Leona Farris

Leona Wright Farris (August 11, 1917 – February 27, 2022) was an American educator. She worked as an assistant professor at the University of Akron from 1969 to 1988 and some sources list her as the first African American woman to hold that position at the university. Her family was one of the first black families to live in Stow, Ohio, and her children were the first black children to attend the school district there. Farris was involved in integrating the dormitories of Ohio State University and continued to be active in groups such as the NAACP and Alpha Kappa Alpha throughout her life. The University of Akron has a scholarship in her name.