Beyond his practice, Dr. Spencer was a fierce advocate for education, believing it was the key to overcoming obstacles.
“He’d say, ‘Get your education because they can never take it from you,’” Brian Spencer said.
Dr. Spencer partnered with Dr. Alan Rowe of the United College Action Network (U-CAN) to help hundreds of youth gain admission to his alma mater, Alcorn State. He also was a longtime contributor to the university’s scholarship fund.
Reflecting on this dedication, his family noted that he would want to be remembered as “someone who was always willing to help his fellow man.”
“I can remember as a little kid, when a student didn’t have money to get a plane ticket to get to school. He [my father] just took care of it and put him on the plane,” Brian Spencer said.
Dr. Spencer was also a trailblazer with the Sacramento Housing Commission, served as the first Black member of the Sacramento State’s university foundation board, and was a past board member of the NAACP and the YMCA. He was a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity for 75 years and an original member of Sigma Pi Phi, also known as The Boule.
Dr. Spencer is survived by his wife, Maude, and his children, Brian Spencer, a filmmaker, activist and entrepreneur; Gena Spencer-Middleton, an acupuncturist and a practitioner of herbal medicine; Arika Spencer-Brown, an educator; and Jennifer Spencer-Duncan, a health care administrator.
He also leaves behind his grandsons, Harrison Brown, a junior at Howard University, and Brian “Alejandro” Spencer-Castellanos, an incoming freshman at Stanford. His family continues the tradition of service and professional excellence that defined his life, ensuring his impact on the community endures.
Those who wish to celebrate Dr. Spencer’s life can make a gift to the Reverend Eugene and Pauline Spencer Endowed Scholarship Fund at the Alcorn State University Foundation: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/asufevents/restriction/Reverend+Eugene+and+Pauline+Spencer+Endowed+Scholarship+Fund.
Checks can be made payable to: ASU Foundation, Inc. and mailed to: