The Oliver White Hill Foundation

THE NATION MOURNS THE DEATH OF OLIVER W. HILL 

 

Oliver W. Hill died while having breakfast with his family on August 5, 2007.  His friends and admirers from all over the Nation mourned his death.  His funeral, which was held in the Richmond, Virginia Convention Center on August 12, 2007 was presided over by Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine.  A few of the many tributes to Mr. Hill are set forth below.  For additional information see Coverage of the Oliver White Hill funeral link.

. . .

"The force of his intellect, even in his advanced years, was humbling. Men are not born who are smarter and wiser than Oliver Hill Sr. became."

"He showed his love by struggling to make us better."

"Thank you for leaving gigantic footprints on the sand of time . . . thank you for a full life well lived."

-- Elaine Jones, Member of the Board of Directors of the Oliver White Hill Foundation and President Emeritus, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund

. . .

"It is no secret that I consider Oliver Hill the greatest leader of the 20th century, bar none, and one of the greatest leaders in the history of our nation."

"Oliver would be the first to say, 'Let us celebrate the teamwork that made our successes possible. Let us continue to fight until equal opportunity is afforded to all.'"

-- Virginia State Sen. Henry L. Marsh III., former law partner of Oliver W. Hill

. . .

"This afternoon, as we remember Mr. Hill, we should keep in mind the words of President Kennedy, who said, 'As we express our gratitude, we must never forget the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.  So ultimately the greatest tribute that all of us could pay to Mr. Hill is for each of us in our own way . . . [to] commit to carrying on where he left off. And to march on till victory is won."

-- Virginia Secretary of Public Safety John W. Marshall, son of Justice Thurgood Marshall

. . .

"We grieve as we adjust to looking at life without his commanding presence, without his love. Although we know he will be with us always in spirit."

-- Attorney James Morris, III., member of the Board of Director's of the Oliver White Hill Foundation

. . .

"He treated everybody the same. And that was a great lesson for me."

-- Oliver W. Hill Jr.

. . .

"Mr. Hill changed our times. He changed our times for the better. I assert that no Virginian in the past 100 years has had as much of an impact on the life of every person in this commonwealth as Oliver Hill."

"Mr. Hill was a Samaritan. Mr. Hill was a good neighbor. He lived the way he was raised. He reminded Virginians every day of his life that we have a duty to be good neighbors, to be brothers and sisters. And that duty especially extends to extending mercy to anyone who is in need."

"Mr. Hill reminded Virginians of something very important: 'All men are created equal.'"

-- Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine