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Stanley Tolliver (1925-2011) was a criminal and civil rights lawyer and Cleveland School Board president. The Cleveland, OH native graduated from East Technical High School, where he was Ohio’s champion in the 440-yard dash. A gifted vocalist, he won top honors in the Ohio State Vocal Contest. He earned his undergraduate degree at Baldwin Wallace College. He attained his LLB degree at the Cleveland Marshall School of Law in 1951, passed his bar exam in 1953, and attained a Juris Doctor degree in 1969. He served in the U.S. Army in 1951-1953 in counterintelligence. As an attorney, he was known as a champion of underdogs. In 1965, Tolliver handled civil rights cases in Mississippi. He represented students from the 1970 protest at Kent State. Also in 1970, his defense of organizers of a boycott of McDonald's restaurants in Cleveland's black community helped lead to the sale of fast-food franchises to black investors throughout the United States. During his tenure on the school board, Tolliver pushed for the hiring of minorities, and making black history part of the school curriculum. He was a force in efforts to desegregate Cleveland Public Schools. Among his many achievements and honors, Stanley Tolliver is a Life Member of the N.A.A.C.P., a member of the East Tech Athletic Hall of Fame, the former legal counsel for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the recipient of the N.A.A.C.P. Freedom Award.
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