Sammie Burnett Johnson helped changed the face of the Memphis State campus in 1959.
Johnson was one of the first group of African-American students, known as the Memphis State Eight, to attend The University.
Johnson, 71, died of bone cancer in her Grandville, Mo., home Saturday, Jan. 15th.
She is the first of the Memphis State Eight — Johnson, Rose Blakney, Eleanor Gandy, Marvis LaVerne Kneeland, Luther McClellan, Ralph Prater, Bertha Rogers and John Simpson — to pass.
During their time at Memphis State, the group's members were able to attend classes but were not allowed to participate in physical education or ROTC courses. They had access to the library and two lounges but had to be off campus by noon.
Zelma Dillihunt, Johnson's sister, said she was concerned for her sister when she decided to integrate Memphis State because there were only seven other blacks enrolling with her.
She said she was worried her sister would be "harmed some way" but that Johnson was not afraid.
"She was always ready to fight for the cause," Dillihunt said. "If she was (scared), she never discussed it with me."
Johnson's father, Irving Burnett, drove Zelma and Kneeland to the campus every day. He was worried at that time, but fortunately "they didn't have any incidents," he said.
Dillihunt said her sister had a "spunky" spirit and would speak her mind when met with confrontation.
Lonnie Latham, associate dean of students for minority affairs, said though he never met Johnson, he knew of her as the vocal leader of the eight.
"She was the one who really spoke up. She was a little different than some of those during that era," he said. "She was one of the ones who would speak up and wouldn't accept no for an answer."
Johnson, a Booker T. Washington High School graduate, attended LeMoyne-Owen College before enrolling at Memphis State. After a year at The U of M, she got married, moved to Las Cruces, N. M., and graduated from New Mexico State University.
"Her husband was out there," Burnett said. "It was not a hard decision to leave Memphis State.
She later attended the University of Kansas and received a master's in business administration.
For University of Memphis students, Johnson will be remembered as a legend, said Cortney Richardson, senior organizational leadership major.
"This can serve as a reminder to all of us as students that our tenure here needs to be something that is worth remembering," Richardson said. "It's clear while she was here she did something that is legendary. Her life was not in vain. She lived such a great life."
