 Virgil
H. Carr was well known as a dedicated philanthropist and highly
respected community leader and human services activist. As the
first African American president and chief executive officer of
United Way Community Services of Detroit, Michigan, in 1993 (until
his passing), he was known as a trend-setting leader who stimulated
outstanding business support for human services despite a harsh
economic climate. His reputation was to freely provide
guidance and share his wealth of knowledge about the delivery of
human and social services.He also served as CEO and president of
United Way of Chicago, and before that as CEO of Detroit and Wayne
County Family Services. In 1979, he was honored as
metropolitan Detroit's Executive of the Year for outstanding
leadership in the nonprofit sector. Born in Waterloo, Iowa as the
twelfth of 13 children, he graduated from Waterloo East High School
and was a Iowa high school wrestling state champion. He went
on to attend Iowa State University, earning a bachelors degree, then
later a master's degree from Washington University in St. Louis.
In 1993, he was honored with the Alumni Achievement Award, the
highest honor bestowed by the Iowa State College of Education.
The award cites outstanding leadership and service in the areas of
education, health, business and industry.
While not as publicly prominent, his love for the arts ran deep,
and he found what he considered to be the perfect channel for that
interest in The Arts League of Michigan. From 1997 until his
untimely passing in 2003, Virgil served as Chairman of the Board of
Trustees for the Arts League. It was under his visionary
leadership that the idea of a cultural arts center dedicated to the
presentation and preservation of the African and African American
arts was conceived. Virgil also had a particular affinity for
young people. He firmly believed in and practiced what he
preached - the necessity of providing direction, encouragement and
opportunity for youth. He and the Arts League recognized that
commonality and forged a union committed to exposing and mentoring
young people to the arts in ways that could possibly change the very
course of their lives.
The future Virgil H. Carr Cultural Arts Center is sure to add
value to the arts and to the future of young people alike. We
could think of no better way in which to honor this very special
human being. |
