Scholarship in memory of beloved professor, Robert Zangrando

Robert L. Zangrando, University of Akron history professor

The Robert L. Zangrando Memorial Endowed Scholarship, honoring the memory of Robert L. Zangrando, a UA history professor, was recently established by his family and friends. Bob, who taught from 1971 to 1994, specialized in 20th century African-American and Women’s History. He published three books, serving as co-editor of Civil Rights and the African-Americans: A Documentary History; author of The NAACP Crusade Against Lynching; and co-author of Walter F. White: The NAACP’s Ambassador for Social Justice.

Bob was a tireless advocate for civil rights his entire life. He taught in a Mississippi freedom school as part of the Freedom Summer in 1964 and was especially honored to be selected by the NAACP for a presentation at the Library of Congress celebrating the ‘First One Hundred Years of the NAACP.’

He served on the boards of the Akron Rape Crisis Center and Planned Parenthood, and was the first male recipient of the Feminist of the Year Award from Akron Area National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1990. He was a member of the Ohio Chicago Arts Project (O-CAP) that successfully brought Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party to Cleveland, Ohio in May 1981. The scholarship is intended to honor Bob’s lifelong commitment to promoting equal rights and educational opportunities for minority students who, in turn, use their abilities and education to serve their local communities.