TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
ated from high school in Massachusetts. He returned to his native Texas to attend college and was a proud gradu- ate of Texas Southern University. Oliver worked as an investigator for the Bexar County District Attorney’s office prior to law school and continued to work while attending law at St. Mary’s University Law School located in San Antonio, TX. He graduated in 1976. Oliver began his legal career in public service, returning to the Bexar County District Attorney’s office as an Assistant D.A. He went on to serve as an Assis- tant Attorney General for the State of Texas in Austin, Texas. He then entered private practice in San Antonio. In 1982 Oliver was elected to the Alamo Com- munity College District Board of Trust- ees and served on that board until 1986. He subsequently relocated to New York City to join Inner City Broadcasting Corporation, a company founded by his father, Oliver Sr. (San Antonio (TX) Alumni 1938), his uncle Percy Sutton (New York (NY) Alumni 1971), and Hal Jackson. While at Inner City, Sutton was the Station Manager of radio stations WLIB and WBLS and Director of Busi- ness and Legal Affairs for Apollo Theater Productions. He was also a member of the Inner City Broadcasting Corporation Board of Directors for many years. In 1997, Oliver became the President of Inner City Broadcasting Corporation Africa. He relocated to Johannesburg, South Africa, and oversaw the construc- tion and programming of a radio station there. He then managed the station once it became operational. While living in South Africa, Oliver avidly pursued his passion for traveling, visiting many countries on the African continent. He continued to represent Inner City Broadcasting’s interest in Africa until he returned to San Antonio. After returning to San Antonio, Oliver resumed his legal career. He accepted an appointment as an Assistant District Attorney with the Municipal Courts in San Antonio, where he remained until his retirement in January 2018. Over the course of his lifetime Oliver served on
numerous non-profit boards. Texas Gov- ernor Ann Richards appointed Sutton as a Regent of Texas Southern University where he served a four-year term. He was 1977 initiate of the San Antonio (TX) Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity Inc. He also served on the boards of the United Way of San An- tonio, The Boy Scouts of America Reach Program, and the Ella Austin Commu- nity Centre. He was a member of other professional organizations, including the San Antonio Black Lawyer’s Association, The National Bar Association, and the Black Entertainment and Sports Law- yer’s Association. He is survived by his children, Oliver C. Sutton III (Beta Upsilon 1993) and Samantha Sutton, his daughter-in-law Iessa Mitchell Sutton, his grandsons Oliver IV and Mitchell, sister Carol Sutton Lewis, brothers Robert Heyward and Clay Heyward, many nieces and nephews and cousins, and a great many friends. The Honorable Dr. William E. Ward 1933–2018 Former Chesapeake, VA Mayor, Professor The Honorable Dr. William Edward "Bill" 1956, having been initiated via the Virginia State University Chapter, the Alpha Phi of Kappa Alpha Psi ® on Saturday, December 8, 1956. Brother Ward was born on December 1, 1933, in Keysville, VA, and was the son of the late William Ward and Annie Mae Ward. He attended Bluestone Harmony Academy and graduated from Central High School in Charlotte County, VA. He held both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history from Virginia State University. In addition, he earned a master’s degree and the doctorate in American and African American history Ward entered the Chapter Invisible on Tuesday, July 10, 2018. Bill Ward was the fraternity’s 649 th initiate in
from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. Dr. Ward pursued addi- tional postgraduate studies at Hampton University; Carnegie Mellon University; The University of West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica; and the University of Ghana, West Africa. Brother Ward served as a classroom teacher in three school districts: Ports- mouth (Virginia), Baltimore (Maryland), and Norfolk (Virginia). He held various positions of leadership at Norfolk State University, where he taught for 27 years: professor of history, chair of the Depart- ment of History, and president of the NSU Faculty Senate. Dr. Ward served on the Chesapeake City Council from 1978 to 1990 and as mayor from 1990 to 2004. Perhaps the most memorable moment in his distinguished career was the designation as the longest-serving mayor in Chesa- peake City’s history. During his decades of public service, he achieved several firsts, including the first Black mayor of Chesapeake, Virginia. He had been an active member of sever- al professional associations; namely, the Virginia Society for History Teachers, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, the Southern Histori- cal Association, and the Virginia Social Science Association. He was a 61-year member of Kappa Alpha Psi ® , and he was affiliated with the Norfolk (VA) Alumni Chapter, where he also served as a Polemarch. Ward was also a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. In 2003, Virginia Governor Mark Warner appointed Brother Ward to the Board of Visitors at Virginia State Uni- versity and in 2008 he became a board member of the university. He leaves to cherish his memory his wife of 57 years, Dr. Rose M. Ward; a daughter, Dr. Michelle Ward Wood- house and her husband, Terry; a son, Michael R. Ward and his wife, Katia; a granddaughter, Skylar R. Woodhouse; two brothers: Bernard “Joe” Ward and Samuel Ward; and a host of other rela- tives and friends.
74 | SUMMER ISSUE THE JOURNAL
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