Alton's Black History: A man of civic duties

ALTON - Albert M. Charleston served his community in several different ways, and was placed on the Alton High School Wall of Fame in 2015 for his efforts.

Charleston was educated in Alton and was the last class to graduate from the original Elijah Lovejoy Junior High School. He attended Lincoln University and received a degree in accounting from Southern Illinois University (SIUE) in 1967. He was employed by both the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Olin.

Later in his life, Charleston served in the United States Air Force and became a police officer and the controller for the City of Alton. He also served as Fourth Ward Alderman from 1971-1988 and was actively involved in several organizations such as The Madison County Board of Directors, The Urban League, the NAACP, Concerned Citizens of Alton and Godfrey, Godfrey Human Development Center, 100 Black Men of Alton, the 708 Board of Madison County, the Alton Liquor Commission and with the Alton Parks and Recreation Department where he served as both an umpire for Little League games and a team manager.

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