"Lafayette Alonzo Tillman" (March 15,1858-1914)

Born during slavery in Evansville,Indiana,he would be fortunate not to

experience the harshness of the peculiar institution less than 100 miles away
to the "south"in the state of Kentucky.Evansville was one of of a number of gateway cities in Indiana that provided access to the Underground Railroad,assisting runaway slaves with food,shelter and safe
passage to Canada.Information about his childhood is fragmented,
there are a number of reflections accounting the death of his daddy when Lafayette was five years old,as well as an assessment of his academic success
within the public school system of Indiana.His abilities and scholastic achievements provided him with the foundation he would need in pursuit of a college education at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio,and at Wayland Seminary School in Washington,D.C.
At Wayland,Lafayette,studied theology in preparation to become a
Baptist Minister,while simultaneously developing his musical talents as a singer.Professor James Storum,the African American educator who became the first principal at Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute in 1883,encouraged this ability.By the late 1870's his strength as a bass soloist and his moral uprightness and virtuous nature attracted a number of prominent singing groups ready to take advantage of his rich voice and his gentlemanly decorum.African American singing groups such as the Fisk Jubilee Singers and the Tuskegee University Choir entertained both African Americans & white,served as nationally and internationally recognized ambassadors who educated white patrons about African American culture through song and intimate interactions.Performing with the New Orleans University Singers and the Donovan Tennesseans of Philadelphia,Lafayette was provided a number of opportunities to tour the eastern and Midwestern United States,as well as Europe.(In 1884,in the "Blue Room"at the White House,Lafayette and his New Orleans University Singers performed for then-President of the United States,Grover Cleavland.In the special program,he performed his solo "The Laughing Song.") In 1880,while traveling through the Midwest and performing at both African American & white churches,Lafayette and the Tennesseans performed in Kansas City,where his proficiency as a singer gained him local fame as an entertainer.His apparent fondness for the growing town and its 7,914 African Americans prompted his move to Kansas City.In 1881 he began a career as an entrepreneur,opening a restaurant at 105 East 12th Street,in the heart of the African American community.By 1896,Lafayette had married Amy Dods,of St.Louis Missouri,
closed his restaurant,opened his own barber shop near the corner of 12th Street and Grand Avenue and had begun pursuing his interest in law at Kansas City Law School.In 1898 Lafayette achieved the rank of Quarter-Master Sergeant in Company "K" of the 7th Regiment of the United States Volunteers.He was never deployed to the Philippines during the Spanish-American war,nevertheless demonstrated his commitment to excellence as a soldier.This would be accounted for by his superior officers who had faith in
his abilities and recognized and applauded his outstanding leadership qualities.
This was a turning point for Lafayette's career.Indeed,because of his
commitment to excellence as he would be honored by Auroa Democratic Club
of Kansas City,which boasted a membership roster that included Alderman James Pendergast,brother of future Kansas "Boss"Tom Pendergast acknowledge Lafayette's achievements,the Aurora Democratic Club presented
the Sergeant with a uniform and engraved sword which is inscribed:"Presented to Lieutenant L.A. Tillman/49th Regt/In recognition of his high personal character and fidelity to principle by his Kansas City
friends and fellow members of Aurora Democratic Club.The local
recognition would secure his future in Kansas City,and contribute to his future success in the military.During the 1899 "Filipino Insurrection" by citizens of of the Philippines against U.S.Rule,Lafayette received an appointment as First Lieutenant of the Forth ninth Volunteer Infantry from President William McKinley.He would likely have been stationed in Manila
at the same time as Lieutenant Charles Young,the third African American graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point,and before World War I the highest ranked African American soldier in the US military.After serving two years in Luzon in the Phillippines,he was honorably discharge and he returned to Kansas.A group of  white citizens,in appreciation of his patriotic service,secured a position for him on the police force.