In Memoriam

John L. Warfield (1936-2007)

John L. Warfield, who served on the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin for 26 years and headed the university’s Center for African and African American Studies for more than a decade, died recently at his home in Kalamazoo, Michigan, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 71 years old.

Professor Warfield was a native of Noblesville, Indiana, but his family moved to Kalamazoo when he was an infant. His father was a Baptist minister. Warfield earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Kalamazoo College. He also held a master’s degree in clinical psychology from the University of Denver and a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Oregon.

In 1969 Dr. Warfield was appointed to the faculty at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. Four years later, he joined the psychology faculty at the University of Texas and remained there until his retirement in 1999.

The University of Texas has announced that the Center for African and African-American Studies will be renamed in his honor.

Julia Agnes Washington Bond (1908-2007)

Julia Bond, former university librarian and the mother of NAACP chair Julian Bond, died in her sleep in her Atlanta apartment earlier this month. She was 99 years old.

A graduate of Fisk University, Bond was married to Horace Mann Bond, who served as president of both Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and Fort Valley State University in Georgia. He also served as dean of the Atlanta University School of Education. When the family moved to Atlanta, Julia Bond became a reference librarian at what is now Clark Atlanta University. She served part-time on the library staff until her retirement at age 92.

Percy O. Vera (1935-2007)

Percy O. Vera, the first black professor at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, died late last month at his home in Dayton. He was 71 years old.

A native of Belize, Vera joined the faculty at Sinclair Community College in 1967. There he founded the culinary arts and hospitality management program. In 1975 Professor Vera was named chair of the department of economics and management. He held that position until his retirement in 1997.