Retired Curator Leaves $96,415 toThe United Negro College Fund

The College Fund (UNCF)
Monday, 5 June 2000

Fairfax, VA- James W. Norwood, a retired assistant curator with the Smithsonian Institute, has left $96,415 to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to provide scholarships to help ease the financial burden of deserving, needy students who attend UNCF member institutions.

Mr. Norwood died in January 1999 at the age of 89 after suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Mr. Norwood and his wife, Catheryne, were born and raised in Cleveland, TN, and were both staunch advocates for education and both received degrees in their adult years from American University in Washington, D.C. They firmly believed that African Americans should pursue education and that money should not be a barrier.

"We are extremely grateful for this generous gift from the Norwood estate, which will benefit many deserving young men and women," said William H. Gray, III, president and CEO, UNCF.

After working at the Smithsonian Institute for thirty years, Mr. Norwood retired to Atlanta, GA in 1970 with his wife, who also retired as a psychologist with the Department of Labor. Active in his latter years, at the age of 72, Mr. Norwood became the oldest inductee into the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Mr. and Mrs. Norwood had no children and are survived by niece, Julianne Davis of Silver Spring, MD.

The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is the nation's oldest and most successful African American higher education assistance organization. UNCF is a fundraising consortium of 39 private, fully accredited, four-year historically black colleges and universities. As an educational assistance organization, UNCF provides research and publications on higher education and has raised over $1.5 billion to administer over 450 programs, assist the colleges in obtaining grants for special projects, coordinate student and faculty enrichment programs, and facilitate access to state-of-the-art technology for students and faculty.

For more information, or to contact The College Fund (UNCF), see their website at: www.uncf.org