Judge Damon J. Keith, who worked his way through college by mopping floors and waiting tables, is pictured during a luncheon last fall to mark the release of his biography, “Crusader for Justice.”
Photo by Robert Chase
Keith was just 17 when he first set foot on the West Virginia State campus after graduating from Northwestern High School in Detroit. It was an “emotional” experience for the son of a Detroit autoworker.
“I was the first in my family to attend college and I literally cried at the thought of having such an opportunity to pursue a college education,” said Keith, who had never left Michigan before heading to the Mountaineer state. “It was the time of the Great Depression, and I came from a family background of limited financial means. The chance to go to college was a true privilege, especially during a time when so many people across the country were suffering.”
Now, little more than a month after celebrating his 92nd birthday, Judge Keith was be joined for the special occasion by his three daughters, Gilda Keith, Debbie Keith, and Cecile Keith Brown; his son-in-law, Daryle Brown; and his Administrative Manager Kim Kendrick. It was the first time his children have visited the WVSU campus and will rekindle memories of another first time visit.
“My dad, who was very sick at the time, came down to see me graduate from West Virginia State in 1943,” Keith recalled. “It was the first time he was able to visit and I can remember him telling me as we walked around campus, ‘Son, God was good to allow me the chance to see you graduate.’ A few days later after I returned to Detroit, my father died, but he passed away knowing that his son had graduated.”
He would be even more delighted to know that his son has since earned law degrees from Howard University (J.D. 1949) and Wayne State University (LL.M. 1956), as well as more than 40 honorary degrees from such institutes of higher learning as Harvard University, Yale University, the University of Michigan, Morehouse College, Spelman College, Colgate University, and the College of William and Mary.
A judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit since 1977, Keith was first appointed to the federal bench in 1967 when he was named to the U.S. District Court in Detroit by then President Lyndon Johnson.
In 2011, the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State Law School opened its doors. The facility was made possible by the generosity of a host of donors, including his good friend and philanthropist A. Alfred Taubman, who contributed more than $3 million for the project.
“I have been greatly blessed by God, whose hand has guided me every step of the way in my life,” said Keith. “When I reflect on having buildings named after me, it is truly providential. I could never have dreamed of this, and it is a reminder of the importance of gratefulness and humility.”
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