Former Jefferson City NAACP Chapter President died last Tuesday. Nimrod Chapel, Sr. was 76 and died from a recent stroke.
A longtime civil rights advocate, Chapel sought to protect voter rights for African Americans. Chapel was the first African American to receive a degree in the Construction Management when he graduated from Oklahoma State University. The NAACP Lifetime Service Award recipient established NAACP units in prisons and at Lincoln University in Jefferson City.
“I think that his dedication to the NAACP will speak volume to the fact that, at his age, he had knowledge of all the work that the NAACP had done to bring justice to that area,” said Mary Ratliff, Columbia NAACP Chapter President.
Nimrod was most significantly known for his dedication to the community and philanthropy efforts. Outside the NAACP, he spent time working with Boy Scouts of America and Habitat for Humanity. Chapel served as president of the Jefferson City chapter for multiple years where he personally funded many scholarship efforts.
“He’s always been involved, always been very fair with what he did. And very supportive of our branch here in St. Louis,” said member Esther J. Haywood.
According to the NAACP, the organization plans to continue Chapel’s work of equality and justice through the Nimrod T. Chapel Scholarship Fund.
Editor's Note: This story was originally posted with an un-captioned photo of Nimrod Chapel, Jr. KBIA regrets and apologizes for the error.