Roberta Cleopatra Flack (B.M.E. ’58, D.Mus. ’75).
Over the course of an incredible career, Roberta Flack inspired countless performers through her talent, showmanship, professionalism, and sheer charisma. She passed away on February 24, 2025.
Born in Black Mountain, North Carolina, she was raised in Richmond and later Arlington, Va. A classically trained pianist, Flack earned a music scholarship at age 15 to attend Howard University, studying voice and piano. While at Howard, she was a member of the School of Music’s Student Council and became a member of Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority, Inc., serving as the sorority’s business manager. Even as a student, she was already garnering acclaim by performing on campus, singing in student talent shows, and directing opera. In 1954, The Hilltop wrote about her “easy flowing vocals” as she sang songs like, “Polka Dots and Moonbeams.” She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music education in 1958 and received an honorary doctorate in 1975.
Flack was the first artist ever to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year during two consecutive years, a feat that was not replicated for almost three decades. Her first win, for “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” came in 1973 after the song spent six weeks atop the Billboard Top 100 charts, making it Billboard’s top song of year. It was also the major track on the soundtrack for Clint Eastwood’s directorial debut, “Play Misty for Me,” which followed the obsessed fan of a disc jockey.
She followed up with another seminal classic, “Killing Me Softly with His Song,” in 1974. Like the year before, Flack spent more weeks at number one on the Billboard charts in 1974 than any other artist, topping the charts for five weeks. The Fugees featuring Lauren Hill released a version in the 1990s which also became a hit, but Flack’s version is included on both Rolling Stone’s and Billboard’s listings of the greatest songs of all time. In all, she was awarded five Grammys. In addition to Record of the Year, she won for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group, or Chorus in 1973 and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, in 1974. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences presented her with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.
At Howard, Flack began collaborating with another prolific singer and Howard student, Donny Hathaway, a Cook Hall resident. Her first album included a song written by Hathaway, called, “Our Ages or Our Hearts.” Together, they recorded, “Where is the Love,” and the “The Closer I Get to You,” songs that continue to find their place across media today. In the 1980s, Flack continued to punctuate the Billboard charts. The 1983 hit, “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love,” a duet with Peabo Bryson, peaked at #16 in the Top 100. She continued to record throughout her life, including the song “Running,” which she recorded in 2018 at age 80. As late as 2021, her version of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” was released.
Dr. Clarence Knight (B.M.E. ’59, M.M.E. ’69) was Flack’s classmate at Howard, where he majored in flute and music education. He remembers her fondly, including her role in helping him academically.
She was very bright, very smart, and very talented,” said Knight. “She had a beautiful voice.” “We did a lot of studying together, especially in the theater area because that was one of my weak suits and one of her strong suits. We spent a lot of time together, talking about theater.”
Even before she met Flack, Howard alumna Valerie “Kehembe” Eichelberger (B.Mus. ‘71, M.M. ‘97) was inspired by Flack’s ability to express the mood and sentiment of the times. Flack and Eichelberger got to know each other while both were private students of famous voice coach Frederick “Wilkie” Wilkerson.
“She wasn’t a part of the current generation, but still they hear her music,” Eichelberger said. “And that is even more important because it means that it crossed over the timeline. It doesn’t have an endpoint.”
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James Coleman Jr. (J.D. ’59), August 2, 2024, NJ. The first African American appointed to the New Jersey Supreme Court, serving from 1994 to 2003. His groundbreaking career included more than 2,000 written opinions, including decisions that tackled jury exclusion and cross-racial eyewitness identification.
Dolores Duke (B.S. ’49), July 29, 2024, Washington D.C. had a distinguished career as a pharmacist, serving as director of pharmacy at the Hospital for Sick Children and the Psychiatric Institute of Washington D.C. She was involved in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., the Links Inc., and other civic organizations.
Hugh Norton Duhany (D.D.S ’62), October 24, 2024, Washington, D.C. Professor and clinical coordinator at Howard University College of Dentistry, contributing to public dental health initiatives and textbook development in addition to his private practice.
Harold Wesley Hardy Jr. (B.A. ’50), April 23, 2024, Brentwood, MD. Decorated diplomat with a 41-year career with the U.S. Information Agency and Department of State. He held positions in Algeria, France and Laos, before retiring as a consultant at Howard University’s Ralph J. Bunch International Affairs Center.
James Bertron Withers, Jr. (B.S. ’63), September 26, 2024, Washington D.C. Served as a U.S. Army Captain in Germany. He earned advanced degrees from George Washington University and spent 34 years at the FCC. After retiring, he volunteered at WPFW-FM and supported veterans with legal aid.
Col. Lowell Blagmon (B.S. ’70, M.S. ’74), September 5, 2022, Glenn Dale, Md. Received numerous army commendations and medals. After a distinguished 30-year career, Blagmon retired in 2000 as a colonel and commander of the 2071st Army Reserve Unit in Fort Meade, Md.
Elton Price (B.S. ’54), March 24, 2024, Glenarden, Md. In 1964, Price accepted the position of assistant chemistry professor at the Howard University faculty. In 1971, he was promoted to professor of chemistry and remained there until his retirement in 2001.
For the love of his alma mater, Elton established a scholarship fund, “Dr. Elton and Erma Price Chemistry Scholarship,” to care for his legacy in the Chemistry Department at Howard University.
James E. Soler (M.D. ’73), February 23, 2024, San Antonio, Tx. A graduate of Howard University College of Medicine and U.S. Air Force veteran, he dedicated nearly 40 years to serving patients at the San Antonio State Hospital.
Raymond Mullins (B.A. ’66), September 4, 2023, Taylor, Mi. A lawyer and former NAACP chapter president in Ypsilanti, Michigan, who was a lifelong advocate for racial justice, education, equality, and the abolition of the school-to-prison pipeline. A Howard University graduate and Air Force veteran, he was well-known for his community leadership.
Efremfon Frank Ekpo B.S.E.E., M.S., (Ph.D. ’86), June 27, 2023, Daytona Beach, FL. A graduate of the University of Lagos and Howard University who later founded the physics department at Bethune-Cookman University. He was beloved by students throughout his three-decade academic career.
Lawerence Oliver (M.S. '60), April 20, 2024, Baltimore, Md.
Carolyn E. Hunt (B.S. '61), April 18, 2023, Hamilton, N.J.
Dr. James A. Fluharty(D.D.S. '62), April 6, 2024, Bridgewater, Va.
Article ID: 2281