Marcus Aurelius Foster (March 31, 1923 – November 6, 1973) was an American educator who gained a national reputation for educational excellence while serving as principal of
Simon Gratz High School
Simon Gratz High School Mastery Charter, formerly Simon Gratz High School is a secondary school in Philadelphia, named after Simon Gratz (1840-1925), a member of the Philadelphia Board of Education. Originally a public high school operated by the ...
in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
(1966–1969), as Associate Superintendent of Schools in Philadelphia (1969–1970), and as the first black
Superintendent
Superintendent may refer to:
*Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank
*Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator
*Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...
of a large city school district. He was appointed in 1970 as Superintendent of the
Oakland Unified School District
Oakland Unified School District is a public education school district that operates a total of 80 elementary schools (TK–5), middle schools (6–8), and high schools (9–12). There are also 28 district-authorized charter schools in Oaklan ...
in
Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
.
Foster was assassinated in 1973 by members of the
Symbionese Liberation Army
The United Federated Forces of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) was a small, American far-left organization active between 1973 and 1975; it claimed to be a vanguard movement. The FBI and American law enforcement considered the SLA to be the ...
(SLA), a newly founded leftist terrorist group.
Early life and education
Foster was born in
Athens, Georgia
Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...
, the youngest of five children. When he was three, his family moved to Philadelphia,
joining the
Great Migration of African Americans out of the South. Raised by a single mother, he attended public schools in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, graduating from South Philadelphia High School.
One of his grandfathers was a bishop in the
African Methodist Episcopal Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a Black church, predominantly African American Methodist Religious denomination, denomination. It adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian theology and has a connexionalism, c ...
(AME),
and Foster's mother Alice stressed education for all her children. She encouraged his mastery of Standard English. She highlighted its importance as the dominant syntax.
As a young man, Foster was both exceptionally scholastic and rebellious, opting to frequent the Club Ziger where one had to "smoke a stogie and drink a lot of wine to get in." Furthermore, as a member of the Trojans, a neighborhood men's club, his comrade Frye noted Foster "could hold his hands up".
This broad range of youth experience aided Foster throughout his life, and he had an ability to connect with and inspire students of myriad backgrounds, while drawing together disparate adult groups advocating for alternative, at times oppositional, visions of social reform.
He graduated in 1947 from
Cheyney State College
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is a public historically black university in Cheyney, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1837, it is the oldest university out of all historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States. It is a mem ...
, a
historically black university
Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. Mo ...
. He earned a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) from the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
, an
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools ...
institution.
Career
From 1957 to 1970 Foster taught in the Philadelphia public schools, and served as
principal of Dunbar Elementary School, O.V. Catto School for Boys, and Gratz High School. He was noted for his work at Gratz, where he was more successful than predecessors in inspiring the students.
He also served as Associate Superintendent for Community Relations.
Foster moved to Oakland in 1970 when he was appointed Superintendent of Oakland Public Schools. He was one of the first black superintendents of any major urban school system.
Robert Blackburn, a white colleague in Philadelphia, followed him and was appointed as a deputy superintendent.
Foster became highly respected in Oakland, negotiating in a volatile environment with numerous groups and people of various political orientations. He worked to raise the success of students in the minority-majority schools, where many families struggled with poverty.
There had been a record voter turnout in the May 1973 election for mayor, a part-time position. Republican incumbent
John H. Reading
John H. Reading (November 26, 1917 – February 7, 2003) was a businessman and politician based in Oakland, California. He was elected as the 44th Mayor of Oakland, California and served three four-year terms, from 1966 to 1977. Since his terms ...
won a third four-year term by defeating Democrat
Bobby Seale
Robert George Seale (born October 22, 1936) is an American political activist and author. Seale is widely known for co-founding the Black Panther Party with fellow activist Huey P. Newton. Founded as the "Black Panther Party for Self-Defense", ...
, a co-founder of the
Black Panthers
The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a Marxism-Leninism, Marxist-Leninist and Black Power movement, black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. New ...
and advocate of social programs.
Foster worked with the groups they represented and also within the environment of a state governed by conservative Republican
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
.
Death
Foster was assassinated on November 6, 1973, and his deputy Robert Blackburn was wounded as they left a school board meeting. Members of an unknown group, named the
Symbionese Liberation Army
The United Federated Forces of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) was a small, American far-left organization active between 1973 and 1975; it claimed to be a vanguard movement. The FBI and American law enforcement considered the SLA to be the ...
, claimed responsibility. The SLA sent letters to media claiming that they killed Foster because of his alleged support of a plan to require a student
identification card
An identity document (also called ID or colloquially as papers) is any document that may be used to prove a person's identity. If issued in a small, standard credit card size form, it is usually called an identity card (IC, ID card, citizen ca ...
system in Oakland, which they called "fascist".
["Murder in California"](_blank)
''Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'', November 19, 1973. Accessed January 14, 2007 The proposed program was intended to reduce vagrancy and keep non-student drug-dealers off campus, and Foster had already gained support from the board to modify it to meet community concerns.
Foster was shot eight times with hollow-point bullets that had been packed with
cyanide
Cyanide is a naturally occurring, rapidly acting, toxic chemical that can exist in many different forms.
In chemistry, a cyanide () is a chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of ...
, a detail that the police did not publicize.
Blackburn was wounded but survived. Police originally discounted the flyers from the unknown SLA, but when the group noted the cyanide in the bullets, law enforcement realized they had a claim. The group was later classified as terrorist based on actions including kidnapping and armed robberies.
Foster is buried in
Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland. His widow, Albertine Ramseur Foster, died in 2011. She was buried alongside him. Their daughter, Marsha Foster Boyd, is President Emerita of
Ecumenical Theological Seminary
The Ecumenical Theological Seminary is a private seminary in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1980 as the Ecumenical Theological Center, the seminary offers graduate degrees and certificates in religious studies. It is housed in a building built in ...
in
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
.
Honors and tributes
Foster received the prestigious
Philadelphia Award in 1969, which recognizes individuals who have made positive contributions to the city of Philadelphia. After his death, several sites were named in his honor. These included the athletic fields at Gratz High School and the Marcus Foster Indoor Pool in Philadelphia, and the Student Union building at Cheyney University, his alma mater.
In 1973 Foster had founded the Oakland Education Institute, to raise discretionary funds to promote excellence in Oakland schools through the collaborative efforts of Oakland's diverse communities. After his death, the Institute was renamed the Marcus A. Foster Education Institute in his honor. In conjunction with Oakland-area businesses, the Institute awards 60 yearly scholarships ranging from $1000 to $2000 to Oakland high school students. Over 1,500 students have received these scholarships. The Fund also regularly awards up to $2000 to Oakland public school teachers who develop innovative educational projects.
In 1975, the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) established the Marcus Foster Memorial Award for Administrator Excellence, which is given annually to an ACSA member who personifies the ideals of Marcus Foster. Recipients of this award receive a $5,000 grant for a designated high school senior or seniors.
The
School District of Philadelphia
The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is the school district that includes all school district-operated public schools in Philadelphia. Established in 1818, it is the 8th largest school district in the nation, by enrollment, serving over 200 ...
in 2005 established the Marcus A. Foster Award, which is given annually to a School District administrator for noteworthy contributions in curriculum, instruction, school improvement or administration.
"21st Annual Celebration of Excellence in Education"
School District of Philadelphia, Accessed January 14, 2007
Both the University of Pennsylvania and University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
Graduate Schools of Education established Marcus Foster Fellowships.
During the state-mandated program to retrofit all schools for earthquake safety in the 1970s (and replace some that needed it), the Oakland portion was named the Marcus Foster Earthquake Safe program.
Aftermath to assassination
After deputy Robert Blackburn recovered from the shooting, he was appointed as Acting Superintendent of Oakland Schools. Beginning in 1981, he taught Educational Leadership at California State University, Hayward
California State University, East Bay (Cal State East Bay, CSU East Bay, or CSUEB) is a public university in Hayward, California. The university is part of the 23-campus California State University system and offers 136 undergraduate and 60 post ...
, in the East Bay, and later also at University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
.
Escaped convict Donald DeFreeze
Donald David DeFreeze (November 16, 1943 – May 17, 1974), also known as Cinque Mtume and using the nom de guerre "General Field Marshal Cinque", was known as the "spokesman" of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), a small, American far-left gro ...
became known as the SLA spokesman as the group gained notoriety. Patricia Soltysik
Patricia Monique Soltysik (May 17, 1950 – May 17, 1974) was an American woman who was best known as a co-founder and activist in the Symbionese Liberation Army, a far-left militant group based in Berkeley and Oakland, California. She participat ...
and Nancy Ling Perry
Nancy Ling Perry (September 19, 1947 – May 17, 1974, born Nancy Ling) was also known as Nancy Devoto, Lynn Ledworth, and Fahizah while a founding member of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), a small leftist terrorist group based in northe ...
were founding members with him and shared leadership; they were posited as the group's main theorists. By November 1973 and this killing, DeFreeze was the only black member of the small group; the remainder were younger white radicals, most of whom were middle or upper-class, and many of whom had college degrees.
Arrested in January 1974 and convicted of being involved in the attack on Foster, founding SLA members Joe Remiro
Joseph Michael Remiro (born 1947) is an American convicted murderer and one of the founding members of the Symbionese Liberation Army in the early fall of 1973. It was an American leftist terrorist group based in the Bay Area of California. He use ...
and Russ Little were sentenced to life in prison. Little was released after being acquitted on a new trial gained on appeal; he had served five years in prison. Remiro remains incarcerated serving a life sentence; his requests for parole have been rejected.
Later Little said that Soltysik had fatally shot Foster, and Perry had fired at Blackburn but "botched that". DeFreeze wounded Blackburn with a shotgun.
In May 1974, six SLA members sought refuge in Los Angeles. There was an SLA shootout with the LAPD at a house there. DeFreeze committed suicide as the structure burned down around them. Soltysik, Perry and three other founding members of the SLA also died that day.
References
External links
Marcus A. Foster Education Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Marcus
1923 births
1973 deaths
1973 murders in the United States
20th-century American educators
American murder victims
Assassinated educators
People from Athens, Georgia
People from Oakland, California
Educators from Philadelphia
School superintendents in California
People murdered in California
Deaths by firearm in California
Murdered African-American people
Male murder victims
Crimes in Oakland, California
African-American history in Oakland, California
Burials at Mountain View Cemetery (Oakland, California)
Murder in the San Francisco Bay Area
American terrorism victims
Oakland Unified School District
20th-century African-American educators