Stroud, Gerson L., 1919-2006.

Gerson Stroud was born in Charlotte, N.C. on March 1, 1919, and grew up there. Immediately after graduating from Johnson C. Smith University he was drafted into the U.S. Army and eventually became a supply sergeant in the 365th infantry regiment. He was sent to Italy and attended the University Study Center in Florence. After World War II, he matriculated through a master's degree program at the University of Illinois. Stroud returned to Charlotte and taught at Johnson C. Smith University, Carver College and West Charlotte High School. Later he became a school principal, and still later, an educational advisor. Stroud also earned a Certificate in Advanced Study in Education from New York University in 1963 and in 1980 Rust University conferred him with a Ph.D. in Humanities. Stroud was active in a variety of social clubs and organizations, as well as the First United Presbyterian Church in Charlotte. Stroud married Daisy Spears in 1944 and they had three children: Gerson, junior (now Khalid Abdul Salaam), Karita and Julius. Gerson Stroud died in October of 2006.