Paying tribute to longtime Howard University president James Edward Cheek - washingtonpost.com: Three generations of the Howard University community gathered Friday to remember James Edward Cheek, the longtime Howard president who envisioned a 'second emancipation' of African Americans through scholarship.
Cheek died Jan. 8 in North Carolina at 77. He was buried there, while fierce snowstorms forced the postponement of a memorial service in Washington.
The service, held in the Howard chapel, was about reclaiming Cheek's legacy. He led Howard through the 1970s and 1980s and largely built the campus that stands today.
Cheek came to Howard at 37 and unleashed a torrent of energy. He hired hundreds of faculty members, multiplied the operating budget nearly tenfold, led a massive building program and launched the nation's first black-owned public television station. He earned the respect of students and silenced campus protests -- for a time, anyway.
