Another Look at Anselm J. Finch, aka Mr. Willis, in Coming of Age in Mississippi: The Controversial Principal Wrote a Letter about 'Preparation' in 1964 School Yearbook

Copyright (c) 2018 by Roscoe Barnes III

This article presents new information on Mr. Willis, principal of Willis High School in Anne Moody's, Coming of Age in Mississippi. The author contends that Mr. Willis was actually Anselm J. Finch, a scholar and controversial figure who served as principal of Finch High School in Centreville, Miss. Moody changed the names of many people -- and a few places -- in her book. In an earlier article titled, "The 'Uncle Tom' Principal in Coming of Age in Mississippi," the author noted Finch was called an "Uncle Tom" during the 1950s and 1960s. He was viewed as such by many in the black community, including the NAACP. This article presents him in a different light. As one of his former students once said, "He wasn't all bad."