Edgar Toppin

He was born in Harlem, New York to immigrants Maude Catherine Joel (Bermuda) and Vivien Leopold Toppin (Grenada). He was the second of six children; Lucille, George, Mary, Sammy, Eleanor (in birth order). Named after writer Edgar Allan Poe, he had a passion for reading and learning. He would often escape to the roof of his apartment building on 114th Street and read in order to nurture his yearning for knowledge. His family was poor, and growing up during the Great Depression was especially hard. His wardrobe of white shirts and navy blue pants was a symbol of poverty so recognizable that "when you walked into a place, people could spot you a mile away," he recalls.

On December 8, 2004, Toppin died of heart failure at the age of 76. He is buried at Blandford Cemetery in Petersburg, Virginia, beside his son, Edgar Toppin, Jr. Toppin once said, "I hope people would remember me for my humaneness, for being kindly to both colleagues, staff and students; for seeing the worth and potential in each person, no matter who it is or their background." Known as he was for his warm and outgoing personality, his grave reads: "He Never Met a Stranger" He was survived by his wife Antoinette Toppin, his two daughters Avis Bent and Louise Toppin and in 2005, VSU established the Edgar A. Toppin Endowment Fund.

In 1992, Toppin was honored in the Dominion series Strong Men & Women - Excellence in Leadership that honors African-American "positive role models and demonstrate leadership in their chosen field" and "someone whose achievements have made an imprint upon some facet of national or local life". The series has honored such individuals as Colin Powell, Mae Jemison, Michael Jordan, Thurgood Marshall, Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey and Reginald Lewis (a former student of his). In December 1999, the Surry County, Virginia, Historical Society and Museums called Dr. Toppin, "one of the greatest living authorities on African-American history. [who] spoke on the Civil War and the little understood post-war period of Reconstruction".

Toppin played an integral role in turning Black History Week into Black History Month in 1976 while serving as President of the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History. In 1975, he was the first African American appointed to the National Park Service's Advisory Board on National Parks, Historic Sites, Buildings, and Monuments and later served on the board of Colonial Williamsburg. Back at Virginia State University, he was he was appointed Dean of the Graduate School in 1979 and later served as provost and vice president of academic affairs of the University from 1987 to 1989.

In 1964, Toppin began his teaching career at Virginia State University (VSU). In the mid-1960s, he created Americans from Africa, an educational 30 lesson television course, that aired on Richmond's public TV station and was later aired across the country. In 1966, Toppin was the first African-American member admitted to the Virginia Historical Society and in 1989, would become the first African-American member of the board of trustees.

At age 16, he attended New York City College and after one semester, enrolled at Howard University on scholarship. He received his B.A. 1949 and M.A. 1950 in History and was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Beta Chapter (Spring 1948). He went on to study at Northwestern University earning his Ph.D. in History in 1955 and was named a William Randolph Hearst Fellow and a John Hay Whitney Opportunity Fellow.

Edgar Allan Toppin, Sr. (January 22, 1928 – December 8, 2004) was an African-American professor of history, and an author who specialized in Civil War, Reconstruction and African-American history. He spent the majority of his 40+ year teaching career at Virginia State University, and wrote ten books on the subjects of American and African-American history. He served on several historical boards including the National Park Service, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, the later serving as President. As President, he was instrumental in turning Black History Week into Black History Month in 1976.