TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
teacher, coach, and assistant principal. A Life Member of the PVAMU National Alumni Association, Wesley was also a member of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, the Appomattox Club, and an Inductee into the Southeast Texas Coaches Association, Inc. He was a very jovial and social person, never meeting a stranger and always ready to talk, play dominoes and card games or attend a football or basketball game. Brother Franklin Wesley, Jr. is preceded in death by his parents and his wife Beverly Ann (née Govan) Wesley. He is survived by a son, Eric Lawrence Wes- ley; daughter, Erica Wesley (Howard) Robinson; granddaughters, Bailey Anne Robinson and Valentina Grace Wesley; sister-in-law, Barbara Govan and other cousins and many friends. Herbert E. Wheeler, Sr. 1947–2020 Insurance Executive, U.S. Army Herbert Eugene
they lived until moving to Roanoke, VA, in 1990 for a vice president posi- tion at Trigon Blue Cross Blue Shield. Wheeler’s long time insurance career ended in 2005 at Anthem Blue Cross in Richmond when he retired as Vice President of Operational Compliance after 27 years. Wheeler served on the Board of Direc- tors for various organizations and held membership in the Urban League, NAACP, and Heart Association. In 1999, Herbert lost his wife Dorothy but remained in the Richmond area. For seven years, Herbert and his family hosted an annual Family and Friends Celebration to honor his late wife. Local charities and the Fifth Baptist Church Scholarship Fund were the recipients of donations and gifts for those less fortu- nate. Herbert was a faithful member of Fifth Baptist Church, where he served as a Deacon and its president, an usher, and a member of the Video Ministry. In 2019, Wheeler was named Fifth Baptist Father of the Year. Herbert E. Wheeler, Sr. was preceded in death by his wife of 29 years, Dorothy; one son, Taldon Williams; parents, one sister, Hazel March. He is survived by daughter Kimberly (Tony) Goodman; son Herbert E. (Crystal) Jr. (Farmville (VA) Alumni 1999) and Crystal Wheel- er; grandchildren, Bryce, McKenizie, Miles, Morgan, L. Jarel, and A. J’Nai; two great-grandchildren; sister, Elnora Hoston; a host of nieces, nephews, mother-in-law, Alberteen Johnson of New Jersey; daughter-in-law, Sharon Williams of Georgia; and other relatives and friends.
He was born on January 20, 1961 to James and Bessie Wilson in Texas City, Texas. As a child, he united with King Memorial United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas and decided to trust in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior as an adult. He was educated in the Dallas public school system and was blessed to be raised by parents who filled his home with music and literature from all genres. His father insisted that he become a musician, and at an early age James began playing the piano and the clarinet. He flourished as a musician throughout his education and was par- ticularly proud to be a five-year member of the University of Texas Longhorn Band. He pledged Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. in the spring of 1982, and he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science and education from the University of Texas at Austin in 1984. After his graduation from UT, Dr. Wilson began a travel journey that would eventually span for more than 35 years. He traveled extensively throughout the African continent and the world. His love for the study of African history and culture began during his tour with the United States Peace Corps in Kenya from 1985 to 1988, where he taught English and African literature at Kitumbi High School located 7,000 feet in the mountains of Taita Hills, Kenya. Over the years, he personally assisted over 50 candidates to apply and become Peace Corps volunteers. Dr. Wilson went on to receive his Master of Professional Studies degree in African and African-American History from Cornell University. He continued his studies and earned a certificate in African Languages from the University of Florida and served as a research fel- low at Oxford and Cambridge Universi- ties as well as the University of Nairobi. He then attended Princeton University, where he earned a masters and a doctor- al degree in history in June 2003. After his graduation from Princeton, Dr. Wil- son began his academic career at Wake Forest University, and he later served as a professor of history at the University of Texas where he specialized in the politi- cal history of Kenya, British colonialism,
Wheeler, Sr. (Buf- falo (NY) Alumni 1979) entered the Chapter Invis- ible on June 13, 2020, in Ashburn, VA. Wheeler was born in 1947 in Montgomery, AL,
to the late Herbert and Evelyn Kennedy Wheeler. After graduating from Labora- tory High School in 1964, he attended Morehouse College and graduated in 1968 with a BA degree in Economics. He accepted a position with Connecti- cut General in Bloomfield, Connecticut. While at Connecticut General, Wheeler was deployed to Vietnam. After his tour of duty, he returned to Connecticut. It was in Connecticut where Herbert met and later married Dorothy Johnson, where they started their family. In 1977, Connecticut General pro- moted Wheeler to General Manager of the Buffalo, New York Office, and they relocated to Amherst, NY. Later, a career opportunity with Allstate Insurance led the family to Buffalo Grove, IL, where
James A. Wilson 1961–2020 Educator,
Dr. James A. Wilson, Jr. (Iota Delta 1982) entered the Chapter Invis- ible on June 10, 2020 at the age of 59.
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