Univ. Of Minnesota's Ray Whitlow: Athlete, Architect, and Teacher

Some childhood memories stick out in my mind. One of those memories is of my cousin, Ray Errol Whitlow.

Ray Errol was athletic.  He was one year younger than I am. He was smart and competitive.

When we were children Ray's mother, Mrs. Lydia Johnson, who, for years, was the director of a recreation center at Texas Southern University, would let Ray visit my family during the summer.

I was always excited to have Ray visit me, but after a while, we would argue and, sometimes, fight.  Most of the fights would occur because of teasing and arguing about who really was the smartest.

Ray was really the smartest kid, but I did not want to admit it when I was younger.

You see, Ray would wake up early in the morning and do his chores.  Then he would go outside and play sports, like football, tennis and biking, while I would still be asleep.

I never understood the high energy level in Ray's life.

He graduated high school with honors.  He won a big scholarship.

He was admitted to the University of Minnesota when few African Americans attended that university in that very cold part of the United States.

He majored in architecture when so few African American architects were in Texas, his home state.  In fact, when he returned to Texas to work, there were only six African American architects in the Houston area.

He eventually became a certified teacher of mathematics at Sharpstown High School in the Houston Independent School District. He was an ordained minister who attended South Main Baptist Church in Houston, Texas.

Often he volunteered to help other ex-athletes and persons with addictions.

Ray wore no. 20 on the Minnesota football team. One of his teammates was Aaron Brown who later played with the NFL. Ray and Aaron were roommates, for a while, at the University of Minnesota.

One year, on Spring Break, my sisters and I went to Minnesota to visit Ray and his friends. I will never forget the gnats that tormented me one night as we walked the campus of University of Minnesota.

In Texas, there are mosquitoes, but Minnesota has these little gnats, flying around your head. At least the gnats did not bite like the Texas mosquitoes do.

Ray always wanted to play professional football, but he never made it.  I think he was unhappy that he did not make a pro team. 

He accomplished so much more in his short, intense and energetic life.

Ray was a gentleman. He greeted his family members with so much warmth and affection. He had a sense of humor. 

He had a special gaze, leaning his head slightly, as he paid attention to your comments during our family debates and discussions.

Later, Ray developed a heart condition and he passed away several years ago.

One day I was doing research on college football and I saw his name. A 52-page document was posted on June 5, 2009, and it contains information on the Minnesota Gophers.

The document lists Ray Errol Whitlow, with two stars by his name.  It means Ray was a letter man with two letters. He was no. 20 on the Minnesota Gopher team.  His data:

RHB

165 lbs.

5ft. 9 in.

Senior

Houston, Texas

High School:  E. E. Worthing

High School Coach:  Joe Henry

So now as I look back on my life I have to admit, Ray was smart.

Ray Whitlow attended a Big Ten university.  I attended an HBCU.

Ray Whitlow made history by becoming an African American architect in the late 1960s. He worked for 3M Corporation.  I became a math instructor.

Ray Whitlow made history by transitioning from an architect to a mathematics instructor to a minister. 

Ray's life and accomplishments moved from the abstract to the concrete and finally to transcendence in his faith. He moved from the Greek thought of "appearance" to the Hebraic thought of "functioning." 

His life ended suddenly, but before his departure he transcended by becoming a minister of the Gospel, in the Christian faith.

Mr. Ray Errol Whitlow is to be remembered as a pioneer in a community which, to this day, has few architects, and mathematicians who are also outstanding college athletes. 

I offer this tribute to my mother's sister's eldest child, Mr. Ray Errol Whitlow, graduate of the University of Minnesota, who majored in architecture and minored in mathematics.

Ray Errol Whitlow, II is a professor of communications at a college in Texas. Ray, Jr. who we call "Chak" is continuing the legacy of excellence started by his father.

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