Clayton C. Stansbury Jr.

Clayton Cresvell Stansbury, Jt., Ph.D., was the sixth of seven children born to the late Mary V. Stansbury and Clayton C. Stansbury, Sr., in Havre de Grace, Maryland, on March 20, 1932. He was affectionately known as "Czech" by his family and close friends. He peacefully transitioned on August 30, 2025, leaving behind a legacy of love, laughter and cherished memories. Clayton received his elementary and secondary education at the Havre de Grace Colored School where he graduated in 1951. He excelled in academics, sports and student activities. Clayton matriculated at Morgan State College with his childhood friend, Issac "Bug" Cole. Clayton earned his bachelor's degree in psychology with honors, graduating in 1955. He was awarded the master's degree in general psychology from Howard University in 1960 and, in 1972, earned the Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Maryland. After his graduation from Morgan,Clayton Stansbury served in Germany as a medic for the U.S. Army. Upon his return, he married Catherine La Verne Posey, whom he had met in 1952, when she was a freshman at Morgan. On December 22, 1957, their union was sealed, and they began their long, beautiful and resilient journey of 68 years together. Following a brief period of teaching at Howard University, Dr. Stansbury began his Morgan tenure in 1967, when he was appointed to the position of Psychological Counselor in the Counseling Center. In 1970, moving steadily upward, he was appointed Assistant Dean of the College, in charge of the Freshman Program. Three years later, he returned to the classroom as the Chairperson of the Department of Psychology, but, only two years later, in 1975, he was appointed Director of the Lower Division. Two years after that, he was appointed Vice President for Student Affairs, and, in 1980, he began his sixteen-year tenure as Director of the University Honors Program, where one of his major accomplishments was the establishment of five chapters of national honor societies at Morgan. He began serving as a Marshal at Morgan State College in 1970, under the Chief Faculty Marshal Dr. Nathaniel K. Proctor. In 1974, Dr. Proctor nominated Dr. Stansbury to become the Chief Faculty Marshal. His tenure of thirty-five years ranks him as the longest-serving Chief Faculty Marshal in the history of the institution. Dr. Stansbury was known as the quintessential Morgan Man, and very few individuals associated with Morgan State University did not know him. If they didn't have the privilege of being taught by him, then they saw him regularly each morning chatting and having breakfast with students in the Canteen, watched him officiate at an honors convocation or honors induction ceremony, or saw him in attendance at a hundred fundraising events and activities in support of the University. Whatever their encounter, they knew him for his great devotion to his alma mater, his selfless commitment to service, and his promotion of the Promethean pursuit of excellence, all of which prompted his former colleague, the late Dr. Lucia S.Hawthorne, to call him as "Mr. Morgan State University." A staunch supporter of all aspects of university life, Dr. Clayton C. Stansbury was particularly devoted to the quality of student life and student activities. For 16 years the chairperson of the University Scholarship Committee, and Director of the Honors Program, Dr. Stansbury was the architect of an intricate, comprehensive web of honors organizations, activities, and awards for the University. For 29 years, he raised and carried the banner of academic excellence at Morgan. In the classroom, behind the administrative desk, at the giving-end of countless awards, and with the meticulously gloved hand on the base of the University Mace, Dr. Clayton Stansbury was one of Morgan's most conscientious, devoted, and diligent leaders. His service at Morgan State University brought him many decorations and awards. Among them were: the Phoenix Award as Administrator of the Year, the Senior Class Award of Appreciation, the Junior Class Award for Service Rendered, the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Citizens of Morgan Award and the Pan-Hellenic Council of Baltimore Certificate of Appreciation. In addition, he was named Professor Emeritus of Psychology, designated Alumnus of the Year, installed in the Psychology Department Hall of Fame and the Alumni Hall of Fame, and given the Morgan Award at the 1986 Gala and the NAFEO Distinguished Alumni Award. In 2017, during its Sesquicentennial Celebration, Morgan conferred upon him the title Chief Faculty Marshal Emeritus, the first such designation in the institution's history. In December 1952, he was initiated, with 11 others, into the Beta Alpha Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., at Morgan State College (University). After graduating he became a member of Delta Lambda Chapter, where he served faithfully for over 40 years. He was elected to serve as President, Vice President, Director of Educational Activities, Associate Editor of the Sphinx and Lay Member to the Executive Council. He served as the graduate advisor for Beta Alpha for over ten years. He was a National Life Member since 1981 and a Chapter Life Member since 1983. Dr. Stansbury was a life member of the NAACP and a lifetime member of the Morgan State University National Alumni Association. He and his wife rarely missed an Alumni Luncheon or Homecoming. He was an active office holder in the Howard L. Cornish Metropolitan Baltimore Alumni Chapter. For 39 years, he served as the ticket captain for its Dr. Martin Luther King Scholarship Breakfast. Dr. Stansbury and his wife Catherine were faithful members of Epworth United Methodist Chapel in Baltimore for over 40 years. Always a leader, Dr. Stansbury, was active in the life of his church. He established the United Methodist Men at Epworth. Forever concerned about people having a deeper understanding of their faith, he established the Epworth School of Christian Life and Learning. Clayton leaves to cherish his memory, his wife of 68 years, Catherine (Posey); sister-in-law Cassie N. Stansbury (Wardell); nieces: Rosa W. Brooks, Deborah W. Thorne (George), Williame W. Stansfield (Maurice), Mary W. Garnett (James), Sharon Stansbury, and Sheila Stansbury; nephews Dwayne Gordon and Marcus Stansbury, Jr. (Sherita); niece and goddaughter Erica Waters; godsons Carl Prather and Raymond Kelly, Jr.; many relatives; and a host of friends, including three close buddies: Issac Cole, Plummer Talley and Robert Neal. It is no exaggeration to borrow and slightly modify the words of William Shakespeare in saying of Dr. Clayton Stansbury: "This was one of the noblest Morganites of them all. His life was gentle, and the elements so mixed in him that Nature might stand up and say to all the world,'This was a Man"

Tributes

Clayton C. Stansbury Jr.

March 20, 1932 - August 30, 2025