Volma Overton

Volma Robert Overton (September 26, 1924 – October 31, 2005) was an African-American civil rights activist and president of NAACP's Austin, Texas chapter from 1962 to 1983. He is best known for his legal efforts to end racial segregation in Austin schools.

Overton was born in Maha in the rural southeast of Travis County. He served in the Marines in World War II, then in the Army Reserves, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. After World War II, he attended Tillotson College (now part of Huston-Tillotson University) from 1947 to 1950 where he earned a B.S. degree in chemistry with a minor in math. He also met his wife, Warneta while studying there. They had four children, who were often involved in Overton's civil rights work; their daughter DeDra was named the plaintiff in the federal lawsuit he led to desegregate Austin schools. The lawsuit lasted a decade and Overton, backed by the NAACP Legal Defense, the U.S. Justice Department and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, ultimately prevailed.