Booker Taliaferro Felder, a former professor in the clothing and related arts department at Tuskegee University in Alabama, died at the East Alabama Medical Center on February 9. He was 93 years old.
A native of Tampa, Florida, Felder came to Tuskegee as a student in 1941 to study tailoring. After taking time off to serve in the military during World War II and winning a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, he returned to Tuskegee to finish his education. He graduated from Tuskegee in 1948 and went on to earn a master’s degree in vocational education at New York University.
Felder then returned to Tuskegee as a member of the faculty and also worked as a fashion designer. For many years, Felder operated a gift shop across the street from campus that sold Tuskegee-branded apparel. He retired from teaching after 40 years but continued to run the gift shop and was active in the university community.
When I was a freshman at Tuskegee in 1962-63, he designed and made clothing for the EBONY models. The clothing was sent to the campus Printing Shop for us to pack and ship! I will miss visiting his gift shop!