HOUSTON — A special celebration was held Tuesday for a man who was a legend in education, Dr. Thomas F. Freeman.
Freeman died June 6. He was 100. Freeman was a philosophy professor and founded the TSU Debate Team and the Weekend College.
Freeman arrived at Texas Southern University in 1949. He instructed hundreds of students, but also some very iconic figures, like, Barbara Jordan, Martin Luther King Jr. and Denzel Washington for the movie The Great Debaters.
Through the years, he earned dozens of awards. But for Freeman, his most prized treasures were his students. Tuesday, they paid their respect in the best way they could, with their words.
“To the rest of the world he was ‘Dr. Freeman,’ but to his beloved debaters he was simply ‘Doc,'” one student said.
Among those at Tuesday’s ceremony were his friends and family members and politicians from all over the state; including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Rep. Al Green both presented the family with a congressional recognition. Mayor Sylvester Turner even proclaimed June 16 as Dr. Thomas Freeman Day in Houston.
“He was one those individuals left you better than you were when you met them,” another student said. He was not just a man that achieved greatness but also inspired greatness in many.
♦ Culled from KHOU, Houston
