Dr. Walter N. Ridley, first black graduate of Univ. of Virginia, dies

Dr. Walter Nathaniel Ridley, the first Black` to earn a degree from' the University of Virginia, recently died from complications following surgery for stomach cancer at Chester County Hospital in West Chester, PA. He was 86.

Dr. Ridley made history in 1953 when he became the first Black to earn a doctoral degree from a traditional Southern White university, the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education.

The Newport News, VA, native is also believed to be the first Black to receive any type of degree from a traditional Southern White college or university.

After graduating from the University of Virginia, Dr. Ridley served as the dean of St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville, VA. In 1958, he became the fifth president of Elizabeth City State College, now called Elizabeth City State University, in North Carolina.

During the latter part of his career, the distinguished scholar was a professor at West Chester University in Pennsylvania, where he served until his retirement.

In 1988, he was named president emeritus at both Elizabeth City State University and West Chester University.

The University of Virginia created a privately funded scholarship for Black students in Dr. Ridley's name in 1987. The Ridley Scholarship provides tuition assistance for 25 students annually.

The late educator is survived by his wife, Henrietta; a daughter, Yolanda Ridley Scheunemann; a son, Don LeRoy Ridley; and three grandchildren, Alyssa, Mark and Carl Scheunemann.