HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The late Joseph Autumn Slash, who was the first Black superintendent of a county school district in West Virginia, will be honored by the City of Huntington and Cabell County Schools in a public ceremony set for Saturday.
The ceremony, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at the Cabell County Schools Central Office on 5th Avenue in Huntington, will honor Slash’s life and achievements.
Huntington Mayor Steve Williams plans to designate the roadways surrounding the school district’s central office as the Honorary Joseph A. Slash Education Square. He will unveil the signs for the honorary designation during the ceremony.
Williams said in a statement that education defines the city and that Slash played a large role in that.
“Joseph A. Slash set a monumental standard for others to follow in strengthening the educational foundation for children in the Cabell County school system,” the mayor stated.
Dr. Ryan Saxe, superintendent of Cabell County Schools, will join Williams during the ceremony. Saxe also stated that Slash helped the school system turn a page with his life experiences.
“In his journey from segregated school student to the district’s first Black leader, Mr. Slash was able to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles in his lifetime and did so with an abundance of grace and kindness,” Saxe said in a statement. “By honoring his achievements in this very special way, we are ensuring his remarkable story will continue to serve as an inspiration for generations of Cabell County students, employees and community members to come.”
Slash served as Cabell County Schools superintendent from 1977 until he retired in 1982. As superintendent, Slash led efforts to open the current Norway Avenue location of the Cabell County Career Technology Center.
Slash was born in 1919 in Belpre, Ohio and died in 1986.