderson | (1866–1904) | 1973 | Construction Man |
| Honorable Karen M. Ashby | | 2016 | Colorado Court of Appeals |
| James A. Atkins | (1890–1968) | 1973 | Teacher |
| Ulysses H. Baker | (1869–1933) | 1973 | Police Detective |
| Odell C. Barry | (1941–2022) | 2006 | Politician and businessman |
| Jim Beckwourth | (1798–1866) | 1973 | Scout and trapper |
| Jerome C. Biffle | (1928–2002) | 1973 | Athlete and high school counselor |
| Jack Bradley | (1919–2000) | 1973 | Musician |
| Moses Brewer | (1947–) | 2012 | Multicultural relations/marketing |
| "Aunt" Clara Brown | (1800–1882) | 1973 | Freed slave-philanthropist |
| George L. Brown | (1926–2006) | 1973 | Lieutenant Governor of Colorado |
| Victoria "Vikki" Denise Buckley | (1949–1999) | 2000 | Colorado Secretary of State |
| Denise Burgess | | N.D. | First African-American to chair the Denver Metro Chamber of Congress |
| Charles Burrell | (1920–) | N.D. | Musician |
| Byron Caldwell | (1926–2004) | 1973 | Civic Worker |
| Elvin R. Caldwell | (1919–2004) | 1973 | Denver city councilman |
| Thomas Campbell, LLD | (1869–1957) | 1973 | Attorney |
| Terrance D. Carroll | (1969–) | 2010 | Speaker of the House, CO House of Representatives |
| Alta Cousins | (1884–1971) | 1973 | |
| Charles Lilburn Cousins | (1881–1962) | 1973 | |
| Lulu Craig | (1867–1971) | 1973 | Teacher |
| Major Oleta Lawanda Crain | (1913–2007) | 1996 | WAAC/USAF - First African-American servicewoman from Colorado |
| Gilbert Cruter | (1915–2005) | 1973 | First African-American educator for Denver Public Schools |
| Honorable Wiley Y. Daniel | (1946–2019) | 2012 | Judge, U.S. District Court, District of Colorado |
| Hiawatha Davis Jr. | (1944–2000) | 1998 | Denver City Councilman |
| Evie Dennis | (1924–) | 1990 | First African-American and first woman superintendent of Denver Public Schools |
| Ruth Denny | (1920–2012) | 2014 | Educator and civil rights activist |
| Elva J. Dulan | (1914–2000) | 1973 | Public Health |
| Honorable James C. Flanigan | (1915–2008) | 1973 | Colorado's first African-American judge |
| Barney Ford | (1822–1902) | 1973 | Businessman |
| Justina Ford | (1871–1952) | 1973 | Colorado's first African-American woman physician |
| Eugene Gash | (1921–1995) | 1973 | Concert pianist |
| James C. Gaskin | (1916–2009) | 1973 | First African-American director, Veteran's administration hospital, Denver 1971-78 |
| Bernard F. Gipson, M.D. | (1921–2015) | 1973 | Surgeon |
| Juanita Gray | (1916–1987) | 1988 | Civic leader |
| Zipporah Parks Hammond | (1924–2011) | 2022 | First African-American to graduate from nursing program in Colorado |
| Clarence F. Holmes, D.D.S. | (1892–1978) | 1973 | Dentist/Human rights and relations |
| Honorable Gary M. Jackson | | 2022 | |
| Oliver Toussaint Jackson | (1862–1946) | 1973 | Pioneer |
| Ledyard C. Jones | (1895–1971) | 1973 | Bookkeeper and auditor |
| Honorable Raymond Dean Jones | (1945–) | 1990 | Colorado's first African-American appellate judge |
| Honorable Claudia J. Jordan | (1953–) | 1996 | Colorado's first African-American woman county court judge |
| Chief Roderick Juniel | | 2020 | First African American Chief of the Denver Fire Department |
| Reverend Leon Kelly | (1956–) | 2022 | |
| Oglesvie L. "Sonny" Lawson | (1893–1969) | 1973 | Pharmacist/First African-American serving Denver Public Library Commission |
| Wendell T. Liggins | (1914–1991) | 1985 | Minister - Zion Baptist Church, Denver Public Library Commission member |
| Earl Mann | (1886–1969) | 1973 | Legislator/Writer, CO House of Representatives 1944-53 |
| Keith "KC" Matthews | (1962–) | 2000 | Engineer- Colorado Department of Transportation |
| Jessie Whaley Maxwell | (1909–2002) | 1998 | Educator - Colorado and Denver's first African-American principal |
| Thomas E. McClain, D.D.S. | (1876–1949) | 1973 | First African-American licensed dentist in Colorado |
| Irene McWilliams | (1896–1990) | 1973 | Musician, teacher, and churchwoman |
| Ronald "Ron" Glen Miles | (1963–2022) | 2023 | Grammy-nominated jazz musician and composer |
| Adrian Miller | | 2024 | Community leader and culinary historian |
| Syl Morgan-Smith | (1940–) | 2002 | Communicator and community leader |
| George Morrison, Sr. | (1891–1974) | 1973 | Musician/composer |
| John William Mosley Jr. | (1921–2015) | 1973 | USAAC/USAF Ret., Administrator/civic leader |
| Rachel B. Noel | (1918–2008) | 1973 | Assistant professor of sociology |
| Sebastian Cabot Owens | (1913–1975) | 1973 | Director Colorado Urban League |
| Jacqueline G. Peterson-Hall | (1956–) | 2000 | Real estate developer |
| Harry E. Rahming | (1895–1985) | 1973 | Episcopal priest and theologian |
| "Daddy Bruce" Randolph | (1900–1994) | 1985 | Businessman and philanthropist |
| Alphonse D. Robinson | (1910–2000) | 2004 | Musician/composer |
| Cleo Parker Robinson | (1948–) | 1994 | Artistic director/ambassador |
| Pauline Short Robinson | (1915–1997) | 1973 | Librarian and civic leader |
| Dr. Jennie Mae Rucker | (1922–2018) | 2019 | |
| Edward J. Sanderlin | (1824–1891) | 1973 | Businessman |
| Gregory K. Scott | (1948–2021) | 1994 | Colorado's first African-American Supreme Court judge |
| Retired Division Chief Charles Thomas Smith | | 2024 | Denver police |
| Paul Wilbert Stewart | (1925–2015) | 1973 | Museum curator |
| Arie Parks Taylor | (1927–2003) | 2004 | Politician, businesswoman, state representative in Colorado House of Representatives |
| Landri Taylor | (1950–) | 2008 | Civic leader, community affairs |
| William L. Turner | (1894–1971) | 1973 | Realtor |
| Peggy Underwood | (1921–2008) | 1973 | Secretary |
| Lu Vason | (1939–2015) | 2010 | Founder/Director Bill Pickett Rodeo |
| Columbus "Chris" Veasy, Jr., Ph.D. | (1935–2021) | 1998 | Chairman, Denver County Democratic Party 1991 |
| James "Dr. Daddio" Walker | (1939–) | 2008 | Black radio pioneer |
| James David Ward | (1917–1993) | 1985 | Educator |
| Wellington E. Webb | (1941–) | 1988 | Mayor, city of Denver |
| Wilma Webb | (1943–) | 1985 | First Lady of Denver, Colorado State representative |
| Elbra Wedgeworth | (1956–) | 2014 | City council president, Chief government and community relations officer |
| Joseph H.P. Westbrooke | (1878–1939) | 1973 | Physician, civic leader |
| Cecilia Kay White | (1962–) | 1973 | |
| William H. Whitsell | (1866–1944) | 2024 | First African-American male born in Colorado |
| Murphy C. Williams | (1916–1990) | 1973 | Pastor, businessman |
| Edna Wilson-Mosley | (1925–2014) | 1992 | First African-American city councilwoman, Aurora, CO |