12/12/2025
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In 1930, Russell A. Lane moved from the English Department to the principalship. During his lengthy tenure (1930-1957), Crispus Attucks gained fame for both its athletic and academic programs.
Russell Adrian Lane (1897-1986) was an educator. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of George and Mattie Lane.
Lane received his elementary and high school education in Baltimore. His father, an attorney, was one of the first blacks admitted to the Maryland bar. His mother, a graduate of Howard University, was a school teacher.
Russell Lane received four college degrees, including a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Indiana University. After graduating from Brown University in 1921, Lane attended Howard University Law School for two years while he worked as a substitute teacher at Douglass High School in Washington D.C.
In 1923, he and his wife, Marie, went to Heidelburg, Germany to study philosophy and education for a year. From 1924-27, Lane was principal of Wilberforce High School in Wilberforce, Ohio.
The Lanes came to Indianapolis in September, 1927. After a year as an English teacher at the newly opened Crispus Attucks High School for black students, Lane became head of the English Department. He became acting principal of the school in 1930. Named principal in 1932, he remained at Attucks until 1957 when he became assistant to the superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools. He retired from that position in 1968.
Lane was principal at Attucks during an era characterized by rigid segregation. A significant color barrier was broken during Lane's era when the Indiana High School Athletic Association permitted Attucks's admittance to its ranks. Attucks was allowed to participate in the championship tournaments, as well as the regular season play with other association members. In 1955, it became the first Indianapolis high school to win a state championship game. The school also captured this coveted title in 1956 and 1959.
The Lane administration at Attucks has been described as having a committment to excellence. Lane encouraged teachers to seek more education and he insisted upon self-discipline from his students. As a matter of practice, he recommended employment of Attucks graduates whenever possible.
Lane was a member of the Serra International Catholic Men's Club, Retired Teacher's Association of the Indiana and Ohio bar associations, and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. As members of Saint Joan of Arc Catholic Church, he and his wife were honored in 1985 by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese for sixty-five years of marriage. A world traveller, Lane's travels included Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America.
Dr. Lane was principal at Crispus Attucks High School from 1930 to 1957. Under Lane’s leadership, the school flourished as both an academic institution and as a center for the African American community.
