Gerald Gill Memorial Service Update

A Service of Remembrance Honoring the Life and Contributions of

Gerald R. Gill
November 18, 1948 – July 26, 2007

A scholar of twentieth century African-American history, Gerald R. Gill was one of Tufts University’s most honored and distinguished teachers. He was beloved by his students and by his colleagues alike. Twice he was named the Massachusetts College Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. His colleagues and former students could tell you exactly why . . . his door was always open, he was passionate and knowledgeable about what he taught, he remembered each student’s name and cared - most deeply - about each individual, academically as well as personally. A member of the Tufts community for over a quarter of a century, Professor Gill taught and mentored thousands of students and was a friend to all. He was a thoughtful and dedicated colleague, active in service to the university and the community. He loved Tufts and Tufts loved him. He will be remembered by all those who were fortunate enough to have been in his presence . . . if only for a season.

Monday, September 24, 2007
12:15 pm, Cohen Auditorium
Address: 40 Talbot Ave. Medford, MA.
A reception will follow the service (details TBA)

To honor a man who gave so much of himself to Tufts University and its students, the university is pleased to announce the establishment of the GERALD R. GILL FUND, a fund intended to honor his
memory and create a permanent legacy to his life, his scholarship, and his commitment and service to Tufts. To support this effort, please send checks made payable to Trustees of Tufts College to:

Brigette A. Bryant, Sr. Director of Development
Tufts University, School of Arts & Sciences
80 George Street—Room 320
Medford, MA 02155

In the memo field, please add “in memory of Gerald Gill” and allocation code “CR007013”. In addition, you may post your thoughts and remembrances to Professor Gill.

Radical Tufts Journals

TPAN member Roger Winn made this find on eBay of a radical Tufts journal from 1971 called Collective Effort. Here is the description:

This issue of Collective Effort is an attempt to begin to fill the political and social void that presently exists at Tufts. By raising many of the vital questions now confronting the radical movement, it is hoped that the journal will stimulate interest in the formation of collectives on campus. Toward this end, Collective Effort is designed to aid in the development and discussion of radical social critique and action. Only the general outlines of a political position appear in this first issue as we feel the need for larger and more collective deliberation. Thus we urge sympathetic and interested persons to join with us to write, rap and act.

Includes article by Dave Garson, professor of Political Science Dept at Tufts. General sense of this magazine is how to differentiate between Liberalism and Radicalism - moving beyond liberalism.

We can now add Collective Effort to the list of radical Tufts journals that have been published including The Meridian, Submerge (1996-1998), and Radix (2001 - 2005). A new Tufts journal that some have implied is the next heir to this legacy is The Forum, a publication of the Tufts Democrats. Though I have not yet seen a copy of it, it is described to be partisan, not ideological. This is a distinct departure from other Tufts journals of The Left and it may narrow the range of topics & opinions expressed in the new journal. Lets hope not & encourage the progressive wing of The Forum.

Liberals Read More Than Conservatives

An Associated Press-Ipsos poll released this week indicated that liberals read more than conservatives, and Pat Schroeder – the president of the American Association of Publishers, and the former Democratic House member from Colorado – made headlines when she tried to interpret the results. . .

Read Story

See Full Poll Results

Gerald Gill Memorial Service to take place Homecoming Weeekend

The word on the Gerald Gill Memorial Facebook Group is that the Tufts memorial service for Gerald Gill is to take place during Homecoming Weekend on Saturday, October 6. This will be a good time for us to get together and talk about our experiences with Gerald Gill. See you there.

Police Brutality at IWW Demonstration

Police Brutality in North Providence (Warning: the police broke this girl's leg, and the pictures are graphic)
Providence Journal article

Job Opening: American Youth Policy Forum

For those interested in education/youth issues...


AYPF is seeking a Senior Program Associate to join our team. The Senior Program Associate will manage specific grant projects, including work on policy related to secondary school reform, access to college and careers, and vulnerable youth. Initially, the Senior Program Associate will primarily be responsible for managing a project funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to conceptualize and develop a series of field trips to help local policy leaders learn more about reaching struggling students and out-of-school youth and expanding opportunities for high school-aged youth. This project engages municipal leaders in building cross-system collaborations and implementing effective strategies to re-engage disconnected youth by providing hands-on professional development activities to mayors and superintendents, their staffs, and other local leaders engaged in efforts to reach young people who have dropped out of school, are out of work, or have been involved in the juvenile justice or foster care systems. The Senior Program Associate will also conceptualize and develop highly visible forums on Capitol Hill to showcase effective policies and practices.



Other aspects of the job will include:

· Managing the budget and operational aspects of projects;

· Interacting with funders and providing periodic progress reports;

· Reviewing and analyzing research, evaluations, and policies to identify effective policies, programs and practices;

· Assisting in the conceptualization and development of related field trips and forums for other AYPF projects;

· Writing and editing a range of publications and documents on these topics;

· Assisting in fundraising by identifying potential funding sources and writing grants; and

· Making public presentations and effectively representing AYPF at conferences and meetings.



The ideal candidate for this position will:

have a strong understanding of secondary education policy, with a specific focus on the challenges faced by vulnerable youth, the major ongoing reform efforts in place throughout the country to reconnect youth to education and training, as well as a general understanding of current education and workforce training issues;
have at least three years’ experience working in a senior education policy-related position at the national, state, or local level. Background in research is helpful but not required;
collaborate effectively with other organizations in the joint development and management of projects;
have experience in fundraising and grants management;
have excellent writing, communication, and analytical skills;
be able to interact with a wide variety of individuals in a professional manner.


AYPF is a non-profit professional development organization based in Washington, DC. We provide nonpartisan learning opportunities for professionals working on education and youth policy issues at the national, state, and local levels. Our goal is to enable policymakers and their aides to be more effective in their professional duties. To find out more about us, please visit www.aypf.org.

Memorial Service for Prof. Gill

The first service for Professor Gill will take place Thursday 11 AM at Goddard Chapel, 2 August 2007. There will be another one in the fall semester.

In lieu of flowers people may make contributions to the Gerald R. Gill Scholarship Fund, c/o the Africana Center, Tufts University.