In Memoriam: JMal Stewart, 1974-2025
With over two decades of experience in human resources, Stewart spent the past 11 years as a senior talent acquisition manager for the advancement division at Virginia Tech.
In Memoriam: Lonnie R. Snowden, 1947-2025
Dr. Snowden served as a professor of social welfare and public health policy at the University of California, Berkeley from 1978 until his passing in January. He was dedicated to advancing research on mental health services and eliminating racial disparities in healthcare.
In Memoriam: Jerry Washington Ward, Jr., 1943-2025
Dr. Ward taught English at Tougaloo College in Mississippi for over three decades. He then served a a distinguished professor at Dillard University in New Orleans for 10 years before his retirement in 2012.
In Memoriam: Kiah Duggins
Kiah Duggins was one of the 67 victims who died in the recent plane crash in Washington, D.C. She was scheduled to join the faculty at the Howard University School of Law as an associate professor for the fall 2025 semester.
In Memoriam: Samuel J. Dunn, 1922-2025
From 1957 to 1992, Dr. Dunn led what is now the department of natural resources and environmental design at North Carolina A&T State University. He was instrumental in expanding his department's research output and academic programming.
In Memoriam: James O’Leary Maxwell, 1938-2025
Dr. Maxwell served as a faculty member and administrator with historically Black Southwestern Christian College for almost 50 years, including four decades of service as vice president of institutional expansion.
In Memoriam: Edwina Battle Vold, 1935-2025
Dr. Void taught early childhood education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania for nearly two decades, including 13 years of service as chair of her department. Earlier in her career, she taught at historically Black Norfolk State University in Virginia.
In Memoriam: Archie Wade, 1939-2025
Hired as the university's first Black faculty member in 1970, Archie Wade taught in the College of Education at the University of Alabama for 30 years.
In Memoriam: Ralphenia D. Pace
A scholar of food and nutritional sciences, Dr. Pace taught at Tuskegee University in Alabama for more than 40 years.
In Memoriam: Adrienne Gaines, 1976-2025
A longtime member of the University of Arkansas community, Gaines served as an academic advisor and mentor to students in the university's College of Business and College of Engineering.
In Memoriam: Travis E. Overton, 1982-2024
Travis E. Overton was the vice president for executive initiatives and chief of staff at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina.
In Memoriam: Harold W. Jordan, 1937-2024
A 1958 graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in biology, Dr. Jordan went on to earn his medical degree at Meharry Medical College in Nashville. He became a resident at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 1964.
In Memoriam: Quiester Craig, 1936-2024
“Quiester Craig’s iconic leadership in business education at North Carolina A&T set a standard for the entire nation,” said NCA&T Chancellor James R. Martin II. " North Carolina A&T would not be where it is today without his incredible accomplishments and legacy.”
In Memoriam: Yvonne Jeffries Johnson, 1942-2024
A two-time HBCU graduate, Johnson was the first African American elected to the Greensboro City Council and the city's first-ever Black mayor. She was chair of the board of trustees at Bennett College for 10 years.
In Memoriam: James Solomon, Jr., 1930-2024
While teaching at Morris College, an HBCU in South Carolina, Solomon enrolled in the graduate program in mathematics at the University of South Carolina, making him one of the institution's first three Black students.
In Memoriam: Morrison Obeng, 1947-2024
A native of Ghana, Dr. Oben taught computer science and computer engineering at Bethune-Cookman University for over two decades.
In Memoriam: Nikki Giovanni, 1943-2024
Nikki Giovanni was a professor at Virginia Tech for 35 years. She was the author of numerous poetry collections, children's books, and works of nonfiction.
In Memoriam: Whittington Johnson, 1931-2024
In 1970, Dr. Johnson made history as the first Black tenured professor to be hired by the University of Miami, where he taught for the next three decades.
In Memoriam: Clifton Wharton, Jr., 1926-2024
Dr. Wharton was the first Black president of Michigan State University, the first Black chancellor of the State University of New York, and the first Black CEO of a Fortune 500 company.
In Memoriam: Margaree Crosby, 1941-2024
Dr. Crosby was the first Black woman to earn tenure as a professor of education at Clemson University. She was an active participant in the civil rights movement and a member of the "Greenville Eight" - a group of students whose protest ultimately lead to the desegregation of a public library in South Carolina.
In Memoriam: Nathan Howard Cook, 1939-2024
Dr. Cook was a longtime faculty member and administrator at Lincoln University of Missouri. A full professor of biology, he held several leadership roles including vice president for academic affairs.
In Memoriam: Maxine Mimms, 1928-2024
Dr. Mimms served as a faculty member at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington for two decades, including 10 years as the founding director of the college's Tacoma campus.
In Memoriam: Peggy Lynn Davis, 1961-2024
Peggy Davis was in her 27th year with Virginia State University's department of athletics at the time of her passing. Throughout her career, she received several awards for her work in intercollegiate athletics, including the CIAA Athletic Director of the Year on seven separate occasions.
In Memoriam: William E. Pannell, 1929-2024
Pannell was a professor of evangelism and preaching at Fuller Seminary for nearly three-decades. He served as director of the seminary's Black Pastors' Program, which has since been renamed in his honor to the William E. Center for Black Church Studies.
In Memoriam: Glenn Wilbert Valentine, 1955-2024
In the late 1970s, Valentine was named assistant director of admissions at Virginia Tech, making him one of the first Black employees who were alumni of the university. During the first 10 years of his tenure in the university's admissions office, Black student enrollment more than quadrupled.
In Memoriam: Edward Cox, 1943-2024
Dr. Cox was a professor of history at Rice University for nearly three decades. He was a member of Rice's Task Force on Slavery, Segregation, and Racial Injustice, an advisor for the Black Student Association, and founding director of the Mellon Undergraduate Fellowship program.
In Memoriam: Wendell Harris, 1940-2024
Throughout his career in education, Harris served in a wide variety of settings including K-12 schools, community colleges, and universities. He also spent several years as an administrator with the New York Department of Education.
In Memoriam: Curtis Johnson
As chief of staff and vice president of administration at Tennessee State University, Dr. Johnson oversaw the university's auxiliary services and many departments dedicated to student operations.
In Memoriam: Sybil Haydel Morial, 1932-2024
When pursuing her graduate education in the 1950s, Haydel Morial was denied enrollment at Tulane University and Loyola University because of her race. She went on to become an active member of the civil rights movement and advocate for voting rights in New Orleans and held administrative posts at Xavier University of Louisiana.
In Memoriam: Marilyn Lillith Minus, 1977-2024
Dr. Minus taught mechanical and industrial engineering at Northeastern University for more than a decade. Earlier this year, she stepped away from Northeastern to become senior vice president and CTO for Hexcel.
In Memoriam: Lucious Edwards, Jr., 1943-2024
For nearly four decades, Edwards served as an adjunct professor of history and the university archivist at historically Black Virginia State University.
In Memoriam: Monica Vance, 1975-2024
Vance served as director of student disability services at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania for the past six years. In this role, she focused her efforts on DEI initiatives, student accessibility, and disability rights.
In Memoriam: Doris Wilkinson, 1936-2024
Dr. Wilkinson was a member of the University of Kentucky's first African American undergraduate class, graduating with a degree in sociology in 1958. Nine years later, she returned to her alma mater as the university's first Black woman to hold a full-time faculty position.
In Memoriam: Nathan Hare, 1933-2024
Dr. Hare was a prominent figure in the civil rights movement throughout the 1960s and was a strong advocate for equal educational opportunities for Black Americans. In 1968, he founded the country's first Black studies program at San Francisco State University.
In Memoriam: James Morris Lawson Jr., 1928-2024
Lawson enrolled at the Vanderbilt Divinity School in 1958. While he was a student, he helped organize sit-ins at lunch counters in downtown Nashville. In 1960, he was expelled from the university for his participation in civil rights protests.
In Memoriam: Mary Magdaline White, 1967-2024
White, a two-time HBCU graduate, was a member of the South Carolina State University staff for over two decades, most recently serving as dean of students.
