Carlton Skinner

Carlton Skinner (April 8, 1913 – June 22, 2004 ) was the first civilian governor of Guam and a prominent advocate for the integration of the United States Armed Forces. President Harry Truman appointed Skinner governor in 1949, after the United States Navy ceded control of the island to the Department of the Interior. Seeking to prove a point, Skinner sailed with the Navy's first fully integrated crew since the Civil War, with duties spread equally among white and black crewmen. Skinner had only two black officers on his crew, Clarence Samuels and Joseph C. Jenkins. Nationally renowned black artist Jacob Lawrence, whose paintings were already in the collections of New York's Museum of Modern Art and the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., was among the men who served on the Sea Cloud under Lieutenant Skinner. As governor, Skinner established Guam's first teacher's college which later evolved into a university as the University of Guam.

Tilton School

Skinner and his wife, Solange P. Skinner, had a deep relationship with his alma mater, Tilton School. They often visited the campus, gave advice to the administration concerning the school's climate, and were major donors to the school. They created The Governor Carlton Skinner and Solange Skinner Fellowship at Tilton School, to “provide financial assistance to a student or students who exhibit a consistent sense of personal integrity, loyalty, and curiosity and who have demonstrated a commitment to fight injustice in all its forms.” Skinner was awarded the George L. Plimpton Award from Tilton in 1989 for his "passion for equality and freedom".