IN MEMORIAM
Melvin C. Hopson 1937-2025 Past Kappa Foundation President, Retired Corporate Executive, U.S. Air Force
“ THE FIRST DIRECTOR OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION FOR THE MCDONALD’S CORPORATION. AFTER A BRIEF PERIOD IN THIS ROLE, MEL WAS PROMOTED TO VICE PRESIDENT OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND LATER ELEVATED TO SERVE AS THE MCDONALD’S CORP. GLOBAL CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICER .”
By Kevin P. Scott
T he Chicago (IL) Foundation mourn the passing of distinguished corporate executive and servant leader, Melvin Clarence Hopson, who entered the Chapter Invisible on October 3, 2025, at 88. Affectionately known as “Mel,” he was one of four children born to the late Lovell Hopson, Sr., and Irene Hopson on June 29, 1937, in Sawyer- ville, AL. His family moved Alumni Chapter and the Kappa Alpha Psi to Chicago, IL, where he was reared and graduated from Crane Technical High School. Brother Hopson briefly attended Howard University and trans- ferred to the University of Illinois branch campus at Chicago’s Navy Pier while serving in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. He subsequently served as an active-duty U.S. Air Force communication center specialist crypto operator.
Following his military service, he completed his education at Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL, where he earned his B.S. in English and Literature in 1966. Through the late 1960s to the mid-1980s, Mel worked in numerous upper-level corporate leadership positions, including as an Employ- ment Projects Manager and Equal Opportunities Program Manager with Montgomery Ward & Co. and as a member of the Chicago Real Estate Board of Direc- tors. Brother Hopson was passionate about advocating for equality, education, and economic opportunity for those
who are underrepresented and disenfranchised. His civic engagement was manifested in the numerous organizations he was involved with; some of them include the Chicago Urban League, the NAACP, the Westside Association for Commu- nity Action, and being a Life Director on the Chi- cago Urban League Board of Directors, where he
used his senior leadership position to contribute to governance, fundraising, and strategic oversight. Consequently, he made an unsuccessful candidacy to become Chicago’s 5th Ward Committeeman in 1988. This thwarted campaign only fueled his resolve to find other ways to achieve and provide support for others. The work he performed
88 THE JOURNAL ♦ FALL 2025
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator