CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Aug. 29 (UPI) -- U.S. race relations expert Raymond Mack, a former Northwestern University provost and sociology professor, has died at his North Carolina home. He was 84.
Mack died Thursday at Chapel Hill, the Evanston, Ill., university said in a release.
"It's hard to imagine anyone who has had such enduring influence on race relations and urban policy as Ray Mack," said John McKnight, the first associate director of the Center for Urban Affairs, which was founded by Mack in 1968, and professor emeritus of communication studies. "His disciples are everywhere building on the foundation he provided us."
Mack, who served as a sociology professor for 40 years was also a jazz aficionado.
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"Ray Mack was a pretty good drummer, a very good sociologist and the world's greatest university administrator," said Howard Becker, professor of sociology at Northwestern from 1965 to 1991. "He was smart, sensitive, fair and always worked to get things done in a way that advanced the common good."
Mack, the author of numerous books and articles for professional journals, joined Northwestern in 1953 and served as director of the Center for Urban Affairs from 1968 to 1971. He was the university's vice president and dean of faculties from 1971 to 1974 when he became provost. In 1987, he returned to full-time teaching and research, and retired in 1992.
Mack received an associate degree from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio, in 1949, his masters degree in 1951 and doctorate in 1953 from the University of North Carolina. Before teaching at Northwestern, he worked briefly at the University of Mississippi.
A memorial service was planned for a later date.
