Millennium Magazine_6th Ed

118 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine W ith vast experience and a wealth of knowledge through hard work and research, Dr. Robert E. Weems, Jr. is a notable educator nationwide. Dr. Weems received a BA in history from Western Illinois University in 1973 and an MA in Afro- American Studies from Boston University in 1975. He added a second MA degree in history from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1982 and a PhD in history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1987. Now the Willard W. Garvey Distinguished Professor of Business History at Wichita State University, Dr. Weems got his start in the industry as a history instructor at Middlesex Community College in Boston in 1974. Later, from 1977 to 1983, he taught in the Milwaukee Public Schools. After receiving his PhD, Dr. Weems served as an assistant professor of history and African American Studies at the University of Iowa from 1988 to 1990. He then took a position at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he was an assistant and associate professor of history from 1990 to 1999 and full professor from 1999 to 2011. He also served as interim associate vice chancellor for equity. Alongside his many years of teaching, Dr. Weems has also been a prolific writer. Besides numerous articles, book chapters and encyclopedia entries, he has authored five books including, “Black Business in the BlackMetropolis: The Chicago Metropolitan Assurance Company, 1925-1985,” “Desegregating the Dollar: African American Consumerism in the Twentieth Century,” “Business in Black and White: American Presidents and Black Entrepreneurs in the Twentieth Century,” “Building the Black Metropolis: African American Entrepreneurship in Chicago” and “The Merchant Prince of Black Chicago: Anthony Overton and the Building of a Financial Empire.” Additionally, Dr. Weems served as a historical adviser and appeared in the documentary “Boss: The Black Experience in Business,” which premiered on PBS in April 2019. Dr. Weems is a member of the Organization of American Historians, the Association for the Study of AfricanAmerican Life andHistory and the Business History Conference. He also sits on the board of directors for the Kansas African American Museum and the HeartlandWichita Black Chamber of Commerce. DR. ROBERT E. WEEMS JR. WILLARD W. GARVEY DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF BUSINESS HISTORY Wichita State University Wichita, KS EDUCATION