In Memoriam

Emmett John Rice 1919-2011

Emmett J. Rice, former governor of the Federal Reserve Board and professor of economics at Cornell University, has died from congestive heart failure at his home in Camas, Washington. Rice, the father of Susan Rice, the current United States Ambassador to the United Nations, was 91 years old.

A native of Florence, South Carolina, Rice’s family moved to New York City when he was 16. He earned a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from the City University of New York. After serving with the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II, Rice earned a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley. Rice taught economics at Cornell University for six years before taking positions with the Treasury Department, the World Bank and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In 1979 he was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the board of governors of the Federal Reserve Board. He was the second African American to serve on the board.

Jennifer Young Tait (1975-2011)

Jennifer Young Tait, associate professor of English at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, died last month during childbirth. She was 35 years old.

Professor Tait was a graduate of Rutgers University. She held a master’s degree from the City University of New York and a Ph.D. from Howard University. She began teaching at Hope College in 2002 and was awarded tenure in 2009.

Copyright © 2011. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.