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To honor, recognize and celebrate the life of Clifford “Cliff” Aredious Tyree and extend oursincere condolences to his family and friends on the occasion of his passing, August 12, 2011
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WHEREAS, Clifford “Cliff” A. Tyree was born in Columbus on September 25, 1925; and
WHEREAS, Cliff and his wife, Gertrude, were married for 58 years and were devoted parents to their loving son, Clifford A. Tyree, Jr.; and
WHEREAS, following his graduation from Chillicothe High School and The Ohio State University, he dedicated his life to social work in the City of Columbus; and
WHEREAS, he worked with the Franklin County Juvenile Court for 15 years, served as the Director of Community Relations under Mayor Sensenbrenner, and founded the Youth Services Bureau which he directed for 11 years; and
WHEREAS, his passion for juvenile justice, civil rights, and education issues inspired him to lead and support numerous initiatives such as the UNCF Walk-a-thon, I Know I Can Program, Piney Woods Life School (one of two black boarding schools in the US), Denison Tyree Scholars, Capital City Classic Football game, FACE Celebrity Chefs annual event, The Columbus Foundation, Ohio Wesleyan Upward Bound, Denison University, Board of Trustees, Columbus King Center, Big Brothers of America, and numerous state and local commissions; and
WHEREAS, Cliff was a member of the National Church Council and became the first African-American to hold a national leadership position in the Lutheran Church, where he worked directly with over 60 organizations and boards that addressed community and faith related issues; and
WHEREAS, he was the recipient of over 120 awards and commendations, including the Jefferson Award (double recipient); Columbus Public Library, Julian Sinclair Smith Learning Award; OSU Distinguished Alumnus Award; Urban League Award of Excellence; Sertoma Award; League of Women Voters Award; Governor’s Award for Service; MLK Humanitarian Award; Ohio Dominican University co...
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