- Date Of Birth: March 6, 1932
- Date Of Death: March 10, 2021
- State: Indiana
Indiana State University’s first African American professor dies at age 89.
Dr. James E. Conyers, Sr., Indiana State University’s first African American professor, passed away on Wednesday, March 10th, 2021, at age 89.
Dr. Conyers was born March 6, 1932 in Sumter, South Carolina, to Emmett and Crenella Conyers. The 3rd of 4 children, the value of education was instilled in James and his siblings. Both parents possessed Bachelor’s degrees. Young James graduated from high school in 1950 and attended Morehouse College, graduating with a degree in Sociology.
He started his teaching at Lemoyne College in Memphis, Tennessee where he met his wife Jean. From there he had taught briefly at the University of Miami, Florida. He was a varsity letterman at Morehouse College in baseball. During his tenure at ISU he attended ISU basketball games from 1970-2000.
Dr. Conyers was offered, and accepted, a faculty member position at Indiana State College (now Indiana State University) in 1962. Dr.
He also was a prolific writer and researcher in the area of race relations. He authored several books, journal articles, book reviews, monographs, and pamphlets. Often asked to present at both national and international conferences, his fame in this area continues to echo today. One of his most noted writings include Black Elected Officials: Study of Black Americans Holding Government Office, based upon a questionnaire, this work includes the first nationwide profile of Black Americans holding elective governmental office in the mid-1970s. The book compares Black elected officials with their White male and female counterparts.
Another noted work was Black Youth in a Southern Metropolis, a work coauthored with William J. Farmer and Martin Levin and published by the Southern Regional Council in 1968. That same year, Black Youth and its authors were recognized on the CBS national news for their outstanding work. Other works include Sociology for The Seventies published by John Wiley 4 and co-authored with Morris Medley (1972) and journal articles “Negro Passing: To Pass of Not to Pass” in Phylon (Fall 1963), “Racism Ain’t Dead Yet” in Journal of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Spring 1981), and “Racial Explanations” in Western Journal of Black Studies (2002).
For his teaching, research, and writing efforts, Conyers was often recognized by his peers. Dr. Conyers was the recipient of several academic awards including the prestigious W.E.B. DuBois Award in 1981 from the Association of Social and Behavioral Scientists and the distinguished Scholar Award in 1994 from the Association of Black Sociologists.
He was a longtime member of the Young Men’s Civic Club, a Life Member of the NAACP, and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated. He served on the Board of Governors of the Community Foundation of the Wabash Valley from 1969-1976 and on the Board of the Terre Haute Symphony Association from 1979-1985. He taught courses at Farm Camp at the United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute on a volunteer basis until his retirement in 1996.
Dr. Conyers is preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Emmett and John. He is survived by his 3 children: daughter, Judith Conyers; son, James Conyers, Jr.; daughter, Jennifer Conyers; granddaughter, Christian Conyers; sister, Dr. Gloria Hewitt; nephews: Reginald Conyers (Judy) and Ronald Hewitt, jr (Brenda), along with a host of extended family and lifelong friends.
