Dr. William Lynn Weaver grew up during the 1950s and 1960s in Mechanicsville, a black working-class neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee.

In 1964, he was one of 14 black teens who integrated West High School. He told that story in two other StoryCorps segments here and here.

After graduation, Weaver went on to study at Howard University. This story took place when he came home during his freshman year for Christmas break.

WeaverExtra

Dr. William Lynn Weaver died in May 2019.

Originally aired December 15, 2017, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Bottom photo: Dr. William Lynn Weaver with his younger brother, Wayne, in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1963. Courtesy of the Weaver family.