honored posthumously
Hubert H. Hoosman Jr. brought light to every life he touched through an unwavering commitment to service, especially when it came to giving back to the University of Missouri–St. Louis.
Hubert was a powerful advocate for UMSL, serving on the Alumni Association Board of Directors, the Chancellor’s Council and the African American Chapter of the Alumni Association. He was instrumental in establishing the Marguerite Ross Barnett Scholarship Fund and creating a plaza in her honor as the university’s first African American chancellor. He also established a scholarship fund and launched the first alumni weekend celebration, designed to strengthen the connection between UMSL and its alumni around the world. He was honored with the University of Missouri System’s Presidential Citation Award for outstanding service.
“His generosity was as large as his commitment to helping other people,” longtime friend Al Parks said in an interview with The St. Louis American after Hubert’s untimely passing in a 2017 car accident. “He was just a good guy with a big heart.”
Hubert, who grew up in East St Louis and was a resident of north St. Louis County, earned a BS in administrative justice from UMSL in 1979. Hubert was also a star collegiate athlete, scoring 1,351 points as a member of the UMSL men’s basketball team. It is one of the best point totals in UMSL hoops history and secured his induction into the UMSL Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. Through those formative days as an UMSL scholar-athlete, Hubert fully embraced his passion for making a positive difference in the lives of others. It was a commitment he carried forward in his life journey.
“I enjoy getting involved with students, I enjoy giving back because a lot of people helped me to finish school,” he told UMSL Magazine in 2015.
He created internship and shadowing programs for UMSL students at Vantage Credit Union, where he served as president and chief executive officer for 19 years until his retirement in 2013. He then partnered with his wife Andreal to form Haywood-Hoosman Realty and H&H Brokerage Group, a minority-owned business headquartered in downtown Ferguson. As a commercial real estate consultant, Hubert was passionate about providing African Americans with homeownership opportunities and access to financial literacy.
“He was a remarkable person who made a major footprint in both the civic and financial community in St. Louis,” his nephew John Gaskin III told The St. Louis American. “He was dedicated to supporting and sustaining the Black business community.”
