Schedule of Events • September 23-29, 2012 “Sustaining the Legacy through Excellence, Resilience and Unity”
A Centennial Homecoming 100 Years in the Making
Greetings from the President
Dear Alumni: You are cordially invited to Homecoming 2012, a culmination of a yearlong celebration of 100 years of achievement and tradition. This Homecoming offers an opportunity to recall your part in Tennessee State University’s historic past, share memories of what the institution has meant to your life and participate at the very beginning of its future. You will also be reunited with classmates, favorite professors and helpful staff. You’ll hear the music of the good ole days as you share memories of a more carefree time in your life. Additionally, several special events have been planned for the celebration. As I have said on many occasions, this year has been one of festivities, but also one of reflection on where we have come from and where we hope to see our institution in the next hundred years. As alumni, your hard work and continued support through the giving of time and resources provide a beacon of hope for the many Tennessee State University students who bring a dream of a bright future when they arrive on campus. Thanks to you and the collective diligence of our powerful TSU family, so many wonderful things are happening at our institution. Our academic programs are on sound footing as our wonderful faculty and staff engage the nearly 10,000 students who call TSU “home.” Make it your business to join us at The Hole, in the Café or On the Yard. You will be amazed by the many positive changes. This is your TSU. Come and celebrate the journey of which you were an important part as we continue progressing through Excellence, Resilience and Unity. WELCOME TO HOMECOMING 2012!
Portia H. Shields, Ph.D. President
Welcome Letter to All Alums Cassandra Griggs Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving
Greetings Fellow Tigers! It’s Homecoming once again and this year’s celebration is expected to be our biggest ever! In Big Blue Country, we recognize that every year is special but 2012 promises to be an even grander celebration because our beloved university has reached a blessed milestone — 100 years! Yes, Tennessee State University, first founded as a normal school and now to its present day status as a world-class institution of higher learning, remains resilient in offering students a pathway to fulfilling their dreams. In the pages of this pamphlet, we share a bit of our storied legacy as well as an extensive schedule of events for alumni happenings, hotel accommodations and other alumni-related activities. As in years past, this Homecoming will be a time to reconnect, reminisce and rekindle friendships and to rejuvenate the big blue spirit. We look forward to seeing all of our alumni return for this once in a lifetime celebration as we salute Tennessee State University — its history, present and future. We have worked diligently to ensure your Centennial Homecoming experience is a memorable one. As you celebrate the university’s past, we ask that you remember its current and future students by supporting the $100 for 100th campaign (see page 11). Your gift will help ensure the next generation of Tigers continue to “Sustain the Legacy through Excellence, Resilience and Unity” for years to come. Please know that the Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving is committed to offering programs and activities which strengthen your bond with the university. It is our goal to increase your participation and involvement and to encourage you to continue giving of your time, talent and treasures. We look forward to welcoming you back on campus in September! Go Big Blue!
Centennial Homecoming Week
September 23-29, 2012
Student Schedule of Activities & Events
Sunday, September 23
Robert Murrell Oratorical Contest Time: 3 p.m. Location: Floyd Payne Campus Center Robert N. Murrell Forum Gospel Explosion Time: 6 p.m. Location: Floyd Payne Campus Center Kean Hall Caravan/Block Party Time: 8 p.m. Location: College Hill (behind Rudolph Hall and Hale Hall)
Tuesday, September 25
Courtyard Time: 11 a.m. Location: Welton Plaza (old Courtyard) Pre-Blue Sapphire Awards Soiree Time: 5 p.m. Location: Walter S. Davis Humanities Building Blue Sapphire Awards Time: 6:30 p.m. Location: Walter S. Davis Humanities Building Poag Auditorium
Wednesday, September 26
Monday, September 24
Courtyard and TSU Organizational Yard Show Time: 11a.m. Location: Welton Plaza (old Courtyard)
Battle of the Residence Halls Time: 7 p.m. Location: Floyd-Payne Campus Center Kean Hall
Mr. and Miss Tennessee State University Coronation and Ball Time: 7 p.m. Location: Floyd Payne Campus Center Kean Hall
Courtyard Time: 11a.m. Location: Welton Plaza (old Courtyard)
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Thursday, September 27
Courtyard Time: 11 a.m. Location: Welton Plaza (old Courtyard) Mr. & Miss TSU Soiree Time: 3 p.m. Location: Gaylord Opryland Resort* (*by invitation only) Homecoming Concert/Tiger Idol Time: 7 p.m. Location: Floyd-Payne Campus Center Kean Hall
Friday, September 28
Homecoming Pep Rally 11:45 a.m. Time: Location: Hale Stadium (the “Hole”) *Inclement weather – Gentry Complex TSU Pan-Hellenic Step Show 4 p.m. Time: Location: Gentry Complex
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Saturday, September 29
Homecoming Parade Time: 9 a.m. Location: Parade begins at Walter S. Davis Boulevard and ends at 33rd and Albion Streets Showcase of Bands Time: 11 a.m. Location: Hale Stadium Cost: $5 per person Free – 12 and under Pre-Game 4:45 p.m. Time: Location: LP Field – Downtown Nashville Cost: $15-$35 Homecoming Game (TSU vs. Arkansas–Pine Bluff) Time: 5 p.m. Location: LP Field – Downtown Nashville *Immediately following game is the “Centennial Fireworks Show!”
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SUSTAINING THE LEGACY:
A Homecoming History
Homecoming is a tradition at Tennessee State University that has always been a special time for graduates, friends and neighbors to rekindle friendships, reminisce and recapture the big blue spirit. Early Homecomings were usually held on Thanksgiving, and while many new events have been added and become large and more sophisticated affairs, activities such as the parade, football game and reunion parties remain fairly unchanged staples of the celebration after nearly 100 years. The earliest record located of a TSU Homecoming was published in The Bulletin on November 29, 1928. It was a Thanksgiving Day match-up between then-Tennessee A. & I. State College and neighboring school, Fisk University. The game would kick-off at 2 p.m. at Athletic Park and feature the Tigers and Bulldogs battling for champion bragging rights. Dorothy Greer Smith (’42), who was a student during the leadership of the institution’s first president, Dr. William Jasper Hale, said she remembers Homecoming being “a very exciting time.” “There was a celebration for the entire student body and the games were held right on campus,” Smith said. Smith, a recent 70-year Vintager, said she remembers Dr. Hale being outgoing and very involved with students and demanding of excellence from the faculty. In 1940, Homecoming pitted the Tigers against Kentucky State, “and everyone would be dressed in their best clothes. I 6
By K. Dawn Rutledge
wore a red dress and a red hat,” she laughed. “I thought that was pretty daring at the time.” Homer R. Wheaton (’48), a long-time administrator at TSU before retiring in 2005, said in the mid-1940s, he remembered the variety of floats students made to participate in the Homecoming parade. He bragged that his Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity was among the student floats receiving awards. Wheaton said the Homecoming game was always on Thanksgiving Day and high schools across the state also participated in the parade, which began at 12th Avenue into TSU’s campus. Because of segregation in the South at the time, alumni who returned stayed in homes across the city and participated in festivities beginning Wednesday through Sunday. “People always dressed up to go to football and basketball games, just like they were going to a concert,” he said. “A highlight was the Homecoming dance, which was held at the former club called Paradise Inn off Fourth Avenue South.” Throughout the years, Homecoming attendance and activities would fluctuate, but in 1977 new life was breathed into the celebration when former President, Dr. Frederick Humphries, mandated a redesign of Homecoming. “The goal was to organize Homecoming to attract many more alumni since attendance had become
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low,” said Barbara Murrell, a 1960 graduate, former Miss TSU and university administrator, who was asked to head the initiative. “I chaired the committee and the first Homecoming under this new design, which came into being in 1978. Our second president, Dr. Walter S. Davis, served as grand marshal. The game was held in Hale Stadium.” The following year, Homecoming saw tremendous growth. For the first-time, the game was moved off campus to Vanderbilt University Stadium where more than 40,000 fans were hosted. Mr. Frank Greer, retired band director, was selected as the grand marshal and 26 bands joined the Homecoming parade line-up. The parade remains a signature celebration and showcase for TSU and increased band involvement led to the development of The Showcase of Bands, which is an important recruitment activity for students. Over the years, TSU Homecomings have continued to grow. New events have been added to bring students, alumni and the campus community together to celebrate the university’s successes and renew its spirit. In 2011, more than 50,000 alumni, friends and supporters returned, and in 2012, thousands more are expected to commemorate the university’s 100-year anniversary.
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Centennial Homecoming Week September 23-29, 2012
Alumni Activities & Events—University Sponsored Sunday, September 23 Robert Murrell Oratorical Contest Time: Location:
3 p.m. Floyd Payne Campus Center Robert N. Murrell Forum
Gospel Explosion Time: 6 p.m. Location: Floyd Payne Campus Center Kean Hall
Wednesday, September 26 Mr. and Miss Tennessee State University Coronation and Ball Time: 7 p.m. Location: Floyd Payne Campus Center Kean Hall
Thursday, September 27 President’s & Legacy Societies Luncheon Time: Location:
11:30 a.m. *Hosted by the TSU Foundation (*by invitation only)
Homecoming Class Reunion Bar-B-Que Time: 1:30 p.m. Location: Big Blue Meadow lawn (formerly the President’s Residence) Cost: $30 per person *Honoring the classes of ’77, ’82, ’87, ’92, ’97, ’02, ‘07
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Ralph Boston Golf Tournament Time: 1 p.m. Location: Gaylord Springs Golf Links Cost: $80 per person; $300 per team of four (4); $100 per person after 8/17/12 Contact: Ben Northington TSU Foundation (615) 963-5481
Grand Marshal Dinner Time: 6 p.m. Location: Gaylord Opryland Resort Presidential Ballroom Cost: $50.00 per person *Tickets will not be sold at the event. Contact: Dr. Sharon Peters (615) 963-7001
White Out Alumni Mixer Time: Location: Cost: Attire:
9 p.m. Gaylord Opryland Resort Presidential Ballroom B $10 per person (attendees will receive a $10 parking voucher) All White
Friday, September 28 Breakfast of Champions Time: 8 a.m. Location: Floyd Payne Campus Center Kean Hall Cost: $15 per person; $20 per person after 9/13/12 *Tickets will not be sold at the event.
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Olympic Walk Time: Location:
Immediately following Breakfast of Champions From Kean Hall to Olympic Plaza
Charles Campbell Fish Fry Time: 11 a.m. Location: Gentry Complex lawn Cost: $10 per person *Tickets MUST be purchased in advance. Contact: Sandra Hunt dsjanitorialserv@bellsouth.net
Homecoming Pep Rally Time: 11:45 a.m. Location: Hale Stadium (the “Hole”) *Inclement weather Gentry Complex
“Gateway to Heritage Plaza” Announcement Time: 3 p.m. Location: Jefferson Street (I-40 underpass) Description: Grand opening of “Gateway to Heritage Plaza,” a public space created to celebrate the history of North Nashville in athletics, civil rights, education, music and religion. It includes a photo gallery of historical people and events, and a mural depicting North Nashville. TSU students, staff and faculty have been involved in the design and implementation of the project.
TSU Pan-Hellenic Step Show Time: Location:
4 p.m. Gentry Complex
13th Annual Agriculture & Home Economics Hall of Fame Time: 7 p.m. Location: Gaylord Opryland Resort Presidential Ballroom A Contact: shpatterson@tnstate.edu Cost: $60 per person
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Saturday, September 29 Homecoming Parade Time: Location:
9 a.m. (see information below)
Showcase of Bands Time: Location: Cost:
11 a.m. Hale Stadium $5 per person Free – 12 and under
Pre-Game Time: Location: Cost:
4:45 p.m. LP Field – Downtown Nashville $15-$35
Homecoming Game (TSU vs. Arkansas Pine-Bluff) Time: Location:
5 p.m. LP Field – Downtown Nashville *Immediately following game is the “Centennial Fireworks Show!”
The Official TSUNAA Homecoming After Party featuring The ZAPP Band Time: Doors Open at 9 p.m. Location: Gaylord Opryland Resort Presidential Ballroom Cost: $35 by September 1; $45 at the door Contact: www.tsu-alumni.org
The Ultimate Party of the Century featuring DJ COWBOY of Atlanta and & DJ Lawbreaker of Nashville Time: Location: Contact:
Doors open at 11 p.m. Gaylord Opryland Resort www.tsu-alumni.org
TSU CENTENNIAL PARADE ROUTE For this special Centennial Homecoming Parade, Tennessee State University has made adjustments to the parade route to accommodate more and larger floats and to ensure safety of all attendees. For 2012 only, the parade will begin at Walter S. Davis Boulevard, turn right onto Ed Temple Boulevard, make another right onto John Merritt Boulevard and end on 33rd Avenue and Albion Street. 99
Centennial Homecoming Week REUNIONS & ORGANIZATIONAL ACTIVITIES & EVENTS
September 23-30, 2012 Friday, September 28 Charles Campbell Fish Fry Time: 11 a.m. Location: Gentry Complex lawn Cost: $10 per person *Tickets MUST be purchased in advance. Contact: Sandra Hunt dsjanitorialserv@bellsouth.net Taste of Jefferson Street Time: 3-6 p.m. Location: Jefferson Street Description: Jefferson Street Merchants will host “Taste of Jefferson Street,” an opportunity to experience the food and music of Jefferson Street. Contact: Sharon Hurt JUMPNOW@bellsouth.net Reunion Celebration & Fundraiser for Student Leaders & Alumni, 1965-1990 Time: 6 p.m. Location: Avon Williams Campus Atrium Cost: $50.00 per person Contact: bmurrel@bellsouth.net www.robertmurrellscholarshipfund. weebly.com Jesse James Alumni Football Mixer Time: 9 p.m. Location: Gaylord Opryland Resort Presidential Ballroom E Cost: $20 per person in advance; $25 at the door *Event will feature live jazz and DJ Contact: Jerrold McRae (615) 963-7909
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One Party, One Purpose, One TSU! Time: 9 p.m. Location: La Bella of Nashville, 209 South 5th Street Contact: Jerry Roach (901) 301-6654 Description: Fundraiser promoted by the Graduate Alumni Greeks UNITED for TSU Committee. Proceeds benefit the TSU Centennial Scholarship Fund. Event is open to all alumni and friends.
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Alpha Theta Network Chapter Time: Noon Location: Kappa House, 3710 Tigerbelle Drive Contact: Michael Smith michael.smith6@xerox.com
Reunion Contacts Baseball Alumni Chapter Contact: Greg Goodwin
Saturday, September 29
Gregory_p_goodwin@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Memorial Service Time: 11:30 a.m. Location: Beta Omicron Monument
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Contact: Correda Brown (615) 479-5547 or cdbrown7@att.net
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Luncheon Time: Noon Location: Jane Elliott Building Jane Elliott Hall Contact: Harry Taylor harryt40@msn.com or (202) 546-0527
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Contact: David Saunders (615) 876-6306
2nd Annual Student Government Association Presidents’ Reunion Time: 1 p.m. Location: Floyd-Payne Campus Center Faculty Senate, Room 302 *Open to former SGA presidents and current SGA representatives Contact: Maximilian A. Cole Max_cole89@yahoo.com Description: This reunion is open to past Student Government Association presidents and current SGA presidents. This reunion aims to reunite those to discuss their times in office and allow for more thoughtprovoking innovation to occur on the campus of Tennessee State University.
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Contact: Terry Clayton tclaytonlaw@comcast.net Swimming Alumni Chapter Contact: James Bass (615) 646-9279; (615) 804-3371 or jbass@tnstate.edu
Centennial Homecoming Special
Be a part of the centennial homecoming celebration . . .
Tennessee State University Scholarship Fund
Tennessee State TSU Centennial University proudly celebrates its Pin
$100 th 100
100th anniversary. Our mission of education and service has continued for a century and through our collective works, we continue to open doors and provide opportunities for thousands of students who “enter to learn, go forth to serve.”
In honor of our 100th birthday celebration we are excited to launch the $100 for 100th Centennial Scholarship Fund mini campaign. We invite you to “party with a purpose” by making your gift of $100 or more to the Centennial Scholarship Fund. Donors who make their gift between August 1 - October 30,
Homecoming HOST HOTEL Gaylord Opryland Resort 2800 Opryland Drive Nashville, TN 37214 (615) 889-1000 $179/night *Parking: Valet ($28.00 per night)
2012 will receive a commemorative centennial lapel pin.
To make your gift and receive your commemorative pin, please make your checks payable to the: TSU Foundation, 3500 John A. Merritt Blvd., Box 9542, Nashville, TN 37209. Please indicate “$100 for 100th” in the memo section of your check. You may also visit us at www.tnstate.edu/contributions and select “$100 for 100th.” We challenge you to help us raise a minimum of $50,000 between August 1 – October 30, 2012 for student scholarships. All gifts are tax deductible. For more information, please call (615) 963-5763 or visit www.tnstate.edu/contributions.
Overflow HOTEL Radisson Opryland 2401 Music Valley Drive Nashville, TN 37214 (615) 889-0800 $119/night *Parking: Airport shuttle service runs every 30 minutes starting at 5:15 a.m. and ending at 11 p.m. Onsite shuttle service (to Gaylord Opryland Resort) runs every 30 minutes starting at 11:30 a.m. and ending at 8 p.m.
FREE SHUTTLE SERVICES AVAILABLE FOR CENTENNIAL HOMECOMING 2012* Friday, September 28, 2012 Shuttles will be available to and from Gaylord Opryland and TSU’s Main Campus. Shuttles will run each hour beginning at 7:30 a.m.
Saturday, September 29, 2012 Shuttles will be available to and from Gaylord Opryland, TSU’s Main Campus and the Homecoming Game. Details and times will be available on the Homecoming website. *Shuttle service schedule subject to change without notice.
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‘A Touch of Greatness’ TSU’s emergence from Normal School to University
Background Photo: First faculty of Tennessee A&I, 1912
*Copyrights reserved @ Bobby L. Lovett, retired professor of history, Tennessee State University, 1973-2012, December 2011.
June 1924. I found the Tennessee A. & I. commencement in the Banner and Tennessean.
Editor’s Note: The following is an edited excerpt from a presentation by Dr. Bobby Lovett, retired history professor at Tennessee State University, during the Centennial Week Celebration held April 14-2, 2012. The presentation was made during the Brown-Daniel Library Centennial event held April 17. Lovett’s latest book is, “A Touch of Greatness: Tennessee State University, A History, 1909-2012,” is expected to publish soon.
Historic dates are key reference points to help the historian know the environment in which Tennessee A. & I. State Normal School reached its five stages of history. On May 28, 1924, historically black Walden College (site of today’s Trevecca University) held its 57th commencement. Trevecca Nazarene College held graduation exercises in east Nashville. David Lipscomb College was graduating its first bachelor’s class. The state Board of Education had recently approved Knoxville College to grant teacher’s certificates. Two historically black institutions, Walden College and Roger Williams University had declined into junior college status. They closed their doors in 1929. Fisk University started a graduate program by 1927, dropped its high school department, and by 1930 became the first HBCU to gain approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. What about Tennessee A. & I.?
__________________ When drafting my final manuscript for the forthcoming book titled “A Touch of Greatness: Tennessee State University, A History, 1909-2012,” I discovered that there was no specific date for the first collegiate graduating class at Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial State Normal School. Various publications said “summer of 1924” or “June 1924.” The Tennessee State University Registrar’s office searched their files but found no exact date on pre-1934 transcripts. President Hale’s oldest grandchild, Indira Hale Tucker, responded from her home in California that the family papers had no copy of the 1924 Commencement program. I checked with A. O. Lockert, Jr., the son one of the eight graduates; his parents’ papers had been destroyed. The Negro weekly newspaper, the Nashville Globe issues for 1920-1930 cannot be found. I searched the June through August 1924 issues of the Nashville Banner and the Nashville Tennessean, but found nothing. I used a magnifying glass to search the photograph of the 1924 graduates; no specific date. I returned to the Nashville Public Library and searched the local newspapers for May12
Henry Allen Boyd, Preston Taylor, Benjamin Carr, James Carroll Napier and other Negro businessmen raised money and convinced the state to build the Negro school in the rural northwest section of Nashville-Davidson County – about a mile down the road from Fisk University, a civil district filled with old plantation houses, former slave farms, former slaves and their descendants. In January 1911, the state superintendent of education selected William J. Hale, a normal school product of Maryville College and a principal of a Chattanooga Negro school, to preside over Tennessee A. & I. State Normal School for Negroes. The state Board of Education confirmed Hale’s appointment in March. In May 1911 the state purchased 33 acres on a rock-filled hill near Mary Hadley Clair’s farm. With $86,000 Hale supervised the completion
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Normal Graduating Class with President Hale (center), 1914
of the first four buildings. He used the remaining $10,000 to hire the faculty, buy equipment and open the doors for 250 students during June 19-July 4, 1912. Some 353 regular students arrived on September 16. They held the dedication ceremonies on January 16, 1913. The first Commencement Week took place during May 18-23, 1913. The first 21 students with the two-year normal college diploma graduated at the 1914 Commencement. This Negro institution struggled for 100 years to realize its human destiny. The freedom and the freedom of the people who depended on Tennessee State was externally constrained. The leadership, curriculum, facilities, and resources were intentionally manipulated to slow TSU progress. No doubt, Jim Crow and race discrimination stayed on TSU’s back for 100 years. The first president, William Jasper Hale, even though his leadership was subjected to annual election by state officials, navigated the A. & I. ship through those turbulent waters. With private and federal funding, Hale kept pace with the three state normal schools for whites, and in 1922 when these institutions were ready to convert from two-year colleges to full four-year baccalaureate colleges, Tennessee A. & I. State Normal School also received approval. Hale and the faculty kept their eyes on the prize.
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At last, Tennessee A. & I. held the historic Commencement Week of May 24-27, 1924. The minister of Clark Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church delivered the baccalaureate sermon on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Graduation was held on Tuesday, 10:00 a.m., May 27. The first baccalaureate class consisted of Walter Daniel Denney of Lebanon, Aeolian O. Lockert of Clarksville, William M. Lowe of Mobile, Ala., Lora A. Myers of Nashville, Reginald C. Neblett of Clarksville, Walter V. Potter of Smithville, Christopher C. Purdy of Tiptonville, and Thudman A. Ramsey of Nashville. Lockert became the Smith-Hughes agricultural agent for Tennessee A. & I. Lora Meyers became a home demonstration agent in Robertson County. Reginald and Walter D. Denny completed the medical program at Meharry. Others became teachers. Tennessee A. & I. State Normal School also granted 113 two-year normal diplomas, 48 diplomas and certificates to high school graduates, and 41 certificates of completion in sewing, chauffeur skills, dressmaking, mechanics of engines, and other crafts. The next historical question is who was the speaker on this historic occasion? Hale selected a member of the Southern Sociological Congress, Wilbur Fisk Tillett, a dean of theology at Vanderbilt University. The Commission on Interracial Cooperation had been organized in
1919 to try and stop racial lynching and the most brutal of racism in the region. W. J. Hale became an officer in the Tennessee Interracial League chapter and used this position to host the organization’s summer gatherings on the Tennessee A. & I. campus. This allowed him to show off the institution’s progress and influence the moderate white leaders to support more resources for Tennessee A. & I. State Normal. Tillett talked to the 1924 graduates about being moral and spiritual. In 1924, after the SBOE and Governor Prentiss Cooper approved Hale’s reappointment, he began to focus on transforming a normal school into a four-year college. Tennessee A. & I. only had five buildings – none of them fit for a college. All of these leaky facilities were torn down in the 1940s, and, today, TSU stands as the only university in the state without one original building. Since February 6, 1924, Hale had persuaded Commissioner P. L. Harned to correspond with members of the General Education Board – a foundation of oil millionaire John D. Rockefeller in New York City. Northern white philanthropist Andrew Carnegie had built a library for Fisk University. The GEB had helped Meharry Medical College and Howard University to achieve accreditation by 1921. Since 1912, Julius Rosenwald, Jewish philanthropist for Sears Roebuck Company in Chicago, was spending 13
mater and the college seal. The 1925 Commencement included six college graduates, including Hattie Ewing Hale, the president’s wife. The word Normal was dropped in 1927. In 1933, Tennessee A. & I. State Teachers College was one of three black colleges admitted to the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE). The campus was improved when President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s federal New Deal Works Progress Administration provided $654,876. In 1936, the word Teachers was dropped and the name was changed to Tennessee A. & I. State College. millions to improve Negro education in the South. Anna T. Jeanes, a Quaker philanthropist in Philadelphia, established a foundation to do the same thing, and one of the A. & I. founders, James C. Napier, was on the board of directors. W. J. Hale gathered trusted supporters of Tennessee A. & I. in the president’s home at the time – Goodwill Manor – and often discussed in secret how to get things done for Tennessee A. & I. without provoking opposition from Jim Crow officials. Hale traveled to New York on November 8, 1924 to confer with the GEB officials. Three of these men came to the campus for a week. They encouraged Hale to ask Education Commissioner P. L. Harned to request $325,000 for improvements, purchase of land on the south side of Centennial Boulevard and new buildings. Thus, Tennessee A. & I. entered its second phase of history and was named Tennessee A. & I. State Normal Teachers College in 1925. The staff, faculty and students began to define the institution’s collegiate symbols: the school’s motto, the first yearbook titled the Radio, the alma 14
In February 1941, in response to the black civil rights case of Michaels et al. v. University of Tennessee (1941), the General Assembly approved Chapter No. 43, Public Acts of 1941, and appropriated $110,000 to make an education at Tennessee A. & I. State College for Negroes “equivalent to University of Tennessee for white students.” But Section 11395 of the Tennessee Code still prohibited “the co-education of white and colored races and their attendance at the same school.” On April 4, 1942, the Tennessee Negro Education Association for Teachers endorsed the recently state approved A. & I. graduate program. This black teachers association held its annual meetings on the A. & I. campus since 1924. They agitated for graduate courses since 1935. The program was implemented in June 1942, and the first master’s candidate graduated in 1942. Less than 10 of the 120 or so HBCUs had graduate programs. P. L. Harned had retired by 1939, and the succeeding Commissioners of Education meant to protect Jim Crow. They were harsh toward President Hale. He was unceremoniously fired
on August 28, 1943, and replaced on September 1, by Walter Strother Davis, a 1931 A. & I. graduate and the first alumnus to receive his Ph.D. degree (Cornell University) in 1942. In 1946 Tennessee State gained Jim Crow approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and in August 1951, the state hurriedly upgraded Tennessee A. & I. to university status. In 1955, Tennessee A. & I. State University and several other HBCU’s were integrated into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Tennessee A. & I. State University became the first college to win three consecutive national NAIA basketball championships: 1957, 1958 and 1959. By 1963, Tennessee A. & I. State University students had become the principal foot soldiers in the local civil rights movement. President Andrew P. Torrence, a 1948 A. & I. graduate and a holder of a Ph.D. in agriculture came aboard. In November 1968 the State Board of Education dropped the Jim Crow initials A. & I. On July 1, 1979, UT-Nashville and Tennessee State University were merged under federal court order. Tennessee State University has endured a journey in higher education history watered in tears but studded with triumphs; and as TSU track Coach Edward Temple has said – with “the will to win.” TSU is poised for another 100 years, and one day will inherit that illusive freedom – the one that Leo Tolstoy wrote about. The same freedom that Alexander Pushkin, the great poet has written about. This tough institution, Tennessee State University, will continue to move forward with “A Touch of Greatness.”
Centennial Homecoming Special
Homecoming and Centennial Steering Committees Michelle Viera, Chair Tennessee State University
Homecoming Steering Committee Michelle Allen Richard Briggance Mary Carver-Patrick Anthony Carter Gregory Clark David Davis Rick DelaHaya Ashley Floyd Felina Freeman Richard Gordon Cassandra Griggs Annie Harris De Janel Henry
Al Hill Sandra Hunt Sharon Hurt Henry Perry LaQuita Perry Sharon Peters K. Dawn Rutledge Dexter Samuels Sharon Smith Sonya Smith Ricky Williams Seanne G. Wilson Jewell F. Winn
Centennial Steering Committee
Ebony Arnett George Barrett Yildiz Binkley Cynthia Brooks Ron Brooks Mary Carver-Patrick John S. Cross Rick DelaHaya Felina Freeman Howard Gentry, Jr. Rita Geier Dennis Gendron Cassandra Griggs Sandra Holt Ola G. Hudson Betsy Jackson Terry Likes
Myah Lipscomb Dorothy Lockridge Harold Love, Jr. Bobby Lovett Nanette C. Martin Joni McReynolds Kathleen McEnerney Barbara Murrell Annie Wynn Neal Peter Nwosu Christina Perkins Teresa Phillips K. Dawn Rutledge Dexter Samuels Seanne G. Wilson Jewell F. Winn
________________ University President Portia H. Shields, Ph.D. Office of University Publications Director K. Dawn Rutledge Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Director Cassandra Griggs Photographer John S. Cross Sam Jordan Design/Layout All Girl Press, LLC ________________ This special Homecoming supplement was published by the Office of University Publications for alumni, friends and family of Tennessee State University. Copyright Š Tennessee State University Alumni address changes should be sent to: Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving TSU Box 9534 3500 John A. Merritt Blvd. Nashville, TN 37209 Advertising inquiries should be sent to: Office of University Publications McWherter Administration Building Suite 260 3500 John A. Merritt Blvd. Nashville, TN 37208 www.tnstate.edu ________________ Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution. Tennessee State University is an AA/EEO employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its program and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Ms. Tiffany Baker-Cox, director of Equity, Diversity and Compliance, 3500 John A. Merritt Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37209, (615) 963-7435.
Office of Alumni Relations P. O. Box 9534 3500 John A. Merritt Blvd Nashville, TN 37209
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Tennessee State University
Salutes
Mrs. Ivanetta Hughes Davis Centennial Grand Marshal
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