TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE O THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE HE H E INVISI
Keith W. Wade 1955–2020
45 th Junior Grand Vice Polemarch (1977-79), First African American Student Body President at the University of Houston, Political Strategist, Special Advisor to Houston Mayors
By Aaron Williams
T ributes and remem- Houston, TX, circulated in the local media after the passing of Keith W. Wade (Beta Upsilon 1974). Wade entered the Chapter Invis- ible on May 21, 2020, due to complications from COVID-19. Wade was a longtime political consultant in Houston and the state of Texas for 40 years. U.S. Rep Sheila Jackson Lee brances from elected officials and political figures from the city of (D-TX) stated “Keith Wade was a quiet and even-handed leader. He was a political strategist without comparison and many of us in public service can attribute our successes to him.” Dr. Bernard Harris, Jr., the 50 th Laurel Wreath Laureate, shared “Keith was a wonderful person and brother. He was a mentor for me and demonstrated true leader- ship even as an undergraduate. As has been mentioned in pub- lished accounts about his life, he has been instrumental in helping political leaders in their careers. A true leader!” Born in 1955, Wade grew up in El Campo, TX, about 80 miles
southwest of Houston. He graduated from El Campo High School, where students elected him as the first African American student body presi- dent. He attended the University of Houston (UH) where university stu- dents elected him in 1977, the first African American elected president of the UH Students’ Association. Wade was a charter member of the University of Houston Chapter, the Eta Lambda of Kappa Alpha Psi. At the 61 st Grand Chapter Meeting, Grand Chapter delegates elected him as the 45 th Junior Grand Vice Polemarch serving in the administra- tion of the 22 nd Grand Polemarch Hiliary H. Holloway. After graduating from UH, he worked as an intern in the office of Senator Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX) and as a valued aide for Congressman Mickey Leland (D-TX). He marched with Cesar Chavez and against Apart- heid, and his work always involved community organizations. Wade worked in partnership through the years with contractors, labor unions, faith leaders, and the Houston Police Department to champion civil rights and civic engagement. He served as a cofounder and Board Member of the Mickey Leland Kibbutzim Internship, allowing over
400 Houston high school students to learn about international policy first-hand. He also served as a Board Member of the Hermann Park Conservancy, the Houston Area Women’s Center, and the Texans Together Education Fund. He also served as a longtime advi- sor to the UH Hobby School of Public Affairs. Current Houston Mayor and longtime friend, the Honorable Sylvester Turner, commented he and Wade knew each other for 46 years since they met on the cam- pus of the University of Houston. “Our journey in politics started on the UH campus. Throughout his life, Keith championed the causes of labor, people who have been disenfranchised, and he advocated for the rights of people to vote,” Turner posted on social media. “He was instrumental in so many campaigns in all levels of govern- ment. And that is true in my case as well. Keith served as a special advisor to both previous Mayor Annise Parker and me. This is a sad day for a lot of people because Keith wasn’t just a consultant or a Special Advisor. He was a friend and a brother.”
128 | SPRING 2020 ♦ THE JOURNAL
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