Clement A. Price

November 6th, 2014 by Elaine Clisham

New Jersey Future is deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Clement A. Price. We honored Dr. Price on the occasion of our 25th anniversary gala, for “his research, teaching and civic engagement, [which have] illuminated the vital role that arts, culture, history and diversity play in shaping communities, especially cities.” His passing is a great loss for the city of Newark, for Rutgers University and indeed for the entire state of New Jersey.

Below is a remembrance by Andaiye Taylor of Brick City Live, along with her compilation of many of the reactions to his passing, a heartwarming tribute to the legacy he leaves.

I last saw Dr. Clement Price less than two weeks before his passing. He was on a panel at Rutgers University doing what he does best: elucidating and contextualizing what was going on in Newark by bringing his deep knowledge of the city’s history to bear on its present and possible future.

In this instance, Dr. Price was discussing the possible effects of The Star-Ledger moving their headquarters out of the city. Dr. Price told those assembled not to jump to conclusions about what the Ledger’s move would mean for Newark. We’d lost pillar journalistic institutions before and survived, he reminded us. Instead of speculating wildly about the effects of the move, we’d have to wait and see what it ultimately meant.

Dr. Price was himself a walking historical institution, but any analogies to his comments about the Ledger end there. We won’t need to “wait and see” to know that Dr. Price’s passing is a profound loss not only for his loved ones and those he touched within the classroom and his professional orbit, but for the city of Newark, and the way we understand the city’s past and its application to our present and future. Dr. Price was incredibly generous about transmitting his knowledge and insight – it was his life’s work – but he was nonetheless a font of knowledge and experience that will never be replicated.

Read the entire article on Brick City Live.