Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts, lll, who was the pastor at Harlem's historic Abyssinian Baptist Church has died, the church announced on Friday.
Dr. Butts was also instrumental in establishing the Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change – a public, state-of-the-art, intermediate and high school in Harlem, and he was the visionary behind the Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School.
During his presidential tenure at SUNY College - Old Westbury, Dr. Butts reinvigorated one of the most diverse public college campuses in America to its largest enrollment ever, adding fulltime faculty and expanding student support services. Under his leadership, SUNY College at Old Westbury earned new accreditations and created its first-ever graduate programs, conferring graduate degrees in more than fifteen disciplines.The steady voice of the Rev.
The Reverend served as President of Africare NYC, an independent organization dedicated to the improvement of the quality of life in rural Africa, and was a member of the board of the September 11th Fund. Dr. Butts received honorary degrees from Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; the City University of New York/The City College of New York and many others.
For his community activism, Dr. Butts received innumerable honors and commendations, including the United Negro College Fund’s Shirley Chisholm Community Service Award; The Medal for Distinguished Service from Teachers College, Columbia University and Man of the Year, Morehouse College Alumni Association.This is a developing story and will be updated.