Along with Fred Williams ‘69, Joe Dirl arrived at Berkshire in 1966 through the ABC or A Better Chance program of the Independent School Talent Search Program started in 1963. Joe and Fred were the first Black graduates from Berkshire in 1969.
After Berkshire
While a student at Brown University, Dirl wrote an article in 1971 titled “The Black Student In the White Independent Secondary School: My Experiences at Berkshire School.”
"Black students on white campuses have special needs and require certain attention. Schools, colleges, and universities are becoming increasingly aware of this... We have our own values and, in most instances, they are different from those of our white classmates. Blacks are at Berkshire and other white institutions to gain a knowledge of what is outside of their culture. During this process, and later, when we become leaders in the black community, we will derive our strength not from the brains, friendships, or money of white people, but from ourselves. I feel that one of the best investments which Berkshire School, and other white independent schools, can make is in playing a large part in the education of talented black students who will undoubtedly be leaders in our black communities. The types of experiences, encounters, and knowledge which black students can gain in an independent school will have a great deal of influence and impact on the future of the black and white communities in America, and they may determine whether or not we continue to move toward two separate societies, a black one and a white one. We are getting closer, if we are not already there.” -Jospeph Dirl, 1971
After Brown, Dirl returned to Knoxville, TN, and worked at the Tennessee State Department.
Fred Williams, Class of 1969
Coming to Berkshire
Fred Williams, with the encouragement of his school guidance counselor, applied to the A Better Chance (ABC) program and was accepted at Berkshire. At the summer ABC program, he met Lucien Geer, a Berkshire math teacher, who would become Fred’s football coach and close mentor.
In the Fall of 1966, Fred, along with Joe Dirl ‘69 and two other students, were the first four Black students at Berkshire. Fred recalled, “I am sure we (four Black students enrolled in 1966) were a novelty to many, but it was a prep school where manners were a priority for all students.”
“I learned that people of different races can develop and maintain friendships no matter their race, social standing, upbringing, or politics, as long as they respect each other as human beings.” -Fred Williams
While his three years at Berkshire were not always easy, Fred was the Green and Gray newspaper Sports Editor, member of the Spirit Committee, was co-captain of the varsity football team, member of the varsity basketball team, and a record-breaking track team member. Fred broke school records in both the high jump and pole vaulting and was awarded the Berkshire Track Trophy his senior year.
After Berkshire
After graduating from Berkshire, Fred went to Duke and then to the University of North Carolina for his law degree. He is now the Director of Clinical Programs and Associate Professor of Law for North Carolina Central University School of Law. He gets together as often as possible with his classmates.
If you would like to know more about the School history, please visit the Archives webpage.