Dayton, Ohio
Dr. Harley E. Flack, the first African American
president of a major metropolitan university in Ohio, died March 29
following five-month battle with cancer. He was fifty-five.
Flack had served as president of Wright State University since
February 1994. His blend of compassion, morality, and vision will
influence WSU well into the next century, university officials said.
Dr. Harley Flack led with his heart and with his spirit,” said
Lynnette Heard, executive assistant to Flack and secretary to WSU’s
board of trustees. “When you experience someone like that, it’s a
once-in-a lifetime opportunity. We are all missing him so very much.”
Flack was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on October 27, 1997, and took a medical leave of absence to fight the disease.
From 1974 to 1987, Flack served as the founding dean and professor
of the College of Allied Health Sciences at Howard University. He later
served as vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty
at the State University of New York at Old Westbury.
Flack was the provost and executive vice president at Rowan
University, formerly Rowan College of New Jersey, from 1989 through
1994. In 1992, he played a lead role in securing a $100 million
donation to Rowan.
