Dr. Jerome Gresham thought blacks had to be educated in order to be free and deemed education a critical element of the civil rights movement.
The Atlanta native earned bachelor's, master's and juris doctorate degrees in order to become a teacher, professor and administrator. He was named interim president of Barber-Scotia College, a historically black school in Concord, N.C., when he was just 29. When appointed, JET magazine called him the youngest college president in the U.S.
"He was brilliant, a scholar, but his sense of humbleness made him approachable," said Dr. Marie Metze of Atlanta. "He could deal with kings and queens as well as people in the hood, as we call it."
On Jan. 29, Dr. Jerome Lynwood Gresham died of a heart attack at his southwest Atlanta home. He was 72. A funeral was held Saturday. Murray Brothers handled arrangements.
Dr. Gresham worked at Roy's Grill, his father's restaurant on Auburn Avenue, while he attended Booker T. Washington High. He earned a bachelor's degree in history at Allen University in Columbia, S.C., a master's degree in English at Columbia University and a juris doctorate degree from North Carolina Central University in Durham.
For years, he was a professor and chair of the English department at Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka, Alaska. He was named the eighth president of Barber-Scotia, a post he held from 1966 to 1974.
"I was very privileged based on what was going on in America at the time," he said. "I was blessed to have lived the life I lived."
Dr. Gresham thought education should be affordable for everybody and, as college president, he helped many poor students earn degrees. He often criticized Georgia's HOPE program for not reaching deep enough.
"He thought the GPA requirement should be about 2.5, if not 2.2," his son said. "He said those were the kids who needed it the most. He had wanted to see Gov. Nathan Deal change that, but never was able to pursue it. Out of respect for him and his legacy, I may do that."
For seven years, Dr. Gresham owned Brittanica Imports, a business that specialized in items from Nigeria and elsewhere. He was a consultant for the Southern Association for the Accreditation for Colleges and Universities, and an academic dean for the Atlanta College of Medical and Dental Careers and Massey Business College. He helped found The Young Adult Guidance Center. Emory University awarded him a Martin Luther King Jr. community service award.
Fulton County Commissioner Emma Darnell said few people worked as diligently for the poor and unfortunate.
"He had a keen mind and superior intellect," she said.
Additional survivors include another son, Aldrin Jerome Gresham of Riverdale; daughter Mingonne Cheryl Gresham of Atlanta, and six grandchildren.
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