Those We Lost — October 18

Honoring those we lost on October 18 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind.

James Wormley

Born January 16, 1819 — died October 18, 1884

Hotelier, caterer, and businessman

Wormley was born free in Washington, D.C. After running a successful restaurant, he bought a hotel near the White House that became the Wormley House. It was known for its rooms, its early telephone, and its European-style dining. Negotiations over the disputed 1876 presidential election, which led to the Compromise of 1877, took place at the hotel. He was one of the most prominent Black businessmen in nineteenth-century Washington, and his hotel was a gathering place for the capital’s political elite.

Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher

Born February 8, 1924 — died October 18, 1995

Lawyer, educator, civil-rights plaintiff, and university regent

Fisher challenged Oklahoma’s refusal to admit Black students to its law school. Her U.S. Supreme Court victory in Sipuel v. Board of Regents required the state to provide legal education without delay. Her case helped build the legal path toward Brown v. Board of Education, and she later served on the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents.

Dee Dee Warwick

Born c. 1942 — died October 18, 2008

Soul and R&B singer

Born in Newark, Warwick sang backup for Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and others before starting a solo career. Her hits on the soul and R&B charts included ‘Foolish Fool,’ ‘She Didn’t Know (She Kept on Talking),’ and a version of ‘I’m Gonna Make You Love Me’ that Diana Ross and the Supremes later covered. She was a two-time Grammy nominee and part of a family of singers that included her sister Dionne Warwick, her aunt Cissy Houston, and her cousin Whitney Houston.

Colin Powell

Born April 5, 1937 — died October 18, 2021

Four-star general, national security adviser, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and secretary of state

Powell rose through the U.S. Army to become the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and later the first Black U.S. secretary of state. His career marked major institutional breakthroughs while his 2003 United Nations presentation based on faulty intelligence remains an essential part of an honest assessment of his public record.

Warren M. Washington

Born August 28, 1936 — died October 18, 2024

Atmospheric scientist, climate modeler, and science-policy adviser

Washington joined the National Center for Atmospheric Research in 1963. In 1964 he earned a doctorate in meteorology from Penn State, becoming the second African American to earn one. He helped build some of the first computer models of Earth’s climate. He advised six U.S. presidents, chaired the National Science Board, and received the National Medal of Science. His models became foundational tools of climate research.