In Memoriam

In Memoriam: Willie Washington, 1951–2026

Washington coached basketball and served as an athletics administration at Benedict College in South Carolina for 38 years. Earlier in his career, he held athletics roles with Allen University in South Carolina and Barber-Scotia College in North Carolina.

In Memoriam: Eddie R. Williams Jr.

Dr. Williams was the first African American to serve in a vice presidential role at Northern Illinois University. He dedicated more than four decades of service the university, ultimately rising to the position of chief of operations and executive vice president of finance and facilities.

In Memoriam: Debra Daniels, 1955–2026

Daniels served 17 years as director of the Women's Resource Center at the University of Utah. Under her leadership, the center significantly expanded its programming and more than quadrupled its scholarship fund, which now supports over 100 recipients every year.

In Memoriam: Fred Allen Bragg, 1943–2026

Bragg served as an academic advisor at historically Black Prairie View A&M University in Texas for nearly three decades.

In Memoriam: Edward Bernard Fort, 1932-2026

Dr. Fort served as the eighth chancellor of North Carolina A&T State University from 1982 to 1999. After stepping down from his leadership role, he remained on the faculty of HBCU's department of leadership studies and adult education until June 2023.

In Memoriam: Robert Mason, 1960-2026

Mason was a graduate of two historically Black universities: Virginia State University and Clark Atlanta University. He is known for founding the Common Black College Application, a online platform that enables students to apply to 67 HBCUs for only $20.

In Memoriam: William Clair Turner Jr., 1948-2026

Dr. Turner was a member of the Duke University community for five decades. A three-time graduate of the university, he served in numerous administrative and academic leadership roles, while teaching as an endowed professor in the Divinity School.

In Memoriam: Nell Lane Bradford, 1922-2026

Dr. Bradford taught music at Alabama A&M University for 40 years. She also served as director of the HBCU's choir.

In Memoriam: Obie Clayton Jr., 1954–2026

Dr. Clayton was an administrator and professor at historically Black Morehouse College in Atlanta for more than two decades. Later in his career, he led undergraduate research at Clark Atlanta University. His scholarship centered on improving the lives of Black men and boys.

In Memoriam: Gwendolyn A. Newkirk, 1926-2026

Dr. Newkirk was the first faculty member of color in the College of Home Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she served as chair of the department of home economics education for 20 years. Dr. Newkirk was also the first African American elected president of the American Home Economics Association.

In Memoriam: Jeffrey Bernard Leak, 1968-2026

Dr. Leak had been a faculty member at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for nearly three decades. His scholarship centered on African American literature, autobiographies, and gender and cultural studies.

In Memoriam: Prezell Russell Robinson, 1920-2026

Dr. Robinson served as the eighth president of Saint Augustine's College (now University) from 1967 to 1995. During his career, he also served as president of the United Negro College Fund.

In Memoriam: Florence Okoro, 1961-2026

At the time of her passing, Dr. Okoro was in her eleventh year of teaching at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte School of Nursing. Her scholarship centered on chronic illness management and caregiver support.

In Memoriam: Tony Brown, 1933-2026

In addition to his pioneering career in broadcast journalism, Brown served as dean of both the School of Communications at Howard University and the Scripps Howard School of Journalism at Hampton University in Virginia.

In Memoriam: Leland Ware, 1948-2026

Professor Ware taught law, public policy, and Africana studies at the University of Delaware for more than two decades. As a scholar, he focused on civil rights and civil liberties law, employment law, and constitutional law.

In Memoriam: Renee Monica McCoy, 1969-2026

Professor McCoy taught courses in accounting and decision sciences at historically Black Clark Atlanta University for two decades. She also served as faculty lead for the university's minor program in business analytics.

In Memoriam: William H. Whitaker Jr., 1967-2026

Dr. Whitaker's career in higher education spanned more than three decades. A former administrator at several HBCUs, he was serving as dean of the Dr. Emily England Clyburn Honors College at South Carolina State University at the time of his passing.

In Memoriam: Kimberly Baylor Bivins

Bivins taught construction science at Tuskegee University in Alabama for 10 years. During her tenure, she had stints as chair of the Faculty Senate and as interim chair of the construction science department.

In Memoriam: David Henderson, 1942-2026

Henderson was a co-founder of New York City's Black Arts Movement in the 1960s. An acclaimed poet and writer, Henderson taught English, African American, and poetry workshops at colleges and universities in New York and California.

In Memoriam: Harold K. Brown, 1934-2026

In 1971, Brown took a position in San Diego State University's department of academic affairs, making him the university's first Black administrator. One year later, he established what is now known as the department of Africana studies.
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