The Francis A. Gregory branch of the DC Public Library is located in Fort Davis. The “A,” if you’re curious, stands for “Anderson.” The library was named for Francis Gregory, who lived in Fort Davis, in 1986, by D.C. Law 6-150. It was an appropriate designation, as Francis Gregory was a president of the Board of Library Trustees–the first black president, to be accurate. As D.C. Law 6-150 elaborates, Gregory was involved beyond the Library Board, serving as an education consultant to President Kennedy and as State Director of Vocational Education, among other positions.

Francis Gregory belonged to a distinguished family of DC educators and married into another prominent DC family, the Drews. His wife was a sister of Charles Drew. Gregory earned a degree in electrical engineering from MIT, but due to segregation he was not able to use his degree as an engineer [1]. Nevertheless, his background must have contributed to his success in the realm of vocational and technical education. (An interesting side note: his son flew on three shuttle missions and became acting chief of NASA [ibid].)

[1] Gugliotta, G. (2005, Mar 09). Backed by history, looking forward; acting NASA chief seized opportunities, seeks more for others. The Washington Post Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/409763921?accountid=46320