James Cheek, Ex-Howard Prexy, In Bankruptcy; Auctions Possessions

Jet, Jan 10, 2000

Possessions of former Howard University President James Cheek, including those from the period he served as head of the nation's largest Black university, recently were put up for auction.

By order of the Bankruptcy Trustee, more than 900 items of personal property, many of them with historic value, were registered and put up for auction by the Capital City Auction & Realty Co., headed by W. Ronald Evans, in the nation's capital.

Scores of people were on hand for items, which ranged from valuable art works to Cheek's electric train sets to a motorcycle.

According to the Washington Post, Cheek, in 1997, was forced to take shelter in U.S. Bankruptcy Court when the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) probed his role in the 1991 collapse of the university-owned United National Bank. Cheek was a member of its board of directors.

The FDIC charged Cheek with gross negligence, among other things, and last year won a $1.8 million judgement against him and his estate, the Post reported.

Dr. Cheek currently lives in Greensboro, NC. A source said that he has undergone surgery recently.