NIU remembers ‘gentle giant’ Flournory

by Mark McGowan

Richard Flournory opened doors, whether they closed off towns, hearts or minds.

Flournory and his wife, Icilda, were the first African-American family to move to DeKalb and buy a house of their own. It was the late 1960s, a tumultuous time in American history, but Flournory was fearless – and friendly.

“I told Icilda at the funeral that I was grateful that she and Richard had built a path for the rest of us to come. He’s always been honored in the African-American community for that reason,” said Leroy Mitchell, director of NIU’s CHANCE program. “He lived life to the fullest – his way. He was very warm and very outgoing, and people were attracted to him even though he was just this gigantic man.”

“He was priceless. He did so many things that nobody will ever know all the things he did for the whole community,” added Walter Owens, an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education. “He got people jobs, and they never knew he went behind the scenes to help them out.”

Flournory died Sunday, Jan. 30 at the DeKalb County Rehab and Nursing Center at the age of 70. A funeral service was held Monday, Feb. 7.

His death came just days before the passing of his longtime colleague and officemate Gary G. Smith, who died Saturday, Feb. 5 at the age of 65. Smith, chief negotiator of all union contracts at the university and in charge of labor relations, was laid to rest Thursday, Feb. 10.

Born in Atlanta, Flournory earned a bachelor’s degree at Tuskegee University and completed his master’s degree at NIU. He was a school teacher and administrator before coming to the university in the fall of 1969 as a personnel officer in charge of learner and trainee programs.

He became supervisor of placement for civil service employment in 1975 and, in 1989, accepted an appointment as equal employment/affirmative action officer for non-academic employment. He retired in 1994.

“He definitely was what I would consider a gentle giant. He was in stature a huge man, and very famous for his bear hugs and his very loud laugh,” said Jodi Tyrrell, who met Flournory when she began at NIU in 1977 and now continues his work as supervisor of the civil service employment area.

The work helped Flournory build a bridge between NIU and DeKalb, she said.

“He really was a conduit between the African-American community and the university community. That was really evident at his funeral service,” she said. “The learner and trainee program brought in folks who may not have had the qualifications for certain civil service positions which allowed us to increase diversity.”

Flournory extended his values of fair play beyond NIU.

As an early member of DeKalb’s human relations commission, he pushed for city ordinances that required open housing access to minorities.

“Dick was phenomenal. He could listen well, and then he could bring people together. He always remained calm, even when he thought the person he was talking to was lying through their teeth,” said Marge Rey, who served on the commission from 1972 to 1984. “We got the law to be more inclusive, and spread out not just to housing but to other types of accommodations and to hiring.”

Many will remember Flournory for his skill at cooking turkey the southern way.

“We used to have parties for minority faculty and staff at his home. Then it got really big, and I took it over at my house,” Owens said. “Sometimes it got up to 500 people there, and he’d be doing the cooking at 2 or 3 in the morning. We’d smoke some turkeys, and he’d be rubbin’ ’em up.”

When early university funding of the parties ended, Owens said, “Dick and I and Larry Bolles went into our pockets and kept it going. It was a rallying point. Dick was very instrumental in that type of thing – bringing the community together – and I just took it a step further by opening I up a little more by letting the community meet the minorities in town: the business people, the mayor, the doctors, the lawyers, the politicians.”

Flournory’s friends will remember him most, however, for his love of people.

“I don’t think things were black-and-white issues for him. He had such a warm heart for everybody he came in contact with,” Tyrrell said. “He taught me just to be fair. He was a very fair person, and I don’t think he had any prejudices for people in terms of what they were capable of doing. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for his belief in what I could do.”

“He never said no,” Owens said. “His attitude, his smile – he gave everybody a big hug. He would take in kids, and families, and see to it they all got on the right road. They’d come here, and he’d give them direction. He was contagious.”

2-14-05