In Memoriam

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.

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.

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.

For nearly four decades, Edwards served as an adjunct professor of history and the university archivist at historically Black Virginia State University.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.