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skillful orator, the leading spokesman of Negro vocational education for Negroes, and the founder and first president of Tuskegee Institute, Tuskegee, Alabama. In the decades of segregation, Armstrong educated thousands of black students, giving them a gateway to professional careers, and entree to the Ivy Leagues colleges, and other prestigious institutions as well. Billy Eckstine, concert singer Madame Lillian Evanti, Bruce Evans' daughter, Football hall of fame Lyn Ford and other luminaries walked Armstrong's halls. [Put on last #7 P. 4] Located at First and O Streets, N.W., the curriculum included math, science, mechanical drawing, art instruction, architectural drawing, and classical courses, as well as sewing, millinery, and [[strikethrough]]cooking[[/strikethrough]] Domestic service. Alma remarked: "When I entered the art room, it was entering heaven," recalled Thomas. "A beautiful place, just where I belonged. Armstrong laid the foundation for my life."11 Thomas excelled in mathematics, trigonometry (the only girl in the class), and architectural drawing. She also studied German, biology, home economics, fashion design, and [[strikethrough]]cooking[[/strikethrough]] Domestic service -- a subject which held very little of her interest. Millinery, however, produced several tams, and hats for herself and her sisters. After graduating in 1911, Thomas continued her studies at Miner [[strikethrough]]Teachers[[/strikethrough]] Normal School in Washington, now U. D.C. with a focus in Kindergarten education; she received a certificate to teach in 1913.
As a confident young adult prepared for the work force, Alma Thomas accepted a position at the Thomas Garrett Settlement House in Wilmington, Delaware in 1915. Institutions such as Garrett were seeking to develop 

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