Obituary of Roberta Callison Black

Roberta Callison Black passed away peacefully at 3:30 am on November 11, 2017 in her home amidst her family. She was born in Albany, New York on April 30, 1939 to Eugene H. Callison, architect, and his wife Theodosia Burr, landscape architect. Her early years were spent in and around Hamden, Connecticut. After graduating from Hamden High School, she majored in Government at Radcliffe College, a constituent part of Harvard University. Subsequently she worked at Columbia University and then Yale, where she met her husband Stanley Warren Black III. They married June 26, 1965 in Charlotte, where her mother had established a practice and his mother lived. During the next 52 years they often moved around to accommodate the demands of his career as an economist working in academia and government, settling in Chapel Hill in 1983. Nevertheless, she established her own career as a potter, beginning with training at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, DC and later at Penland School. She maintained studios in Chapel Hill and Little Switzerland, NC. She was active in the League of Women Voters, serving as President of the Chapel Hill League in 1994. Her civic service included being Precinct Election Judge of Kings Mill. She was also active for many years in the Christian Science Church of Chapel Hill. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her son, Stanley Wilkes Black of Austin, TX and wife Katherine Froyen Black, their children, Caroline Grace and James Owen; and daughter Sarah Constance Black of Norfolk, VA and her son, Jefrey Stewart Booth. A Memorial Service will take place in the Chapel of Walker's Funeral Home in Chapel Hill on Tuesday, November 14 at 11 am. The family will greet visitors immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Parkinson's Foundation at Parkinson.org.