Marcus Foster

Early life and education

He was born in Athens, Georgia, later attending public schools in Philadelphia. His mother Alice fostered Marcus's mastery of Standard English by highlighting its importance as the dominant syntax. Subsequently, as a young man he was both exceptionally scholastic, athletic and rebellious, opting to frequent the Club Ziger where one had to "smoke a stogie and drink a lot of wine to get in. Furthermore, as a member of the Trojans, a neighborhood men's club, his comrade Frye noted Foster "could hold his hands up"". This broad range of youth experience aided Foster throughout his life, affording him a disposition to connect with and inspire students of myriad backgrounds while drawing together disparate groups advocating for alternative, at times oppositional, visions of social reform. He graduated from Cheyney State College and earned a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania.

Career

From 1957 to 1970 he taught, was a school principal and associate superintendent for community relations. He moved to Oakland in 1970.

Murder

Foster was assassinated in 1973 by members of the Symbionese Liberation Army. The SLA claimed they killed Foster because of his alleged support of a plan to create a student identification card system in Oakland that proponents claimed would help keep non-student drug-dealers off campus. In reality, Foster had opposed the identification cards and had worked to water down the plan. The SLA also objected to police officers in the schools, but again they were mistaken as to Foster's position; Foster had stated that he would not allow police officers in the schools. Foster was shot eight times with hollow-point bullets that had been packed with cyanide. His deputy, Robert Blackburn, was also shot, but survived. Joseph Remiro and Russ Little were sentenced to life in prison for their role in the attack. Little was later released on appeal. SLA leader Donald DeFreeze is suspected of being the other person present who shot Blackburn.

Foster is buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland. He was survived by his widow, Albertine Ramseur Foster, who died in 2011 and was buried alongside him.

His daughter, Rev. Marsha Foster Boyd, PhD, is President Emerita of Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit, Michigan.

Honours and tributes

Before his death, Foster received a prestigious award which recognizes individuals who have made positive contributions to the city of Philadelphia. After his death, several sites were named in his honor, including the athletic fields at Gratz High School, the Student Union building at Cheyney University, and the now closed Marcus Foster Indoor Pool in Philadelphia featured in the movie Pride. The School District of Philadelphia established the Marcus A. Foster Award, which is given annually to a School District administrator for noteworthy contributions in curriculum, instruction, school improvement or administration.

The Oakland portion of the state-mandated program to retrofit all schools for earthquake safety in the 1970s, during which dozens of schools were either retrofitted or demolished and rebuilt, was named the Marcus Foster Earthquake Safe program.

The Oakland Education Institute was founded by Foster in 1973 to raise discretionary funds to promote excellence in Oakland schools, through the collaborative efforts of Oakland's diverse communities. After his death, the Institute was renamed the Marcus A. Foster Education Fund in honor of Foster. In conjunction with Oakland-area business, the Fund awards 60 yearly scholarships ranging from $1000 to $2000 to Oakland high school students. Over 1,500 students have received these scholarships. The Fund also regularly awards up to $2000 to Oakland public schools teachers who develop innovative educational projects.