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AAUP Council Member Remembered
AAUP activist and Council member Kenneth S. Tollett, Sr., died September 22 at his home in Washington, D.C. Tollett had been a longtime member of and consultant to the Committee on Government Relations and the Committee on Historically Black Institutions and Scholars of Color. The Washington Post acknowledged him as "an expert in affirmative action, desegregation, and historically black colleges." He retired from his position as Distinguished Professor of Higher Education at Howard University in 2000. He had also served as director of Howard's Institute for the Study of Educational Policy. Tollett is survived by three children, five grandchildren, and one great-grandchild, in addition to three brothers.
A native of Muskogee, Oklahoma, Tollett graduated from the University of Chicago, where he went on to earn a law degree and a master's degree in political science. Tollett championed federal funding for historically black colleges and universities, and led the Association in advocating strong support for such aid through the Higher Education Act.
Colleagues who served on committees with Tollett remember him as a valuable contributor to committee discussions, who, with patience and dignity, could always bring a discussion back to the principles at issue. Others remember his powerful presence and his commitment to AAUP principles.
"My interaction with Ken was one of the things I cherished about working on the government relations committee," comments Mel Steely, a former committee member from the State University of West Georgia. "Ken will be greatly missed," says Carol Aisha Blackshire-Belay, who served with Tollett on the government relations and scholars of color committees, summing up a common sentiment.
In honor of Tollett's contribution to the work of the AAUP, his family invites donations to the Henry T. Yost Fund in his name. The Yost Fund sponsors public policy and higher education internships in the Association's Washington office. Checks should be made out to the AAUP and mailed to Mark Smith, AAUP, 1012 Fourteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005. Please note clearly that your contribution is to the Yost Fund.
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