Born near Russellville in Logan County and the granddaughter of slaves, Alice Allison Dunnigan gained recognition as a journalist and civil rights leader. During an 18-year teaching career, she also wrote for African American newspapers and continued her education. Based in Washington, D.C., in the 1940s, she reported on government at the highest levels. In 1948, she became the first black reporter on a president's campaign trail, with Truman. Under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, she was a member of the President's Committee on Equal Opportunity. She wrote A Black Woman's Experience--From Schoolhouse to White House in 1974 and The Fascinating Story of Black Kentuckians: Their Heritage and Traditions in 1982.