Going over All the Hurdles: A Life of Oatess Archey

Explore the career of Oatess Archey, the first African-American to be elected sheriff of Grant County. Raised in Marion, Indiana, the young Archey and his loving family lived under the cloud of the notorious 1930 lynching of two young black men. A star athlete, Archey endured discrimination when he attempted to return to his hometown after college and find a teaching job with the Marion schools. Forced to take a janitorial position with the school system, Archey later became a beloved teacher and coach, before moving on to a career in law enforcement with the FBI. He returned to Marion in triumph and served as a popular sheriff for Grant County. Going over All the Hurdles is the fifth volume in the IHS Press youth biography series.