George E. Kent (1920–1982) was an African-American professor of

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

, with a specialization in Afro-American literature.

Early life and education

Born in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

, George Kent was the youngest of four children born to Irby D. Kent, a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

and Louise Austin Kent, a school teacher. Even as a child he would teach alongside his mother. He met his wife, Desiré Ash, whilst studying for his BA at

Savannah State College ) , established = , closed = , type = Public historically black university , parent = University System of Georgia , academic_affiliation = Space-grant , endowment ...

. After serving in the 25th Infantry (1942–5), he resumed his university studies. Kent and his wife, Desire, had two children. With a strong love of literature, and a dream of becoming a teacher in his own future, he began teaching at the age of 16 in one of the schools his mother had established. His formal higher education began with a B.S in English from

Savannah State College ) , established = , closed = , type = Public historically black university , parent = University System of Georgia , academic_affiliation = Space-grant , endowment ...

. He later obtained a master's degree and Ph.D. from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

, in English Language and Literature, respectively. During these formative years, he also served in the military.

Career

Over a long teaching career, he held numerous positions including visiting professorships with colleges and universities such as

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

Florida A & M University Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, It is the third largest historically black university in the U ...

Grambling State University Grambling State University (GSU, Grambling, or Grambling State) is a public historically black university in Grambling, Louisiana. Grambling State is home of the Eddie G. Robinson Museum and is listed on the Louisiana African American Heritage ...

, and the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

. From the 1940s through the 1960s he held positions from Professor of English to Professor and Chairman of Languages and Literature, as well as Dean of

Delaware State College Delaware State University (DSU or Del State) is a public historically black land-grant research university in Dover, Delaware. DSU also has two satellite campuses: one in Wilmington and one in Georgetown. The university encompasses four col ...

. He was also Professor and Chairman of English in the Division of Liberal Arts at

Quinnipiac College Quinnipiac University () is a private university in Hamden, Connecticut. The university grants undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees through its College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Engineering, School of C ...

. He finished his career in education as a professor of English, with a specialty in African-American literature and poetry at the

from 1970 until his death in 1982. Kent was the first tenured African-American professors of English at that institution. The University of Chicago Organization of Black students honors Kent annually at the OBS George E. Kent Lecture. His specialism was Afro-American literature. He completed the first full biography of the poet

Gwendolyn Brooks Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (June 7, 1917 – December 3, 2000) was an American poet, author, and teacher. Her work often dealt with the personal celebrations and struggles of ordinary people in her community. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetr ...

just before his death from cancer in 1982.

Key publications

*''Blackness and the Adventure of Western Culture'',

Third World Press Third World Press (TWP) is the largest independent black-owned press in the United States, founded in 1967 by Haki R. Madhubuti (then known as Don L. Lee), with early support from Johari Amini and Carolyn Rodgers. Since the 1960s, the company has ...

, 1972 ( *''A Life of Gwendolyn Brooks'', University Press of Kentucky, 1990 ()

References

'The Legacy of George E. Kent' James W. Coleman, Joanne Veal Gabbin ''Black American Literature Forum'', Vol. 17, No. 4 (Winter, 1983), pp. 143-147
*http://obs1.uchicago.edu {{DEFAULTSORT:Kent, George 1920 births 1982 deaths 20th-century African-American academics 20th-century American academics Savannah State University alumni Delaware State University people Wesleyan University faculty African Americans in World War II Boston University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences alumni United States Army personnel of World War II African-American United States Army personnel