I just learned yesterday of the passing of Dr. Cecil Wayne Cone. I met Dr. Cone when I was president of Philander Smith College as he was an alum. He is the brother of Dr. James Cone, father of Black liberation theology. Cecil Cone was a theologian in his own right, including author of "Identity Crisis in Black Theology."
I heard him preach a couple of times. One of the times he used the topic, "The Cross, the Lynching Tree, and the Electric Chair." Talk about a sermon on justice starting with Jesus, going through slavery and Jim Crow and then today's prison industrial complex. He also had a pendant that incorporated all three elements.
Dr. Cone was a past president of Edward Waters College, so maybe that was one reason we connected (as well as being Alphas). But he always sent me a letter every December with a sizeable gift to the college- without fail.
Dr. Cecil Cone was one of the legends of Philander Smith College. I hope current students will learn about his legacy.
The Prez
