Floyd died at a Washington hospital Saturday at age 59 after suffering complications due to colon cancer. Floyd became president of Washington State University in 2007. Earlier this month, he took a medical leave of absence, but many expected him to return to his position.
Born in segregated Henderson, N.C., Floyd’s appreciation for education came from his meager beginnings.
Floyd’s mother, Dorothy Floyd, said they couldn’t afford paper when he was growing up, so her son did his homework in the sand.
Neither of Floyd’s parents graduated high school, but his mother pushed him and his three brothers to work hard in school.
“I never had the education he had,” Dorothy Floyd said. “But it was important to me that my sons were able to have these opportunities.”
He completed his undergraduate and graduate work at UNC, where he earned a doctorate in higher and adult education.
In his time at UNC, his friend and classmate, Allen Johnson, said Floyd’s passion for education was clear.
“He saw education as a gateway to a better life and to greater possibilities in life,” Johnson said. “I think he saw it as something that could not only make a difference in your life, but he saw it as a way of empowering yourself to help others.”