A Long Overdue Degree
Hilyard James Duty was UND’s first student and graduate of Color.
At the UND Spring Commencement, Hilyard James Duty was posthumously awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree, making him UND’s first student and graduate of Color. Duty spent five years at UND in the late 1800s.
At the ceremony, UND President Andrew Armacost said, “Sergeant Hilyard James Duty’s journey to education was marked by challenges and triumphs. Hilyard’s dedication to learning and his contributions to our campus community were truly commendable. History failed to recognize his academic achievements.”
Hilyard Duty, a young cadet.
A Question Sparks a Journey
The journey to uncover Duty’s story began with a simple question from a student. While looking at a picture of Era Bell Thompson (..’25, HON ’64), an editor and journalist for Ebony magazine, the student asked, “Was she UND’s first student of Color?” This question set Stacey Borboa-Peterson, ’10, ’16, UND’s Director of Student Diversity & Inclusion, and Shelby (DeGeldere) King, ’17, Student Support & Engagement Specialist, on a mission to find UND’s first Black student.
“We became obsessed with finding the answer,” Stacey said.
Stacey and Shelby’s investigation started with enrollment records, but race wasn’t recorded until the 1990s. They scoured yearbooks and found a team athletics photo with the name “Duty,” but no individual picture.
The Registrar’s Office found a transcript for H.J. Duty during the same timeframe that showed he was only at UND for one year. But Shelby, looking at the picture of the transcript, thought it might be more than one page.
The pair found a hard copy of a transcript in university archives. “We pulled Hilyard’s transcript and sure enough, there were three pieces of paper. He was at UND for five years with no degree. We see the courses he’s taken,” Stacey said.
Using the 1896 academic catalog, Shelby confirmed that Hilyard had met the requirements for a degree. When presented with this evidence, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences Brad Rundquist, Provost Eric Link, and President Armacost agreed that Hilyard should be awarded his degree retroactively.
Hilyard Duty was a member of the UND Football team.
The Life of Hilyard James Duty
Hilyard James Duty was born in 1875 in Cook County, Ill. He and his family lived in St. Paul, Minn., before moving to Fargo in 1890. Hilyard studied at Hamline University in St. Paul for three years and then enrolled at UND in 1894. At UND, he was active in the University band, and on the football and track teams. He also advanced in the military ranks, following in his father’s footsteps, who fought in the Civil War.
Duty left UND in 1900 without a degree. He married Jessie Adams and worked for the Northern Pacific Railroad until his death in 1919.
It couldn’t have been easy. He must have had determination and perseverance.Stacey Borboa-Peterson
The process of researching Hilyard Duty began with his family. Stacey and Shelby used ancestry.com, went through birth and death certificates and family trees, and contacted cemeteries, but they learned that Hilyard’s grave is unmarked. Eventually, they were able to locate a hard copy of his transcript in university archives.
A Strong Impression
While Stacey and Shelby were unable to find Hilyard’s family, time spent researching left impressions on both. “He was a young Black boy – 14 or 15 – when he went to Hamline,” Shelby said. “And it was 1890 in North Dakota. I think it was remarkable that he was pursuing his education. He was following a path, we assume, to become a teacher. He cared about his education. He studied for eight years between the two institutions.”
Stacey referenced Hilyard’s photograph with the UND Cadet Battalion (see opposite page). “Here is this young Black man among a group of young White men. I think how scary it was and how brave he had to be. It speaks so much to him as an individual.
“It couldn’t have been easy. He must have had determination and perseverance. He continued his education year after year and left with no acknowledgment of the work.”
Stacey Borboa-Peterson holds a poster depicting him in The Hilyard Center. In May, UND’s Student Diversity and Inclusion Center was renamed The Hilyard Center, which Stacey referred to as “The Hilley.” It will continue its mission to foster a community of belonging and connection, ensuring everyone feels welcome.
Empowered by Our Past
Hilyard James Duty is one of the Noble Nine, the first students of Color at UND, honored on campus last year. Stacey and her team continue to commemorate this group through the Empowered by Our Past initiative.
“Students of Color are part of the fabric of our institution and they’re here, in part, because of the people who came before them,” Stacey said. “We’ll continue to highlight our alums and those who are blazing trails and doing the things that make it possible for other students to be here today.”
Noble Nine
First Nine Students of Color to Attend UND
- Hilyard James Duty: Graduated 1900, Bachelor of Arts
- Takeo Igawa: Graduated 1913, Engineering and Mining
- Min Hin Li: Graduated 1920, Bachelor of Arts Special in Medicine
- Tuan Sheng Chien: Graduated 1920, Bachelor of Arts
- Azzie Z. Tucker: Graduated 1925, Bachelor of Science in Arts and Medicine
- Era Bell Thompson: Matriculated 1925, College of Arts
- Edna Yuki Tetsoka: Graduated 1933, Bachelor of Arts
- Clarissa Benjamin: Graduated 1935, Bachelor of Science in Education-Physical Education
- Thomas Boutrous: Graduated 1934, Bachelor of Arts; graduated 1935, School of Medicine
