Wesley Robinson-McNeese, trailblazing physician, pastor, and poet dead at age 75

Local leaders are mourning the death of a Springfield physician who helped open the door for African-Americans and other minorities to achieve their goals in the medical field.

Dr. Wesley Robinson-McNeese, executive director of diversity initiatives for the Southern Illinois University System, died Monday at the age of 75. He primarily developed special projects in Springfield for the SIU School of Medicine, where he worked for more than 20 years after graduating from the school in 1986.

During his tenure at SIU, he increased efforts to make the medical field more diverse, founding the school's Office of Diversity, Multicultural and Minority Affairs, helping to found the Eastside Health Initiative and the Alonzo H. Kennebrew Forum in Springfield; and the Metro-East Healthcare Elective near his childhood home in East St. Louis.

Most notably, he collaborated with Springfield Public Schools District #186 to form the Physician Pipeline Preparatory Program (P4), a program that exposed underprivileged students to careers in the medical field. It was established in 2009 and many of the original students now serve in the medical field.

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Those diversity initiatives have paid big dividends for the SIU School of Medicine, with the department ranking in the 90th percentile of recent Black or African-American graduates, according to a study by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Dr. Jerry Kruse, dean and provost for the SIU School of Medicine, said in a statement Wednesday that Robinson-McNeese's pioneering work to fight racism and promote diversity in the medical field helped build a foundation for the school to be a bulwark against bigotry.

"Dr. McNeese was a constant pioneer at the SIU School of Medicine," Kruse said. "He performed the foundational work that has led to our declaration to become an anti-racist organization and to build the organizational structure necessary to achieve that end. Wes McNeese was a man who stood by his convictions, with grace and eloquence, and made the world a better place for all of us."

A native of East St. Louis, McNeese served in the U.S. Air Force after dropping out of college following one semester, going on to a tour of duty at Da Nang in Vietnam. For his war efforts, he received an air commendation medal. He continued in the military in the Air National Guard at Scott Air Force Base before he went on to his undergraduate studies at Anderson College in Indiana, Illinois State University in Normal and SIU in Carbondale.

After graduating from SIU, Robinson-McNeese spent a four-year residency in emergency medicine at Northwestern University's McGaw Medical Center in Chicago, completing it in 1990. He then went to Kankakee, working in emergency medicine at Riverside Medical Center before returning to SIU in Springfield in 2001.

Outside of the medical field, Robinson-McNeese also was an ordained minister, leading the Capital City Church of God in Springfield before helping to form the New Mission Church of God in 2004. His status as both a pastor and medical professional served him on a range of local task forces and committees, such as Springfield's Race Relations Task Force, the Springfield Coalition on Dismantling Racism, the Sangamon County Board of Health, and the Greater Springfield Interfaith Association.

He also was an accomplished essayist and poet, writing everything from a fictionalized version of his background in the Metro East to reflections on Christian sexual behavior. His poetry made it to the big screen in 2020, with his poem "Face to Face" about the Springfield 1908 Race Riot becoming a regional Emmy-winning short film for a pair of local filmmakers.

Chris Costello, who along with his work partner Josh Hester made "Face to Face", said that it was a highlight of his career to work with Robinson-McNeese and that even though they only worked for a brief time together, he made a big impact on his life.

"Wes was a class act. Full stop," Costello said. "I don’t think he quite knew what he was getting himself into when he agreed to be a part of this project – truthfully none of us did – but I can safely say that it would not have been possible without him. Working with Wes on 'Face to Face' was truly a career highlight for me and I will forever cherish the opportunity."

Former Springfield Alderman Allan Woodson was a long-time friend of Robinson-McNeese and said that he always admired him for being someone accomplished and committed in his field.

"He was a man who stood for a lot of things," Woodson said. "He was an Air Force veteran, born in tough circumstances down in East St. Louis and he just worked his way up until he got his degree in medicine. He's done so much out there with the SIU School of Medicine. In the time that I had with him, I was always struck by how deep his intellect was and how he was always careful. He would always do detailed research before he would make comments or write something."

For a time, Woodson worked at the University of Illinois-Springfield while Robinson-McNeese worked at SIU. Woodson said they often discuss their respective situations and how to best navigate the field of higher education as Black men.

"I was an assistant vice president for (human relations) at UIS and that's when I started to get to know him well in terms of his professional kinds of relationships," Woodson said. "We used to talk about that and his commitment to making sure that African-Americans got into those programs that would allow them to move forward. He always talked about making sure they were properly prepared. I talked about what was going on at UIS and he would talk about what was happening at the SIU School of Medicine."

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Woodson said that Robinson-McNeese was someone who believed in being prepared and didn't want to have any sort of special favors done for him. He also noted his work as a pastor and minister, with Woodson even inviting the doctor over to his house in a ministerial role when his grandson was born.

"I took him into my office and in there I have a pencil drawing of Mandela, Dr. King and Malcolm X," Woodson said. "We talked about that and he had a deep appreciation for each one of those gentlemen and he had a little story to tell about each one of them that made an impact on his life. Every time I would sit down with him, he would always have something new to share, something that you could take away and use later on, and that's what I'm going to miss."

The Rev. Susan Phillips, pastor of Springfield's First Presbyterian Church, worked with Robinson-McNeese on the Coalition for Dismantling Racism and even worked with him on creating a dialogue discussing the 1908 race riot in 2018. She said that she would remember him not just as a physician or pastor, but as a "mentor, husband, father and friend."

"Dr. McNeese has been such a gift and blessing to this community," Phillips said. "I am incredibly grateful for the warmth, wisdom, and wonder of my faithful friend."

Robinson-McNeese is survived by his wife, LaVern Ollie, and eight children.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Trailblazing SIU physician Wesley Robinson-McNeese dead at age 75