Remembering Dr. Saundra Herndon Oyewole

(Dr. Saundra Herndon Oyewole)

A brilliant mind, a beautiful soul — how else to describe our beloved Trinity teacher, colleague and friend?  Dr. Saundra Herndon Oyewole exuded class and charm, but never with haughty airs or boastful chatter.  She was always a thoughtful, gracious and kind presence for all who knew her.

Dr. Oyewole, who died on September 26, was deeply devoted to her family as well as her students and fellow faculty members at Trinity.  I first met her when I became Trinity’s president in 1989.  After a stint at Hampshire College, Dr. Oyewole had joined Trinity’s Biology faculty in 1981, soon earning tenure and promotion to Associate Professor, and I was pleased to appoint her to the then-new position of Clare Boothe Luce Professor of Biology.  When Saundra’s dear husband Godwin came to visit, we swapped stories of our experiences at Georgetown Law Center.  And I always enjoyed seeing their children Tunde, Kolade and Aramide when they visited their mom at Trinity.  Saundra and Godwin were both graduates of the University of Massachusetts Ph.D. program (Saundra in Microbiology, Godwin in Communication).  In her earlier education, Dr. Oyewole earned her B.S. at Howard University and master’s degree at the University of Chicago.

Dr. Oyewole was not one to promote her roles and status as “first,” but it is important to note that she was Trinity’s first tenured Black faculty member and full professor, and later, the first Black dean and highest ranking African American at Trinity.  She was a quiet but persistent trail blazer whose legacy lives on in Trinity’s remarkable science faculty today.

As Trinity evolved through the 1990s and 2000’s, I was pleased to appoint Dr. Oyewole as Dean of the Faculty, and later Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.  A tireless advocate for increasing diversity in the medical profession, Dr. Oyewole held leadership positions including serving as president of the National Association of Advisors to the Health Professions, and she was active with the Association for Women in the Sciences.  She also spent a two-year sabbatical with the National Science Foundation as Program Director for Undergraduate Education.  Closer to home, Dr. Oyewole was a faculty leader as she chaired Biology as well as the Rank & Tenure Committee, and served a term as president of Trinity’ Epsilon Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

Upon her retirement in 2013, Dr. Oyewole received many accolades from her students, alumnae and faculty colleagues, hailed by all as a wonderful role model and great exemplar of Trinity’s highest values in scholarship, intellectual excellence and integrity.

We offer our condolences to her children and family, and we assure them that Dr. Oyewole’s legacy lives well in the excellent work of today’s Biology program.