Dr. Baldwin Onuma Okezie

March 31, 1931 - February 4, 2026

Dr. Okezie was born to Chief Okezie Anyanwu and Ihuoma Anyanwu in Obizi, A.C., Ezinihitte LGA Mbaise, Imo State, Nigeria. It is here where he grew up within a large family that placed emphasis on love for community, education and humanitarianism.

His devotion to knowledge and excellence was evident from the time that he attended Secondary School at the prestigious Kings College in Lagos, Nigeria. While demonstrating this affinity, he was awarded a scholarship that led to him coming to the United States in 1962 and attending University of California, Davis. He was able to complete both his Bachelor of Science and Master’s degrees in Animal Husbandry in 4 years. During a challenging time for Africans and people of color, he won over teachers who doubted him time and time again, with his intelligence, writing skill, and tenacity. He was never shy about sharing his opinions and ideas and was a leader on campus, serving as the President of the Pan African Student Organization of the Americas, the Nigerian Students Organization at UC Davis, and as Vice President of the International Agricultural Society.

After graduating from UC, Davis, he returned to Nigeria and worked for the Biafran Ministry of Animal Health and then the Biafran Rehabilitation Commission from 1967 to 1970. He was in Nigeria when his father died and was able to be present for the gun salute in his honor.

His time with the Biafra Rehabilitation Commission helped change his focus from animal husbandry to food science and nutrition and the subsequent year he spent as Executive Advisor on Nutrition at the International Union for Child Welfare in Geneva confirmed his desire to change focus. In 1971, after a professor he knew asked him to come to Cornell, he began his Doctorate studies in Food Science and Technology at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. That same year he married Monique Offurum. In 1972 he celebrated the birth of his first child, Uchechi, and 2 years later, celebrated the birth of his son Okezie.

After receiving his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1974, Dr. Okezie and his new family moved to Washington DC where he taught International Food Science & Nutrition at Howard University. This opportunity was brief because in the fall of 1975, he settled his family in Huntsville, AL after being invited to join the faculty of Alabama A&M University (AAMU) as an associate professor in Food Science and Nutrition in the Department of Food and Animal Sciences. After establishing a foundation of excellence at Alabama A&M, he was then appointed Director of the Office of International Programs and went on to become full Professor of Food Science and Nutrition in 1982, continuing to demonstrate his commitment to academia through his research, development, and teaching. In 1979 and 1981 his third and fourth children, Ihuoma and Oluchi were born.

In 2010 he retired and was conferred with the status of Professor Emeritus in Food Science & Nutrition in the Department of Food and Animal Sciences at Alabama A&M University. After his retirement, he became a proud grandfather and throughout, he remained active on campus, visiting and advising faculty and students, always willing to provide knowledge and guidance to help people achieve their goals.

Dr. Okezie made many contributions to Alabama A&M’s Food Science & Nutrition program including the planning, development and implementation of USAID’s Peanut Collaborative Research Support Program. Along with conducting numerous other grant projects which brought millions in research funding, he secured numerous other grants and contracts as Director of International Programs. Well-traveled, he organized and provided leadership for the establishment of formal collaborative relationships between AAMU, several overseas universities in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe and organizations that aided scientific research, teaching, information exchange, student and faculty exchange, for the advancement of in food technology, production and application in developing countries. As a scholar, his dedication to his field of research and development can also be measured by the publication of several of his papers and books along with cutting edge presentations both in the United States and abroad.

Along with his numerous academic contributions to his University Department, he was an example and a mentor, including serving as a faculty advisor for international graduate students from 1976 – 1988. Throughout his career, he was professionally and civically engaged with several organizations where he served on or chaired the board of several committees. He founded several organizations and received numerous awards throughout his career, including the prestigious Institute of Food Technologists International Achievement Award. Moreover, he always played an active role in his community, serving as President of the Cultural Association of Nigerians in North Alabama (CANNA) from 1995 – 1997 and serving as an active member of Huntsville Rotary Club International since May 1996.

He had a loving, caring spirit and was an avid philanthropist to several mission-driven nonprofit organizations. In 2017 he inaugurated the Okezie Education Foundation providing STEM scholarships to college students from his hometown in Nigeria. His love of community and humanitarianism was formally recognized when he was granted Chieftaincy title back in his home country of Nigeria. He traveled often, especially to his home in Nigeria. He maintained close connections with his family and community at home in Nigeria, always viewing his accomplishments as a catalyst and springboard for others to achieve their goals and aspirations.

In his free time, he enjoyed showing hospitality to family and friends, playing and watching tennis, listening to African Highlife, classical, jazz, and old school R&B, keeping abreast of and having strong opinions about world politics and news. He was quick to see both the purpose and humor in life. He easily found humor in the little things and his booming laughter and warm smile were contagious. He gave sound and factual advice often and his wisdom was evident through the way he lived.

Beyond his extensive professional accomplishments, Dr. Okezie was a dedicated family man, and was immensely proud of his children and grandchildren, their accomplishments and the ways they each followed their path in contributing to making the world a better place.

We find comfort in knowing that his legacy lives on through the lessons he taught us and the memories we will cherish forever.

He is survived by his wife Monique, 4 children and 5 grandchildren.