Descendant of first African-American Cal U. grad is commencement speaker
CALIFORNIA – A TV executive who is a descendant of the first African-American graduate of California University of Pennsylvania has been tapped to speak at commencement next month at the school.
Terence Carter, executive vice president of drama and comedy development at 20th Century Fox Television, will speak to associate and bachelor graduates at 10 a.m. May 11, the university announced.
“We’re excited to have him,” Cal U. spokeswoman Christine Kindl said. “It’s really something special.”
She said she expects the students will enjoy hearing from someone who has a successful career with strong ties to the school.
Carter is the great-great-grandson of Elizabeth Jennie Adams Carter, a Monongahela woman who graduated with a teaching degree from Cal U. in July 1881.
She made history in her hometown by graduating from college at a time, in the years following emancipation, when some people in the small city believed that black children could not be educated.
Jennie Carter died at age 38 from an unknown illness. She has been memorialized at Cal U., where a dormitory was named after her and through scholarships to those who exemplify her spirit.
Kindl said Terence Carter’s appearance at Cal U. was arranged by the school’s alumni relations department.
“His family has been very involved in the university for quite a number of years,” she said.
He has been behind a number of TV hit shows, including “Empire,” Gotham,” “The X-Files” and “Glee.”
He has a bachelor’s degree in African-American studies from Harvard University.
Terence Carter also will speak to master’s and doctoral graduates at 7 p.m. May 10. Both ceremonies are free and open to the public and take place in the university’s convocation center.