Boyer, Spencer

Professor Spencer H. Boyer, a pioneering legal scholar and gifted educator, died peacefully on November 14, 2025. A native of West Chester, PA, Professor Boyer graduated from Howard University in 1960 and went on to earn law degrees from George Washington University and Harvard University, where he co-founded the Harvard Civil Rights–Civil Liberties Law Review.

He joined the faculty of Howard University School of Law in 1966, where he served for 50 years and became one of the longest-tenured law professors in the nation, teaching more than 4,000 students and shaping generations of lawyers, judges, and public servants. Known for his intellectual rigor and unwavering mentorship, Boyer leaves a legacy defined by integrity, service, and a lifelong commitment to justice.

Professor Boyer was previously married to Dr. Evelyn Phipps Favors. He is survived by his wife, Prudence Bushnell Boyer; four siblings, Thomas (Butch) Boyer, Nancy Boyer, Dorothy Boyer, and Barbarann Boyer; his children, Keith Hall Barkley (Dr. Lisa Casson Barkley), Erika DaRonco (Blaine DaRonco), Spencer P. Boyer (Dr. Clare Stroud), Joshua Walker (Pamela Schaible), Jordan Catherine Boyer, and Quinn Nicole Boyer; his grandchildren, KJ Hall Barkley, Kayla Marie Schaible, Alexander Denman Boyer, and Ella Margaret Boyer; and great grandson Cameron Malik Jefferson.

His memorial service will be on Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 11 a.m. at Dunbarton Chapel, Howard University School of Law, 2900 Van Ness Street NW, Washington, DC. In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of Spencer H. Boyer, may be earmarked for the Howard University general undergraduate scholarship fund or UNICEF K.I.N.D. (Kids in Need of Desks).