One Day for UK 2019

The University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law prepares graduates for careers of service and leadership. Our graduates become advocates, protectors, educators, policymakers, and creators. The work that they do touches the lives of every Kentuckian, and their influence extends beyond the borders of the Commonwealth across the nation and abroad.

As communities tackle issues of racial injustice and disparities, and rebuild lives and infrastructures impacted by the pandemic, history once again reveals the particular importance of a Juris Doctor degree and the role of lawyers in society.

In 1955, Ollen Hinnant became the first African American graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Law, overcoming much discrimination on his path to a successful career in corporate law and private practice. "The history of the University of Kentucky is marked by pioneers in teaching, research, care, and - in important ways - by individuals whose intellectual achievement and actions cast open our doors so that many who share similar goals can follow," said UK President Eli Capilouto after Hinnant died in 2016. "Even in the periods of our history where we fell short in our promise, there were champions who taught us and made this institution a better place. Ollen Hinnant was one of those people on the way to a transformative legal career. The beneficiaries of Ollen Hinnant's legacy will continue in that important work as lawyers and lawmakers." 

Sixty years after Ollen Hinnant’s graduation, alumni John McNeill (’82), Angela Logan Edwards (’94), and T. Fitz Johnson (’98) created this scholarship to honor his life and to support underrepresented students who aspire to pursue legal careers. All students are invited to apply. 

“Even though he grew up during the Jim Crow era, he was a limitless visionary – nothing scared or deterred him from his path,” said Love Hinnant, Ollen Hinnant’s daughter, in a recent interview.

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