When Jack Foster returned home after serving a prison sentence, he did not go into hiding, as many would have. As his attorney, Luther Sutter, noted at Foster’s funeral in April, the local activist kept on keeping on with his fiery ways because Foster believed, as did the attorney, that he had been railroaded into the federal charges that led to his imprisonment.
Others may think otherwise, but Foster not only did not let that setback get in his way, he went on to run for U.S. Senate. Not that he won or even got close to getting his party’s nomination, but a man crawling into a hole and pulling it in after him in embarrassment does not don a suit and tie and run for federal office.
His legacy will always include his problems, but it will also always include the much more prominent side of Foster that fought for those who were not able or did not have the courage to fight for themselves. In many cases, those individuals were the little guys. Rare was a Pine Bluff City Council meeting where Foster didn’t take to the podium microphone to rail about something.
As his time on earth was drawing to a close, Foster once again picked up a personal cause, that being education. In the 1970s, when the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff was still Arkansas AM&N, Foster enrolled in classes. Not long ago, he enrolled again, with the goal of receiving his degree. He was finally successful, but the honorary degree bestowed on him came after his passing.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
That his family wants to create a scholarship in his name is a noble thing. Actually, one young woman has already received the first installment of the scholarship, which, at this point, is being funded by the family.
But to make these things work and continue to work, there has to be an endowment. The Fosters have opened an account at UAPB and are hoping to see it grow to $25,000, which they say would be enough to create an ongoing scholarship. We think he would be quite proud.
Contributions can be made directly to the account or for a feel-good way of contributing, there is a website (see Sunday’s story) where various articles of clothing can be purchased. Several of the items say simply: “be the change.”
That was Foster. Simple but direct and always willing to square up and meet his adversary face to face, the way life sometimes demands. Good for his family to keep his memory alive. He wasn’t perfect, but the list of perfect people is a very short one.