alumninews
Morehouse Rhodes Scholar Tope Folarin ’04 Wins Top African Literary Prize By ADD SEYMOUR JR.
Tope Folarin ’04, Morehouse’s third Rhodes scholar, has earned another huge honor: the 2013 Caine Prize for African Writing for his short story, “Miracle.” The Caine Prize, which has been awarded annually since 2000, is considered Africa’s top literary award. “Miracle” appeared in the 2012 edition of Transition magazine, which is published by Harvard University’s W.E.B. DuBois Institute for African and African American Research. The story is set in an evangelical Nigerian church in Texas where the congregation has gathered to witness the healing powers of a blind pastor-prophet. Religion and the gullibility of those caught in the deceit that sometimes comes with faith rise to the surface as a young boy volunteers to be healed and begins to believe in miracles. “Winning the Caine Prize has been an incredibly gratifying experience,” Folarin said. “I’ve been writing in anonymity for years. I don’t have a creative writing degree, and I’d never taken a creative writing class when ‘Miracle’ was published. It was just me and my laptop. I’m pleased that so many people have read ‘Miracle,’ and that people are interested in my story.” Folarin was presented with his award and cash prize on July 8 at the University of Oxford, where he did his Rhodes studies. n To read “Miracle,” go to http://www.caineprize.com/pdf/2013_Folarin.pdf.
Roy Keith Jr. ’61, Morehouse’s Eighth President, Named President Emeritus Roy Keith Jr. ’61, Morehouse’s eighth president, has been named president emeritus, which is the College’s highest honor. During his tenure from 1987 until 1994, there were a number of notable accomplishments. The College’s endowment increased to more than $60 million, more than tripling what it had been just 20 years before; establishment of the College’s signature scholarship fundraiser, the “A Candle in the Dark” Gala and construction of the NabritMapp-McBay science building, the Thomas Kilgore Jr. Campus Center, Hope Hall and two residence halls. Additionally, Morehouse became the nation’s first historically black college or university to produce an African American Rhodes Scholar when Nima Warfield was named in 1994. Keith is currently chairman and CEO of Summit Management Group, LLC, and chairman of BLOC Global Services Group, LLC. He previously served as managing director of Almanac Capital Management. Prior to Almanac, Keith served as a partner with Stonington Partners, a private equity fund. Prior to this, he held the position of chairman
and chief executive officer of Carson Products Company, a publicly traded company, from 1995 to 1998 and served as chairman from 1998 to August 2000, when the company was acquired by L’Oreal. Keith took Carson public on the New York Stock Exchange and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in 1996. The company’s Personal Care Products are sold throughout the United States, the Caribbean, Europe, Brazil and Africa. In 1975, Keith was appointed chancellor of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, becoming the first African American to hold such a position in American higher education. He also served as an associate dean and assistant professor of education and urban studies at Dartmouth College. Keith serves on two private sector boards: Wells Fargo Advantage Funds and Virtus Mutual Funds. Honorary Doctors of Law have been conferred upon him by Bowdoin College and Dartmouth College. n
Lamell McMorris ’95 honored by Washington Government Relations Group Lamell McMorris ’95, a government affairs expert and entrepreneur, has recently received several noteworthy distinctions. This May, he was appointed chairman of the National Diversity Advisory Council (NDAC) of the American Red Cross. In October 2013, he will join the board of trustees for Miles College in Birmingham, Ala. Additionally, McMorris was presented the President’s Award for Career Achievement at the Washington Government Relations Group’s (WGRG) Tin Cup Awards’ fourth annual dinner. McMorris is founder and CEO of Perennial, a Washington, D.C.-based family of businesses that provides government, public, and community affairs services for Fortune 500 companies, national nonprofits, trade associa-
tions, and public-sector clients on a wide range of public-policy issues. The WGRG—a non-partisan, independent, volunteer association founded to enrich the careers of African American government relations professionals— annually bestows its award to individuals who have embodied excellence in leadership, service and professionalism in government affairs. Cited for his instrumental work in opening doors of opportunity through inclusiveness, and for his advocacy for diversity, access and inclusion in the profession, McMorris accepted the award alongside the D.C. area’s top business leaders, legislators and public policy experts. n
Commencement 2013
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Commemorative issue
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