Nationality American Spouse(s) Sandrah Lavernn Wilson | Occupation Professor, writer. | |
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Born June 17, 1935 ( 1935-06-17 ) Detroit, Michigan, United States Education California State University, Los Angeles | ||
Rudolph G. Wilson (born June 17, 1935) is an American professor, writer, storyteller, and public speaker, known by his students as Papa Rudy. He was the first African-American member, and later the first elected black president, of the Edwardsville School Board. At Claremont Grad School in 1965, he was the first African American to teach in an all-white school. He was, until retirement in 2009, the Assistant Provost for Cultural and Social Diversity at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, as well as holding the academic rank of Associate Professor of Secondary Education in the department of Curriculum and Instruction.
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Early life
Wilson was born in Detroit, Michigan, according to his birth certificate. He graduated in the top ten from River Rouge High School, Michigan, in 1953.
Education
He attended UCLA for three years from 1953 to 1955, then went into the army from 1955 to 1958. He returned to Los Angeles State College to complete his undergraduate degree in English. He then went to Claremont Graduate University for his master's degree and later pursued other graduate studies at Washington University in St. Louis, at the University of California at Los Angeles, and at Stanford University.
Teaching career
He returned to Claremont Graduate School in 1965 to teach, on invitation of a colleague, Dean Wiley, who was appointed president of the School of Education. Wilson was the first African American to teach in the all-white school.
In June 17, 1969, he resumed at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Not long after, he became the assistant provost for Cultural and Social Diversity and a professor in the School of Education. He worked there until 2009 as Assistant Provost for Cultural and Social Diversity and a professor in School of Education.
At his retirement, several educators, colleagues, and students gathered to honor him. A Festschrift, edited by Michael Oladejo Afolayan, titled Multiculturalism in the Age of the Mosaic: Essays in Honor of Rudolph G. Wilson (Nova Publishing, 2010) was written in his honor. Several scholars, friends and family members from around the world contributed chapters in the book.
Racial Discrimination at Granite City
As part of the School of Education in SIUE in the early seventies, Wilson's work required him to look after student teachers and visit different high schools to shadow and mentor them. However, "when Wilson walked in to Granite City High School one day, it was made very clear to him that he was not wanted simply for the color of his skin." He went to supervise student teachers at Granite City, and it was not acceptable to the school. And so when he went back to the university. The university then decided not to send student teachers to Granite City until they accepted whoever SIUE sends, regardless of race. The impasse lasted for over a decade, until 1991 when Mr. Randy Burgess, an African-American broke Granite City’s unwritten policy concerning student teachers.
In an article in the Granite High World published on March 1, 2017, the editor, Mona Zubi, apologized to Rudy Wilson for the way he was treated by the city and encouraged readers to "reflect upon stories such as Rudy’s and millions of other marginalized people and ultimately learn from our past.
Family Life
Rudy is happily married to his wife, Sandra LaVernne King Wilson for many years, and they are proud parents of four adult children with outstanding professional achievements.