An Evening with Richard Claxton “Dick” Gregory, Civil Rights Activist, Nutritionist, Comedian, and Author

Gregory, Richard Claxton “Dick” (Born, October 12, 1932, St. Louis, Mo.), African American comedian and civil rights activist whose social satire changed the way white Americans perceived African American comedians since he first performed in public. Gregory’s autobiography, Nigger, was published in 1963 prior to The assassination of President Kennedy, and became the number one best-selling book in America. Over the decades it has sold in excess of seven million copies. His choice for the title was explained in the forward, where Dick Gregory wrote a note to his mother. “Whenever you hear the word ‘Nigger’,” he said, “you’ll know their advertising my book.” In 1984 he founded Health Enterprises, Inc., a company that distributed weight loss products. In 1987 Gregory introduced the Slim-Safe Bahamian Diet, a powdered diet mix, which was immensely profitable. Economic losses caused in part by conflicts with his business partners led to his eviction from his home in 1992. Gregory remained active, however, and in 1996 returned to the stage in his critically acclaimed one-man show, Dick Gregory Live! The reviews of Gregory’s show compared him to the greatest stand-ups in the history of Broadway.

2.5 Charles W. Florence, 10th President of Lincoln University, 1931-37.

Gaines studied History and Education at Lincoln and was frequently seen in Memorial Hall chatting with his mentors in the History Department, Drs. W. Sherman Savage and Lorenzo Greene about his future after graduation.

3.7 Frederick Middlebush, 13th President of University of Missouri, 1935-54

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1.5 Walter F. White, NAACP President, 1931-55

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1.5 Sherman D. Scruggs, 11th President of Lincoln University, 1938-1956

The LU Board of Curators ordered its president, Sherman Scruggs, to have a law school up and running and ready for Lloyd Gaines by September 1, 1939. This task seemed insurmountable; establishing a law school on an equal par with that of MU in eight months would, in the least, be miraculous.