James R. Roebuck Jr., former Pennsylvania state representative and Drexel assistant professor, has died at 79

James R. Roebuck Jr., 79, of Philadelphia, former Pennsylvania state representative, onetime legislative assistant to former Mayor Wilson Goode, and Drexel University assistant history professor, died Wednesday, May 15, of complications from hypertension and diabetes at St. Ignatius nursing center.

Rep. Roebuck served 35 years as the state representative from West Philadelphia’s 188th District before losing in the 2020 Democratic Party primary. He won a special election in 1985 after his predecessor died in office and completed 17 more two-year terms.

A history and politics lecturer and assistant professor at Drexel from 1970 to 1984, he became a noted authority on schools and public education. He was his party chair of the House Education Committee for nearly 20 years and, among other things, helped secure state funding for kindergarten programs, the Community College of Philadelphia, and local access to high-speed internet.

His wife, Cheryl, was a music teacher in Philadelphia, and he championed the city’s schools and public education across the state. He and his wife personally supported music instruction programs, and he tutored reading students himself for a time at Henry C. Lea Elementary School.

He endorsed charter school reform, opposed school vouchers for private school tuition, and told the Daily News in 1986. “My real love is teaching. I was good at it.”

He was “always on the front lines speaking out publicly on issues of great import,” Jerry T. Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said in a tribute. “Rep. Roebuck deserves a tremendous amount of credit for helping to shift the narrative around public education.”

Rep. Roebuck was adept at forming legislative coalitions and articulating nuances in policy proposals, former colleagues said. State Rep. Peter Schweyer, current majority chair of the House Education Committee, called him “a fierce advocate who still could compromise and negotiate to make sure the ultimate goal was achieved: better schools for every kid.”

He also focused on the arts, job training, community building, and unjust incarceration. He helped fund the Ronald McDonald House for families of medical patients and the Mercy Catholic Medical Center emergency department.

He supported women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, labor rights, gun law reform, and the protection of animals and the environment. He was a longtime leader for the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, and it named a scholarship in his honor when he retired.

“His service and tenure are unparalleled in our delegation, as he continued to be a source of inspiration and insight beyond his days in the legislature,” State Rep. Morgan Cephas, chair of the Philadelphia House Delegation, said in a tribute.

He joined Drexel’s history and politics department as a lecturer in 1970 and became assistant professor in 1977. He connected the school with local community groups and served on the board of the Garden Court Community Association and other organizations in West Philadelphia.

He left Drexel in 1984 to work briefly as Goode’s liaison with City Council. Earlier, he was a Democratic committeeman in the 46th Ward and a member of the Democratic State Committee. He ran unsuccessfully for state representative in 1976 and 1978.

Rep. Roebuck also served on boards at the Community College of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, and Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. “Jim will be remembered for his deep compassion, his pursuit of social justice, his commitment to public service, and his keen intellect,” his family said in a tribute.

James Randolph Roebuck Jr. was born Feb. 12, 1945, in Philadelphia. He grew up in West Philadelphia and was drawn to history and politics after his 1963 graduation from Central High School.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Virginia Union University and a master’s degree and doctorate in history at the University of Virginia. He was student council president at Virginia Union, the first Black president of Virginia’s student council, and an outspoken proponent of racial and gender equality on the Virginia campus.

He married Irene Owens in 1974, and their marriage lasted until 1978. He married Cheryl Arrington in 1987. She died in 2016.

Rep. Roebuck and his wife enjoyed traveling, often by train, to national parks across the country and historical sites in Europe. His doctoral dissertation at Virginia was on U.S. diplomatic policies in East Asia, and he later toured China.

He followed the Phillies and Eagles regularly, and family and close friends called him Randy because his father was called Jim. He was a deacon at Mount Olivet Tabernacle Baptist Church, and he quoted one of his favorite songs, You’ll Never Walk Alone, during his 2020 goodbye speech in Harrisburg.

“He was very humble, very caring,” said college roommate and longtime friend Gideon Adegbile. ”He was a problem solver who practiced and believed in honesty. He would do anything for anyone.”

Rep. Roebuck is survived by an aunt and other relatives.

Visitation with the family is to be from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Friday, June 7, at the Calvary Center for Culture and Community, 801 S. 48th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19143. Services are to follow at 10:30 and 11.

Donations in his name may be made to the Garden Court Community Association’s Cheryl Roebuck Memorial Music Scholarship, Box 16654, Philadelphia, Pa. 19139; and the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus’s James R. Roebuck Scholarship Fund, 327 K. Leroy Irvis Office Building, Harrisburg, Pa. 17120.