Thurgood Marshall College Fund mourns the loss of Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg
August 30 2024 - 8:38PM
The following is a statement from Thurgood Marshall College Fund
(TMCF) President & CEO Dr. Harry L. Williams:
My colleagues and I at Thurgood Marshall College Fund mourn the
loss of former board member and trailblazer for Black Americans in
the military, Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg. He was a longtime supporter
of TMCF and historically Black colleges and universities
(HBCUs).
Gen. Gregg retired as the highest-ranking Black officer in the
U.S. military in 1981 and his impact still reverberates, as a fort
named after a Confederate general was recently renamed in his honor
(Fort Gregg-Adams in Virginia). He bore witness to desegregation in
the military, which was slow to non-existent at the start in 1948.
Despite having to give up his interest in medical science because
of limitations imposed on Black soldiers, Gen. Gregg found a new
niche and became the first Black brigadier general in the U.S. Army
Quartermaster Corps in 1972. He later became the first Black
lieutenant general in the Army.
Gen. Gregg was also present for a pivotal time in TMCF’s
history: when it merged with Opportunity Funding Corporation in
2013. He has been a fixture at TMCF and held a deep commitment to
the HBCU community.
We share in our grief with his family and friends and honor his
legacy of service, dedication and making new paths for Black
Americans in the military.
Clara Ross Stamps
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund
240-931-0696
clara.stamps@tmcf.org