Before the Dartmouth Dream
Albert F. Moncure, Jr. was raised by his parents, Albert and Edna Moncure, in Brooklyn, NY and White Plains, NY. When talking about growing up in New York City, Moncure described it as being a unique experience at a time when a lot of people spoke about gang violence. Moncure asserted that there was, in fact, no gang violence, but kids could be seen running around with "zip guns" or fake, stick guns with rubber bands and clothespins as the triggers and nails or bottle caps as ammunition.
When talking about hobbies, Moncure described his thirst for knowledge and natural curiosity. He explained that, as a small kid, he would spend hours playing with his erector sets, which were similar to Lego sets but with actual mechanical parts that could build small machines. Moncure displayed an affinity for creating things and learning. He even built himself a working telegraph after getting instructions from his science teacher.
One would assume that Moncure's parents were scientists or educators, but his mother was a homemaker and his father was a war veteran who served in World War II. Still, both of them were very inspiring and had accomplished a great many things themselves. Moncure's father and mother grew up during the Great Depression, and his father still managed to overcome many obstacles as a Black man in early 20th century America. He was granted a $65 scholarship by the state of Pennsylvania to attend Lincoln University, an HBCU (Historically Black College or University) in Lincoln, PA. His father then served in World War II in Europe, while Moncure's mother worked in defense plants back in the United States.
Growing up, Moncure was constantly reminded by his parents that he should not only strive to go to college, but he should aspire to go to an Ivy League college to gain "a leg up" over other college graduates in the workforce. Fortunately, Moncure's track and cross country coach was a Dartmouth alumnus, and he also encouraged Moncure to attend an Ivy League, Dartmouth especially. His coach would often give Moncure Dartmouth Alumni Magazines so that he could learn about the school. Sure enough, Moncure applied to Dartmouth and was accepted.
