Rev. Calvin Butts, pastor of Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church dies

Rev. Calvin Butts, pillar of Harlem, dies at 73

The Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, pastor of Harlems landmark Abyssinian Baptist Church, has died. He was 73.

NEW YORK – Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts, lll, who was the pastor at Harlem's historic Abyssinian Baptist Church has died, the church announced on Friday.

"The Butts Family and entire Abyssinian Baptist Church membership solicit your prayers for us in our bereavement," a statement read.

Butts spent 50 years in ministry and service to The Abyssinian Baptist Church and was the pastor for more than 30 years.

Dr. Butts was also instrumental in establishing the Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change – a public, state-of-the-art, intermediate and high school in Harlem, and he was the visionary behind the Thurgood Marshall Academy Lower School.

“Education and faith are the Tigris and the Euphrates of our liberation: twin rivers at the source of our redemption.” The Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III

During his presidential tenure at SUNY College – Old Westbury, Dr. Butts reinvigorated one of the most diverse public college campuses in America to its largest enrollment ever, adding full-time faculty and expanding student support services. Under his leadership, SUNY College at Old Westbury earned new accreditations and created its first-ever graduate programs, conferring graduate degrees in more than fifteen disciplines. NYC Houses of Worship: Abyssinian Baptist Church

The steady voice of the Rev. Calvin Butts has guided countless in New York for decades in a house of worship that defined this city. The Abyssinian Baptist Church we know of sits on West 138th Street. But it has roots all the way down on Worth Street, where the First Baptist Church segregated its congregants, igniting social protest.

The Reverend served as President of Africare NYC, an independent organization dedicated to the improvement of the quality of life in rural Africa, and was a member of the board of the September 11th Fund.

Dr. Butts received honorary degrees from Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; the City University of New York/The City College of New York and many others. 
For his community activism, Dr. Butts received innumerable honors and commendations, including the United Negro College Fund’s Shirley Chisholm Community Service Award; The Medal for Distinguished Service from Teachers College, Columbia University and Man of the Year, Morehouse College Alumni Association.

Dr. Butts was married, with three children and six grandchildren.