Gary Jerome Hunter was born in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, on September 23, 1946. In 1969, he earned his B.A. degree from Lincoln University in Missouri, then went on to get his M.A. from Atlanta University in 1970 and his PhD from the University of Michigan in 1977. The title of his dissertation was “Don’t Buy Where You Can’t Work: Black Economic Boycotts during the Great Depression.” He later worked at Glassboro State University (now Rowan University) for approximately 3 decades, starting in 1974. During his time at Rowan University, he taught a wide range of courses, including African American History to 1865, The History of New Jersey, and Comparative Slavery. Hunter would also help found the African American Studies concentration at Rowan and would serve as the program coordinator. He would also go to work at the University of Calabar in Nigeria as a visiting professor and was the Field Director of the University’s Cross River Oral History Project.

Gary J. Hunter passed away in 2003 due to an automobile accident. Before his passing, Hunter was working on his book, "Neighborhoods of Color: African American Communities in Southern New Jersey, 1638-2000." To honor him, 3 awards were created: the Gary Hunter Medallion for Excellence in History, the Gary Hunter Memorial Scholarship, and the Gary Hunter Award for Excellence in Student Mentoring.