Malcolm Hemphill, Jr.
Educator and sports official Malcolm Montjoy Hemphill, Jr., was born June 24, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois; his father was Third Ward Republican Committeeman and his mother played piano and organ for A.A. Rayner’s Funeral Home. Hemphill attended Forestville Elementary School, which at the time was the largest and most crowded grade school in the country. A basketball player and president of his class, Hemphill graduated from Wendell Phillips High School in 1949. At Fisk University, Hemphill played basketball with Wilson Frost, and was counseled by Dr. Billie Wright Adams; he later transferred to Arkansas AM & N where he earned his B.S. in health and physical education in 1953.
In 1954, Hemphill taught elementary physical education in the Chicago Public Schools, but was drafted in 1955, after which time he served in the United States Navy aboard the U.S.S. Hector. Returning to Chicago in 1957, Hemphill married Gloria Owens and became the son-in-law of Olympic great, Jesse Owens. At Marshall High School (1960 to 1973), Hemphill rose from teacher to assistant principal to acting principal for over 5,000 students; during this time he also coached basketball and baseball. Hemphill joined the rising chorus of Chicago’s black teachers who complained about the Chicago Public School’s (CPS) discriminatory promotion procedures. Earning his M.Ed. from Northeastern Illinois University’s Center for Inner City Studies in 1971, Hemphill became assistant principal at Manley High School and later Hyde Park High School. Until his retirement in 1997, Hemphill was coordinator of Physical Education Programs for the entire CPS.
Concerned that there were no African Americans officiating high school games in Chicago, Hemphill, with John Everett and Wilfred Bonner, formed the Metropolitan Officials Association (MOA) in 1962. MOA successfully trained and agitated for the assignment of black officials to referee CPS games. MOA went on to become the largest minority sports organization in the country, with alumni officiating at the NBA level. In 1974, Hemphill was one of the first three black officials assigned to a Big Ten Conference game; he officiated in the Big Ten for 15 years. Hemphill organized and trained the first group of African American women officials, and was director of the Nate Humphrey Memorial Officials Basketball Camp. Hemphill and his wife, Gloria, remained residents of Chicago, where they raised two daughters.
A2005.124
Male
5/31/2005
Hemphill
Married
Montjoy
Wendell Phillips Academy High School
Carter G. Woodson South Elementary School
Forrestville Elementary School
Fisk University
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
Malcolm
Chicago
HEM02
Summer
Gloria Hemphill
Illinois
Cancun, Mexico
Illinois
6/24/1931
Chicago
USA
String beans, Potatoes (Boiled), Tomatoes, Fresh Onions, Ice Tea, Cornbread, Cobbler (Peach)
High school principal, sports official, and physical education coordinator Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. (1931 - ) was coordinator of Physical Education Programs for the entire Chicago Public Schools system, in addition to holding other high ranking positions within the organization. Hemphill was also one of the founders of the Metropolitan Officials Association, and one of the first African American officials assigned to a Big Ten conference game.
Chicago Public Schools
Marshall High School
The Big Ten Conference
U.S. Navy
Beige
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284378">Tape: 1 Story: 1 - Slating of Malcolm Hemphill, Jr.'s interview</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284379">Tape: 1 Story: 2 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. lists his favorites</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284380">Tape: 1 Story: 3 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes his mother's family background, pt. 1</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284381">Tape: 1 Story: 4 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes his mother's family background, pt. 2</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284382">Tape: 1 Story: 5 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes his mother, Elizabeth Dickey Hemphill, and her death</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284383">Tape: 1 Story: 6 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes his father's family background</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284384">Tape: 1 Story: 7 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes his father's political work and views</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284126">Tape: 2 Story: 1 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. remembers his father's political colleagues</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284127">Tape: 2 Story: 2 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes his family's membership at Bethel A.M.E. Church in Chicago, Illinois</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284128">Tape: 2 Story: 3 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. explains how he attended Wendell Phillips High School in Chicago, Illinois</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284129">Tape: 2 Story: 4 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes Forrestville Elementary School in Chicago, Illinois</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284130">Tape: 2 Story: 5 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes the sights, sounds and smells of his childhood</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284131">Tape: 2 Story: 6 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes his neighborhood and childhood friends, pt. 1</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284132">Tape: 2 Story: 7 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes his neighborhood and childhood friends, pt. 2</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284133">Tape: 2 Story: 8 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. recalls becoming a baseball coach for Chicago Public Schools</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284281">Tape: 3 Story: 1 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes local basketball players who played at Xavier University of Louisiana</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284282">Tape: 3 Story: 2 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. remembers watching Negro League baseball games</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284283">Tape: 3 Story: 3 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. recalls the athletics program at Wendell Phillips High School in Chicago, Illinois</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284284">Tape: 3 Story: 4 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes Wendell Phillips High School in Chicago, Illinois</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284285">Tape: 3 Story: 5 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. talks about the creation of DuSable High School in Chicago, Illinois</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284286">Tape: 3 Story: 6 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes himself as a student</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284287">Tape: 3 Story: 7 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. remembers coaching baseball at Marshall High School in Chicago, Illinois</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284288">Tape: 3 Story: 8 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. recalls his plans after high school</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284142">Tape: 4 Story: 1 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes his transition to Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, pt. 1</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284143">Tape: 4 Story: 2 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes his transition to Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, pt. 2</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284144">Tape: 4 Story: 3 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes his friendship with HistoryMaker Dr. Billie Wright Adams</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284145">Tape: 4 Story: 4 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. recalls transferring to Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal College</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284146">Tape: 4 Story: 5 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes adjusting to the segregated South</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284147">Tape: 4 Story: 6 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes his maternal great-grandmother, pt. 1</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284148">Tape: 4 Story: 7 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes his maternal great-grandmother, pt. 2</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284149">Tape: 4 Story: 8 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. remembers prominent figures at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284150">Tape: 4 Story: 9 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. recalls his time at Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal College</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284151">Tape: 4 Story: 10 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes officiating for basketball games during his time in college</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284152">Tape: 5 Story: 1 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. explains the difference between gym teachers and physical education instructors</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284153">Tape: 5 Story: 2 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes changes to physical education in Chicago Public Schools</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284154">Tape: 5 Story: 3 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes the start of his teaching career</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284155">Tape: 5 Story: 4 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes teaching and coaching at Marshall High School in Chicago, Illinois</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284156">Tape: 5 Story: 5 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. remembers receiving an achievement award from Northeastern University in Chicago, Illinois</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284157">Tape: 5 Story: 6 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes Manley High School in Chicago, Illinois</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284158">Tape: 5 Story: 7 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes Manley High School's basketball team</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284159">Tape: 6 Story: 1 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. remembers his former student Wayne Stingley, pt. 1</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284160">Tape: 6 Story: 2 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. remembers his former student Wayne Stingley, pt. 2</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284161">Tape: 6 Story: 3 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. recounts meeting his wife, HistoryMaker Gloria Owens Hemphill</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284162">Tape: 6 Story: 4 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. remembers attending the 1972 Munich Olympics with Jesse Owens</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284163">Tape: 6 Story: 5 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes his time in the U.S. Navy</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284164">Tape: 6 Story: 6 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes the 1954 DuSable High School basketball team</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284165">Tape: 6 Story: 7 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes transferring to Hyde Park Career Academy in Chicago, Illinois</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284166">Tape: 6 Story: 8 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. recalls working at Hyde Park Career Academy in Chicago, Illinois</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284167">Tape: 7 Story: 1 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes the past sports officiating system used in Chicago Public Schools</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284168">Tape: 7 Story: 2 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes the founding of Metropolitan Officials Association</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284169">Tape: 7 Story: 3 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. explains how he became the first African American official in the Big Ten Conference</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284170">Tape: 7 Story: 4 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes the qualities of an effective sports official</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284171">Tape: 7 Story: 5 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. recalls discrimination while officiating for the Big Ten Conference, pt. 1</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284172">Tape: 7 Story: 6 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. recalls discrimination while officiating for the Big Ten Conference, pt. 2</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284173">Tape: 7 Story: 7 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes working with basketball coach Bob Knight</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284174">Tape: 7 Story: 8 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. recalls the racism he experienced officiating for the Big Ten Conference</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284289">Tape: 8 Story: 1 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. reflects upon his career as a referee</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284290">Tape: 8 Story: 2 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. retells his colleagues' officiating stories</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284291">Tape: 8 Story: 3 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes the changes to basketball over the years</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284292">Tape: 8 Story: 4 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes how basketball greats have influenced the sport</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284293">Tape: 8 Story: 5 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. recalls his time as coordinator of the Office of Health and Physical Education and his retirement</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284294">Tape: 8 Story: 6 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes his hopes and concerns for the African American community</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284295">Tape: 8 Story: 7 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. reflects upon his life</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284296">Tape: 8 Story: 8 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. reflects upon his legacy</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284297">Tape: 8 Story: 9 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. describes how he would like to be remembered</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/284184">Tape: 9 Story: 1 - Malcolm Hemphill, Jr. narrates his photographs</a>
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