Photo Via Carroll University - carrollu.edu
Howard Fuller
As a Milwaukee native who knows where the bodies are buried, I recall some of the early days of fiery educator Howard Fuller. He proved himself in 1991-95 as Superintendent of Public Schools, which included WYMS-FM, where I met my wife, Susan Orr, host of “Jazz in the Afternoon.”
Fighting is what a lot of people think of when they think of Fuller, my great, long-time friend. And it’s not surprising in this city, where some brainy Black men unafraid to talk are following in his footsteps.
When I think of my old pal Howard, a fantastic radio guest on WNOV’s “Carter-McGee Report” in the good old days, I recall that, like me, he loved the original Spaniels of “Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight” fame, and we played many of their hit records.
But my thoughts also go in another direction. They lead to words like pride, strength and commitment. Fuller has always represented all of this to me—and more.
Magnet School
A notable early victory in Fuller’s education reform advocacy phase was creation of a Milwaukee School Board plan to rebuild North Division High School as a magnet institution with a focus on medicine and dentistry. Black people here recall that North Division and Lincoln High once were arch-rivals in sports as well as boys pursuing good-looking girls. Howard was a great athlete at North, and I was average at Lincoln. But I was luckier with the girls.
The years inexorably passed, and we both went on to do our things. Then in 1986—following a casual, afternoon encounter on North Fourth Street near West Wisconsin Avenue—Howard and I reconnected. He joyfully invited me to visit him at his office at Milwaukee Area Technical College, where he was the new dean of general education.
We talked, among other things, about the days of our Milwaukee youth. And his words, at 45, reminded me why he was, what he was. And still is. “I may have a Ph.D. and be the dean,” he said, “but all that stuff is secondary to me. I’m Howard Fuller, who grew up around Lapham Park and Franklin Square and ran the same streets as the kids today. I know what’s out there.
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“But you and I were lucky, Dick. We had great Black role models like Bob Starms and Lincoln Gaines and Tom Cheeks. These men, and others who showed us what Black manhood meant, helped nurture this total commitment to Black people. This thing burns in me when I see what’s happening today—especially to our kids.”
Improving Lives
The fire within Fuller, which continues to flare up publicly from time-to-time, scares the living bejabbers out of some. At the same time, it continues to make him uniquely suited to oversee the education of many youngsters here who, but for MATC at the time, might not have had the chance to improve their lives.
“I’m here to do the best I can for every student, regardless of race or gender or religion. I’m going to make sure each gets the very best we can give,” Howard emphasized.
Like many other events over the years swirling around the tall, athletic-looking Fuller, his selection back then as dean at what we use go call “Voke” (for Vocational School), didn’t sit well with everyone. And a failed lawsuit charging him with discrimination against a white man who lost his job when Fuller was Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Employment Relations, confirmed the suspicions of many.
How did he feel about his image as the biggest, baddest Black dude in town—a man whose actions smack some of racial separatism? “It’s easy for me to understand why they think that way, but hard for them to understand why I think my way,” he said. Well, I knew why then, and I know why now. And it’s simple.
There isn’t one 24-hour period when Howard Fuller—and yours truly, as well—aren’t reminded that we are different, as in Black. Once you’re in that bag, it doesn’t matter about your job or your accomplishments or your good deeds. You’re Black first and Fuller and Carter and millions of others, are second.
“I’ve never viewed operating from a Black perspective as mutually exclusive from operating from a white perspective,” Fuller said. “But because I’m Black, I have a responsibility to do good for Black people—especially the young. And that’s why I’m overjoyed to be at MATC.
“We have great remedial facilities, which allows us to help many students who didn’t have positive experiences in Milwaukee Public Schools. I’m talking white as well as Black kids,” he concluded.
The late, great community-civil rights activist, George F. Sanders’ gritty Citizen/Monitor called Fuller “The Force.” I still call him level-headed and oh, so smart. You know, the kind our Milwaukee has always needed, but rarely seen. Until then. In the years since, Howard has continued to be involved in countless, high-profile educational endeavors – to the consternation of some. But he won’t stop.
Bottom line: My old pal Howard Fuller, now 83, still lives, for which all Milwaukeeans should be grateful. I know I am.
