Former Virginia Gov. Doug Wilder celebrates 94th birthday: 'I did the best I could with what I had'

RICHMOND, Va. — Doug Wilder, the man who made history in 1990 as the first African American to serve as governor of a U.S. state since Reconstruction and the first African American ever elected as governor, is celebrating a milestone birthday on Friday.

The former Virginia governor turning 94 continues to inspire people near and far.

"It means a great deal, because when I was coming up, if someone got to be 60, that was considered old," Wilder told Antoinette Essa at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU.

"The other thing it means to me is, what have you done with it, and what are you trying to do?" Wilder said. "Being here gives me such an opportunity to continue to do that which I tried to do, and that is to be connecting with the people as it relates to the affairs of governance and what it means."

That's one way he stays active; the other is exercise.

"Try to keep a regimen of walking and action, and I remember an old man said this to me, and I say old man, he probably was in his 60s at the time," Wilder recalled. "He said, 'If you take a healthy body into old age, it'll sustain you in your later years.'"

Along with physical health, he emphasizes the importance of mental clarity.

"If you think of yourself as being old and aging, that's what you're going to be: old and aging. But if you think of yourself as wanting to be healthy, watching what you eat, exercising, dieting, and getting proper sleep and rest, and, more importantly, with all of the physical aspects, is the mental part, and you've got to clear the mind."

Lawrence Douglas Wilder was born in 1931 in Church Hill. He attended Virginia Union and Howard universities, served in the army during the Korean War, and received a Bronze Star Medal.

Wilder, who served in the Virginia Senate from 1970 to 1986, was the first African American to hold statewide office in Virginia as the 35th Lieutenant Governor and made history again as the 66th Governor of Virginia. His legacy also includes serving as Richmond's 78th mayor by popular vote.

When it comes to public service, his message is clear for those in power.

"Their job is to represent the people, not entities, but the people," Wilder said. "The bottom line is governance and government need to remember one thing that I think is so important: what Lincoln said, 'But it's not in practice of for and by the people, government of the people, by the people, for the people.'"

The former governor continues to stay busy with lectures and appointments, but one project remains close to his heart: the completion of the Slavery Museum at VUU.

"That's the one thing that I am working on still, and want to continue to see to its fulfillment," Wilder said.

While he also wants to write a second book, he is also reflecting on his legacy.

"Well, sure you don't want it to be dishonored, but I'd like it to be something like I did the best I could with what I had," Wilder said. "I like the opportunity to continue to talk with people, meet with people, resolve, as you see here, and I still get lots of mail."

The former governor will celebrate his birthday Saturday at a jazz concert featuring two of his favorite musicians, Jonathan Butler and Gerald Albright. It's also a chance to reconnect with family and friends.

"Sometimes people that we never get a chance to see each other never get a chance to exchange other than an email message, but it's an opportunity for us now to see each other and touch each other and say hello," Wilder said.

Saturday's concert at the Richmond Convention Center starting at 3 p.m. is a celebration for a man who’s spent a lifetime making history.

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