Wilkinson, John Arthur, 1938-

John Arthur Wilkinson was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on April 30, 1938, and received his B.A., M.A.T., and M.A. degrees from Yale University. From 1961 to 1968, Wilkinson was Assistant Dean of Yale College, and was Associate Dean from 1968 to 1974. He served as headmaster of Hopkins School from 1974 to 1979. Wilkinson returned to Yale in 1979, serving as an Officer for Development until 1981, and was Secretary of the University from 1981 to 1987. During his years as Officer for Development and Secretary, he served on the Board of Directors for the Center for Advocacy, Research and Planning (CARP).

The Center for Advocacy, Research and Planning (CARP) was founded in December 1973 as the legal arm and research agency of the Greater New Haven Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). CARP focused its activities on civil rights issues and did significant work in matters of affirmative action, fair housing, and community economic development. Separated from the NAACP for tax reasons in 1974, CARP continued to promote the concerns of disadvantaged communities until it was disbanded in 1983.

John Arthur Wilkinson was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 30, 1938, and received his B.A., M.A.T., and M.A. degrees from Yale University. Wilkinson was Assistant Dean of Yale College from 1961 to 1968, and was Associate Dean from 1968 to 1974. He served as headmaster of Hopkins School from 1974 to 1979. Wilkinson returned to Yale in 1979, serving as an Officer for Development until 1981, and was Secretary of the University from 1981 to 1987. During his years as Officer for Development and Secretary, he served on the Board of Directors for the Center for Advocacy, Research and Planning (CARP).

JOHN WILKINSON AND THE CENTER FOR ADVOCACY, RESEARCH AND PLANNING

John Arthur Wilkinson was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 30, 1938, and received his B.A., M.A.T., and M.A. degrees from Yale University. Wilkinson was Assistant Dean of Yale College from 1961 to 1968, and was Associate Dean from 1968 to 1974. He served as headmaster of Hopkins School from 1974 to 1979. Wilkinson returned to Yale in 1979, serving as an Officer for Development until 1981, and as Secretary of the university from 1981 to 1987. From 1978 to 1983, Wilkinson served on the board of directors of the Center for Advocacy, Research and Planning (CARP), an organization founded in December 1973 as the legal arm and research agency of the Greater New Haven Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). CARP sought to represent the needs of minorities and the poor through traditional legal process. Separated from the NAACP for tax reasons in 1974, CARP continued to promote the concerns of disadvantaged people until it was disbanded in 1983.

CARP focused its activities on civil rights issues and did significant work in matters of affirmative action, fair housing, and community economic development. Under its first executive director, Fleming Norcott, CARP's docket included efforts on behalf of local African-American policemen in their bid for equal employment opportunities; litigative work to promote a New Haven location of South Central Community College (now Gateway Community-Technical College) and a regional technical vocational college; and representation of the Church Street South community whose housing was threatened by a proposed highway. During Norcott's six-year tenure, the non-profit CARP forged crucial relationships with and secured much of its funding from charitable organizations and corporate sponsors. CARP's board of directors assembled a diverse group of professionals from the New Haven and Yale communities.

In 1979, former Associate Director Clarance Jones assumed leadership, and in the 1980s, CARP produced several affirmative action plans, prepared studies on patients' rights and jury reform, and continued its investigation of the New Haven educational system. CARP also supported and worked with several minority businesses and economic development organizations in order to encourage economic opportunities in New Haven's minority community. Throughout its ten years, CARP maintained a strong presence in the community and in the local media. Lack of support funding, however, required the board of directors and Executive Director Joseph Searles to close the Center for Advocacy, Research and Planning in 1983.