Dad's Obit
Dad's obit is up at the Burlington Free Press website.
It's hard to read - they took out the paragraph breaks! Ugh!
I'm reprinting the text here, with paragraph breaks, for easy reading:
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John Whitehead Tucker IV passed away on Sept. 1, 2009 with family and friends by his side. Born on July 27, 1935 to Anita Kimmey Tucker and John Whitehead Tucker III, in Philadelphia, Pa., he served in the Air Force during the Korean War and was very active in the Civil Rights Movement.
He attended Fordham University in New York City. An outstanding athlete, he played semi-professional basketball for the Eastern Pennsylvania League.
In New York City, where he lived for many years, Mr. Tucker was a hospital administrator at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Prior to that he had worked with emotionally disabled children and subsequently with several disadvantaged populations including newly released prisoners, with the Wildcat Foundation. He moved to Burlington, Vermont, with his partner Peggy Reubens , in order to attend Goddard College in Montpelier from 1981-83. During that time, he worked with incarcerated Vietnam veterans in Chittenden County, and organized an effective movement to block the Ku Klux Klan from entering Burlington.
He returned to New York City in 1982, and became the director of a men’s homeless shelter until he retired in 1993. In 1994, he returned to Burlington, where he became the Director of the Racial Justice & Equity Project at the Peace & Justice Center. He and the late Lawrence McCrorey, among others, were responsible for organizing numerous anti-racism workshops and trainings, calling attention to issues of job and housing discrimination, racial profiling, and the need for better health care for people of color in the state. His insights about racism changed the thinking of many people in this community.
After leaving the Peace & Justice Center in 2004, Mr. Tucker became active on a number of causes including raising funds for victims of hurricane Katrina and established a chapter of Rev. Jesse Jackson’s RainbowPUSH coalition in the state. In addition, Mr. Tucker served on the Vermont advisory panel to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights from 1993 to 2006.
Mr. Tucker was a tireless and indomitable spokesperson for people of color, and all low income people, and crusaded vigorously against racism and inequality. He also spoke out and acted as an ally for others against sexism and homophobia. The climate for people of color in Vermont has been changed by the work of John Tucker.
He lived long enough to see the first African-American President of the United States and to meet his youngest grandson.
He is survived by his three children, John W. Tucker V, Donna Tucker and Nicole Tucker; five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and three former wives. He will be greatly missed by not only his family, but by hundreds of friends and colleagues from Philadelphia, New York and Vermont.
A memorial service is being planned for 3-5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Burlington. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Peace & Justice Center in Burlington.
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Working on this was really interesting - I even learned new facts about my Dad - especially the bit about the KKK. I remember when I was a kid that he was getting death threats - I guess that's why!
Go Dad :) I'm very proud of the work he did, helping people.
N.
It's hard to read - they took out the paragraph breaks! Ugh!
I'm reprinting the text here, with paragraph breaks, for easy reading:
***********
John Whitehead Tucker IV passed away on Sept. 1, 2009 with family and friends by his side. Born on July 27, 1935 to Anita Kimmey Tucker and John Whitehead Tucker III, in Philadelphia, Pa., he served in the Air Force during the Korean War and was very active in the Civil Rights Movement.
He attended Fordham University in New York City. An outstanding athlete, he played semi-professional basketball for the Eastern Pennsylvania League.
In New York City, where he lived for many years, Mr. Tucker was a hospital administrator at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Prior to that he had worked with emotionally disabled children and subsequently with several disadvantaged populations including newly released prisoners, with the Wildcat Foundation. He moved to Burlington, Vermont, with his partner Peggy Reubens , in order to attend Goddard College in Montpelier from 1981-83. During that time, he worked with incarcerated Vietnam veterans in Chittenden County, and organized an effective movement to block the Ku Klux Klan from entering Burlington.
He returned to New York City in 1982, and became the director of a men’s homeless shelter until he retired in 1993. In 1994, he returned to Burlington, where he became the Director of the Racial Justice & Equity Project at the Peace & Justice Center. He and the late Lawrence McCrorey, among others, were responsible for organizing numerous anti-racism workshops and trainings, calling attention to issues of job and housing discrimination, racial profiling, and the need for better health care for people of color in the state. His insights about racism changed the thinking of many people in this community.
After leaving the Peace & Justice Center in 2004, Mr. Tucker became active on a number of causes including raising funds for victims of hurricane Katrina and established a chapter of Rev. Jesse Jackson’s RainbowPUSH coalition in the state. In addition, Mr. Tucker served on the Vermont advisory panel to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights from 1993 to 2006.
Mr. Tucker was a tireless and indomitable spokesperson for people of color, and all low income people, and crusaded vigorously against racism and inequality. He also spoke out and acted as an ally for others against sexism and homophobia. The climate for people of color in Vermont has been changed by the work of John Tucker.
He lived long enough to see the first African-American President of the United States and to meet his youngest grandson.
He is survived by his three children, John W. Tucker V, Donna Tucker and Nicole Tucker; five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and three former wives. He will be greatly missed by not only his family, but by hundreds of friends and colleagues from Philadelphia, New York and Vermont.
A memorial service is being planned for 3-5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Burlington. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Peace & Justice Center in Burlington.
***********
Working on this was really interesting - I even learned new facts about my Dad - especially the bit about the KKK. I remember when I was a kid that he was getting death threats - I guess that's why!
Go Dad :) I'm very proud of the work he did, helping people.
N.