In Memory of
Dr. Frank W. Hale, Jr.
The Frank Loris Peterson Society of Adventist Men was founded at a meeting of about fifteen male members of the Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church in December of 1987.
Some of the founding members include but not limited too Dr. Frank W. Hale
1. Donald F. Cantrell Sr.,
2. David Harmon
3. Eld.Lester Morrow
4. Mbulelo Mzozoyana
5. Alfonza Smith
6. James Lee, Atty
Convened by Dr. Frank W. Hale, Jr., the group was primarily concerned with providing an opportunity for the men of the church to achieve a more balance role and take a more active part in church and community affairs. At the onset, special attention was focused on sharing the knowledge of resources of the group to assist in the educational development of the youth of the church.
Dr. Hale named the organization was named in honor of Elder Frank Loris Peterson, the first African vice president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist and a former president of Oakwood College, the church’s only historically Black college, in Huntsville, Alabama.
One of the important features of the Frank Lois Peterson Society initiated by Dr. Hale has been an emphasis on encouraging youth to begin thinking about their future careers at an early age. Through his leadership, the Frank Loris Peterson Society has provided tuition assistance to numerous young people who attend schools and academies in the area. Dr. Hale believed the Frank Lois Peterson Society would be an antidote to those who would smother the ambitions of our children by doing all that the Society can to quicken their desires to be somebody and to nurture their talents so that their hopes and dreams can become realities.
Dr. Hale engaged the Peterson Society in a variety of other programmatic activities, including benevolent services for sick and shut-in members, recreational activities for the youth, laywitnessing for missing members, investment initiatives to fund to fund the Peterson Society’s programs, and social and cultural experiences, field trips to the Frank W. Hale, Jr. Cultural Art Center, outreach ministry to Faith Mission, and a read ministry for the community.
A 54-year veteran of higher education, Hale spent 24 years at Ohio State where he spearheaded efforts that led to the school becoming a leading producer of minority Ph.D. students, according to a statement by the university. In addition to Ohio State, Hale worked at many schools, including Oakwood College in Alabama and Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio.
Dr. Frank W. Hale, Jr. a 54-year veteran of higher education spent 24 years at Ohio State University and was Vice Provost and Professor Emeritus at the University where he served from 1971 to 1988. Hale is a graduate of the University of Nebraska where he was awarded the B.A. and M.A. in Communication and Political Science and English in 1950 and 1951, and his Ph.D. in Communication and Political Science from The Ohio State University in 1955. He was awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the British
Council to the University of London in English Literature in 1960. He holds numerous honorary degrees.
Before coming to Ohio State, he was President of Oakwood College (1966-1971) in Huntsville, Alabama. Earlier, he served as Chairman of the Department of English (1959-1966) at Central State University. From 1971 to 1978, he was Associate Dean and Chairman of the Fellowship Committee of the Graduate School of The Ohio State University. Dr. Hale was appointed Vice Provost for Minority Affairs in 1978, a position which he held until his retirement from The Ohio State University in 1988. He was Executive Assistant to the President at Kenyon College from 1989 to 1992 and was appointed Distinguished University Representative and Consultant at The Ohio State University from 1999-2005.
Dr. Hale has authored and edited ten books and more that fifty articles in professional journals. He has lectured at more than 300 colleges and universities and at 50 state and national conferences. His consultancies include the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Army, U.S. Military, Ohio Department of Administrative Services, the National Science Foundation, the Mott Foundation, the Lilly Foundation and numerous state commissions on higher education.
Dr. Hale has received several hundred awards and citations recognizing his many contributions to the field of higher education. Among these are the Frederick Douglass Patterson Award, the United Negro College Fund’s highest award and the Distinguished Service Award for Human Rights and Social Change of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC), and Radio One’s 25th Anniversary Humanitarian Award.
As a scholar, researcher, author, teacher, administrator, consultant, orator and civil rights crusader, Hale was the engineer of many new initiatives at The Ohio State University. He founded the Graduate and Professional Schools Visitation Days program in 1971 and its undergraduate counterpart, the Minority Scholars Program in 1982. Through his efforts, nearly $15 million graduate fellowship awards were granted to approximately 1, 200 minority students. Eighty percent of these fellowship recipients earned master’s and/or doctoral degrees. As a capstone to his illustrious career, The Ohio State University Board of Trustees voted him Vice Provost and Professor Emeritus, naming in his honor the Frank W. Hale, Jr. Black Cultural Center and designated the building which is housed in Hale Hall. An endowed scholarship has also been established in his name at The Ohio State University.
Dr. Valerie Lee said it best, “A long-time activist, Dr. Frank W. Hale Jr., demonstrated courageous educational, religious and scholarly leadership in civil rights struggles,” Valerie Lee, vice provost for the office of diversity and inclusion, and chief diversity officer, said in a statement. “His life and legacy will inspire generations to come.”