"Rev.Thomas Blue"(April 2,1870-1935)

The son of former slaves,Thomas was born in Farmville Virginia.He graduated from

Hampton University in 1888.Thomas taught at in Virginia,and earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1898 from Richmond Theological Seminary.Around the turn of the last century,he was a secretary of the YMCA,serving Spanish-American war soldiers,moving to Louisville in the same capacity from 1899-1905.In 1905,Thomas was chosen to head the Louisville Western Branch Library.This was the first public library in the nation to serve an African American clientele with an exclusively African American Staff.What began in three rented rooms of a private home on the West side of town moved to a dedicated building built by Andrew Carnegie in 1908.In 1914,Thomas opened Louisville's second Carnegie branch library for African Americans in East Louisville.In 1919,with the addition of the two new branches a "Colored Department" was created,the first example of such an organization in any public library system in the United States.Thomas lead the department which included eight assistants,two junior high schools,15 stations and 80 classroom collections in 29 buildings.A total of 99 centers for the circulations of books for home use in 46 buildings in Louisville and Jefferson County made up his administrative duties.Rev.Blue spoke of himself as "untrained" like Dewey was untrained,"his most far-reaching work was the creation of an apprentice class for those wanting to enter library service.Thomas class drew students from far away as Houston and led the establishment of the Hampton Library School in Virginia.He was a respected leader in the civic,religious,and educational life of the Louisville African Amrican community.He served the Louisville Free Public Library from 1905 until his death 30 years later,achieving national recognitional as a pioneer in the field of public service.