Todd Wilkerson just got his dream job teaching at KU. He died suddenly at age 38
It is no secret to anyone who met Todd Wilkerson that he was a big guy. Standing at 6-foot-4, his size was the first thing you’d notice. Although perhaps physically imposing to strangers, those who knew Wilkerson say he was a gentle giant who always had a smile and a kind word.
“We called him our big guy not just because of his size but because he was larger than life,” says his aunt Tiffani Officer. “He was so funny and liked to laugh, but he always loved seeing a smile on other people’s faces. We miss our big guy.”
Wilkerson, who recently became program director and assistant professor in sports management at the University of Kansas, died Aug. 30 at the age of 38. The family is still waiting for a coroner’s report to tell them the cause of death. He had posted on his Facebook page about recent health issues during the summer that had caused him problems.
Wilkerson, a Kansas City, Kansas, native, faced challenges growing up that would influence his contributions to his community. Overcoming weight issues early on and getting into sports formed Wilkerson’s lifelong love of athletics. Playing football and basketball, he learned early in life the importance of excelling in the classroom as well as on the field. But, according to his aunt, many thought Wilkerson didn’t have a chance outside of sports.
“At one point when Todd was in high school, he was told the best he would ever do would be flipping hamburgers. That lit a fire in him to go on and get his bachelor’s, master’s and later his doctoral degree. He wanted to teach his students they could do whatever they set their minds to, and he would be there to support them,” says Officer.
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Wilkerson attended Langston University, obtaining his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. It is there he would also join the brotherhood of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., building ties to the community, which only drove his willingness to give back and help. Making a host of lifelong friends who considered him family, Wilkerson dedicated his journey to his fraternal mission statement of “Manly deeds, scholarship, and love for all mankind.”
While Wilkerson’s passion in youth may have been on the field playing sports, as an adult, his heart was in the classroom. After college, he started his career teaching sports management as an associate professor at the University of Missouri and a graduate assistant at the University of Arkansas. Shortly before his passing, Wilkerson landed his dream teaching position at KU.
“He accepted the position with KU for two short weeks,” says Officer. “His dream was to teach there at what he called the Mecca of the Midwest. He wanted to reach his students and gave it all he had. He wanted to be impactful in the lives of those he taught.”
Wilkerson, a father of four, will be remembered as a great parent, always there for his children and making sure they had the tools needed to tackle life.
“He loved his kids. He tried to give them everything that he had. He wanted to see his children grow up and be successful, and he wanted them to see him being successful at KU,” says his aunt.
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The loss filled social media.
“I can not even explain the shock, the heartbreak. … The way you touched and influenced so many lives was so encouraging.”
“Today our hearts are broken with the news — we lost a great man.”
“Big Todd was such a joy for anyone who had the opportunity to be around him. He loved his family, daughters, friends and students.”
For Officer, the passing of her nephew has not just left her without a beloved family member but also feeling the massive absence of a dear friend. For her, the best part of sporting events like KU and Chiefs games was his constant phone calls.
“He and I would have daily conversations. Not getting those phone calls from Todd right now has to be the hardest part for me. Watching the games and looking at my phone and waiting to see him call.”
Services for Wilkerson were held Sept. 22, filled with friends, family, students and colleagues.
Wilkerson is survived by his mother, Gia L. Cahill; father, Pastor Kim Gladney; stepfather, Bishop Calvin Lewis; his children KenaDe Wilkerson, Chloe Chester-Wilkerson, Kari Wilkerson and Carter Wilkerson; his siblings, Brent Lewis, Britani Lewis and Zachary Cahill; along with a host of cousins, nieces and friends.
Other remembrances
Robert Preston McIntosh Jr.
Robert Preston Mclntosh Jr., father and electrician, died Sept 22. He was 82.
McIntosh was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on April 9, 1930, to Robert Preston Mclntosh Sr., and Portia McDaniel McIntosh. He was called Junior by friends and family in a rural environment where his mother gave birth to him at his aunt’s home. He was the oldest of his parents’ 12 children. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Kansas City, Kansas.
He grew up with a solid connection to his younger siblings and carried that bond and love of family into his adult years.
McIntosh attended Sumner High School, where he would graduate in 1948. He attended Kansas City Kansas Junior College briefly. After leaving college, he was encouraged by his father to apply at the Colgate Palmolive Co. where he, too, was employed. After working there for several years, McIntosh became a professional electrician, working in that field for the company for the next 34 years until his retirement.
After his parents’ death, McIntosh became the family patriarch, a stable and supportive force who cared greatly about looking after his family and loved ones.
In 1990 he married Ruth Williams, and they lived happily for the next 32 years, enjoying vacations to foreign countries like Greece, Italy, Spain, France, Egypt and Ethiopia, to name a few.
McIntosh was a lover of the outdoors and enjoyed hobbies such as fishing, camping, boating, water skiing, hunting, playing pool and bowling.
He is survived by his wife, Ruth; children Atif Michael Mclntosh Abdel-Khaliq, Dennis Mclntosh, Linda Todd, Carlos Williams Jr.; siblings Donna Moore, Gerald Mcintosh, Marvin Mclntosh, John Mcintosh, Larry Mclntosh, Fredrick Mclntosh, Warren Mclntosh, Duane Mclntosh, and Patricia Wert; a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
