MY FATHER WAS A WONDERFUL AND LOVING MAN! IN THE MANY STORIES HE TOLD US ABOUT HIS UPBRINGING, HE MADE IT CLEAR THAT HE DIDN'T GET THAT SAME TREATMENT AS A CHILD AND HE WANTED TO BE SURE THAT HIS CHILDREN RECEIVED BETTER.
HE WANTED US TO KNOW THAT WE WERE LOVED AND CHERISHED AND THAT MY PARENTS WOULD HELP US IN ANY WAY THAT THEY COULD. HOWEVER, THERE WAS MUCH MORE TO THIS STORY THAT MADE MY FATHER GREAT!
AS AN EXECUTIVE AT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION, HE HELPED OVER 600,000 MINORITIES ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS OF BECOMING SCIENTISTS, ENGINEERS, AND OTHER RELATED CAREERS. ACCORDING TO ONE OF HIS CO-WORKERS WHO SPOKE AT HIS FUNERAL, HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR SPEARHEADING ONE OF THE BIGGEST GRANTS TO NATIVE AMERICANS!
ALL OF THIS INFORMATION WAS A SHOCK BECAUSE MY FATHER WAS VERY PRIVATE ABOUT HIS ACHIEVEMENTS. WHEN HE WAS SPOTLIGHTED IN A PROMINENT MAGAZINE, MY MOTHER WAS THE ONE WHO TOLD US ABOUT IT, NOT MY FATHER. EVEN AS SHE MENTIONED AND HE WAS SITTING AT THE DINNER TABLE WITH US, HE JUST LET MY MOTHER TELL THE STORY!
HE LOVED ALL PEOPLE AND WANTED EVERYONE TO HAVE A CHANCE TO SUCCEED. WHEN HE WAS GOING FOR HIS PH.D. IN PHYSICS, HE COULD NOT GO IN THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI. UNDER SEPARATE, BUT EQUAL, MISSISSIPPI HAD TO PAY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE UNIVERSITY IN MISSISSIPPI AND THE UNIVERSITY OUT OF STATE TO WHICH HE WAS ACCEPTED. SO, HE KNEW PERSONALLY ABOUT OVERCOMING ROADBLOCKS TO ONE'S ADVANCEMENT.
HE RECEIVED MANY AWARDS AND HONORS. HERE IS HIS OBITUARY. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH DAD!!!!! SO PROUD OF WHAT YOU GAVE THE WORLD!!!!1:
OBITUARY FOR DR. ROOSEVELT CALBERT, 86
Dr. Roosevelt Calbert, 86, of Reston, Virginia, passed away Thursday, June 7, at Reston Hospital surrounded by his family.
“Cal” (his nickname) was born on November 13, 1931, in Philadelphia, Mississippi. He was a retired physicist and education administrator for the National Science Foundation (NSF).
He graduated as Valedictorian from Cameron Street High School and Jackson State University, where he earned his B.S. in Science. At the University of Michigan, he received his Masters in Science for Teaching and in 1971, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in plasma physics.
He served as the Director of the Cooperative Academic Planning (CAP) Program at the Institute for Services to Education. He helped to create curriculum change in black colleges. Then in 1975, Dr. Calbert began his 24-year career at the National Science Foundation (NSF), joining NSF's Directorate for Science and Engineering Education.
Cal was a senior program analyst in the Office of Planning and Resources Management, agency representative for the White House Initiative of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Section Head of Minority Programs, and Deputy Director of the Division of Human Resource Development.
Dr. Calbert's goal was to improve educational opportunities for minority students in science, engineering, and mathematics education for underrepresented students. In 1992, he became a member of the Senior Executive Service and retired as a director of the Division of Human Resource Development in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) for NSF in 1999.
In addition to his work at NSF, Cal served on the faculty at both Alcorn State University and Alabama State University. He published more than fifty academic articles and presented at professional conferences.
Dr. Calbert received many honors:
• including the National Science Foundation Director's Equal Opportunity Achievement Award
• Senior Executive Service Performance Award
• In 1986, he received a Presidential Citation Award from Jackson State University as an outstanding alumnus
• In 2007, he was inducted into The National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame
• He was awarded the NSF Distinguished Service Award, the agency’s highest non-monetary honor. It represents exceptional leadership, program development or improvement, service in the public interest, or similar contributions that substantially benefit science or engineering, and the general public.
Dr. Calbert was a founding member of Heritage Fellowship Church, which was originally called Christian Community Fellowship Church in 1978. The first meeting was held in the home of Dr. Roosevelt Calbert and his wife, Thelma Calbert. The first service was held at a private home. In 1984, the church was renamed Heritage Fellowship Church.
