Lewis, Daniel W. (Daniel Webster), 1897-1989

Daniel Webster Lewis, Jr. was born July 18, 1897 in Kingfisher, Oklahoma. His parents were D.W. Lewis, Sr. and Mary Nancy Capers Lewis. D.W. Lewis, Sr. was a teacher, lawyer, and public servant in Arkansas and Oklahoma. After completing his elementary and high school education in Kingfisher, Daniel W. Lewis, Jr. attended Kansas State Normal School in Emporia. He received a teacher's certificate and accepted his first job in his hometown. He taught at Lincoln School from 1922-1924. In 1924 Lewis became principal of Phillips School in Armourdale (Kansas City, Kansas) and began his forty year teaching career in the Kansas City, Kansas schools. After one year he became principal of Lincoln School in Argentine (Kansas City, Kansas) where he remained until 1930. Fran 1930 to 1948 Lewis was the principal of Grant School and from 1948 to 1951 principal of Douglass School, both in Kansas City, Kansas. In 1951 Lewis replaced Solomon H. Thompson as Supervisor of Elementary Schools in Kansas City, Kansas. He continued in this position until his retirement in 1964. Lewis continued his awn education during this period. He received a B.S. in Education from the Kansas State Teachers College in 1926 and a M.S. in Education from the University of Kansas in 1938. He also did advanced study at the University of Washington in Seattle and Columbia University in New York City. In addition to his professional career, Lewis has been active in the First Baptist Church of Kansas City, Kansas and in several fraternal organizations. He has held positions of responsibility in both Alpha Phi Alpha and Sigma Pi Phi. Daniel W. Lewis, Jr. married Jennie Elizabeth Riley on June 1, 1926 in Kansas City, Kansas.

From the guide to the Scrapbooks, 1964, (University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Kansas Collection)