We were saddened to hear of the passing Wednesday morning of Frank Hale, OSU’s former vice provost of minority affairs, so we thought we would share a few photos and a little bit about his career at OSU.
Born in 1927, Hale received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Nebraska in 1950 and 1951, then taught English and speech until 1954 at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Ala. That year he came to Ohio State to earn a Ph.D. in speech and political science. After receiving his doctorate in 1955, Hale left to teach, both at Oakwood and at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. He eventually became president of Oakwood College before returning to Ohio State in 1971.
Frank W. Hale Jr., 1972 portrait
That year, he was named associate dean of OSU’s Graduate School, playing an active role in increasing the number of minority students at OSU and making the University the top producer of African-American doctorates by the end of that decade. In 1978 he was named Vice Provost of Minority Affairs, which enabled him to help establish the Young Scholars Program in 1982.
Hale listens to then-Georgia State Sen. Julian Bond, an educator and civil rights activist who later became chairman of the NAACP (1984).
After 18 years of service, Frank Hale retired from the University in 1988, giving the summer commencement speech that August.
Hale speaks at the summer commencement ceremony, 1988.
That same year, the Board of Trustees voted to rename the Black Cultural Center as the Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center in his honor, citing Hale’s “commitment to the highest standards of quality and equality and for service as a teacher, an educator and a humanitarian.”
Hale and others attend the formal dedication in 1989 of the Frank W. Hale Jr. Cultural Center.
Material featuring Dr. Hale is now on display outside the exhibit gallery at the Thompson Library.
filed by C.N.
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