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Kentucky State University beloved legend, William Cofield Sr., 81, whose dedication and life-long work transformed the institution and equal rights in the Commonwealth and the nation, has departed this life. Cofield died Sunday, Aug. 8.

“Thorobreds everywhere pause and mourn, as we remember and honor the excellence that Mr. Cofield demonstrated through his life and his work at Kentucky State, in our communities, the Commonwealth and throughout our nation,” Kentucky State University Acting President Clara Ross Stamps said.

Cofield was a longtime president of the Kentucky NAACP and dedicated his life to equal rights in housing, employment and public accommodations on the national, state and local level as a lifetime member of the NAACP. Cofield was also a longtime member of the national NAACP board of directors and helped promote dynamic young leaders who increased the organization’s youth membership. During his tenure as the Kentucky NAACP president, the organization expanded its chapters, registered more youth members, developed scholarship programs and increased outreach to minority groups. Cofield also served as chair of the Frankfort-Franklin County NAACP.

Cofield was also a trailblazer in Kentucky education, serving as the first African American appointed to the Frankfort-Franklin County Board of Education. Cofield served as president of the National Caucus of Black School Board Members in 2004. In 2018, Franklin County Public Schools named its new conceptual high school after Cofield in honor of his two-and-a-half decades of service on its board. 

Cofield moved to Frankfort in 1973 and became a beloved professor at Kentucky State University. A proud HBCU alumnus, he is a graduate of Fort Valley State University, Tuskegee University and completed doctoral work at The Ohio State University.

Cofield received the Presidential Citation for Excellence from Kentucky State University in 2019 for his efforts to enrich the reputation and stature of the University.   

A wake for Cofield will be held at Kentucky State University in the Carl H. Smith Auditorium of David H. Bradford Hall Wednesday, Aug. 18 from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. 

Funeral services for Cofield are Thursday, Aug. 19 beginning at 11 a.m. at Forks of Elkhorn Baptist Church, 495 Druckers Road, Midway, Kentucky. 

University officials extend heartfelt sympathy to the family of Mr. Cofield and all those who loved him.