Hunter D. Hamlett (1924-2007)
Hunter D. Hamlett, who served on the faculty at Virginia State University for three decades, has died of cancer at the age of 83.
Professor Hamlett was the youngest of nine children in a carpenter’s family from Boston. After serving in World War II, he earned a bachelor’s degree at Virginia Union University, the historically black educational institution in Richmond. He received a master’s degree in embryology from Virginia State and a Ph.D. in zoology from Ohio State University.
Dr. Hamlett joined the Virginia State University faculty in 1961 as an associate professor of biology. In 1982 he became chair of the life sciences department, a position he held until his retirement in 1991.
Julius E. Thompson (1946-2007)
Julius E. Thompson, professor of history and director of the black studies program at the University of Missouri at Columbia, died suddenly at University Hospital in Columbia. He was 61 years old.
Professor Thompson led the black studies program at the university for the past 11 years. He was not only a noted scholar on African-American history but was also an accomplished poet.
Professor Thompson was a graduate of Alcorn State University in Mississippi. He went on to earn a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in history from Princeton University. His first teaching job was at Jackson State University in his home state of Mississippi.
Copyright © 2007. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.