Conrad Worrill, a civil rights activist and former professor at Northeastern Illinois University, died on June 3 in Chicago. He was 78 years old and had suffered from cancer.
A native of Pasadena, California, Worrill moved to Chicago with his family when he was nine years old. He was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in Japan.
Dr. Worrill received a bachelor’s degree in applied behavioral sciences from George Williams College in Wisconsin. He earned a master’s degree in social service administration from the University of Chicago and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Dr. Worrill began his career in the academic world as the coordinator for Urban Programs and assistant professor in the Institute for Environmental Awareness at George Williams College. He joined the faculty of the department of inner city studies at Northeastern Illinois University in 1976. He served as the director of the university’s Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies in Bronzeville. Professor Worrill served as chairman of the National Black United Front and was a consultant for the Million Man March in 1995
Dr. Worrill retired in 2016 after 50 years on the faculty.