Harris Wofford, the founding president of SUNY Old Westbury, passed away at the age of 92 on January 21, 2019. He served from 1966 to 1970.
President Calvin Butts in an e-mail noted that Wofford had played a part in creating American history. Dr. Butts also noted that Wofford helped shaped the future of the U.S. by promoting social justice and civilian service among Americans. Wofford served as special assistant on civil rights for President John F. Kennedy and was a legal counsel and friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania in 1991 and was influential in the establishment of the Americorps and the Corporation for National Service.
Dr. Butts noted that Wofford had laid a foundation for the mission at SUNY Old Westbury to “empower all students through education and to advocate for a just society for all human-kind.” He added, “As we remember and honor the memory of Harris Wofford today, we can still define ourselves in that way – as a college seeking to understand and to educate about those issues that face our world, so that we can, in the end, each do our part to improve that world for all who inhabit it.”
