Spencer, Donald A. (Donald Agnew), 1904-1961

Donald A. Spencer, Sr. was born March 5, 1915 to Josephine and Donald Spencer. He began attending high school at Withrow High School in Cincinnati but finished at Walnut Hills High School after his family moved. He was instrumental in integrating the Junior-Senior Prom at Walnut Hills. He attended the University of Cincinnati where he received his BA in 1936, BSEd in 1937, and Masters of Education in 1940. When Spencer entered the University of Cincinnati no extracurricular activities were open to African-American students. Spencer organized the Quadres, a group of African-American students who performed musical comedies and wrote their own music and songs. Spencer also helped to found the Kappa Alpha Psi chapter at UC furthering opening doors for African-American students at UC.

After graduating from UC, Spencer began teaching. During his teaching career, he was on the faculty at Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary in the West End, Douglass School in Walnut Hills, and Bloom Junior High in the West End. Shortly after buying his first home in 1944, he began moonlighting as a realtor. After 18 years of teaching, he began working as a realtor full-time for his firm, Donald A. Spencer and Associates. Spencer was one of the first African-American realtors in Cincinnati and in 1986 was named as the first African-American broker on the Cincinnati Board of Realtors.

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