James E. Cheek
{{Short description|President emeritus of Howard University}}
{{Infobox person
|name = James E. Cheek
|image =Ronald Reagan and James E. Cheek.jpg
|imagesize =
|caption =Cheek with Ronald Reagan in 1981
|birthname = James Edward Cheek
|birth_date = {{birth date|1932|12|4}}
|birth_place = Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, U.S.
|death_date = {{death date and age|2010|1|8|1932|12|4}}
|death_place = Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.
|spouse = Celestine (m. 1958)
|occupation = educator, scholar, theologian, public speaker, humanitarian
|years_active = 1958–2010
|children = 2
|education={{plainlist|
- Shaw University, 1955 (BA)
- Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, 1958 (M.Div.)
- Drew University, 1962 (Ph.D.)}}
|awards=Presidential Medal of Freedom
}}James Edward Cheek (December 4, 1932 – January 8, 2010){{cite news|title=James E. Cheek, Forceful University President, Dies at 77|first=Douglas|last=Martin
|authorlink=Douglas Martin (journalist)
|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 21, 2010|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/22/education/22cheek.html|accessdate=January 22, 2010}} was president of Howard University from 1968 to 1989. He was born in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina.
Howard University President (1968–1989)
In 1989, Cheek appointed Republican National Committee Chairman Lee Atwater as a member of the Howard University Board of Trustees. Students rose up in protest against Atwater's appointment, disrupting Howard's 122nd anniversary celebrations, and eventually occupied the university's administration building.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,957283,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071106011634/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,957283,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 6, 2007|title=Saying No to Lee Atwater|publisher=Time Warner|magazine=Time|first=Alessandra| last=Stanley|author2=Jacob V. Lamar|date=March 20, 1989}} Within days, both Atwater and Cheek resigned.
Personal life
Cheek was married to the former Celestine Williams, and had two children. He died on January 8, 2010, from complications of coronary artery disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- [http://www.shawuniversity.edu/lib_main_miss_state.htm Shaw University Learning Resources Center Named in Honor of James E. Cheek]
- {{C-SPAN|20607}}
{{Howard University presidents}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheek, James E.}}
Category:Presidents of Howard University
Category:African-American United States Air Force personnel
Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
Category:United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War
Category:Shaw University alumni
Category:Drew University alumni
Category:Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School faculty