Andree Layton Roaf
Encyclopedia
Andree Layton Roaf was an Arkansas
lawyer and jurist
. She was the first African-American woman to serve on the Arkansas Supreme Court
, and is the mother of former NFL offensive lineman Willie Roaf
.
. Her father, William W. Layton, was a civil rights
official with the Urban League, Michigan Civil Rights Commission, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Federal Reserve Board, as well as a historian and lecturer. She grew up in Columbus, Ohio
, White Hall, Michigan, and Muskegon, Michigan
, where she graduated from Muskegon Heights High School
in 1958. She attended Michigan State University
and received a degree in zoology
in 1962.
For more than a decade, Roaf pursued a career in the sciences, working as a bacteriologist for the Michigan Department of Health
and then for the United States Food and Drug Administration in Washington, D.C.
In 1969 she moved to Pine Bluff, Arkansas
, where she worked for the Pine Bluff Urban Renewal Agency and then as a biologist for the National Center for Toxicological Research
in Jefferson (Jefferson County
), Arkansas.
at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock
. She graduated second in her class in 1978. After a year as an instructor at the law school, she went into private practice at a Little Rock law firm that became known as Walker, Roaf, Campbell, Ivory and Dunklin. In 1995 Governor Jim Guy Tucker
appointed her to fill a seat on the Arkansas Supreme Court
that had become vacant due to the retirement of Justice Steele Hays. She was the second woman, and the first African-American woman, to sit on the court. Prohibited by law from running for re-election, she was appointed by Governor Mike Huckabee
to a position on the Arkansas Court of Appeals
, where she served until 2006.
In May 2007 Roaf became director of the federal Office of Desegregation Monitoring, supervising the compliance of the public schools in Pulaski County, Arkansas with racial desegregation
mandates. She held this position until July 1, 2009, when she collapsed in her Little Rock office and later died at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Medical Center.
player Willie Roaf
, an 11-time Pro Bowl
offensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints
and Kansas City Chiefs
of the NFL. She was an active member of the Grace Episcopal Church in Pine Bluff; her daughter Phoebe became an Episcopalian
priest.
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
lawyer and jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
. She was the first African-American woman to serve on the Arkansas Supreme Court
Arkansas Supreme Court
The Arkansas Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Since 1925, it has consisted of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices, and at times Special Justices are called upon in the absence of a regular justice...
, and is the mother of former NFL offensive lineman Willie Roaf
Willie Roaf
William Layton Roaf, sometimes nicknamed "Nasty" is a former American football offensive tackle.-Football career:...
.
Early life
Andree Layton was born in Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. Her father, William W. Layton, was a civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
official with the Urban League, Michigan Civil Rights Commission, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Federal Reserve Board, as well as a historian and lecturer. She grew up in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, White Hall, Michigan, and Muskegon, Michigan
Muskegon, Michigan
Muskegon is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 38,401. The city is the county seat of Muskegon County...
, where she graduated from Muskegon Heights High School
Muskegon Heights High School
Coaches = Keith Guy,Willie Snead III Teachers = 9th"Muskegon Heights High School is located in Muskegon Heights, Michigan...
in 1958. She attended Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
and received a degree in zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
in 1962.
For more than a decade, Roaf pursued a career in the sciences, working as a bacteriologist for the Michigan Department of Health
Michigan Department of Community Health
-External links:*...
and then for the United States Food and Drug Administration in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
In 1969 she moved to Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff is the largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area...
, where she worked for the Pine Bluff Urban Renewal Agency and then as a biologist for the National Center for Toxicological Research
National Center for Toxicological Research
The National Center for Toxicological Research is the branch of the United States Food and Drug Administration which conducts research to define biological mechanisms of action underlying the toxicity of products regulated by the FDA....
in Jefferson (Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Arkansas
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Its population was 77,435 at the 2010 United States Census. It is included in the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area. Jefferson County's county seat and largest city is Pine Bluff...
), Arkansas.
Legal education and career
In 1975 Roaf decided to change careers, and she entered the William H. Bowen School of LawUniversity of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law
The William H. Bowen School of Law is part of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and was established in 1975. The law school is public, and has approximately 450 law students enrolled in full-time and part-time divisions. The annual entering class is approximately 155 students...
at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
University of Arkansas at Little Rock , is a public research university located in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, and the second largest university by enrollment in the state of Arkansas....
. She graduated second in her class in 1978. After a year as an instructor at the law school, she went into private practice at a Little Rock law firm that became known as Walker, Roaf, Campbell, Ivory and Dunklin. In 1995 Governor Jim Guy Tucker
Jim Guy Tucker
James "Jim" Guy Tucker, Jr. is an Arkansas political figure. He served as the 43rd Governor of Arkansas, the 11th Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas, Arkansas Attorney General, and U.S. Representative...
appointed her to fill a seat on the Arkansas Supreme Court
Arkansas Supreme Court
The Arkansas Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Since 1925, it has consisted of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices, and at times Special Justices are called upon in the absence of a regular justice...
that had become vacant due to the retirement of Justice Steele Hays. She was the second woman, and the first African-American woman, to sit on the court. Prohibited by law from running for re-election, she was appointed by Governor Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
to a position on the Arkansas Court of Appeals
Arkansas Court of Appeals
The Arkansas Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court for the state of Arkansas. It was created in 1978 by Amendment 58 of the Arkansas Constitution, which was implemented by Act 208 of the Arkansas General Assembly in 1979...
, where she served until 2006.
In May 2007 Roaf became director of the federal Office of Desegregation Monitoring, supervising the compliance of the public schools in Pulaski County, Arkansas with racial desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
mandates. She held this position until July 1, 2009, when she collapsed in her Little Rock office and later died at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is part of the University of Arkansas System, a state-run university in the U.S. state of Arkansas...
Medical Center.
Personal life
Roaf married Clifton George Roaf in 1963. He became a dentist in Pine Bluff and was a member of local and state school boards. They had four children, one of whom is former American footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player Willie Roaf
Willie Roaf
William Layton Roaf, sometimes nicknamed "Nasty" is a former American football offensive tackle.-Football career:...
, an 11-time Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
offensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
and Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
of the NFL. She was an active member of the Grace Episcopal Church in Pine Bluff; her daughter Phoebe became an Episcopalian
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
priest.