Lorenzo Fuller, Jr.

Fuller, the son of Effie Green Fuller, was born in 1919 Stockton, Kansas. He attended the University of Kansas and while a student had a monthly program on KFKU radio. He received a fellowship to attend the Juilliard School of Music in 1946. Fuller held roles in Broadway plays such as Finian's Rainbow and Kiss Me Kate, and appeared on radio shows in the 1940s. He is considered to be the first African American to host a national television show—a 15-minute show on NBC in 1947.