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JERRY WATTS Obituary
JERRY G. WATTS May 17, 1953 - November 16, 2015
Leading scholar of African American political thought Jerry Gafio Watts, 62, born and raised in Washington, D.C., son of the late Maria and James S. Watts, Sr., died November 16, 2015. He is survived by: his spouse, Traci West, sister Brenda Watts, brother, Robert Watts; nephews: James Watts III, Gregory Watts, Michael Watts, Shawn Sloan, Kyle Sloan, niece, Ravae Perkins; aunt Evelyn Foster; and a host of relatives, students and friends. Watts graduated from DeMatha Catholic High School (D.C.), earned his B.A. from Harvard University, and PhD from Yale University. Watts served as Assistant professor of Government and Afro-American Studies, Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT), Associate and full professor of American Studies, Trinity College (Hartford, CT), professor of English, CUNY Graduate Center (NY). He wrote Heroism and the Black Intellectual: Reflections on Ralph Ellison, Politics, and Afro-American Intellectual Life and Amiri Baraka: The Politics and Art of a Black Intellectual. Watts was known for his commitment to mentoring his students, generous spirit to workers across class and race/ethnicity, critiques of white supremacy in U.S. racial politics and academia, scandalous humor and storytelling, and love for his family. He will be greatly missed by all who loved him and had the chance to learn from him. Memorial service will be December 5, 2015 at 6:15 p.m. at the NY Society for Ethical Culture, 2 West 64th Street, New York, NY. A reception will follow. For more information or to send a condolence, please visit www.bradleyfuneralhomes.com. In lieu of flowers donations in honor of Jerry Watts may be made to: NAACP Legal Defense Fund, 40 Rector Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10006.
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Memories and Condolences
for JERRY WATTS
Sponsored by His spouse, Traci West.
Melissa A. Kotulski
June 10, 2023
Professor Watts was always a supportive energy on campus at Trinity College.
My favorite memory of him was when I sat next to him outside of the old coffee shop/book store in McCook at Trinity College. He was just listening to a student espouse her thesis to him.
I asked him what he was doing, and he said, "All I did was ask her the right question."
She spoke for at least ten more minutes, and he stood there and gave her important feedback at the end of her informal, spontaneous talk.
I asked him, "Was that your student?"
"Not for that class."
That was Brother Watts. Generous to a T--Trinity. He is missed.
Angelo Messore
November 19, 2020
I will always remember Jerry Watts. He and I were in graduate school together at Yale. We spent hours discussing philosophy and politics in the coffeehouses of New Haven. His intelligence, kindness, and generosity were an unforgettable part of my graduate school experience. Meeting Jerry on the streets of New Haven and talking to him about books we were reading was a great pleasure. I could always count on him to provide thoughtful insights on important ideas. He had this remarkable way of genuinely connecting with people and brought joy to the lives of many. Whenever I feel sad I think of Jerry. He was one of the people who made my graduate school experience so special.
Brenda Maria Watts
November 16, 2020
On Monday, November 16, 2020, I Brenda Maria Watts, SISTER of Professor Jerry Gafio Watts, am remembering, celebrating and honoring
Dr. Jerry , my BELOVED brother, who DIED on Monday, November 16, 2015. Today, has been a very, very, very sad and very, very difficult day for me. For Dr. Jerry's spouse, Dr. Rev. Traci West, colleagues, faculty, constituents, students, friends and associates, Professor Jerry will be
remembered as a leading American SCHOLAR of Afro-American literature, culture and politics. His World-Class and World-Renowned demeanor and posture, impacted and influenced thousands of lives,
worldwide. His generosity of spirit, kindness, and compassion reached out to touch hundreds of people. I truly love and miss my brother.
BRENDA WATTS
September 24, 2019
On September 24, 2019, at 1630, I, BRENDA MARIA WATTS REMEMBER VISITING WITH MY BROTHER, DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS, at the KESSLER REHAB CENTER, ON Saturday, November 14, 2015 and upon entering DR. JERRY'S ROOM, was so ELATED AND ENTHUSED TO SEE DR. JERRY, WHO OF COURSE, RECOGNIZED ME. DR. TRACI (DR. JERRY'S SPOUSE) was there also. I spent such a beautiful day with my brother, DR. JERRY. AN OUTSTANDING CHARACTER TRAIT THAT I NOTICED ABOUT MY BROTHER, DR. JERRY, WAS HIS HUMBLENESS. I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT AND AROUND MANY, MANY, MEN IN MY LIFETIME AND I HAVE NEVER, I REPEAT, I HAVE NEVER MET OR COME IN CONTACT WITH A HUMBLE MAN. DR. JERRY IS THE ONLY HUMBLE MAN I HAVE EVER MET IN MY ENTIRE LIFETIME. I HAVE IN MY ENTIRE LIFETIME, NEVER MET ANY PASTOR, BISHOP OR CHRISTIAN BROTHER IN THE CHURCH, WHO HAS EVER EXHIBITED THE HUMBLENESS OF GOD, AND THE BROKENNESS OF GOD EVER, EXCEPT MY BROTHER, DR. JERRY.
BRENDA WATTS
September 24, 2019
On Tuesday, September 24, 2019, at 1600, I BRENDA MARIA WATTS, would like to HONOR AND CELEBRATE my two DECEASED brothers, DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS AND MR. JAMES S. WATTS, JR., WHO WERE EXTRAORDINARY AND INCREDIBLE brothers, who were EXTREMELY MULTI-GIFTED and MULTI-TALENTED brothers, who SERVED OTHERS AND MANKIND, UNRESERVEDLY, THROUGHOUT THEIR LIFETIME. I am truly BLESSED BY GOD to have had these brothers in my life, who were men of the UTMOST INTEGRITY, CHARACTER, HONESTY, DEVOTION, COMMITMENT, LOVE AND EXCELLENCE. THESE TWO DECEASED BROTHERS SACRIFICIALLY LAID THEIR OWN LIVES DOWN FOR THE WELFARE OF THOUSANDS OF OTHERS. BRENDA MARIA WATTS
BRENDA WATTS
May 23, 2019
THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2019 3:00 A.M.
I WAS TYPING MY NOTE AND THE COMPUTER MALFUNCTIONED AND WOULD NOT LET ME COMPLETE MY NOTE. I WILL ATTEMPT TO COMPLETE MY NOTE LATER. I AM SO VERY SORRY FOR THIS.
BRENDA WATTS
May 17, 2019
MAY 17, 2019
MAY 17, 1953, COMMENORATES THE CELEBRATION FOROF MY BELOVED BROTHER, DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS'S BIRTHDAY. FOR YEARS AND DECADES TO COME, DR. JERRY WILL BE HONORED, REVERED, REVERENCED, RECOGNIZED, REMEMBERED AND CHERISHED AS A REMARKABLE, UNIQUELY TALENTED, SPECTACLAR, EXUBERANT, MAGNIFICENT, SPLENDID AND MARVELOUS INDIVIDUAL, AN ILLUSTRIOUS, EXCELLENT, HIGHLY DISTINGUISHED, AWESOME, EXCEPTION, DEVOTED, KIND, COMPASSIONATE AND LOVING BROTHER, AND AN INCREDIBLE, EXTRAORDINARY, PHENOMENAL AND RENOWNED HUMAN BEING, WHOSE BENEVOLENCE, RADIANCE, GENEROSITY OF SPIRIT AND COMPASSION REACHED OUT TO TOUCH THE LIVES OF SEVERAL HUNDRED PEOPLE.
IT WAS DR. JERRY'S HUMANITARIANISM THAT ELEVATED HIM TO A POSITION OF HIGHEST HONOR AND WAS A FINAL VALIDATION OF A LASTING CORONATION OF AN HONORABLE LIFE LIVED. DR. JERRY'S WORLD-CLASS AND WORLD-RENOWNED DEMEANOR AND POSTURE EMPHASIZED CULTURED RESPECTABILITY, FAMILY STABILITY, PRIDE AND LOVE. DR. JERRY WAS TREMENDOUSLY BLESSED BY GOD TO HAVE ACHIEVED NATIONAL PROMINENCE, BOTH CULTURALLY AND BLOBALLY. BRENDA MARIA WATTS,
SISTER, OF DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS
December 26, 2018
ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2018 (CHRISTMAS), I, BRENDA MARIA WATTS, AM THANKING GOD, FOR HAVING BEEN GIVEN THE AWESOME PRIVILEGE OF HAVING SHARED MY LIFE WITH MY PARENTS, MR. AND MRS. JAMES S. WATTS, SR., MR. JAMES S. WATTS, JR., (JIMMY), MY OLDEST BROTHER, DR.JERRY GAFIO WATTS AND ROBERT, MY YOUNGEST BROTHER, WHO IS STILL LIVING AND IS AN EXTRAORDINARY AND INCREDIBLE BROTHER AND IS A TRUE GIFT FROM GOD. ON THIS CHRISTMAS DAY, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2018, AS I REFLECT ON MY BROTHER, DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS, I MUST SAY THAT I AM SO VERY HONORED AND FAVORED BY GOD, TO HAVES HARED MY LIFE WITH SUCH A PHENOMENAL BROTHER WHO SACRIFICIALLY LAID HIS LIFE DOWN FOR EVERYONE, WITH SUCH KINDNESS, COMPASSION, LOVE AND DEVOTION. DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS WAS SO GIFTED AND ENDOWED BY GOD, WITH SUCH BRILLIANCE AND EXCELLENCE, TO BECOME A LEADING SCHOLAR IN BLACK POLITICAL THOUGHT.
DR. JERRY WATTS HAS EARNED HIS PLACE THROUGH COMMUNITY ACTION, EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING, AS AN INTELLECTUAL GENIUS, SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENT, SPORTING PROWESS, AND OVERALL CULTURAL EXCELLENCE. IN ADDITION, DR. JERRY GAFI WATTS'S INHERENT HUMILITY AND EXPERTISE, HAVE MADE HIM ONE OF THE GREATEST LITERARY SCHOLARS OF ALL TIMES. DR. JERRY WAS A PATH BREAKING MODEL OF HIS GENERATION, WHOSE CLASSICAL AND RENOWNED LITERARY BOOKS DEPICTED EXTRAORDINARY, GROUND BREAKING, DYNAMIC, COMPREHENSIVE AND OUTSTANDING LITERARY CONTRIBUTIONS, WHICH COMMANDS OUR ATTENTION, OUR ALLEGIANCE AND OUR UTMOST RESPECT FOR THIS PHENOMENAL AND EXTRAORDINARY BROTHER OF MINE. DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS WAS A METICULOUS CRAFTSMAN, AN ARTIST WHO WAS A PERFECTIONIST ABOUT EVERY DETAIL OF HIS WORK. DR. JERRY HAD A PROFOUND WAY OF IMBUING HIS STUDENTS WITH AN UNMISTAKABLE AIR OF DIGNITY AND WITH A PRESENCE THAT BESPOKE A QUIET UNDERSTATED POWER. CONSIDERED AS ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST IMPORTANT CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS AND AS ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT AND FAMOUS LITERARY AUTHORS, DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS COMPLETED HIS TWO-VOLUME, ALMOST SEVEN HUNDRED PAGE DOCTORAL DISSERTATION, THE POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY OF ETHNICALLY MARGINAL BLACK INTELLECTUALS. AMONG HIS PUBLICATIONS, DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS AUTHORED HEROISM AND THE BLACK INTELLECTUAL:REFLECTIONS ON RALPH ELLISON, POLITICS, AND AFRO-AMERICAN INTELLECTUAL LIFE, LEROI JONES/AMIRI BARAKA:THE POLITICS AND ART OF A BLACK INTELLECTUAL AND EDITED HAROLD CRUSE'S THE CRISIS OF THE NEGRO INTELLECTUAL RECONSIDERED. THIS IN NO WAY INCLUDES ALL OF DR. JERRY'S SCORES OF BOOK CHAPTERS, ARTICLES AND COMMENTARIES. DR. JERRY'S WORLD-CLASS AND WORLD-RENOWNED DEMEANOR AND POSTURE EMPHASIZED CULTURED RESPECTABILITY, FAMILY STABILITY, PRIDE AND LOVE. IT WAS DR. JERRY'S HUMANITARIANISM THAT ELEVATED HIM TO A POSITION OF HIGHEST HONOR AND WAS A FINAL VALIDATION OF A LASTING CORONATION OF AN HONORABLE LIFE LIVED. DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS LEAVES HIS HUMANITARIAN, MONUMENTAL AND SPIRITUAL LEGACY THAT WILL IMPACT, ENRICH AND ENHANCE THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS, FOR YEARS AND GENERATIONS TO COME. DR. JERRY INFLUENCED THE INTELLECTUAL ATMOSPHERE OF VARIOUS UNIVERSITIES, CREATING A HAVEN FOR RESEARCH AND SCHOLARLY INDEPENDENCE. DR. JERRY EXEMPLIFIED THE INTELLECTUAL AND ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP THAT ATTRACTED THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST ACTIVIST INTELLECTUALS, SCHOLARS AND ARTISTS TO THESE UNIVERSITIES. ALL OF US AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY, YALE UNIVERSITY, WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY, TRINITY COLLEGE IN CONNECTICUT, AND AT CUNY GRADUATE CENTER, IN NEW YORK, NEW YORK, OWE DR. JERRY OUR GRATITUDE, OUR ADULATION AND OUR RESPECT FOR HIS EXTRAORDINARY LIFE. WE ALL REVERE DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS SIMPLY BECAUSE HE HAS STOOD IN PROXY AND HAS REPRESENTED OUR PAIN, OUR TRIUMPHS, OUR BEAUTY, OUR STRENGTH AND OUR LOVE ON A GLOBAL SCALE. ON THIS CHRISTMAS DAY, ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2018, AS WE CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS DAY WITH OUR FRIENDS AND LOVE ONES, LET US ALL, INCLUDING DR. JERRY'S COLLEAGUES, THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS, CONFIDANTS, PEERS, FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES ALSO REMEMBER, HONOR, RESPECT AND GIVE REVERENCE TO DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS, WHO GOD USED TO TOUCH THOUSANDS OF LIVES. MY PRAYER TO GOD IS THAT ALL WHO KNEW DR. JERRY WILL SEE AND READ THIS SHORT TRIBUTE ON DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS, MY BELOVED BROTHER, ON THIS CHRISTMAS DAY, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2018, BY HIS SISTER, BRENDA MARIA WATTS. PLEASE TAKE THE THE TIME TO READ MY HONORARY TRIBUTE OF DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS ON FACEBOOK. PLEASE ALSO READ THE ENDURING LEGACY OF DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS FROM ONE OF HIS MOSST PRECIOUS STUDENTS.
BRENDA WATTS
December 25, 2018
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2018 (CHRISTMAS) I, BRENDA MARIA WATTS WOULD LIKE TO HONOR AND TO REMEMBER DR. REV. TRACI WEST, SPOUSE OF DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS ON THIS CHRISTMAS DAY
JIM WATTS, III
December 25, 2018
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2018 MR. JIM WATTS, III, NEPHEW, OF DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS, MENTIONED TO ME, ON THE PHONE, TODAY, ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2018 (CHRISTMAS) THAT HE REMEMBERS THAT UNCLE JERRY DIED AND MISSES HIM. BRENDA MARIA WATTS, DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS'S SISTER, IS SIGNING THE GUEST BOOK FOR MR. JIM WATTS, III, THE NEPHEW OF DR. JERRY.
BRENDA MARIA WATTS
December 6, 2018
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2018 THIS IS A SACRED DATE THAT COMMEMORATES MY BROTHER, DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS'S DEATH. DR. JERRY'S WORLD-CLASS AND WORLD-RENOWNED DEMEANOR IMPACTED THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, WORLD-WIDE. FOR GENERATIONS TO COME, DR. JERRY WILL ALWAYS BE REVERED, HONORED, REVERENCED, RECOGNIZED AND REMEMBERED AS ONE OF THE TOP EQUIPPERS IN THE UNITED STATES, WHOSE LEADERSHIP EMPOWERED PERSONAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. OUT OF MY GREAT ADMIRATION AND ADORATION FOR DR. JERRY, MY HEART IS TOUCHED BY JERRY BEING ONE OF MY GREATEST MENTORS, WHO INSPIRED, ENCOURAGED AND CORRECTED ME THROUGHOUT MY DEVELOPMENT OVER THE YEARS. AS A MOTIVATOR OF EXCELLENCE, DR. JERRY PROVOKED ME TO BE AND TO DO MY BEST IN EVERYTHING. DR. JERRY WAS BLESSED BY GOD TO HAVE ACHIEVED NATIONAL PROMINENCE, BOTH CULTURALLY AND GLOBALLY. I, BRENDA MARIA WATTS, AM ETERNALLY BLESSED TO HAVE SHARED MY LIFE WITH MY BELOVED BROTHER DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS.
Paul Jacks
November 1, 2017
I did a Google search today and discovered that my dearest friend from my college days at Yale had passed away. I have thought often about Jerry over the years and was looking him up in order to reach out to him, since I hadn't spoken to him since about 1980 or 1981. I had wanted to contact him some years ago when I was in New York and now I regret that I did not. Jerry was a great guy and one of the most intellectually stimulating people I have ever known. I had the privilege meeting him during his first year in graduate school and my final year of college. We spent hundreds of hours arguing and talking about books. He had so many thoughts about everything and there were many nights we stayed up and saw the sun rise. He was an accomplished story-teller and we had a lot of laughs together. I will forever cherish those memories. My belated condolences to the family-- I am in shock and very sad.
BRENDA WATTS
August 19, 2017
SATURDAY, AUGUST 19, 2017
@ 11:OO A.M.
I, BRENDA MARIA WATTS, JERRY'S ONE AND ONLY BIOLOGICAL SISTER AM THINKING ABOUT MY BELOVED BROTHER JERRY AND THE GIFTS AND TALENTS THAT HE POSSESSED. I WROTE A TRIBUTE ON MY BROTHER, JERRY WHICH IS ON FACEBOOK.COM. ONCE YOU TYPE IN FACEBOOK.COM GO TO MY TRIBUTE PAGE UNDER MY NAME BRENDA MARIA WATTS. SCROLL DOWN THE PAGE AND YOU WILL SEE A CAPTION, DIRECTING YOU TO JERRY'S TRIBUTE. OR, WHEN YOU TYPE IN FACEBOOK.COM. TYPE IN DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS AND THIS WILL TAKE YOU TO JERRY'S TRIBUTE PAGE, AND YOU WILL SEE A TRIBUTE WRITTEN ON JERRY. I MADE THE TRIBUTE OF JERRY, PUBLIC, MEANING THAT ANYONE CAN READ IT; YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE FRIENDS WITH ME ON FACEBOOK, IN ORDER TO READ THE TRIBUTE. I DIVIDED THE TRIBUTE OF MY BROTHER, DR. JERRY GAFIO WATTS, INTO 3 SECTIONS. THE FIRST SECTION DISCUSSES JERRY'S CHILDHOOD. THE 2ND SECTION OF THE TRIBUTE FOCUSES ON JERRY'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND THE 3RD SECTION OF THE TRIBUTE GOES INTO DETAIL ABOUT HOW JERRY'S DEATH AFFECTED ME AND THE IMPACT OF LOSING A LOVE ONE THROUGH DEATH. MY TRIBUTE WILL BRING COMFORT TO HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST A LOVE ONE. TAKE A MOMENT AND READ THE TRIBUTE.
BRENDA MARIA WATTS
BRENDA WATTS
August 17, 2017
THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2017, @ 2:40 P.M. MY BELOVED BROTHER JERRY, WAS A WONDERFUL, KIND, COMPASSIONATE AND LOVING YOUNG MAN WHO SACRIFICIALLY LAID HIS LIFE DOWN FOR MY IMMEDIATE FAMILY AND TO HUNDREDS OF OTHER PEOPLE. HE WAS THE ANCHOR OF MY IMMEDIATE FAMILY - INCLUDING MY MOTHER, FATHER ME AND TWO OTHER BROTHERS, AS WELL AS MY THREE NEPHEWS, JAMES III, MICHAEL AND GREGORY. DADDY, BEING FOREMOST, AND INITIALLY THE ANCHOR OF OUR IMMEDIATE FAMILY,ALONG WITH JERRY, BOTH EXHIBITED AND REFLECTED THE VERY HEART OF GOD. JERRY'S VERY LIFE REFLECTED THE COMPASSION OF OUR LORD. I WILL FOREVER BE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE TRUE GIFT FROM GOD THAT JERRY, MY BELOVED BROTHER WAS TO THE WORLD. BRENDA MARIA WATTS, JERRY'S ONE AND ONLY BIOLOGICAL SISTER.
BRENDA WATTS
August 5, 2017
THERE IS NOT A DAY THAT GOES BY THAT I DON'T REFLECT AND THINK OF JERRY. JERRY WAS A WONDERFUL, KIND, COMPASSIONATE, LOVING,SPECTACULAR AND EXTRAORDINARY BROTHER. I AM STILL GRIEVING THE LOSS OF MY BELOVED BROTHER JERRY. BRENDA MARIA WATTS, JERRY'S ONE AND ONLY BIOLOGICAL SISTER
Annamaria Basile
April 23, 2017
Traci,
It's been years and yesterday Jerry's name came up in a conversation so I was determined to track you both down. This obituary shocked and saddened me to no end. I will always remember Jerry's laugh and kindness from college and then in Middletown. I send you a hug and many good thoughts.
Please be in touch when you feel up to it,
Love,
Anna
Gayle Pemberton
March 6, 2016
Dear Traci,
I never met you, but I had the pleasure of meeting Jerry a number of years after he left Wesleyan. It was a great pleasure hearing him speak and talking with him.
His scholarship was fabulous and I found his work on Ralph Ellison so very wise and inspiring.
Know that his legacy will be held in high regard by his students, colleagues and those of us fortunate enough to have met him on our journey.
Angelo Messore
January 12, 2016
I first met Jerry when we were both graduate students at Yale in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He was always a pleasure to be with-- thoughtful, perceptive, and kind. Unfortunately, we went our separate ways after graduate school and lost touch. It was a shock to hear that he had passed away. I will always remember the stimulating discussions I had with Jerry on controversial issues in political philosophy. He always helped me to understand ideas from different perspectives. The lives of graduate students may at times become difficult, but Jerry always brought us humor and inspiration. I shall always remember him.
Marcus Bruce
December 15, 2015
Dear Traci, you and Jerry have my thoughts and prayers. He encouraged me when I first thought of graduate school over books and coffee at Atticus Books. He possessed and extraordinary mind and a loving heart. Blessings to you both.
Andre Duncan
December 5, 2015
Prof. Jerry Watts taught me the meaning of the word intellicutal property. There are now two prolific minds that I have had the pleasure of meeting and learning from. The first being Arthur Ashe and the second is Proffesor Jerry Watts. God bless you and your family.
Ellen Davis
December 4, 2015
My love and prayers are extended to you Traci, Robert and Brenda (and the boys). May God grant you peace. Wish I was near to give you a hug. Sincerely, Ellen Simms Davis
William (Billy) Jackson
December 4, 2015
I was really shocked to hear about the passing of Jerry. My deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time. Jerry was one of the first friends I ever had in this life. We grew up on 24th Street NE in DC and attended the same elementary school, John Burroughs. As kids we played army, trick or treated, had snowball fights, rode our bikes to the stores on Bunker Hill Road, played kickball in the alley behind my house, would sometimes catch a movie at the Newton, Village or Kaywood theaters and we had great adventures exploring the Smithsonian Museums. About the time of our mid teenage years I recall helping Jerry now and then deliver the Washington Evening Star and as we would walk the paper route we would discuss world events and the issues of the day, race relations, Vietnam, world peace and of course which part of DC had the best looking girls. Jerry was a super great guy with an outstanding mind and brilliant sense of humor. I will forever feel that bond of a special friendship cemented so long ago. Bye old friend, take care, rest in peace!
Dorothy Outlaw
December 3, 2015
It is time like this that our faith is put to the test. We know that we must accept his passing and give thanks for the wonderful like he lived. As sad as it is, we will always have the memory of him to hold in our hearts.
Carolyn Perry
December 2, 2015
I was so sorry to learn of Jerry's passing. My deepest condolences to his family. I first met him when we were in the 4th grade at John Burroughs Elementary School in Washington, DC. He was my first real crush. Even then he had a personality larger than life. I saw him many times when he was a student at Harvard and I was attending Northeastern University. We lost track until he found me on Facebook a few years ago. I have been reading all the tributes from former students and colleagues and it is clear he was well-loved and respected across the board. It warms my heart to know that he truly made a difference in a lot of lives!
December 2, 2015
Sincere condolences to the family. May our Heavenly Father (Psalms 83:18) comfort and strengthen you during this time of great pain and sorrow.
tonya
December 1, 2015
Professor Watts could light up a room with keen wit and incisive compassion. In gratitude for his presence, intellect and laughter.
Eleanor Traubman
December 1, 2015
I was in the class of '91 at Trinity and knew Jerry well. He was a caring, funny, deeply thoughtful man. He was incredibly supportive of student who were active in political and social causes on and off campus, which meant a lot and went a long way in a conservative climate. His stories had me doubled over in laughter.
To have known Jerry was a blessing. At the time that I met him, I was 18 and far away from home. It was reassuring to meet someone who saw things for what they were, told the truth, and openly showed caring.
He came to a lot of student events and he carefully tracked what was going on on campus, in the world, and in our lives. He cared tremendously about students - and all people - and encouraged us to value, engage, and challenge our minds.
Jerry, I will miss you terribly. I know you are in heaven telling great stories, making folks up there laugh and think and treat themselves and others with the utmost of respect.
David L. Evans
December 1, 2015
I first met Jerry in 1971 during his freshman year at Harvard when I was a relatively new admissions officer, an adviser to freshmen and a dormitory proctor in Wigglesworth Hall in Harvard Yard. Mind you, this was at a time when the Black Power Movement, the Anti-War Movement and the Nation of Islam were most visible in Harvard Square. Many of the African American students on campus were active in one or more of those movements. And not a few of the activists brooked little or no disagreement with their strongly-held views. Some were intimidated by the volume of their voices and the Marxist, Leninist, Malcolm X'ist mumbo-jumbo that often spewed therefrom, but not Jerry. Emplaced in his character were both a filter and a compass that respectively sifted what was allowed into his reasoning and thereafter guided his coherent responses to that input.
In hearing his exchanges in the dining hall with some of the more vociferous activists, I discovered that Jerry didn't need loudness to be logical. He was equally comfortableand steadfastin his exchanges with some of the pseudo-intellectuals too. These were men and women who seemingly confused five and six-syllable words (spiced with four-letter words) with scholarly insight. In such company Jerry was even more impressive because he didn't need to be pretentious or profane to be profound.
Given these qualities, I thought Jerry was born and grew up in the Deep South (as did I) or, if not, spent most of his childhood in that area. His folkloric, but compelling, logic was too weighty and too much like MLK and other Southern Black preachers not to have been. I soon learned that he was from DC, but his parents were from Home and, in their parenting, kept the fires burning.
We didn't see each often after his graduation from Harvard, but we spoke occasionally on the phone and exchanged emails and, true to form, his folkloric jokes were often hilarious and infused with compelling logic. Would that we had others who could be so comfortableand effectivein conveying wisdom to the broad socioeconomic masses touched my Jerry.
God rest him from a scholarly life well lived and a pedagogical job well done!
David L. Evans
Cambridge, MA 02138
Kathleen Dunn
December 1, 2015
Inspiring, generous, and spot-on in everything -- intellect, wit, spirit and heart. Condolences to all of his loved ones, colleagues and students. Your scholars will miss you Jerry.
Omar Montana
December 1, 2015
At the Graduate Center, Watts often said: "If you want to tell the truth to the American people, write a book!" I will always remember this and Watts's energy in the classroom.
daniel johnson
December 1, 2015
My thoughts and prayers are with Jerry's family at this time. Jerry and I were classmates at DeMatha.
Althea SpencerMiller
November 30, 2015
Your light is dimmed but not quenched. Though dimmed too soon yours is an unforgettable illumination.
Sherri Pinkston
November 30, 2015
My deepest condolences to Jerry's family and friends. I only knew Jerry when we were young, elementary and Jr. High school, even then he was one of the "Super-smart" people I knew and that he would accomplish a lot. I'll remember his family and friends in my prayers.
T JAMEEL MUHAMMAD
November 30, 2015
....from the One God...we do come...and to the One God..we all return...Jerry was the brother of our neighborhood...I went to Morehouse and Jerry went to Harvard....love you and miss you brother ...amen
Fath Davis Ruffins
November 30, 2015
Jerry and I went to college together-he to Harvard, and I went to Radcliffe. I remember him fondly from those years and have followed his academic career with interest. I was shocked to learn of his passing from an obituary in the Washington Post. My deepest condolences to his wife and family. May he rest in peace.
Laurel Kearns
November 29, 2015
Still quite in shock that you are gone...much too young. You are so very, very missed.
Daryl Toliver
November 26, 2015
Jerry was a childhood friend. We grew up on the same street, 24th Street, in NE Washington DC. Jerry was a pretty good athlete growing up but a great student. He was arguably the best student in our community and our community was a special place. Jerry was a 1st Team Academic American in my
book. Had a great sense of humor to add to a brilliant mind. Jerry was well loved in DC and will be missed. My wife and I offer our condolences to his wife Traci as well as to Brenda and Robert. God Bless!
Daryl Toliver
Vonda Shands
November 26, 2015
Rest in sweet peace, Brother Jerry Watts. Your intellectual light has inspired so many. Your humble concern for others has given so much encouragement. Your thoughtful wisdom will continue to guide the lives you have touched.
Joy
November 25, 2015
I was honored to be a student of Dr. Watts at Trinity College. His commitment to social justice, his humor, his intellect, and his love for his students will be missed. My condolences to his family.
November 25, 2015
Mind blowing, funny as hell with intelligence that was only matched by your genuine love for your students. You will be forever missed. You're the best Watts.
Sara Gray
November 25, 2015
I am devastated at the loss of Jerry Watts. His humor, wisdom, and guidance got my through my time at Trinity College. He opened my eyes to the history of inequity as well as its current-day manifestation. I loved going up to his office and rapping about privilege and power. Brother Watts - I miss you and love you!
Sending love and care to his family and wide network of loved ones.
Best,
Sister Brown
November 25, 2015
My heart and mind is with the family, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances of Jerry Watts, a special scholar, teacher, and person.
David S. Reynolds
November 25, 2015
My deep condolences to the family of the Jerry Watts, a wonderful colleague and scholar.
November 25, 2015
A friend and colleague,generous and challenging. Deeply, deeply missed.
Jon-Christian Suggs
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How to support JERRY's loved ones
Should I Send Sympathy Flowers?
What kind of arrangement is appropriate, where should you send it, and when should you send an alternative?
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What Should I Write in a Sympathy Card?
We'll help you find the right words to comfort your family member or loved one during this difficult time.
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Resources to help you cope with loss
How to Cope With Grief
Information and advice to help you cope with the death of someone important to you.
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Estate Settlement Guide
If you’re in charge of handling the affairs for a recently deceased loved one, this guide offers a helpful checklist.
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Obituaries, grief & privacy: Legacy’s news editor on NPR podcast
Legacy's Linnea Crowther discusses how families talk about causes of death in the obituaries they write.
Read moreWays to honor JERRY WATTS's life and legacy
Obituary Examples
You may find these well-written obituary examples helpful as you write about your own family.
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Obituary Templates – Customizable Examples and Samples
These free blank templates make writing an obituary faster and easier.
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How Do I Write a Eulogy?
Some basic help and starters when you have to write a tribute to someone you love.
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