Tommie Lindsey is an American speech and debate coach who spent the majority of his career at James Logan High School in Union City, California.
Tommie Lindsey | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 28, 1951 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of San Francisco |
| Occupation | Teacher |
| Known for | Forensics coach |
| Spouse | Lois Bailey Lindsey |
| Awards | MacArthur Fellows Program |
Early life and education
editLindsey was born into a large family in Mississippi and had eight siblings.[1][2] His family moved to West Oakland in the 1950s.[1][2] His mother died in 1965 and his father died in 1968 and he lived with his grandmother for a time.[1] Lindsey attended Castlemont High School, where he participated in inter-mural speech competitions.[3] After high school, he received a scholarship to attend the University of San Francisco, where he was active in the student body.[1] He graduated in 1973 with a degree in sociology and was the school's first Black valedictorian.[1][2] He later returned to the University of San Francisco to study educational counseling.[1]
Career
editLindsey began his career as a teacher in Alameda County, California.[2] Lindsey began working as a speech and debate teacher at James Logan High School in Union City, California, in 1989.[4][2] His team quickly became one of the most successful in the country, regularly winning state and national championships, and boasted a high graduation rate—while only 40% of the school's students attended college after graduation, 90% of Lindsey's speech and debate students did.[4] By 2004, the James Logan team had over 300 student participants every year.[2] In 1993, Lindsey was named one of the California Teachers of the Year by the California Department of Education.[5] In 2000, he was named "National Forensics Coach of the Year."[6][7] In 2002, he was awarded the Thomas Glenn Pelham award by the Barkley Forum.[8]
Lindsey and the James Logan team were the subjects of the PBS documentary Accidental Hero: Room 408, which premiered in 2002.[6] The documentary followed him as he attempted to raise money for the team after the school cut the team's budget.[6] In 2003, Lindsey was awarded $100,000 by The Oprah Winfrey Show to support the school's team.[4][9] Lindsey was the recipient of a MacArthur Grant in 2004, which awarded him $500,000 to continue building the James Logan speech and debate team.[10][11] He was the first high school teacher to receive a MacArthur Grant.[12]
In 2006, Lindsey wrote It Doesn't Take a Genius with Randall McCutcheon. The book was published by McGraw Hill Education.[13]
Lindsey retired in 2017.[9]
Personal life
editLindsey is married and has two children.[7]
Works
edit- It Doesn't Take A Genius: Five Truths to Inspire Success in Every Student. Authors Randall McCutcheon, Tommie Lindsey, McGraw-Hill, 2006, ISBN 978-0-07-146084-2
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Alexander, Dick (1973-05-28). "'Reach Out' - USF Student Follows Gandhi's Advice". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-05-14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f Lagos, Marisa (2004-10-06). "Successes Speak Well for Debate Coach". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. 98. Retrieved 2024-05-14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Speakers on Beauty". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. 1967-05-05. p. 14. Retrieved 2024-05-14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "James Logan Forensics Team". Oprah.com. 2003-03-15. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
- ^ Tucker, Susan Jane (1993-11-03). "McFall doesn't make final cut for state award". The Selma Enterprise. Selma, California. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-05-14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Young, Susan (2002-09-19). "It's not an accident local teacher a hero". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. p. 13. Retrieved 2024-05-14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Tommie Lindsey". PBS. Archived from the original on 2002-09-25.
- ^ "Thomas Glenn Pelham Award". Emory University. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
- ^ a b Geha, Joseph (2017-07-28). "Retired East Bay forensics teacher helped students find their voice through life". East Bay Times. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
- ^ "Other MacArthur Grant Recipients". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. 2004-09-28. p. 9. Retrieved 2024-05-14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "They Speak For Success". The Modesto Bee. Modesto, California. 2005-02-20. p. 109. Retrieved 2024-05-14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "For the Record". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. 2011-04-30. p. 46. Retrieved 2024-05-14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ McCutcheon, Randall; Lindsey, Tommie (2006). It Doesn't Take A Genius: Five Truths to Inspire Success in Every Student. McGraw-Hill Education. ISBN 9780071460842.