Dotson, William S.
(born: 1911 - died: 1995)William S. Dotson, born in Cave City, KY, became a civil rights leader in Lexington, KY. He first left Cave City when he was a teen; there was no high school for African Americans there, so he went to Frankfort, KY, to attend high school at what is today Kentucky State University. He also earned a BA at the school in 1936.
Dotson was president of the National Alumni Association (1966-1968). He and his wife moved to Lexington in 1938, where he later served as president of the Lexington Chapter of the NAACP from 1946 to 1951; he wanted to bring leadership to African Americans in the city. He also served as treasurer of the state NAACP for 27 years. He was the first 40 Year Man member of Omega Psi Phi, for which he received an award in 1974.
For more see M. Davis, "Martin Luther King: dream lives on, struggle for rights continues," Lexington Herald-Leader, 1/15/1986, Lifestyle section, p. D1; Who's Who Among African Americans, 1975-1999; and William S. Dotson in the Obituaries of the Lexington Herald-Leader, 11/28/1995, p. B2.
Read about the William S. Dotson oral history interviews available at the University of Kentucky Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History.