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'Chief of the village': Jack Gant, FSU's first Black dean, remembered as trailblazer
Through his warm and giving personality, Florida State University's first African American dean – James L. 'Jack' Gant –was a magnet of love as he lived a long life of service.
The trailblazer is now being remembered as someone who was "truly loved" by many following his death at the age of 98 on his birthday, Aug. 8, due to illnesses, including pneumonia.
'He had so many accolades, and he helped a lot of people in the community, which is why he was truly, truly loved,' Gant's daughter Jacquelyn Randolph told the Tallahassee Democrat Aug. 11. 'He was a great, amazing father who showed up and showed out at every event in my life because I played sports, and he was always there.'
'You can probably tell I'm a daddy's girl,' she added. 'He could never do anything wrong in my eyes.'
Born in Bainbridge, Georgia in 1927, Gant grew up as one of four siblings in Telogia – a small town less than an hour west of Tallahassee.
But, having lived in Tampa as a young adult, that's where he met and married his wife Gloria Gant, who died in February 2022 at the age of 96. The couple had two children together – a son and a daughter – but since their son also passed away, Randolph says it's 'just her.'
'I'm the only one left out of there, but I do have four girls, so it's just my girls and myself,' said Randolph, the Gants' youngest.
Before becoming FSU's first Black dean, Gant was hired in 1970 as a temporary instructor in Educational Administration at FSU's College of Education, which kicked off an era where more African American faculty were being hired at the university during the 1970s and 1980s.
Gant later became a tenured faculty member and was appointed dean of the College of Education and associate professor in 1974. He retired from both positions through an early retirement program at the university in 1982 before retiring as professor emeritus in 1994.
'We were all really proud of him,' retired FSU administrator Freddie Groomes McClendon, 90, told the Democrat. The Tallahassee resident earned her doctorate in counseling psychology from the FSU's College of Education in 1972, just two years after the university first awarded doctoral degrees to Black students.
'He was an outstanding dean,' she added. 'He was a good father and husband, and he was my neighbor as well for a while. He moved from over here many years ago to the other side of town, so I haven't seen that much of him for a long time, but he was a fine gentleman.'
Despite Gant's historic appointment, his educational background started off on shaky ground at a young age before he hit a point of acceleration. Randolph says Gant would oftentimes tell her the story of how he couldn't read and failed both the first grade and second grade.
Since Gant's mother was a schoolteacher, she taught him how to read, and he ended up advancing to finish high school early at the age 15. Gant then attended Florida A&M University in 1942 – where he played football and was later inducted into the FAMU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1985 – and completed his four years with a bachelor's degree in biology at the age of 19.
With ties to FAMU, Gant – who was also a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity – was the eighth elected president of the university's National Alumni Association from 1965 to 1970 ahead of his tenure at FSU.
On top of Gant's FAMU degree, he received his master's in educational administration from Indiana University Bloomington and his doctorate degree in educational administration and supervision from FSU. Before his career at FSU, he worked as a school principal in Tampa and for the Florida Department of Education.
In addition, Gant – a long-time member of Bethel AME Church in Tallahassee along with his late wife – was a community man who helped students attain their doctoral degrees throughout their collegiate journeys and led several diversity training workshops, Randolph said.
He also has an FSU endowment named after him through The United Partners for Human Services' 21st Century Council in Tallahassee, which awards College of Education students the Jack Gant Innovative Community Program Award every year.
To document his lifelong experiences and accomplishments, Gant published a book in 2013 titled 'An Educator From Telogia,' which Randolph says Gant wrote as an autobiography.
'Just as they say, it takes a village,' Randolph said, 'and my dad was the chief of the village. He was a very giving, warm person.'
Funeral information
Gant is survived by Randolph, four granddaughters and two great-grandchildren, as well as a host of nieces and nephews.
A funeral service will be held 10 a.m. Aug. 15, Bethel AME Church, 501 W. Orange Ave.
The service also will be live-streamed at
Tarah Jean is the higher education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida. She can be reached at tjean@ Follow her on X: @tarahjean_.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Jack Gant, first Black dean at FSU, remembered as trailblazer
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