First African American to graduate from Franklin Pierce University dies.

by Christopher Bastien
edited by Brain Carey

John Eason, the first African American to graduate from Franklin Pierce University, passed away in New Haven, Connecticut on September 8th.

Eason graduated in the class of 1967 and played basketball for FPU from 1964 up until 1967.

Three years ago, the university began creating the John H. Eason Endowed Diversity scholarship dedicated to helping African, Latino, Asian, and Native American students. Crystal Neuhauser, vice president for University Advancement, said, “We are looking to honor an individual who was the first person of color to join the FPU community.”

By the end of the academic year, the University hopes to raise $14,000 to fund the scholarship. Initially, the scholarship will be offered to one student, but as the years pass more people will be offered the scholarship.

(photo credit: Google images)

John Burke, who was among the first class to graduate Franklin Pierce University in 1966, said, “Understand how incredibly brave John was to come to a brand-new school, in a rural area at, that time period in the United States and be successful.”

Alumnus Lawrence Leach said, reading from Eason’s eulogy, “Eason played a role in recruiting many minority students to FPU, primarily from the Bahamas and New York, so they can play basketball here. After he graduated from Franklin Pierce, he returned home to aid young minority men and women achieve academic success.

“Eason went on to obtain his master’s from Hofstra University in 1971,” Leach said. “His teaching style was student-centered and helped them develop critical thinking skills. He ran after school youth programs one of them being a competitive basketball program that ran through the Roosevelt schools and parks.”

After working in the Roosevelt school district in New York, Easton moved to the Lawrence school district in Massachusetts. He spent 25 years working as an educator there. Eason also became the Lawrence Boys Varsity Basketball coach. Leach said reading from the eulogy, “His former players referred to him as a powerful life force changing many lives along his way.” When Easton left the Lawrence school district, he became a board of trustee’s member at FPU for the next 20 years.

Neuhauser said, “This is the start of something that will impact many. We are creating a legacy in John Eason’s name that will serve a purpose