Lyman Brooks

Dr. Lyman Beecher Brooks (May 27, 1910 - April 20, 1984) was the first President of Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia.

Early life Lyman Brooks was born on May 27, 1910, to John Robert Brooks, a former slave and Union Navy veteran, who made a living as a farmer, waterman, and private music teacher, and Mary Anna Burrell, a school teacher and graduate of Hartshorne Memorial College, now Virginia Union University.

Education Lyman Brooks went on to receive his undergraduate degree from Virginia Union University, and after serving many years as a teacher and principal, earned his master's degree and doctoral degree from the University of Michigan.

In 1942, the college became Norfolk Polytechnic College. Two years later in 1944, the school was renamed by the Virginia General Assembly's vote to make the school's name the Norfolk Division of Virginia State College, mandating it to become a part of Virginia State College. In 1952, the college's athletic teams adopted the "Spartans" name and identity. In September 1955, the school was relocated to a 55-acre campus on Corprew Avenue, formerly the Memorial Park Golf Course. The first degree which was a Bachelor's degree was presented by the institution in 1958. The college was separated from Virginia State College in 1969; therefore, Norfolk State College became an independent, four-year degree-granting institution with its own Board of Visitors and its own President.

Personal life Lyman Brooks served as a devoted trustee and Sunday school teacher at Bank Street Memorial Baptist Church in Norfolk and was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.