F.C. Branch; first black commissioned officer in Marine Corps
Hyfler/Rosner
being an officer," Capt. Branch said in a 1995 Inquirer
interview. " 'You ain't going to be no officer.' " Without
the necessary recommendation, his request was rejected by
the military.
F.C. Branch, 82, black Marine pioneer
BYLINE: By Gayle Ronan Sims; Inquirer Staff Writer
Frederick C. Branch, 82, of North Philadelphia, the first
black commissioned officer in the Marine Corps and founder
of the science department at Dobbins High School, where he
taught for 35 years, died Sunday at Roxborough Memorial
Hospital. The cause of death has not yet been determined,
his family said yesterday.
Born in Hamlet, N.C., the middle child of seven sons of a
Methodist minister, Capt. Branch was drafted into the
Marines in 1942 while a student at Temple University. He had
his eye on a commission ever since he had scored high enough
to be eligible for Officer Candidate School and President
Franklin D. Roosevelt prohibited racial discrimination by
government agencies.
"They told me to shut that blankety-blank stuff up about
being an officer," Capt. Branch said in a 1995 Inquirer
interview. " 'You ain't going to be no officer.' " Without
the necessary recommendation, his request was rejected by
the military.
In 1944, Capt. Branch and the 51st Defense Battalion were
shipped out aboard the merchant ship Meteor. His splendid
service record in the Pacific helped him get recommended for
OCS. Capt. Branch attended Purdue University in Indiana as
part of the Navy's V-12 officer-training program.
After Japan surrendered, the Marines didn't need as many
officers, but Capt. Branch stubbornly hung in there and got
his commission.
On Nov. 10, 1945, the 170th birthday of the U.S. Marine
Corps, Capt. Branch's wife, Peggy, whom he had married that
year, pinned the shiny lieutenant's bars on the resplendent
Marine during a ceremony at Montford Point Marine Base, New
River, N.C.
Two years later, he earned a bachelor's degree in physics
from Temple.
In 1952, Capt. Branch was discharged from active duty, but
remained in the Reserve. He was promoted to captain in 1954
and retired from the military a year later.
Capt. Branch started the science department at Dobbins and
retired in 1988 after 35 years as department head. He and
his wife of 55 years lived in North Philadelphia. She died
in 2000.
In 1977, the Marines named a training building after Capt.
Branch at Marine Officers Candidate School in Quantico, Va.
He is to be buried at the Quantico base with full military
honors at a later date.
Capt. Branch is survived by his godson, Joseph Alex Cooper,
and two brothers, William and Floyd.
Contact staff writer Gayle Ronan Sims at 215-854-4185 or
gs...@phillynews.com
Hoodoo
posted obit of Capt. Branch.
Hyfler/Rosner wrote:
> Frederick C. Branch, 82, of North Philadelphia, the first
> black commissioned officer in the Marine Corps and founder
> of the science department at Dobbins High School, where he
> taught for 35 years, died Sunday at Roxborough Memorial
> Hospital.
- - -
Prof. Samuel Massie Dies; Broke Naval Academy's Race Barrier
Washington Post
April 15, 2005
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55092-2005Apr14.html
Samuel P. Massie Jr., a chemistry professor who was the first
African American to teach at the U.S. Naval Academy, died April
10 at Mariner Healthcare Center in Laurel. He was 85 and had
dementia.
Dr. Massie considered himself first and foremost a teacher,
though he also gained widespread recognition for his work in
chemistry. He was named one of the 75 premier chemists of the
20th century, along with Marie Curie, George Washington Carver,
Kodak founder George Eastman and DNA researchers James Watson and
Francis Crick.