Titus

"Schools for blacks and whites were separate when I was growing up in the mid-60's. I wanted to major in art, but the black schools in Memphis didn't have art---at least not the classes that would help me get into art school. When it came time for my senior year, I was able to transfer from Douglas High to the all-white Memphis Tech so I could get the courses I needed. There was only one other black student there, and he always sat at a table by himself in the lunchroom. I'd go over and talk to him sometimes, but I guess he didn't feel like he was welcome to sit with the rest of the students. I was more outgoing, so it was easier for me. After I started winning some art and science awards, the other students warmed up to me more, and by the end of the year, I was everybody's friend. I was the first black student to graduate from the white city schools in Memphis. That was in 1965.

"After graduation, I went on to art school, and that's where I fell in love with a woman named Terri. We were so close, but after a while, she started distancing herself from me. I decided I need to move away, so I went to Massachusetts, where I spent a lot of time drawing, painting, and trying to forget her. She eventually got married, so I've never contacted her again, but I still think about her, and she still inspires my art. That's been over 40 years ago. I used to hear about people not being able to forget someone they have loved, and I know that can happen. I know it's true."

Titus Blade Steele enjoys sculpting, painting, pen-and-ink drawing, and needlework. Now 67 years of age, he volunteers by teaching art classes to children at Caritas Village at 2509 Harvard Avenue.

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