Marcus Lafayette (M.L.) Roberts Jr.

TUSCALOOSA | Marcus Lafayette (M.L.) Roberts, Jr., age 87, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, died July 5, 2014, at DCH Regional Medical Center. Services will be held at 3:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 9, 2014, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 729 Paul Bryant Drive, Tuscaloosa, Ala. with the Rev. Penny Ford and Rev. Gary Ward officiating. Burial will follow in Tuscaloosa Memorial Park with Heritage Chapel Funeral Home & Cremations, a Dignity Memorial Provider, directing. Visitation will be Tuesday, July 8th from 5:00-8:00 p.m. at Heritage Chapel Funeral Home, 5200 Old Birmingham Highway, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Dr. Roberts was a charter member of Trinity United Methodist Church and he and his dear wife, Edith, served the church in multiple ways through the years. Dr. Roberts served as Lay Leader, Sunday school teacher, and served on or chaired almost every committee in the Church. He also served the Tuscaloosa District of the United Methodist Church as a District Lay Leader, and served on the District Board of Trustees, District Superintendency Committee, and Wesley Foundation Board of Directors. He also served the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church by his work on committees including the Committee of the Laity, Commission on Equitable Salaries, Committee on Missions, Conference Council on Ministries, Conference Pensions Crusade Committee, and the Conference Board of Superannuate Homes, among others. He loved his church and his church family.

He was a member of the Tuscaloosa Exchange Club (President 1974-1975), The University of Alabama Retirees Association, and the Volunteer Steering Committee of the West Alabama Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center, the Alabama Retired Teachers Association, the Tuscaloosa Retired Teachers Association, and The University of Alabama College of Education Board of Advisors.

A native of Altoona, Alabama, Dr. Roberts attended Altoona High School, received a B.S. in Education and an A.B. in English with a Minor in French at Jacksonville State University, an M.A. with majors in Educational Administration and Secondary Education from The University of Alabama, and received a Doctor of Humane Letters from Mobile College in 1975. Dr. Roberts came to Tuscaloosa in 1947 to teach at Tuscaloosa High School where he served as the chair of the Business Education Department and taught business subjects and typing until 1954. In 1954, Dr. Roberts was appointed Registrar and Instructor in Education in the College of Education at The University of Alabama. During his tenure as Registrar, Dr. Roberts registered the first African American student, Autherine Lucy, while an angry mob gathered outside Graves Hall on The University of Alabama campus in an attempt to prevent her from attending class. He served as Acting Head of the Area of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education from 1972 to 1973 and again in 1983, and also served as Acting Dean of the College of Education from 1981 to 1982. Dr. Roberts worked closely with the State Department of Education and served on many committees to enhance and strengthen teacher education in the State of Alabama. Dr. Roberts served as Assistant Dean for Student Services and Teacher Certification Officer for the College of Education until his retirement in 1987 when he was appointed Professor Emeritus of Curriculum and Instruction.

The awards and honors bestowed on Dr. Roberts during his long career in Education were many and included the Kappa Delta Pi Faculty Appreciation Award (1978), Phi Delta Kappa Professional Educator of the Year Award (1982), Alabama Association of Teacher Educators' Distinguished Service Award (1982), The University of Alabama Penny Allen Award (1987), The University of Alabama Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award (1987), The University of Alabama College of Education Society Outstanding Contribution to Education Award (1992), the Alabama Association of Rehabilitation Facilities Community Service Award (1994), and the National Retired Teachers Association of AARP National Retired Educator Award for the State of Alabama (1997). Most recently, he learned that he will be inducted into The University of Alabama Education Hall of Fame in October of this year. He was honored at this year's United Methodist Church North Alabama Annual Conference with the Louise Branscomb Barrier Breaker award recognizing his contributions and leadership in the local church, the community, the district and on conference levels as well as his demonstrated vision, courage and willingness to work with and stand for the rights of women and ethnic minority persons.

He was preceded in death by his devoted wife, Edith Lynn Harper Roberts, parents Marcus L. Roberts Sr. and Mary Almeade (Meade) Fant Roberts and siblings Roy Roberts, Lela Roberts Gowan, Sanders Roberts, and Edith Roberts Boyd.

He is survived by his son Marcus L. Roberts III, and his wife, Kimberly Roberts; his daughter, Melanie Lynn Roberts O'Rear and her husband, Dr. Michael R. O'Rear; six grandchildren, Melissa Roberts Sanders (Curt), Amy Roberts Thomas (Anthony), Amanda Roberts, Kristina Roberts, M. Ross O'Rear, Jr., and William Roberts.

Dr. Roberts grew up in rural Etowah County on a small farm in a family with parents who valued education highly. His parents were great believers in the school consolidation movement which was accelerating during the late twenties and into the thirties. They lived about three miles in different directions from two small three-teacher schools which included grades 1-8, but his father was determined that his children would attend the newer twelve-grade consolidated school in Altoona. In order for them to do so, Dr. Roberts' father bought the first school bus used in that part of the state and assigned his brother, a high school senior, to drive it. This caused much consternation in the community, and some of the staunch supporters of the three-teacher schools threatened to stop the bus from transporting children to the consolidated school. As a first-grader, Dr. Roberts was very frightened to see his father board the bus each morning for several days and sit by the door with his shotgun across his knees to be sure that no one carried out the threat. The kind of work required on a farm made him decide very early that he did not want to be a farmer all his life. When Dr. Roberts graduated from Altoona High School as valedictorian in 1944, he was told that Jacksonville State Teacher's College was offering a scholarship to Jacksonville State to any class valedictorian. He always wanted to be a teacher since second grade and so he accepted the full scholarship of $25 a quarter. Dr. Roberts distinguished himself in many ways while at Jacksonville State and had three job offers when he graduated. His supervisor encouraged him to take the job at Tuscaloosa High School and drove him there for an interview. He began his teaching career there and touched many lives and made life-long friendships during his seven years at Tuscaloosa High School. One morning an office runner interrupted his class and said that he had a phone call from Dr. John McLure, the Dean of the College of Education at The University of Alabama. He offered Dr. Roberts a job over the phone. The rest is history.

Active pallbearers will be Jeremy Harrison, Ross O'Rear, John Adam Page, William Roberts, Curt Sanders, George Strickland, Anthony Thomas, and Jake Woodham. Escorting pallbearers will be Hunter Agee, Bill Scarbrough, Bill Shaffer, Bill Strickland, and Rusty Ward. Honorary pallbearers will be the Concord Sunday School Class, the nurses and staff at Forest Manor Nursing Home, Dr. Ross Vaughn, CNP Jenna Cooper, and all the doctors and staff at Tuskaloosa Internal Medicine, Members of the Tuscaloosa Exchange Club, members of The University of Alabama Retirees Association, and members of The University of Alabama College of Education Board of Advisors.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Trinity United Methodist Church, 729 Paul Bryant Drive, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 or to the M.L. and Edith Roberts Endowed Memorial Scholarship in the College of Education. Memorial gifts may be made to the scholarship payable to: The University of Alabama RE: Roberts Memorial Scholarship in the College of Education, and sent to The University of Alabama, Office of Advancement Services, P.O. Box 870101, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487.

Condolences may be offered at www.heritagechapeltuscaloosa.com.