Wilkinson, Doris Yvonne
(born: June 13, 1936 - died: June 23, 2024)Doris Y. Wilkinson was born in Lexington, KY, the daughter of Regina L. and Howard T. Wilkinson. She was director of the Project on the African American Heritage in the Department of Sociology at the University of Kentucky. Her interests include organizations and professions, medical sociology, and race and ethnic relations.
Dr. Wilkinson was a member of the first class of African American students at the University of Kentucky in 1954; she earned her Ph.D. at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. In 1967, she became the first African American female appointed to a full-time faculty position at the University of Kentucky. In 1985, she earned a master’s in public health from Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Wilkinson has received a number of awards and published numerous articles and eight books, including anthologies and co-authored works. The Doris Y. Wilkinson Conference Room in Breckinridge Hall at the University of Kentucky was dedicated in her honor on October 18, 2007.
For more see Florence Bonner and Jean H. Shin, "Doris Wilkinson Receives Honors," Footnotes: A Publication of the American Sociology Association, Vol. 36, issue 5, May/June, 2008; "Sociologist inspired by cultural resilience," Lexington Herald-Leader, p. A14, 3/2/2002; Who's who Among African Americans 1992-1995; and Who's Who in America 1998-2008. The Doris Y. Wilkinson Papers are housed in the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center. See 'Larger than life' sociologist who broke down racial barriers at University of Kentucky dies at 88, Kentucky Lantern (online), 06/26/2024.
