History of Page Woodson

Inman Edward Page, known as the “Grand Old Man of Education,” was born into slavery in Virginia in 1853. During the Civil War, he escaped to Washington, D.C., where he entered a private school for African American children. He later attended Howard University and became one of the first African Americans admitted to Brown University.

Page went on to become a founder of Langston University in Oklahoma in 1898. Later in his career, he served as supervising principal of Douglass High School in Oklahoma City and became an influential figure in the city’s separate schools. By the time of his retirement, Page and his daughter, Zelia Breaux, had positively influenced the lives of nearly every African American child in Oklahoma City.

Zelia Breaux was born into a family of educators and became a major force in music education in Oklahoma. After studying at Lincoln Institute and helping her father, Inman E. Page, establish what is now Langston University, she later became supervisor of music for African American schools in Oklahoma City.

At Douglass School, Breaux placed a music teacher in every African American grade and trained students in classical arrangements. She organized the Oklahoma City Community Band and the highly acclaimed Douglass High School band. Her influence reached generations of musicians, including Charlie Christian and Jimmy Rushing. She was later inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Bandmasters Association Hall of Fame.

F. D. Moon, known as the “Dean of African American Education,” was a nationally recognized educator who carried forward the legacy of his mentor, Inman E. Page.

Moon became principal of Douglass High School in Oklahoma City, where he set high standards for African American students and educators. Under his leadership, Douglass grew into a model school, and he helped secure a modern new building for the school in 1954. In 1974, he became the first African American president of the Oklahoma City Public Schools Board during the busing crisis, where his calm leadership helped guide the city through a difficult period.

Henrietta Beasley Foster was raised in Oklahoma City and graduated from Frederick Douglass School. She later earned a master’s degree in library science from Hampton Institute in Virginia.

Foster served as librarian at Douglass High School and later Moon Junior High, where she inspired students to read, explore, and appreciate libraries and education. She also founded the Harrison Walnut Neighborhood Association, which played a pivotal role in saving the first YMCA to serve African Americans in Oklahoma City. The building was later renovated and bears her name as a legacy of her work.

Charlie Christian transformed the future of jazz guitar by bringing the electric guitar to the forefront as a solo instrument. His single-string technique, use of amplification, and expressive sound helped bridge swing and bebop.

Born into Oklahoma City’s musical community, Christian’s early life was shaped by the city’s Deep Deuce neighborhood and by his mentor Zelia N. Breaux at Douglass High School. He later joined Benny Goodman’s orchestra and played alongside major musicians including Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Artie Shaw. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 in the Early Influence category.

Abram Ross was an important voice for Oklahoma City’s African American community through his radio program “Negroes in the News” on KPLR beginning in 1948. Alongside his wife, Willa, Ross created programming that included cooking tips, live vocalists, sporting events, and broadcasts of Black churches.

Ross also created the Abram Ross Birthday Party, held annually on July 4 in Washington Park, which included a parade, contests, prizes, and community events. His work helped give Oklahoma City’s Black residents visibility, joy, and representation at a time when they were often excluded from mainstream media.

Ralph Waldo Ellison was born in Oklahoma City and grew up with access to educators, artists, and role models in northeast Oklahoma City. As a child, he studied music and was influenced by figures including Roscoe Dunjee, Inman Page, J. D. Randolph, Jimmy Rushing, Charlie Christian, and Zelia Breaux.

Ellison later became one of America’s most important literary voices. His novel Invisible Man won the 1952 National Book Award and remains one of the major works of American literature. Throughout his life, Ellison continued to write essays on culture, race, and American identity. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969.