TITLE
Title
RESOLUTION HONORING THE LIFE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF DR. EDWARD BERNARD FORT
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SPONSOR
Sponsor
Commissioner Frankie T. Jones, Jr.
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RESOLUTION
Resolution
WHEREAS, Dr. Edward B. Fort, Ed.D., departed on August 9, 2026 at the age of 94 and is remembered as an accomplished educator, leader and lifelong public servant who successfully strengthened North Carolina A&T State University’s reputation as a global leader in research, engineering and technology education; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Fort was born on April 14, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan and received his Bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University before serving in the US Army in Berlin, Germany. Upon his return to the United States, he pursued his Master’s Degree in Educational Administration and received his Doctorate in Education from the University of California at Berkley in 1964; and
WHEREAS, he made history in 1967 when he became one of the few Black school superintendents in the country upon being selected to lead the Inkster School District in Michigan. In the years following he served as Superintendent of the Sacramento City Unified School District in California and lead the University of Wisconsin Center System before being installed as the eighth Chancellor of North Carolina A&T State University on April 24, 1982; and
WHEREAS, under his tenure, A&T initiated more than thirty (30) new academic programs, awarded its first doctoral degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering, completed construction of the F.D. Bluford Library, Ronald E. McNair Hall and the Edward B. Fort Interdisciplinary Research Center. Dr. Fort received national and presidential appointments to several notable advisory boards and commissions that continued to earn himself and A&T global recognition and acclaim, including: the first President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (1991), first Black member of the NASA Advisory Council (1991), the NASA Blue Ribbon Commission on the Redesign of the International Space Station (1993), the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Capital Financing Board (1994) and the National Collegiate Athletics Division 1 Board (1997); and
WHEREAS, Dr. Fort retired from chancellorship on June 30, 1999 and returned to the classroom where he spent the next 24 years teaching, mentoring and guiding A&T doctoral students until his second retirement on June 27, 2023 at the age of 91; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of a lifetime of extraordinary intellect, fortitude and achievement, Dr. Fort has received the following honors: Chairman of the White House Science Advisory Commission (1986), Order of the Long Leaf Pine (1999), honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from NC A&T State University (2023) and honorary Doctor of Laws from Wayne State University; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Fort was predeceased by his beloved wife of 52 years, Lessie, in 2012 and is survived by his two children, Clarke and Lezlie, along with a host of nieces, nephews and cousins to whom he instilled his passion for scholarship and service and passed on a love for the students, staff and institution that was his life’s work.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Guilford County Board of Commissioners that it hereby expresses its appreciation and admiration for the ground-breaking accomplishments and enduring legacy of Dr. Edward B. Fort, and his contributions to Guilford County, the State of North Carolina, the United States and beyond, and extends its sincere condolences to his family and friends.
ADOPTED this the 18th day of November 2026.
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REQUESTED ACTION
Requested Action
Receive a resolution honoring the life and accomplishments of Dr. Edward Bernard Fort.
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