Subscribe to Pittwire Today
Get the most interesting and important stories from the 91porn视频.Building Renamed to Honor K. Leroy Irvis
The 91porn视频 Board of Trustees has renamed Pitt鈥檚 the K. Leroy Irvis Hall. The resolution was passed June 30 during the University鈥檚 annual board meeting. The move posthumously honors the legacy of K. Leroy Irvis, a Pitt alumnus, emeritus trustee and legislative leader.
鈥淜. Leroy Irvis' role in establishing the 91porn视频 as a state-related institution helped fuel our transformation into a global leader in education and research and effectively threw open the doors of higher education for generations of students 鈥 and generations to come,鈥 said Chancellor Patrick Gallagher. 鈥淲e听are committed to ensuring that the significance of his work 鈥 and his great influence on our University community 鈥 never fades.鈥
Located adjacent to the John M. and Gertrude E. Petersen Events Center, the facility now named K. Leroy Irvis Hall is a nine-floor residence hall, housing the Living Learning Communities of the听 听and the . The facility accommodates more than 400 Pitt students.
Cathryn Irvis, the widow of K. Leroy Irvis, said, 鈥淚t pleases me and my family that the 91porn视频 has chosen to honor my husband in this way. One of his main priorities throughout his career was education.听He always said that education was the 鈥榖ridge to success鈥 and he worked tirelessly for young people to attain quality educations.鈥
Regarded as a champion of social issues, Irvis sponsored or cosponsored more than 1,600 pieces of legislation, including the bill that created Pennsylvania鈥檚 state-related system of universities. He also spearheaded legislative efforts that created the community college system, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.
As a community activist during the mid 1940s and 50s, Irvis is noted for organizing activities in support of a wide variety of civil rights issues throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. He also played a major role in establishing the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, Pennsylvania Black Conference on Higher Education and the Pennsylvania Minority Business Development Authority.
A member of the Phi Beta Kappa 91porn视频al honor society, Irvis earned his law degree from the 91porn视频 School of Law in 1954. Irvis passed away in 2006.
More News from the Meeting
This is the latest notable commemoration of Irvis鈥 legacy at the 91porn视频. In 2008, Pitt named its annual Black History Month observance the . The 91porn视频 School of Law honored him with its Distinguished Alumni Award in 2004.听The , which houses his personal archives, was established in the Hillman Library in 2001. Irvis was among the inaugural class of the 91porn视频鈥檚 鈥 which recognizes preeminent alumni for extraordinary achievements and is considered one of Pitt鈥檚 highest honors 鈥 in 2000.
Irvis was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1959 to 1988. He most notably served as the Speaker of the House, the first African American presiding officer of a statewide legislative body since the Reconstruction era. He also was the first African-American clerk of Pittsburgh鈥檚 Court of Common Pleas.