A Love of learning

Riley K. Temple grew up in the segregated public school system of Richmond, Va., surrounded by its rich history and vibrant Black community. His time at Lafayette saw seismic shifts in the culture, both nationally and on campus, as the country reeled from the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.

“The College was changing tremendously,” he explains. “It became more of a place for intellectual experimentation, which I took full advantage of.”

After graduating from Lafayette as one of only 10 Black students in his class, Temple moved on to Georgetown University’s law program, leading to a decades-long career in telecommunications law. He worked for the likes of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Senate Judiciary Committee, RCA Global Communications, and Senate Commerce Committee before entering private practice for 35 years.

He simultaneously stayed involved at the College; he served on the Board of Trustees for 15 years, including roles as secretary and vice chair. He has endowed funds for causes like visiting arts lecturers, named in honor of his parents, and study abroad opportunities. An arts prize, awarded annually by the Association of Black Collegians in Temple’s name, recognizes artistic citizenship among students.

Even after retiring from telecommunications, Temple was far from finished with his education. In 2009, he started to pursue a theology degree at Virginia Theological Seminary. Spurred by a long-standing interest in history, he has spent the last five years working in the seminary’s archives, expanding their African American Episcopal Historical Collection. Here, Temple reflects on arts and humanities, his time at Lafayette, and joys of continued education.

When you were a student at Lafayette, was there someone who influenced how you thought about the humanities?

I was in a course called The Black Man in American Civilization. We were reading some of the great novels, one of which was Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Our professor had us clear our calendars one day because we were going to have Ellison in class with us. The novel is expansive, epic, complicated, and full of dazzling imagery, and we wanted to make sense of that with him. He took a drag off his cigarette—we were all smoking at the time—and said, “You’re asking me all these questions about my characters. You know, I only created them. They take on a life of their own, and how you see them is as authentic, as important, as how I see them.” That, to me, was an epiphany.

What are some of the most valuable “soft skills” honed when studying the humanities?

The principal value of studying the humanities at a place like Lafayette is that you develop critical thinking skills, and for those who are so inclined, you awaken a love of learning. At a National Archives event, I was once seated next to a man who planned out the Washington, D.C., metro station locations. Think of what you would have to know about humanity to be able to do that. I asked him what he was reading at the time of the design, and he said “poetry.” We study the humanities because it helps us to understand we’re not alone. The calculus that goes into creation is all about the humanities.

You support a fund that helps students take faculty-led courses abroad. How does experiential learning like this differ from that of the traditional classroom?

After I finished school, I traveled extensively, and my cognitive awareness was heightened and broadened. My creativity was fueled by what I experienced. You can only get perspective on certain things, like the country, when you leave it.

You’ve increased accessibility to the arts on campus. Why is that important to you?

I wanted to recreate the experience I had with Ellison of having someone in the field interact with our students. We’ve had some of the great African American artists of our time—David Driskell, Sam Gilliam, William T. Williams, Mel Edwards, who did the Transcendence sculpture on campus— work with students on making and printing their paintings. I’m proud of that.

In 2002, you co-founded a professional Black theater company called the Kenny Leon True Colors Theatre Company, which is based in Atlanta. How is art a vital tool for strengthening communities?

Zelda Fichandler, founder and artistic director of the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., once said to me, “The artist owes nothing except being honest and pursuing the limits of the imagination.” Artists see in ways we usually don’t see, so they act as a mirror to what’s happening around us. It’s the vision of the artist that interprets this for their communities.

You earned a master’s in theological studies in 2014. What advice do you have for anyone thinking about pursuing passions later in life?

Follow the wisdom of your heart. Make room for the vagaries and the desires. Make room for serendipity.