- Williams David Chappelle was a music graduate who upon his service with the US Army, began to teach music in his alma mater
- He was married twice and has a couple of kids and grandkids who surrounded him even till death
- Chappelle III was a great activist as well who was honored by the Alumni of Antioch College albeit his passing on 12 years prior.
Fans of comedy would be very conversant with the name Dave Chappelle as he is a famous American comedian. However, very few people know that the comedian was born into the artistic family of William David Chappelle III.
William David was an American professor who was fluent in the music language. However, he was also an activist who fully engaged in civil rights activism in Ohio. A very educated man Chappelle was, and he sought to educate as many people as he could and was very eager to help wherever need be, in necessary situations.
William David Chappelle’s Early Life
Chappelle III was born William (Bill) David Chappelle in Columbia, South Carolina, on December 16, 1938. His parents are Henry Talmage and Leona May Webber Chappelle.
He hailed from the family of William David Chappelle, his grandfather who was an educationalist and bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. David’s uncle, W. D. Chappelle was a surgeon and physician in the United States of America.
David Chappelle III attended Brown University and Antioch College where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Music department in 1980. The music genius also attended Wright State University where he studied music education.
He Was Part of the US Army’s Band
Possessing a sweet bass-baritone-like voice, William III was able to enthrall a lot of audiences. He was a regular at the musical community in Yellow Springs and other places.
The music enthusiast carried music everywhere he went and was known to deliver a spectacle whenever he performed. As a result of this, when W. D III served in the U.S Army, he joined the band and played the clarinet there.
He has had solo stints as well as choir performances. In fact for the latter, Chappelle is fondly remembered for having performed with 8 different choirs. One of such choirs is the Grace United Methodist choir.
Additionally, David performed with Dayton Opera, Yellow Springs Community Chorus, Dayton Choral, Opera Funatics, and a couple of more groups. However, upon his 4-years of service in the U.S Army, William David returned home to Yellow Springs in 1967, already a married man and ready to settle down.
William David Chappelle III has Taught Music to a lot of People
Upon David William’s return, he became quite invested in his alma mater. He went back to begin his job as a teacher of music. Back at Antioch College, David taught voice as a part-time professor. He was the Co-op faculty member at the college and would go on to teach voice and its technicalities.
He also taught private classes at Yellow Springs and took up an additional job of teaching singing at the Dayton Public schools’ Music Magnet Program. With the Greene County Public Library, he worked closely with Alice McKinney, freelancing on Graphics.
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He is a Social Activist
Williams David Chappelle III was a well-known and respected social activist. He was wont to organize a lot of social justice activities that called for the need for certain situations to be adjusted.
Chappelle was part of the Yellow Springs Human Relations Commission in the 1970s. At the time, the commission aimed at addressing unhealthy profiling in schools, businesses, and, law enforcement.
He also actively participated in and led marches as well as protests against racism and discrimination. In line with this, it became paramount that he travel and spread the gospel across surrounding areas.
David Williams Chappelle’s Family
David Chappelle was first married to a woman known as Seon Yvonne who was also an American professor. Seon was an administrator and Unitarian minister. She was a specialist in African studies and had a great knowledge of African American studies as well as government administration.
With Yvonne, William David Chappelle III had three kids. The children are; sons, William Sedar Chappelle, Dave Chappelle (the comedian), and a daughter known as Felicia ‘Flea’ Chappelle Jones.
His second wife is known as Joan M. Evans Chappelle with whom he had step-kids known as Brian and Jennifer Evans. He also has other kids who have been identified as Fatimah Akinyele and Abdullah Yusuf.
Chappelle III also has grandkids named Zaakiya Akinyele from his daughter Fatimah’s marriage to Ali Akinyele. Sulayman, Ibrahim, and Sanna Chappelle from Dave’s marriage to Elaine Mendoza Chappelle.
He has founded a couple of Civil Rights Movements
David Williams Chappelle had, through his agitations for the betterment of society, established a couple of movements. One of such is H.U.M.A.N which is an abbreviation for ‘Help Us Make A Nation’, aimed at combatting racism and discrimination. This initiative was co-founded by his close friend, Dr. Jim Dunn.
There is also the ‘African American Cross-Cultural Works’ (AACW) under which events such as ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner’ and ‘Blues Fest’ were birthed.
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William’s David Chappelle III has a Posthumous Honorary Award
Human Rights activist David died on July 29, 1998, in Yellow Springs at the age of 59. He died of Kidney failure but was surrounded by his family and friends in his home located on Herman Street during his death.
About 12 years after his death, Chappelle received the Walter F. Anderson Award from Antioch College Alumni Association. The award was given to friends and alumni who contributed greatly to changing the narrative of society, especially in cases of racism and discrimination.
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