Dr. Flack was diagnosed with cancer on Oct. 27, 1997, and took a leave of absence to fight the disease. He told one close associate shortly after his diagnosis that doctors believed he had pancreatic cancer . Although trustees talked last month of the possibility of Dr. Flack resuming some duties in the coming weeks following a round of chemotherapy, the treatment apparently could not halt the disease. He died around 10 p.m. Sunday at home surrounded by his family, WSU officials announced Monday morning.
All Wright State classes and campus activities will be canceled Friday in honor of Dr. Flack. He is the first Ohio public university president to die in office since Hollis A. Moore, president of Bowling Green State University, died in 1981 of a brain tumor, said an Ohio Board of Regents spokeswoman.
Thomas E. Palmer, vice chairman of WSU's board of trustees, called Dr. Flack "a caring and compassionate man" whose "vision (and) strength of character will continue to guide this university." Palmer said trustees will meet April 9 to discuss the search for a successor to Dr. Flack and the possibility of appointing an interim president.
But on Monday, the focus was on the Zanesville native who became Wright State's fourth president in February 1994.
"Dr. Harley Flack led with his heart and with his spirit," said Lynnette Heard, executive assistant to Flack and secretary to WSU's board of trustees. "When you experience someone like that, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We are all missing him so very much."
WSU officials announced Dr. Flack's death during a press conference attended by dozens of WSU faculty, staff and students. Several appeared deeply moved by the loss, hugging one another and stepping forward to console Heard, who worked most closely with Dr. Flack. Heard said Dr. Flack's family is "devastated" by his death, "but they are strong, and they are thankful his suffering is ended."
A man who guarded the privacy of his personal life, Dr. Flack did not disclose publicly the type of cancer he was battling nor the extent of the disease in the months following his diagnosis. Palmer declined to discuss details Monday.
However, the president's medical condition became the subject of intense speculation and rumor on campus while those closest to the president kept reporting that he was doing well.
Dr. Manuel Castillo, medical director at Samaritan North Cancer Care Center, said pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to treat. The American Cancer Society says the one-year survival rate is 20 percent, and the five-year rate is 4 percent.
Pancreatic cancer is rarely detected until it has spread, Castillo said. Most people don't have early symptoms, and there is no screening test for it.
Brother Raymond Fitz, president of the University of Dayton, said he spoke to Dr. Flack in the weeks following the diagnosis. Though initially stunned, Dr. Flack grew to accept "the challenge the Lord had put before him," Fitz said.
"He was in a sense very much at peace with God and was ready to do whatever it was God wanted for him," Fitz said. "My sense is that he was very positive."
Fitz praised his colleague's authenticity and integrity as well as his ability to relate to students, some of whom were left reeling by the news of his death.
"It came as a shock," said Donnell Gregory, a WSU senior and vice president of student government who said he was told in recent weeks that Dr. Flack's condition was improving. "I'm shaken up."
Dr. Flack "was like a mentor," Gregory said. "We could talk to him whenever we needed to, about personal issues or academic issues. He really cared about the students and about the university."
WSU faculty president Jim Sayer said Dr. Flack incorporated the "Three C's" that the new president outlined in his 1994 inauguration address - caring, competence and collaboration - into a variety of initiatives since his arrival. "The real tragedy is that he won't see that full agenda reach fruition," Sayer said.
Dr. Flack's arrival at WSU in February 1994 galvanized the campus, which had stagnated during a 2 1/2 -year lame-duck status of previous president Paige Mulhollan. Dr. Flack's collaborative management style contrasted sharply with Mulhollan, who preferred a more businesslike and directive approach. The campus community seemed to welcome the change.
Dr. Flack also was WSU's first black president. In his first weeks on the job - his first university presidency - Dr. Flack received an anonymous racially-charged note in the mail threatening to kill him. Nothing ever came of the threat, though it shook Dr. Flack and his wife, Mignon. He went on to champion several cultural and racial diversity initiatives on campus, launching a WSU African American Male Mentoring Program for first-year WSU students and implementing recommendations of a "campus climate" committee.
Among his accomplishments at WSU were winning approval for a doctoral degree in engineering at a politically sensitive time when the state was slashing such programs; helping to preserve the Air Force Institute of Technology and enhancing the Dayton Area Graduate Studies Institute that includes AFIT; and forging and expanding several collaborative initiatives with the Dayton Public Schools and with other Miami Valley colleges and universities.
And a year ago, Dr. Flack fulfilled a promise he made at his inauguration by completing Vision 2020 , a document that maps out the university's future. The document culminated an 18-month planning process that included 100 meetings on campus and a survey of area business, political and community leaders. The plan calls for expanded graduate programs, higher enrollment, greater student satisfaction, higher graduation rates, technology enhancements and a more international focus. The plan joined a university master plan and a 1998-2003 strategic plan that Dr. Flack helped guide to completion as blueprints for WSU's future.
The university began to make gains in several areas. Last fall, WSU reversed a six-year enrollment decline with a 1.8 percent increase, to 15,334 students. Even more impressively, the university boosted the number of incoming students with good grades and lowered the dropout rate of first-year students.
Dr. Flack also found himself embroiled in several controversies during his tenure. He helped initiate a criminal investigation into the activities of the dean of the university's college of education and human services that resulted in the conviction of three former WSU faculty members, including dean Fred Gies, who served a four-month jail term. His role in the ouster of long-time basketball coach Ralph Underhill, and subsequent lawsuits over the matter, caused division on campus and among alumni.
And the relationship between Dr. Flack and WSU's faculty has been strained over issues such as spending decisions and long-term planning priorities. The faculty is in the midst of a drive that will determine whether it will form a union for collective bargaining with the university, a movement Dr. Flack vigorously opposed.
But Dr. Flack proved very popular with the vast majority of Wright State students. He became known as a president who would not hesitate to strike up informal conversations with students while walking across campus or eating at restaurants across the street from the university
"He would talk to anybody and everybody," said Melanie Glass, a WSU senior and news editor of the campus newspaper, The Guardian. "He was not aloof at all, and he was just bursting with energy."
Dr. Flack also loved - and lived - music. He was a talented composer and accomplished pianist; one of his compositions, A Nation: All Families, was performed at his WSU inauguration. He later performed at a conference on the future of black religion on campus. Those close to Dr. Flack said he took great joy in working on his music even during his illness.
Dayton Mayor Mike Turner remembered Dr. Flack's musical talent. He said the last time he saw Dr. Flack at an official function was the premiere of 1913: The Great Dayton Flood, when the university choir sang a gospel hymn Dr. Flack composed.
`This certainly is a loss," Turner said. "His charm, charisma and commitment to the community will be missed.'
The Rev. Raleigh Trammell, president of the local Southern Christian Leadership Conference branch, praised Dr. Flack as an "outstanding leader for human rights and human dignity." Trammell also recalled Dr. Flack's devotion to the city's annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration.
`He was very deeply committed to the celebration and the movement,' Trammell said.
Peter Redding, president and chief executive officer of Standard Register, also worked with Dr. Flack on the King celebration.
Redding said: `Harley Dr. Flack was a good friend to all in the community. We worked closely together on the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration for the last two years. His leadership will be missed."
The company sponsors a university program that prepares minority and female high school and junior high students for college degrees and careers in engineering, science and math-related fields. Officials said Dr. Flack's death would not change their commitment.
Rep. Marilyn J. Reid, R-Beavercreek, recalled a phone conversation she had with Dr. Flack when he was a finalist for the Wright State job. After 90 minutes of talk, he had her support.
`My impression was that he was very, very positive, that he had a forward-looking image,' she said. `... I think the university was better for having him as a president.'
The services
The funeral will be at 11a.m. Saturday in Wright State University's Ervin J. Nutter Center, with visitation at 6 p.m. Friday at the Nutter Center. The family is requesting contributions to the Dr. Harley E. Flack Scholarship Fund at Wright State University.
The family
In addition to his wife, Mignon, Dr. Flack is survived by four sons, Harley Flack II, Christopher Flack, Oliver Palmer and Michael Palmer, and by grandson Christopher Farrar Flack.
Harley Flack's career at Wright State University
1993
* December: Wright State University trustees select Harley E. Flack, provost and executive vice president of Rowan University in New Jersey, as its fourth president.
1994
* February: Flack takes office.
* October: Flack is inaugurated and outlines an agenda for an audience of nearly 1,500 that focuses on three areas -competence, collaboration and caring - that Flack calls "The Three-C Challenge."
1995
* March: Flack asks the Ohio Highway Patrol to investigate financial dealings of the university's dean of the College of Education and Human Services, an investigation that leads to the conviction of the dean and two of his faculty colleagues.
* October: Flack appoints John Fleischauer as provost, completing an administrative reorganization.
1996
* September: WSU wins approval from the Ohio Board of Regents to establish a Ph.D. program in engineering with four other schools.
* November: After intense scrutiny from Flack and others in WSU's administration, longtime basketball coach Ralph Underhill is fired.
1997
* September: The Enrollment Planning Council, which Flack helped to create, helps WSU reverse a six-year decline in enrollment.
* October: University officials announce Flack will take a two-month medical leave of absence beginning Nov. 1 to battle cancer.
1998
* February: Trustees extend Flack's medical leave and express hope that Flack will be able to resume some duties in the coming weeks.
* March 29: Flack dies at his home, surrounded by family.
- Dayton Daily News
Harley Flack in his own words
The following quotes came from Dayton Daily News interviews with Flack in early 1996:
* On his values: "I'm not saying I'm perfect, but if I do something wrong, if I attempt to tell an untruth, it would bother me. I wouldn't be able to function."
* On racism: "Racism is still one of the most forceful phenomena in our society. It drives decisions and perceptions. (It is) still one of the powerful shapers of opinion in our society, and I don't expect it to be different at Wright State or in Ohio."
* On his level of tolerance: "I think I'm kind of a softie .... People should be given opportunities and chances. I do have lines I draw in the sand and say, 'You can't go any further than this,' but up until that point, I'm fairly tolerant."
* On his moral code: "It is proper to expect exemplary behavior from high-profile people at this institution - including myself."
* On his music and composing: "My greatest getaway is to compose a piece of music. I can do it for three hours, and it seems like 10 minutes."
- Dayton Daily News
PHOTOS:
(1) Dr. Harley Flack
(2) A colleague consoles Lynette Heard, executive assistant to Dr. Harley Flack and secretary to WSU's board of trustees, after the announcement of his death.
SKIP PETERSON/DAYTON DAILY NEWS
(3) Flags on the Wright State campus fly at half staff after the news of the university president's death.
JAN UNDERWOOD/DAYTON DAILY NEWS
(4) Dr. Harley Flack 'would talk to anybody and everybody,' one student said. 'He was not aloof at all. And he was just bursting with energy.'
BILL REINKE/DAYTON DAILY NEWS
(5) Dr. Flack (left) welcomed Uganda's President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni along with U.S. Rep. Tony Hall to Wright State's School of Medicine in 1995.
BILL REINKE/DAYTON DAILY NEWS
(6) Dr. Flack's devotion to music was reflected in his talents as a performer and a composer. One of his compositions was performed at his inauguration.
BILL REINKE/DAYTON DAILY NEWS
(7) Dr. Flack and his wife, Mignon, came to Wright State four years ago.
BILL REINKE/DAYTON DAILY NEWS
* CONTACT Mark Fisher at 225-2258 or e-mail him at
mark_fisher@coxohio.com. Staff writers John Keilman and Kevin Lamb
contributed to this report.