Featuring Dr. George Stevens
Dr. George Stevens knows racism first hand. As an African American man, born and raised by his single mother in Philadelphia nearly eight decades ago, he experienced racism and prejudice in many forms. As a young man, he was drafted into the military and stationed at Fort Jackson, Fort Gordon, and Fort Benning. In the South, he experienced a different version of racism, segregation, and second-class citizenship. His lifetime of personal and professional experiences has provided him perspective and insight to address the racism of today.
Throughout his early years, Dr. Steven’s role models - including his mom, scoutmaster, basketball coaches, and recreation leaders - helped guide his steps and helped him achieve. He became captain of his basketball teams and university tennis team.
He was a basketball official, an Eagle Scout who won both the Explorer Silver Award and Distinguished Eagle award.
He was later President of Alpha Phi Omega as well as President of Beta Gamma Sigma international fraternity.
As a college student, Dr. Stevens was involved in peaceful protests against racism at Delaware State College and Kent State University. He also visited various sites where race-based shootings took place – including at South Carolina State and Jackson State.
In his professional career, Dr. Stevens became Manager of Human Resources for Rohm & Haas. He later became a professor and then Dean of the College of Business at Kent State, Oakland University, and the University of San Francisco.
Throughout his life, Dr. Stevens has discussed and educated on topics ranging from massacres in Tulsa, OK, and in Rosewood, FL., lynching, slavery, Jim Crow, black codes, education, employment, voting rights, and prison leasing.
Dr. Stevens’s family lived in many locations including Tempe, AZ; Orlando, FL; Rochester, MN; and Stow, Oh. But after his retirement, Dr. Stevens and his family relocated to Loveland, CO where he has been actively involved with his community. Although he and his family enjoy the Loveland community, he recognizes that in this somewhat diverse region, there is only a small percentage of African Americans. Unfortunately, many of the issues of the past continue to exist, albeit in different forms in different places.
In his retirement, Dr. Stevens has been engaged in a variety of organizations, including serving on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Committee of Loveland and at the Rotary Club of Loveland. He also serves on the Longs Peak Boy Scout Council Board of Directors.
His work through the MLK Committee helps provide information about poverty, education, employment, health care, housing affordability and sufficiency, immigration, the criminal justice system, and alleged voting fraud, food insufficiency, and voting suppression. The MLK Committee works with the support of Thompson School District, Thompson Education Foundation, City of Loveland, Loveland Public Library, Loveland Museum Gallery.
In every stage of Dr. Steven’s life, from young man to retired professional, he has taken the lessons he gained and shared them with others to promote greater diversity in his community and throughout the country.