In Memoriam

Elizabeth Hadley (1950-2007)

Elizabeth Hadley, an associate professor of Africana studies at Simmons College in Boston, has died from breast cancer at the age of 57.

Professor Hadley grew up in foster homes in Harlem but excelled in school and graduated from the University of Rochester. She later earned a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a Ph.D. in history from Indiana University. Her dissertation documented the life of black aviator Bessie Coleman.

Dr. Hadley spent a year at the Kenyatta University under a Fulbright scholarship. Upon returning to the United States, she held teaching positions at Northeastern University, Boston College, Boston University, Dennison University, Lasell College, and Wheelock College. In addition to Africana studies, Professor Hadley taught courses in theater, cinema, and women’s studies.

Lewis F. Boddie (1913-2007)

Dr. Lewis F. Boddie, a longtime medical educator, physician, and humanitarian, has died in Los Angeles at the age of 94.

Dr. Boddie is believed to be the first black board-certified physician in obstetrics and gynecology on the West Coast. In a Los Angeles practice that spanned nearly 45 years, he delivered thousands of babies. For more than a quarter-century, he served as a clinical assistant professor at the School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. Dr. Boddie was also the first president of a Los Angeles adoption board and spent a great deal of his time finding homes for orphans.

Lewis Boddie, born in Forsyth, Georgia, was the grandson of slaves. His mother, father, and brother were all physicians, as are two of Boddie’s surviving children. A graduate of Morehouse College, Boddie earned his medical degree at Meharry Medical College in Nashville. He retired in 1993 at the age of 80.

Copyright © 2007. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.