When Carl Talmadge “Duke” Washington enrolled at Washington State on a football scholarship in 1952, he was one of five African-American students on the entire campus.
He left in 1954 as the Cougars star fullback, team captain and a civil rights pioneer after earning the distinction of being the first black man to play in a game at Texas Memorial Stadium.
Washington died on Feb. 16 of complications from pneumonia. He was 84.
This Saturday, at 2 p.m. at the Central Area Senior Center, Washington’s friends and family will gather for a celebration of his life.