 hen Ruth Cave completed high school in Boulder in 1920, the principal refused to give her a diploma because of her race. Even so, she was admitted to the University of Colorado, from which she graduated in 1924. Many years later, in 1970, Flowers gave the commencement address at Boulder High School and was surprised with a diploma in her name, half a century overdue. After college, she earned a doctoral degree in Romance languages in Washington DC. Although she also earned a law degree, married a lawyer, and for a time practiced law, she preferred teaching. Flowers taught languages in both North and South Carolina at the college level before returning to Boulder to teach Spanish and Latin at Fairview High School. She was the first African-American teacher in the Boulder Valley School District. In 1969, Harvard University selected Dr. Ruth Cave Flowers as one of four outstanding teachers of America. |
