Melville Westbrook Pugh

MELVILLE WESTBROOK PUGH, JR. was the first born of Melville and Evelyn Pugh of Sparrows Point, Maryland. Over time he was joined by one sister and three brothers. He was born at home at 1014 J Street on October 9, 1926 and he unexpectedly returned to the Creator on June 27, 2005. He was part of a close-knit family that was part of a close-knit community comprised of many relatives and friends. Like his father he was naturally curious about everything. He was a boy scout. He embraced education and in these pursuits he was supported wholeheartedly by family and friends. As a result, he was to become the first member of his family to attend college. He entered Morgan State in 1944, but his career there was interrupted by service in the Navy, during World War II. Eventually he would graduate with Honors in 1949. He then entered the University of Iowa from which he would receive his Master of Sociology degree. He was offered and accepted the position of Instructor at Grambling State College and it was there that he met his fate. Idell Shedrick was his beloved, his other half. They were married in 1953, and spent over fifty years together. They raised two grateful sons together. They laughed, cried, triumphed and suffered together. They were together at his death. Eventually she brought him into the Catholic Church, which was a pillar of his life. He brought his family home to Baltimore in the late fifties in search of greater professional opportunities at Morgan State College, an institution he loved. He would teach there until his retirement as acting Head of the Sociology Department in 1986. For the rest of his life he would be stopped by former students who thanked him for his efforts on their behalf. He was active for over fifty years in both the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and the Morgan Alumni Class of 1949. He was also an active part of the spiritual and daily life of St. Mary's Parish. No words can tell his life nor sound the grief of those who love him. He is survived by his beloved wife, Idell Pugh; sons, Clifford (Carol) and Melville, III (Joyce); three grandchildren, Jennifer, Adam and Kelsey; three brothers, Fenton (Myrna), Harry (Geraldine) and Joseph (Jo Ann); sister-in-law, Marguerite Ducre; brother-in-law, Thomas Campbell; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Tributes

Melville Westbrook Pugh

October 9, 1926 - June 27, 2005