Joshua Packwood Makes History at Morehouse College

This past weekend Joshua Packwood was honored as valedictorian of the Class of 2008 at Morehouse College, the historically black educational institution for men in Atlanta. Packwood majored in economics and had a 4.0 grade point average. He was a finalist for a Rhodes Scholarship and has landed a job with the investment banking firm Goldman, Sachs in New York City.

Four years ago, Packwood, a track athlete at a predominantly black high school in Kansas City, was heavily recruited to come to Morehouse. Officials at Morehouse had no idea that Packwood was white. When Packwood disclosed his ethnic background, Morehouse officials were surprised but they did not relent in their efforts to convince Packwood to come to Atlanta. This made a great impression on Packwood and he decided to become a “Morehouse Man.” He is the first white man in the college’s 141-year history to be named valedictorian.