Patrick Joseph Gilpin Sr.

Patrick Joseph Gilpin, Sr. — known to those who loved him as Pat — was a beloved husband, devoted father, distinguished professor, and passionate advocate for justice. He passed away after a life defined by relentless intellectual curiosity, fierce moral courage, and an abiding love for those society too often leaves behind. Pat was a man who taught history and then lived it, championing equality and truth long before it was comfortable or convenient to do so.

Early Life

Pat was born on July 27, 1937, in Iowa City, Iowa, to Ambrose J. and Francis (Boyd) Gilpin. The second of six children, he grew up in Wellman, Iowa, where he attended Wellman High School. A natural competitor, Pat lettered in four sports — track, football, baseball, and basketball — and carried particular pride in his mile times, a quiet point of joy he returned to throughout his life.

A Life of Learning

Pat’s pursuit of knowledge was extraordinary by any measure. After a brief enrollment at Marquette University, he answered a call to service and enlisted in the Army around 1957, serving as a specialist in construction. Upon completing his service, he returned to higher education with even greater purpose.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Parsons College in 1961, followed by a Master’s degree from Northwestern University in 1963 and a Ph.D. in History from Vanderbilt University in 1973. Not content to rest there, Pat went on to earn his Juris Doctor from South Texas College of Law in 1980 — becoming, in the truest sense, both a scholar of justice and its practitioner. Along the way, he served as a graduate assistant at the University of Kansas, mentoring the next generation even as he continued his own formation.

Educator, Scholar, and Attorney

Pat’s professional life reflected a man who never stopped showing up. He taught at Fisk University and the University of Georgia before joining Texas Southern University, where he would spend the longest and most consequential chapter of his academic career. A white man who became a recognized expert in Black history, Pat approached his scholarship with rigor and respect, earning admiration across racial lines for the depth and sincerity of his expertise.

In 2003, he co-authored “Charles S. Johnson: Leadership Beyond the Veil in the Age of Jim Crow” with Dr. Marybeth Gasman — a compelling biography of the pioneering sociologist and Harlem Renaissance figure whose work on race relations helped shape American social thought. The book stands as a testament to Pat’s intellectual depth and his lifelong commitment to telling the full story of the American experience.

While still teaching, Pat earned his law degree and built a parallel career as an attorney, working in both roles until 1987 before turning his full attention to the law. Ever restless and committed, he later taught at Houston Community College from 2008 to 2012 — staying busy, staying connected, and continuing to support his children in the way that had always come naturally to him. He continued practicing law well into his eighties, his family finally persuading him to slow down around 2018. For Pat, work was never simply a livelihood; it was a calling.

A Champion for Justice

Pat’s legal career was marked by a willingness to take on cases others might have avoided. He was a familiar name in Houston’s newspapers, known for confronting systemic racism in the Harris County Sheriff’s Department. His most defining case, however, involved the “TSU Three” — former Texas Southern University students who had been falsely stripped of their First Amendment rights after uncovering a broad corruption scheme.

As lead attorney, Pat mounted a vigorous defense against Texas Southern University itself — and won. The university’s defeat resulted in multiple six-figure damage awards for the reputational harm his clients had suffered. Pat had long since concluded his work at TSU by the time the case was filed, but that only underscored what the fight was truly about: not position or politics, but truth and accountability. In his view, equal justice was not a principle to be invoked selectively; it was a standard to be lived.

Family and Love

Pat and Kathy Zu-Bolton Gilpin built a life together spanning more than thirty years. Partners in every sense, they often worked side by side — Kathy serving as both his office manager and, by all accounts, his most trusted advisor. Together, they raised four children and created a home rooted in warmth, humor, and high expectations.

Pat was preceded in death by Kathy, his parents Ambrose and Francis, and his siblings John and Cecilia. In his final years, he was surrounded by the love of his children and grandchildren, and by the faithful companionship of his beloved dog, Rex. He was a longtime resident of the Houston Heights, a community he loved.

An avid sports fan, Pat followed his Houston Astros with loyalty and celebrated his Irish heritage through his lifelong devotion to Notre Dame athletics. Until his very last day, he read the newspaper — a daily ritual that spoke to the insatiable curiosity that had defined him since boyhood.

Those Who Carry Him Forward

Pat is survived by his children Ahmos III Zu-Bolton (Misti), Sonoma Zu-Bolton, Patrick Gilpin, Jr. (Cody), Coretta Gilpin, and his adopted daughter Mal-Selika Perry; his grandchildren Joshua Zu-Bolton, Isabella Zu-Bolton, Lucas Wright, and Layla Katherine Gilpin; his siblings Mike, Billy, and Mary; and a host of relatives and dear friends.

The family wishes to express profound gratitude to daughters Sonoma and Coretta, whose loving care and constant presence were a gift beyond measure in the final years of Pat’s life.