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Passing the Torch Morehouse College’s Tenth President Robert M. Franklin Jr. ’75 received the torch of leadership from President Emeritus Walter E. Massey ’58
THE MASSEY LEGACY • HOMECOMING 2006 • FOUNDER’S DAY CELEBRATION 2007
Michael Lindsay ’75 Profession The Luella Klein Associate Professor and Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine Division Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics; Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia Full-time faculty member, Emory University, OB/GYN
Education Bachelor of Science, Morehouse College, 1975; Medical Degree, Yale Medical School, 1979; Master of Public Health, Emory University, 1991
Passions Married to Lorna Douglass for 28 years Sons, Jonathon, 24, a 2006 Morehouse graduate, and Kenneth, 20, a junior at Emory University
Mark of Distinction Largest donor to the Morehouse Annual Fund in 2006 For 22 years, Michael Lindsay ‘75 has given to the Annual Fund to help a man of Morehouse realize his dream of becoming a Morehouse Man.
Why does he give? “I went to Morehouse on a scholarship— otherwise, I would not have been able to get a Morehouse education. I am repaying the anonymous people who funded my education.”
www.morehousealumniandfriends.com • (404) 215-2658
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THE MASSEY LEGACY When President Walter E. Massey ’58 was asked to return to his alma mater as its ninth president, he had to be persuaded to take the job. Twelve years later, after promulgating a vision statement that ushered in a cultural change, conducting an historic capital campaign that shattered previous giving records, and completing campus improvements ranging from major construction to community involvement, he leaves confident that he was indeed “the right leader at the right time” for Morehouse College. By Vickie G. Hampton
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A CALL FOR COMMITMENT Phillip McCall, the new president of the National Alumni Association, has marching orders—to get the NAA to the next level. No more lagging behind. No more excuses. By Seth Coleman ’91
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BACK TO THE OLD LANDMARK Every five years, Morehouse pays homage to its humble birthplace. Before there was an historic Graves Hall, or a world-renown chapel named in honor of one of the College’s greatest alumnus, or a towering, state-of-the-art Leadership Center building, there was a small basement in a Baptist church in Augusta, Georgia. By Shaneesa Ashford
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WOMEN OF THE HOUSE There are professors, administrators, staff members, and even alumni among their ranks. Women have been an integral part of the life and legacy of the College since its inception 140 years ago. Today, their influence is as vital to the College as ever. By Kai Jackson
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ON THE COVER: Outgoing President Walter E. Massey ’58 welcomes incoming President Robert M. Franklin ’75.
Passing the Torch Morehouse College’s Tenth President Robert M. Franklin Jr. ’75 received the torch of leadership from President Emeritus Walter E. Massey ’58
THE MASSEY LEGACY • HOMECOMING 2006 • FOUNDER’S DAY CELEBRATION 2007
Photo by Philip McCollum
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INSIDE THE HOUSE IN THE NEWS ON THE FIELD AND COURT ON THE SHELF DEVELOPMENT NEWS BROTHER TO BROTHER ALUMNI NEWS CLASS NOTES THE ROAD TAKEN
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p r e s i d e n t ’s m e s s a g e Forward, march…
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t a time of social crisis in the global community, the nation and in many African American neighborhoods, the educational mission of Morehouse is more critical today than ever before. President emeritus Walter E. Massey ’58 understood this well as he crafted a vision for Morehouse that would place us among the best liberal arts colleges in the nation. I am honored to accept the baton of leadership from a friend and colleague whose vision and achievements at Morehouse have set such a broad and solid foundation for this great institution as it faces the challenges of the 21st century. Indeed, the historical mission of this institution and the fine work of my predecessors have played a profound role in shaping my own vision for our alma mater—a vision that I believe will further elevate our ‘House as an institution with unparalleled ability to produce leaders who will transform our world with their heads, hearts and hands. I want Morehouse to become a global resource for educated and ethical leaders. I refer to these Morehouse Men as Renaissance men with a social conscience. Equipped with the timeless tools of a well-trained mind, personal integrity and sophistication, Morehouse will prepare her graduates to inject hope and inspiration into communities that desperately need political,economic,cultural ”We must not retreat, and we and spiritual rebirth. The leaders produced by Morehouse in the coming years will not only work in the cities, towns and neighborhoods in this country, but also will expand their role in the global dare not shrink from the community and seize opportunities to apply principles of ethical leadership and service to the far reaches of the globe. I have met these young men on our campus in recent weeks and I can attest awesome task ahead of us.” to their developing readiness to undertake great assignments. In pursuit of these lofty goals, we will rely upon the very best of our cherished traditions and hold firmly to our mission. The very best of our tradition and mission is rooted in our history of engaging in the great challenges of our day. Founder William Jefferson White fought for Negroes to have schools of higher learning and for public education; President John Hope fought for equal rights and helped found the Niagara Movement; and the list goes on and on. As the poet Dante put it,“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in a time of moral crisis, seek to preserve their neutrality.” One of the things about our Morehouse legacy that inspires me is that Morehouse faculty, students, alumni and presidents challenged the entire nation and the world to practice justice. They did not segregate their moral concerns, to paraphrase Dr. King.And, as we undertook bold projects, alumni, donors and friends stepped up to provide us with the resources we needed to be extraordinary. We must not retreat, and we dare not shrink from the awesome task ahead of us. That is why President Benjamin Mays was fond of quoting author J.G. Holland who prayed: God, give us men! A time like this demands strong minds, great hearts, true faith, and, ready hands; men whom the lust for office does not kill; men whom the spoils of office cannot buy; men who possess opinions and a will; men who have honor; men who will not lie; men who can stand before a demagogue and damn his treacherous flatteries without winking; tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog in public duty and private thinking. I am immensely grateful to Dr. Walter E. Massey ’58 and the other eight distinguished presidents who precede me at the helm of leadership for his hallowed institution dedicated to developing men. Their moral and visionary leadership will be my guideposts for answering the call and the challenges of our bright future. I am humbled and honored to assume the current charge for Morehouse College, and hope you will join me in saluting my predecessor, President Massey, for a job well done. Sincerely,
Robert M. Franklin ’75 S P R I N G
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letters to the editor Dear Editor, I cannot express [enough] my gratitude for the inclusion of my dad’s (Johnie M. Floyd ’50) story in the fall edition of Morehouse Magazine. It was Dad, himself, who found the article while flipping through the magazine upon its arrival in yesterday’s mail. Needless to say, I didn’t expect to see it, as I thought the idea had been shelved. However, as the Lord is still working in mysterious ways, Dad has been very ill these past weeks and when he saw himself in the magazine, it was as if he sparked new life. Ironically, he is on the page with Sam Jackson, who just left a home directly down the street from us, where his family resides here in Rome. Dad’s disease is trying to keep him down, but the spirit of The House definitely helps keep him going. May God bless you in your continued endeavors to keep those of us who are connected to the spirit of Dr. Mays and the brotherhood of The House. A Spelman Sister herself, Johnnyne Sampson-Sharp Rome, Ga.
Dear Editor, Thanks so much for the fall issue of Morehouse Magazine. It is so informative and attractive. Keep up the good work. I should appreciate your sending to me at the earliest convenience four additional copies of the fall issue so that I can share these with some other members of the family who live in other parts of the country. This way, then, I can keep in front of them the idea of Morehouse—and higher education as goals. Thanks. George T. Johnson ‘54
l e t u s h e a r f r o m yo u
Dear Editor, I received my copy of your latest issue yesterday. Another great job. Karin L. Griffin Hawthorne, Calif.
We welcome all letters and reserve the right to edit for clarity and space. Letters must be one typed page in length and signed. Please include complete contact information. Send to: The Editor, Morehouse Magazine, Office of Communications, Morehouse College, 830 Westview Drive, S.W., Atlanta, GA 30314. Email: morehousemageditor@morehouse.edu Fax: 404-215-2729
Dear Editor, As always, I enjoyed reading the most recent edition of Morehouse Magazine, and was delighted that I was noticed for research that The Atlanta JournalConstitution recognized my lab for in July 2006. However, I must admit that I was a bit disappointed that my name was printed incorrectly and that I was acknowledged as an instructor rather than assistant professor of psychology here at Morehouse. No ego, just want to be sure that the institution that helped to mold my research and its trajectory knows who I am and what I’m doing with the school that I decided to return to in an effort to engage in high-level scholarship and instruction. David Wall Rice, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Psychology The editors apologize for the error, which appeared on page 15 of the fall 2006 issue.
cInother rfalle 2006 c t iedition o n of Morehouse Magazine, in “Reunion Weekend 2006, Golden Tigers Breakfast Class of 1956” (page 38), Asa Spaulding Jr, was mistakenly identified as Paul Thompson Asa Spaulding Jr, in the caption. The editors regret the error.
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Looking back...
Dr. Robert M. Franklin ’75 President Dr. Willis B. Sheftall ’64 Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Dear Friends:
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ow quickly the last academic year went by! From the moment during Opening Convocation in September that President Walter E. Massey announced his retirement, the year begin to roll by in continuously increasing momentum — packed to the brim with celebration after celebration of the man who had lead the institution through some of its most triumphant moments in history: the successful completion of the College’s most ambitious campaign, two Rhodes scholars and numerous other scholar recipients, ranked the No. 1 school of choice for African Americans for three consecutive terms and one of the number one feeder schools to the most prominent professional and graduate schools in the nation by The Wall Street Journal. In this issue, we invite you to join us in celebrating The Massey Legacy (cover story on page 32) and reviewing the year of events and activities at Morehouse, like last year’s Homecoming (see page 38) and Founder’s Week 2007 (page 42), a week in which we celebrated the achievements of Morehouse Men, past and present, as well as eight gala honorees, including actors Sir Sidney Poitier and the late Roscoe Lee Brown. In celebrating the Massey Legacy, we also thank our first lady Shirley Massey for her tireless work as a College ambassador, surrogate mother to so many students and advocate for campus beautification. In honor of her, we celebrate the “Women of the House” (see page 47) and pay homage to a representative group of women – spanning several decades and from all areas on campus.
Fast forward... As I sat in an audience of about 2,000 people gathered at the World Congress Center in late June to listen to the opening keynote address delivered by the man who would in one week become Morehouse College’s tenth president, these words floated down to me from the podium and hung in the air: “There is a time to reflect on past accomplishments and a time to go forward and continue the work.” The man, of course, was Dr. Robert Michael Franklin Jr. ’75. In our next issue, we will profile President Franklin and provide a glimpse of the vision he has for Morehouse.
Phillip Howard ’87 Vice President for Institutional Advancement
STAFF Executive Editor Editor Writer In the News Editor Contributing Writers
Toni O’Neal Mosley Vickie G. Hampton Shaneesa N. Ashford Elise Durham Rori F. Blakeney Seth Coleman ’91 Adrienne Harris Kai Jackson Issa Donald Winbush Alumni News Editor Henry M. Goodgame Jr. ’84 Class Notes Julie Pinkney Tongue Contributing Photographers Philip McCollum Wilford Harewood James Robinson Ron Witherspoon Graphic Design Glennon Design Group Administrative Assistant Margaret Bryant
Morehouse Magazine is published by Morehouse College, Office of Communications, Division of Institutional Advancement. Opinions expressed in Morehouse Magazine are those of the authors, not necessarily of the College. Letters and Comments: Letters must be one typed page in length and signed. Please include complete contact information. Send to: Morehouse Magazine Editor, Morehouse College, Office of Communications, 830 Westview Dr., S.W., Atlanta, GA 30314. E-mail: morehousemageditor@morehouse.edu Fax: 404-215-2729 Change of Address and Class Notes: www.morehousealumniandfriends.com
Let the work continue…
Toni O’Neal Mosley Executive Editor Director of Public Relations
Morehouse College is the nation’s largest liberal arts college for men. The College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Atlanta University Center consortium of five schools. Morehouse does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, handicap, or national or ethnic origin in the recruitment and admission of its students, in the administration of its educational policies and programs, or in its staff, as specified by federal laws and regulations.
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Morehouse King Collection Attracts Record Crowds During First Exhibition at Atlanta History Center THE ATLANTA HISTORY CENTER became the first venue to exhibit portions of the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection in an exhibition titled “I Have A Dream: The Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection. The exhibition, which began on the King holiday on Jan. 15, 2007, and ended on May 13, drew record-breaking crowds The exhibition, which included more than 600 pieces from the 10,000 piece collection, used audio and visual components. Highlights included drafts of King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, sermons from his ministry, personal notes he maintained in hundreds of his books, and his celebrated “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Organized into 10 sections, the exhibition highlighted King’s personal journey from his education years to his final speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” delivered the night before his assassination. ■
Exhibition sections included: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
The Measure of A Man: Education The King Library Strength to Love: Sermons Stride Toward Freedom Why We Can’t Wait Where Do We Go From Here? Letter From Birmingham Jail I Have A Dream The Nobel Peace Prize Memphis
Source: Atlanta History Center
College trustee Charlie Moreland '51 and wife, Lois, examine one of the speeches displayed during the "I Have a Dream" exhibition.
A record number of visitors came to see the Morehouse King Collection at the Atlanta History Center.
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Morehouse Celebrates King’s Legacy ATLANTA, THE CITY too busy to hate, honors native son Martin Luther King Jr. ’48 as any hometown would – with services, parades, rallies and marches. And each year, a cadre of speakers remark on King as a figure larger than life – a peaceful leader during a turbulent time. In January 2006, Morehouse celebrated the 78th birthday of its most famous alumnus with two major events. At the 15th annual “A King Celebration” concert in King Chapel, Morehouse’s Glee Club joined with the Spelman Glee Club and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in honoring King through music and song. At the celebration, sponsored this year by Target, spoken word joined that list, as noted poet and author Maya Angelou recited “A Pledge to Rescue Our Youth.” Angelou’s pledge promises that the current generation will lend resources and support to future generations. While more than two million people tuned in to the concert on radio as it was broadcast on Jan. 15, others chose to see the civil rights leader’s work first hand at the opening of the first public exhibition of the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection. The exhibition, titled “I Have A Dream,” opened on Jan. 15 at the Atlanta History Center. The 600-piece exhibition, which is organized into 10 sections chronicling
President Walter E. Massey ’58 greets poet and author Maya Angelou during a reception at the annual “A King Celebration.”
King’s life, includes drafts of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech and personal notes. Visitors also were able to view King’s books translated into numerous languages; telegrams for prominent business and civic leaders; and memorabilia from his days at Morehouse. ■ —SNA
A King Among Presidents ON MONDAY, November 13, 2006, several thousand individuals braved the cold and bitter winds to witness the groundbreaking for the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial. Despite the inhospitable weather, distinguished guests such as President George W. Bush, former President Bill Clinton, U.S. Senator Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, Ambassador Andrew Young, U.S. Congressman John Lewis and many others greeted a cheerful audience and spoke on the life and legacy of one of the greatest Americans of all time. Because a Morehouse student effort raised more than $8,500, the highest grossing fundraising effort at any undergraduate institution, the Build the Dream Foundation sponsored travel accommodations and lodging for a Morehouse delegation, including seniors Brandon Jackson, Harry Johnson, Marcus Emebo, John White, Chris Hollins and Micha Moon, a junior. President Bill Clinton authorized the memorial’s construction in 1998. Since then, effort has been geared towards fund raising for the $100-million project. Led by the project president and CEO, Harry Johnson, Sr., and the executive leadership cabinet, the Build the Dream Foundation has raised nearly three-fourths of its goal. Morehouse College recently contributed $500,000 to the foundation. General Motors and Tommy Hilfiger are among the highest contributors, donating $10 million and $9.9 million respectively. ■
Morehouse students Harry Johnson Jr., Micah Moon, Brandon Jackson, Marcus Emebo and John White join the groundbreaking ceremony for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C.
—Micha Moon, junior English major from Marietta, Ga. S U M M E R
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Taking some of the work out of networking
Experience Alumni! OFFERS MOREHOUSE MEN A NEW NETWORKING TOOL FOR JOB HUNTING For more information contact: Kellye Blackburn Eccles Career Planning and Placement Non Business Majors Morehouse College 404-215-2703 kblackbu@morehouse.edu Pat Bowers Career Planning and Placement Business Majors Morehouse College 404-681-2800 x2644 pbowers@morehouse.edu
The Morehouse College’s Career Planning and Placement Office is excited to unveil its latest service, designed with Morehouse College alumni in mind: Experience Alumni! EXPERIENCE REQUIRED eRecruiting is the system currently used to coordinate all job postings and interview schedules for students. Now, Experience Alumni! offers a similar service designed specifically with more experienced candidates in mind. Experience Alumni! gives Morehouse alumni a safe, secure place to look for employment opportunities by providing job postings from companies looking to recruit experienced Morehouse Men. Job opportunities from sites such as CareerBuilder, DICE and HotJobs are also posted. BROTHER TO BROTHER If you know of positions within your own company that you want other alumni to know about, you can post them directly into the system yourself. It is a great system for recruiting other Morehouse Men!
Log in and check out Experience Alumni! at http://morehouse.experience.com. MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE
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insidethehouse Just Click: www.morehouse.edu
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AFTER A YEARLONG redevelopment process, the College’s new web site launched last October—nearly 10 years after the site’s debut in 1997. The site features a new design, user-friendly navigation and updated content in several sections. With more than two million visits per year, the web site is the College’s most effective and far-reaching marketing tool. New elements have been added to appeal to prospective students and their parents, such as testimonials from current students (click on the changing series of photos in the center of the opening page). One student wrote: “It takes one person to show someone that you want to see them achieve, and they in turn will see that there are no boundaries and the future is limitless.” The web site, which is now managed by the Office of Communications, is Phase I of the redevelopment. Phase II will include the development of the Institutional Advancement site, the redesign of Admissions and Athletics site and the implementation of a more fully integrated content management system. ■
• Average visits to the Morehouse web site per month: 187,727 • Average new visitors per day: 1,664 • Highest volume time of day: 1-2 p.m. • Highest volume day of week: Tuesday • Average length of visit: 5 min., 16 seconds
Click in this area to access student profiles
Top Story on the College
Rotating College facts and milestones
Journal entries from Morehouse students in our Study Abroad Program
Information and updates on the Morehouse King Collection
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Morehouse Launches Journalism and Sports Program by Shaneesa N. Ashford and Jatika Hudson
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very great player needs an assist. Morehouse College, a major player in higher education, recently received a big assist from alumnus Shelton “Spike” Lee ’79, who wanted to see the school address the under representation of minorities in sports journalism. He helped the College raise more than $900,000 to launch the new Journalism and Sports Program at Morehouse, which is housed in the English department. The primary goal of the Journalism and Sports Program, originally proposed in 1999, will be to provide Morehouse students with an academic foundation in journalism. The program marks the return of a journalism curriculum to Morehouse. Prior to 1991, students were able to pursue a mass communications degree at Clark Atlanta University. Already up and running, the program recently hired 34-year veteran sportswriter and author Ron Thomas as its director. Besides managing the program, Thomas will teach courses, create a program publication and maintains a lecture series. A 1971 graduate of the University of Rochester, Thomas brings a wealth of experience to the classroom. “This program will be one of the very few — and by very few I mean you can count them on one hand—[sports] journalism programs around the country,” Thomas said. “This program is something very rare to find. We’ll be teaching sports reporting and editing because the [sports] terminology is a little different.” In addition to Morehouse,
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Curtis Bunn, sports reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Tara August, public relations manager for Turner Sports; Reggie Roberts, vice president of football communications for the Atlanta Falcons; alumnus and board of trustee member Shelton “Spike” Lee ’79; Ike Reese, Atlanta Falcons linebacker; David Cummings ’89, senior deputy editor for ESPN The Magazine; Ronnie Ramos, sports editor for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Paul Wiebe, chair of the English department, tackle the issue of disparity between minority athletes in various sports and the number of minority journalists covering those sports.
Pennsylvania State University, University of Tennessee, Benedictine University and the University of Texas at Austin offer journalism and sports programs. Morehouse’s program is significant because it hopes to level the playing field for African American men in the sports journalism arena. “There is a widely disproportionate number of black print journalists and the number of black athletes in major sports,” said Thomas. “I want Morehouse to be the place to come if an African American male student wants to fill that gap.” An avid blacks sports history buff, Thomas is also the author of They Cleared the Lane: The NBA’s Black Pioneers, a history of athletes who integrated the national sports arena in the 1950s. “Another special part of this program, which I think will be different
than any of the other sports programs, is that we’ll put more emphasis on informing Morehouse students about black sports history,” he said. Thomas believes it is important for students to learn the role sports journalism has on American life. Black athletes like Jackie Robinson, Morehouse alumnus Donn Clendenon ’56 and Muhammad Ali all have played pivotal roles in changing the American sports arena. Research shows that while the percentages of African Americans in the NFL and NBA are 69 and 76 respectively, African Americans comprise small percentages of radio and television announcers in those sports: 3 percent in the NFL and 14 percent in the NBA. In January 2006, a panel of sports journalists and professionals tackled the issue of disparity between minority
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Washington Wizards center and poet Etan Thomas passionately makes a point as Atlanta Falcons tight end Alge Crumpler (left), ESPN commentator Stephen Smith and Claire Smith, a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, listen.
athletes in various sports and the number of minority journalists covering those sports. The panel included David Cummings ’89, senior deputy editor for ESPN The Magazine; Tara August, public relations manager for Turner Sports; Ronnie Ramos, sports editor for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Reggie Roberts, vice president of Football Communications for the Atlanta Falcons; and Ike Reese, Atlanta Falcons linebacker. “If you only have one group of people reporting on one group of people, it gets one-dimensional,” said Ramos. An important part of the journalism and sports program is to encourage dialogue around major issue such as the Don Imus incident, where the radio shock jock used racial and derogatory terms to describe the Rutgers University Women’s basketball team
“This will give our students an upclose look at the wide range of issues related to black athletes,” Thomas said. “Not only will they hear from awardwinning journalists and authors, they also will have an opportunity to hear from coaches and athletes about their day-today challenges in the industry.” Later in May, the program sponsored a forum that focused on the black athlete, where the Imus incident was the subject of a heated debate. Lee served as the referee for the cast of all-star players, including: Rutgers women’s basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer; Kansas City newspaper/AOL columnist Jason Whitlock; social activist and NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown; Atlanta JournalConstitution columnist Curtis Bunn; Stephen Smith; Washington Wizards center and poet Etan Thomas; Atlanta
Falcons tight end Alge Crumpler; New York Times columnist William Rhoden and Alonzo Mourning of the Miami Heat. Whitlock, who published an article in April excusing Imus’ remark, said, “You’ve given Vivian Stringer and Rutgers the chance to hold a nationally televised recruiting celebration expertly disguised as a news conference to respond to your poor attempt at humor . . .we can once again wallow in victimhood, protest like it’s 1965 and delude ourselves into believing that fixing your hatred is more necessary than eradicating our selfhatred. While we’re fixated on a bad joke cracked by an irrelevant, bad shock jock, I’m sure at least one of the marvelous young women on the Rutgers basketball team is somewhere snapping her fingers to the beat of 50 Cent’s or Snoop Dogg’s latest ode glorifying nappy-headed pimps and hos. I ain’t saying Jesse, Al and Vivian are gold-diggas, but they don’t have the heart to mount a legitimate campaign against the real black-folk killas.” Coach Stringer shot back: “We spend a lot of time talking about how we can effect change, but I didn’t put myself in that situation and neither did those 10 young ladies. We were characterized by someone who had the attention of the world, and you have to understand that kind of impact,” she said. It’s that negative impact that Lee hopes the journalism and sports program will counteract. He hopes to one day expand the program to sports media, and possibly partner with the Morehouse School of Medicine. “We should be diverse in what we teach here, and at the forefront of what happens,” he said. “This is something that has to be done.” ■
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insidethehouse Entrepreneurship Center Makes Significant Impact on Minority, Small Businesses and Defense Contracting SINCE ITS OCTOBER 2004 inception, the Morehouse College Entrepreneurship Center (MCEC) has grown from an innovative business start-up into what is now widely regarded as a progressive and award-winning national model for the development of minority entrepreneurship through training, scholarly research and consultant services. To date, more than 10 projects with 22 partnering companies have been undertaken—resulting in valuable alliances that generate recruitment initiatives for student participants, internships, scholarships and new ways to bring practical business experiences into the classroom. According to John E. Williams, dean of the Division of Business Administration and Economics, “it’s important to emphasize that although the program is administered by the Business Administration and Economics Division, the entrepreneurship focus is intended to be a collegewide initiative, and, therefore,Morehouse is making a contribution toward the general economic multiplier by expanding entrepreneurship through import substitution and/or export economies.” The initial goals outlined for the MCEC were clear and concise: to assist minority small business growth through training, workshops, seminars and procurement; provide research and advisory services; and provide support for graduates in their pursuit of advanced degrees in entrepreneurship. The primary focus of the MCEC to date has been with the United States Department of Defense’s Mentor Protégé Program (MPP), which assists small businesses (the protégés) in successfully competing for prime contract and subcontract awards by partnering with larger companies (the mentors) under individual,project-based agreements. “The response to our offerings are proof positive that the Center’s programming—and the skill-set presented by the faculty, Morehouse students,staff and consultants who MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE
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Presenting a certificate of completion to Mori&Associates President Shahnaz Deldjoubar(Center) are Tiffany Bussey , program director and Deborah Jackson-Hamilton, program manager, EDS Mentor Protege Program.
facilitate our projects—is right on target,” said MCEC program director Tiffany R. Bussey. “In just two years, we’ve been able to make sizeable inroads into some of the nation’s leading defense contractors, forging valuable partnerships with qualified, but smaller minority contractors, and building a firm foundation for expanded growth.” Most recent mentor-protégé agreements have focused on companies offering corrosion engineering, information assurance, circuit board and metal component manufacturing. The Department of Defense hopes that future agreements will focus on new technology areas like robotics, radio frequency identification devices and enhanced security assurance. More than 80 percent of the MCEC’s most recent work has been with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) program, and assignments from the Navy, Army and Air Force Protégé Programs round out the workload. The Center also has generated positive corporate recognition for its efforts – namely in the form of a recent award from the Air Force with mentor participant Lockheed Martin, and another high-achievement nod from the Army with mentor participant Lear Siegler Services, Inc. MCEC’s largest customer under the Mentor Protégé program, EDS, also gives high praise for the business alliance. In a
recent customer satisfaction survey, EDS program manager Deborah HamiltonJackson made special note of “the phenomenal support provided by MCEC, which exceeded my expectations.” That’s in addition to her across the board “excellent” rankings in survey categories, which included adherence to schedule, effective communications, responsiveness to staff, technical competency and quality of deliverables. And, in keeping with the Center’s growth plans, Hamilton-Jackson made clear her intention to continue to support the MCEC. Other large corporate partners with MCEC include well-known names like AT&T, Northrop Grumman, L3-Titan and Booz-Allen Hamilton. From the protégé or small minority business side of the program’s equation comes lesser known corporations, such as HCI Integrated Solutions (which the MCEC assisted in obtaining ISO 9000 quality management system), MORI & Associates (for which MCEC led the implementation and appraisal of CMMI maturity level 2 process improvement), Dev Technologies, Nucore Vision, TechGuard Securities and GAITS. With more than 15 years experience in business management for corporate, small business, educational and non-profit organizations, MCEC program director Bussey has become an expert on the topic of HBCU participation in federal contracting. “Interestingly enough, the launch of the Entrepreneur shipCenter with a focus such as the MCEC at one of the nation’s leading HBCUs is historic in itself,” she said. “This successful business model is unlike any other offering at sister HBCUs, and is most likely unique when compared to major educational institutions outside of that grouping.” ■
insidethehouse Music Department Receives NASM Accreditation MUSIC DEPARTMENT NEWS & NOTES •
• The Morehouse College Glee Club Quartet performs during Founder’s Day 2007 concert.
AFTER AN EXHAUSTIVE 400-page self-evaluation and two visits from an evaluating team, the Department of Music has received accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), the national accrediting agency for music and music-related disciplines. “The entire department is deserving of exceptional gratitude for the countless hours given to this process, which took place in the midst of rigorous teaching and external professional schedules,” said Uzee Brown ’72, chair of the music department. To receive accreditation, Morehouse had to meet the organization’s criteria of offering regular classes in theory, history and performance; providing opportunities for ensemble performance; maintaining qualified faculty members; and demonstrating commitment to continuous selfevaluation. The Music Department has now grown to nearly 50 music majors and minors. “The accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Music makes the College even more attractive to incoming students who wish to study music, because it assures him that the music degree program has been judged to meet national standards in education and performance,” said Jefferson Ethridge, associate professor of music and chair of the Morehouse accreditation committee. “The accreditation agency that sets these standards is comprised of member institutions that are acknowledged to be among the best music schools in the nation.” ■
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The Department of Music was chartered for a new chapter of Pi Kappa Lambda National Honor Society in Music, which recognizes and encourages the highest level of music achievement and academic scholarship. The effort to establish the Morehouse chapter was spearheaded by David Morrow ’80, glee club director. Uzee Brown Jr. ’72, department chair, has been jointly contracted by the Paris Opera Comique and the Atlanta Opera to perform the role of "Frazier, the Lawyer" in an international production of "Porgy and Bess" in 2008. A series of more than 20 performances will be presented in Paris and Caen, France, Granada, Spain, and Brussels, Belgium. Aaron Mathews, a junior music major concentrating in piano performance, was second place winner of the James Hefner National Piano Competition and received an award for the best performance of a major piano work by an African American composer. Aaron, who holds the Presidential Award for Outstanding Talent, has performed as an accompanist throughout the country with the glee club. Ryan Smith, a 1999 graduate of the College, is winner of the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He is the first alumnus to receive the prestigious honor since Lawrence Albert Bass won in 1976.
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insidethehouse Leadership Society Holds Inaugural Breakfast A NEW TRADITION BEGAN at Morehouse last November with the inaugural leadership breakfast of the College’s Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa Society, Inc., a national leadership honor society that recognizes student leadership in scholarship, athletics, public service, mass communications and the arts. To quality for membership, students must be in the top third of their class and hold a leadership position in one of the five areas. President Walter E. Massey ’58, a circle charter member, was honored for his 12 years of service to the College. In accepting the honor, he asked the group to seek out leaders with virtues worth emulating and to remember that being a leader is not an easy task. “Real leaders take on tough challenges,” he said. “It doesn’t move one to have small vision.” The fall 2006 nominees included seven faculty and staff members, 32 juniors and seniors, and one honorary member, Ingrid Sauders Jones, director of Corporate External Affairs and senior vice president of The Coca-Cola Company, and chairperson of The Coca-Cola Foundation. Morehouse’s circle was founded in 2001 and is one of only four circles at historically black colleges and universities. Julian Thompson, a senior history major and circle president, said the
President Walter E. Massey ’58 is flanked by Walter E. Fluker, Coca-Cola Professor of Leadership Studies and executive director of The Leadership Center, and Julian Thompson, president of Omicron Delta Kappa Society.
circle plans to expand its reach through forums on leadership issues and sponsorships of community service events. “This College produces some of the best leaders in the world,” he said. “It makes sense for us to use what Morehouse has taught us to make (the College) and the community at large better.” ■
Two miles to combat three minutes:
Morehouse’s Breast Cancer Walk Surpasses Fund-raising Goal
The annual Breast Cancer Awareness Walk drew its largest crowd ever.
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EVERY THREE MINUTES, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, a disease that was expected to affect more than 200,000 women in 2006 alone. In its annual step to help combat the disease, more than 150 members of the Morehouse College family participated in the College’s two-mile breast cancer walk on September 23, 2006. It was the largest crowd to participate in the walk since its inception. The College surpassed its $100,000 goal in total donations to the American Cancer Society’s “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer,” raising $21,000 and bringing its seven-year total to $108,600. In 2005, ACS honored Morehouse with the Corporate Leadership Award. ■
peopleatthehouse
Andrew Young: An Evening with an Icon AMBASSADOR ANDREW YOUNG sat down with Anthony Pinder ’85, executive director of the Andrew Young Center for International Affairs, for a fireside chat on Nov. 9. With a packed house in the Leadership Center’s Bank of America Auditorium, Young spoke on a plethora of subjects, ranging from the civil rights movement to the hip-hop generation. He recounted a run-in with hardcore racists that led to a moment of clarity on the ideal of nonviolence. During a confrontation with what he describes as hundreds of white supremacists, Young’s first wife, Jean, refused to brandish a shotgun, even though her family was threatened. Young described her as “a good shot,” but she reminded him to practice what he preached. “I studied theologians who advocated negotiation from a position of strength,” Young said. “But (Jean said), ‘You’re preaching God and resurrection – it’s got to apply to you.’” Young would later join other civil and
Ambassador Andrew Young (right) is encircled by students after his presentation.
human rights advocates, including Martin Luther King Jr.’48,in spreading the message of equality.He recalled the singular turning point in the civil rights movement: Birmingham, Ala. It was there that, after a month of daily demonstrations and 300 people in jail, black business leaders and clergy asked King and his
Former President of Ghana Visits Morehouse HIS EXCELLENCY JERRY J. RAWLINGS, the former president of Ghana, visited Morehouse in December 2006 as a part of the College’s relationship between Morehouse and the African Presidential Archives and Research Center program at Boston University. The program provides opportunities for students to meet with heads of African states to discuss leadership and global issues. During various speaking engagements on campus, Rawlings spoke of the role of the United States in foreign affairs, including those in Africa. “Sixty percent of the good or bad that happens on our continent is related to Jerry J. Rawlings, former president of Ghana the policies of your country,” he said. ■ and his wife, Nana Konado Agyeman.
supporters to call off the movement. “(Martin) said, ‘I cannot leave here with these people in jail,’” Young said. King, with 55 supporters in tow, proceeded to the jail and was arrested. From there, the famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was written. Young said that letter defined the civil rights struggle and spread the message across the country. Four decades letter, Young was instrumental in bringing the original copy of the famed letter, as well as countless other handwritten speeches, sermon and notes of King, to the College. The 10,000piece collection, which was scheduled to be auctioned in June 2006, was purchased through the efforts of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, under Young’s counsel, and a group of investors. Young hopes the newly christened Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection will allow future generations to learn about King, the man, who he said was laid back and cool. “I hope we will study Martin as a person and realize that he wasn’t different than the rest of us,” he said. ■ S U M M E R
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peopleatthehouse
Passages Eddie D. Gaffney ’70: His Open-Door Policy Showed Love of Service, Teaching ddie Dean Gaffney’s life touched scores of people, as evidenced by the Morehouse graduates, students, employees, community activists and neighbors who gathered to celebrate his life at a memorial service on July 27. Gaffney, a 1970 graduate of the College, died July 24 due to complications from cancer. Tribute after tribute highlighted Gaffney’s love of people and music, his ability to look at the bright side of life, and his commitment to Morehouse and her students. “Eddie Dean recruited me to come to Morehouse,” said Gaffney’s cousin Uzee Brown ’72, chair of the Department of Music. “It is a decision I have never regretted,” he said before singing a moving rendition of “In this Very Room.” After graduating from Benjamin E. Mays High School, Gaffney became one of “Gloster’s Men” as Morehouse Men of that generation are affectionately called. It was under the tutelage of professors like Robert Brisbane, Anna Grant and Frederick Mapp that he deepened his commitment to be a change agent in civilization. A psychology student, Gaffney enjoyed singing tenor, traveling with the glee club and serving as an officer of the student government association. He pledged Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and served as vice basilus his senior year at Morehouse. Gaffney received a master’s degree in community psychology from the University of South Carolina (USC) in Columbia in 1973 and completed all but his dissertation toward a Ph.D. in clinical-community psychology. He then held a series of jobs at USC, including director of Outreach and Advocacy at Midlands Center; research associate for the University’s Social Problems Research Institute; psychology instructor in the University’s College of Applied Professional Sciences; and program manager for the President’s Summer Opportunity Scholars session. But, his heart always belonged to Morehouse. In 1992, Gaffney returned to Morehouse to teach in the Psychology Department. He would later serve in the capacities of class dean, special assistant to the senior vice president for Academic Affairs, and dean of Student Services for almost 10 years. “I think that he was one of the most supportive and caring individuals that I met at the College, especially when it came to providing services to students,” said Gwen Wade, director of the International Student Services and Study Abroad Programs. “He really put students first while balancing their desires with the College’s goal,” she said. “He never met a stranger and he was a person that everyone liked.” Gaffney led by example in having an open-door policy for students and by demonstrating professional, positive and action-oriented customer service. “He was my dean,” said Lenardo Major, a 2004 graduate living in Nassau. “As a student at Morehouse, I always admired his calm disposition, his encouraging words, and his uplifting spirit. Dean exercised a tough, fatherly love on campus that will surely be missed. What I will miss most about him is his down-to-earth nature and his genuine interest in all of his ‘boys,’ as he would sometimes refer to the Men of Morehouse.” ■
E Eddie D. Gaffney ’70
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peopleatthehouse
Passages Benjamin McLaurin ’69 was the College’s Earl of Etiquette and Duke of Social Graces enjamin P. McLaurin ‘69 made it his business to make sure Morehouse Men had a sense of style and could speak and socialize with the best. For 38 years as an educator, advocate, career counselor, motivator and supportive critic, he molded men of Morehouse into Morehouse Men. After a brief illness, McLaurin died May 22 at the age of 60. A memorial service was held June 1 in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. Fellow faculty, staff and former students, many of whom credited McLaurin with helping them create the careers that they have, paid tribute to the Morehouse legend. “[He] helped me get my first summer job as a student in Atlanta working for Delta Airlines,” said C. Howie Hodges, II ’82 of Falls Church, Va. “He taught me the importance of giving back and making sure to keep Morehouse students in mind when filling internships and new job postings while I was a senior executive at a large financial services institution,” Hodges said. “He has thousands of brothers who will miss him, not only for his great sense of style, but also for his great sense of humor and for his greatest gift of giving.” McLaurin is a co-founder of the National and International Spring Tour for business administration and economics majors, along with James Hefner, president emeritus and the Thomas and Patricia Frist Professor of Economics & Business at Tennessee State University, and John Williams ‘69, dean of the Division of Business Administration and Economics. the spring tour gives students the opportunity to travel to many business centers throughout the nation, and globally as well—from China to South Africa, Italy to Japan, Brazil to France. “For 13 years, I can honestly say that I worked alongside a man who achieved his life’s calling: to nurture and develop generations of young African American men into global civil leaders,” said Belinda Johnson White, coordinator of the Leadership Studies. “Ben fully understood that in order to be a leader, one must first be a professional,” she said. “There is no doubt in my mind that the leadership lessons he taught will continue ad infinitum by the way of the thousands of young men he developed during his 39 years of service at Morehouse.” In 2006-07, McLaurin’s efforts placed at least 50 Morehouse interns on Wall Street for the summer of 2007. According to Williams, it is an impressive record by any standard and sets the bar for other American colleges and universities. A native of New York, McLaurin was the godson of the late A. Philip Randolph, the founder of The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the country’s first black labor union. McLaurin earned an associate degree in mathematics from Bronx Community College and graduated with a bachelor’s of arts degree in English from Morehouse in 1969. Shortly thereafter, he began his career as the first director of Career Placement at Morehouse College. He became the director of Career Services under the Division of Business Administration and Economics in 2003. McLaurin brought a sense of theatrics to the College as a member of the King Players and director and participant in the Morehouse College Faculty and Staff Follies. ■
B Benjamin McLaurin ’69
The Benjamin P. McLaurin Endowed International Fellowship has been established to provide perpetual funding for the International Spring Tour. Donations may be made online at www.morehousealumniandfriends.com/efr.
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peopleatthehouse Two Seniors Receive Compton Mentor Fellowships MOREHOUSE SENIORS Steven Parella, a biology major, and Joshua Crawford, a political science major, have both been awarded Compton Mentor Fellowships for 2007. Each student will receive a one-year, $35,000 grant to pursue a community service project in collaboration with mentors they have chosen. This is the first time that the College has had two successful nominees in the same year. Parella pursuing a project titled “Education Awareness Fellowship” in San Francisco that is aimed at increasing African American high school students’ pursuit of higher education. Crawford is pursuing a project titled “TRUST Project” in Atlanta that is aimed at increasing HIV/AIDS awareness and activism in college students. The Compton Mentor Fellowship Program is the newest member of the Compton Foundation’s family of fellowship programs, and the only one with a focus on graduating college students from the United States. This program is designed to promote creativity and support the commitment of graduating seniors as they move beyond academic preparation to real-world application and contribution. Each year, five Mentor Fellows are selected from participating universities. The $35,000 stipend is to implement a self-directed project, contributing their talents and energy to real-world situations. At the core of the Fellowship is the partnership between a fellow and a mentor. The Morehouse Compton Mentor Fellowship Committee members at Morehouse include faculty and staff who help recruit students to prepare applications, review and interview all applicants, make nomination recommendations, and prepare nominees for their interview with the Compton Foundation. Members include Anne Baird, Lawrence Blumer, Glen Ross, Ebenezer Aka, Anne Watts, Mona Ray, Cynthia Hewitt, Keith Howard, Kellye Blackburn, Nathan Nobis and Dianne Glave. ■
Passages Jeannette Lutton: English Professor was Charter Member of Phi Beta Kappa
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Joshua Crawford
Steven Parella
LONG-TIME, HIGHLY REGARDED English professor Jeannette Lutton died last November of lung cancer at the age of 76. She served in the English department from 1962 to 1995, and was one of the charter members of the College’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest honor society. President Benjamin E. Mays personally recruited Lutton in 1962 to teach English. Lutton, a Chaucer scholar who received a bachelor’s degree in English from Yale University, quickly earned a reputation as one of the best teachers on campus. Jeannette Lutton Veteran humanities professor Tobe Johnson, who joined the Morehouse staff the same year as Lutton, said in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article: “She was one of the best teachers we have ever had. She had penetrating insights, but she didn’t make a fuss about herself. Talking with her was always a discourse rather than a disputation.” ■
Campus Visits
peopleatthehouse SEVERAL TIMES EACH YEAR, the Morehouse College Corporate Alliance Program and the Leadership Center invite senior-level executives from the world of business to participate in the Presidential Chat Series and Executive Lecture Series to share their experiences and expertise with a select group of business students and other members of the campus community. The session includes a short presentation by the visiting professional and an opportunity for informal interaction between the executives and students.
Janie Hendrix, president and CEO, Experience Hendrix LLC, Nov. 27, 2006 Richard H. Lenny, president, chairman and CEO, The Hershey Company, Oct. 23, 2006
John T. Collins, CEO of The Collins Group, Inc., Oct. 23, 2006
Lonnie G. Johnson, president of Johnson Research and Development, Sept. 7, 2006
Raymond J. McGuire, Global Co-Head of Investment Banking at Citigroup, Sept. 27, 2006 Christopher M. Gorman, executive vice president of KeyBank, Oct. 2, 2006
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insidethehouse MOREHOUSE
■ November 15- The Union
in the
Review and the National Baptist Union Review
NEWS
These two Nashville publications ran a story titled “Dr. Walter Massey, A Superman President of
■ October 14 - The Afro Times
Morehouse College has Announced
The Brooklyn, New York, newspaper
Retirement.”
ran a story titled “Morehouse
■ November 27- The Post Chronicle
Students to Have Say in Choosing
The online version of The Post
Massey’s Successor.” The Richmond
Chronicle (www.postchronicle.com)
Voice also picked up the story,
ran a story about the College’s new
which first ran in student
journalism and sports program
newspaper, The Maroon Tiger.
titled “Spike Lee Boosts Sports
■ November- Atlanta Magazine
Journalism With New School.” The
Senior sociology major Jeffrey
program, which is actually a
Mimms was featured in a question-
concentration within the English
and-answer section on several
department, has been in the works
Atlanta-area schools. When asked,
for several years. Lee, a 1979
“What’s to love about Morehouse?”
Morehouse graduate, said
Minister Rich in Spirit
the Chicago native responded: “The
newspapers need more black sports
The Baltimore Sun newspaper did an extensive profile on the Rev. Jamal-Harrison
sense of brotherhood between all the
writers to match the growing
Bryant ’97, senior pastor of Empowerment Temple in Northwest Baltimore. The church,
students. It’s a peaceful environment.
number of African Americans
which started in 2000 with 40 members, has grown to more than 10,000 members.
It’s phenomenal, particularly [having]
playing professional sports. The
African American males together
program offered its first courses in
going after the same goal: education.”
spring 2007.
■ December- Jet magazine
New Journalism and Sports Program Launched In September
■ December 3- The Baltimore Sun
■ December- Miami Monthly
King Jr. Collection. As chief archivist,
Miami Monthly magazine ran a
Banks works closely with the team at
feature article on alumnus Patrick
the Robert W. Woodruff Library to
Range ‘99 titled “Role Model: For
catalogue the 10,000-piece collection.
Attorney Patrick Range, Leading by
■ January 15 – People
Example Comes Naturally.” Range,
President Walter E. Massey ’58 was
whose father Patrick Sr. also attended
interviewed by People magazine for an
Morehouse, is celebrated for giving
article on the opening of Oprah
back to his community. “Liberty City
Winfrey’s school for girls in South
is where my family maintained their
Africa. In the section of the article on
business for over 50 years,” he said.
Winfrey’s good deeds, Morehouse was
“The community is what I know,
mentioned as one of her top
what I love. And if I can help it, that’s
beneficiaries.
where I’ll be for the remainder of my
■ January- Georgia Trend
time.”
Georgia Trend magazine named
■ January- Ebony
President Walter E. Massey ’58 one of
The magazine also featured a profile on
its “Power Players.” The article
’79 was taken during a special panel discussion on the need for the program. The
Brenda S. Banks, the chief archivist for
featured Massey as one of the state’s
panel featured professionals from all aspects of sports.
the Morehouse College Martin Luther
most influential Georgians.
Jet ran a photo and short profile on the new journalism and sports program at Morehouse. The photo of President Walter E. Massey ’58 and alumnus Spike Lee
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insidethehouse ■ January 15- The Atlanta
of President Walter E. Massey’s years
Journal-Constitution
of service to Morehouse and the
The AJC covered the 15th annual A
Atlanta community. The ad ran on
King Celebration concert, featuring
the first Sunday of the College’s 140th
the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and
Founder’s Day observance.
Ebony magazine featured alumnus Donald
the Morehouse and Spelman glee
■ February – The Atlanta Business
Washington ’06 in an article titled “From No
clubs. Dr. Maya Angelou was a special
Chronicle
House to Morehouse.” The Phi Beta Kappa
guest speaker at the sold-out concert,
The Atlanta Business Chronicle ran a
which was held in the Martin Luther
photo and caption saluting the recipients
King Jr. International Chapel on the
of the Hyatt Regency’s Heritage
conceived in Atlanta called The
Morehouse campus.
Celebration. Massey received the 2006
Peacemakers: Redeem the Dream Youth
■ February 11- The Atlanta
Crystal Customer Award during the
Leadership Program. The program focuses
Journal-Constitution
Regency’s fifth annual Heritage
on nonviolence and conflict resolution
The AJC ran a full-page ad in tribute
Celebration on Feb. 7.
training with youths and adults.
■ January – Ebony
From No House to Morehouse
graduate was one of five winners of the Compton Mentor Fellowship for graduated seniors. He is now running a project he
First Exhibition of the Morehouse King Collection Receives National Attention ■ December 13- The St. Petersburg Times The St. Petersburg Times, as well as several other newspapers across the country, featured the first exhibition of the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection in its travel section. The exhibition opened to the public on King’s birthday, January 15, and will run at the Atlanta History Center through May 13. Among the other media organizations to highlight the exhibition were: Atlanta Business Chronicle, ABC World News Tonight with Charles Gibson, CNN, NBC Nightly News, ABC Nightline, WSB-TV, WXIATV, WAGA-TV, WGCL-TV, New York Times, The Atlanta Inquirer, Creative Loafing and the Associated Press.
■ January- WSB-TV
The King Papers WSB-TV of Atlanta produced and aired a one-hour, prime time special on the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection.
■ January - CNN
MLK: Words That Changed a Nation CNN ran a five-part series titled “MLK: Words That Changed a Nation.” The series featured works from the Morehouse College Martin Luther King
The special, titled “The King Papers,” featured interviews with members of the King family, as well as other Atlanta-area civil rights pioneers, including the Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery and Xernona Clayton. Anchors Monica Pearson, John Pruitt and Jovita Moore reported the series.
Jr. Collection and ran on “American Morning,” featuring Soledad O’Brien. CNN later turned the series into a one-hour documentary, which aired during the College’s Founder’s Day observation. S U M M E R
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onthefieldandcourt
Morehouse Teams Up to Build Habitat Homes SEVERAL MOREHOUSE football and basketball players traded their jerseys and athletic shoes for hammers and hard hats to help Habitat for Humanity build a home for a Hurricane Katrina evacuee. As part of Atlanta’s Final Four celebration this March, the NCAA partnered with Habitat and Lowe’s to build two houses for Habitat families. Students from Morehouse and other Atlanta-area colleges volunteered for the project that took place in Centennial Olympic Park. The Morehouse team was led by Dr. Robert Wilson, chair of the Department of Health and Physical Education. Athletes who participated included football players Timothy Alford, Richie Jones, Carlos King, Michael Robinson, Ross Thompson and James Steadman; and basketball players Marlon Ferguson and Joseph Hines. “It was great to see the Morehouse student-athletes working on the NCAA build during the men’s final four basketball championships,” said Larrie Del Martin,Atlanta Habitat Executive Director.“What an amazing contribution!” Under the guidance of trained professional, the student-athletes helped construct the home’s wooden frame. Once completed, the frame was assembled in the park and relocated to an Atlanta community for permanent placement. Though it took a little practice and some coaching, the self-professed “city boys”quickly mastered swinging hammers and driving nails.Working as a team,the athletes from various sports,constructed the inner- and outerwalls of what would become a three-bedroom house. The house that Team Morehouse worked on was intended for
Football player Ross Thompson helps with building of a Habitat for Humanities home.
Chalonda Simpson, a former Xavier University student who fled hurricane-ravaged New Orleans with her one-year-old son, Domonique. The mom and son relocated to Atlanta and Simpson completed her degree at Georgia State University. “We bounced around through four states before settling in Atlanta,” Simpson said.“We didn’t know we would be out of a home for so long. It will be nice to finally have a permanent place to live.” Founded in 1983 Atlanta Habitat has built 888 homes in the Atlanta area, providing quality living for more than 3,000 residents. A video of the home-build is currently posted on the NCAA web site (www.ncaa.org) and shows the Morehouse students at work. ■
2007 M O R E H O U S E C O LLE G E F O OTB A LL S C H E D U L E DATE
OPPONENT
LOCATION
TIME
AUGUST 25 SEPTEMBER 1 SEPTEMBER 8 SEPTEMBER 15 SEPTEMBER 22 OCTOBER 6
BENEDICT COLLEGE* FORT VALLEY STATE UNIV.* LANE COLLEGE* (TELEVISED ON ESPNU) SHAW UNIVERSITY CONCORDIA COLLEGE TUSKEGEE UNIV.* (72ND ANNUAL TUSKEGEE-MOREHOUSE FOOTBALL CLASSIC) SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY CLARK ATLANTA UNIV.* ALBANY STATE UNIV.* MILES COLLEGE*
ATLANTA, GA ATLANTA, GA JACKSON, TN DURHAM, NC SELMA, AL COLUMBUS, GA (MEMORIAL STADIUM) ATLANTA, GA ATLANTA, GA (HOMECOMING) ALBANY, GA ATLANTA, GA
7 P.M. 7 P.M. 3 P.M. 4 P.M. 5 P.M. 2 P.M.
OCTOBER 13 OCTOBER 20 OCTOBER 27 NOVEMBER 3
GAME TIMES ARE LOCAL TIMES AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE * DENOTES SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE GAMES MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE
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President: Dr. Robert Franklin Dean of Student Services:Dr. Kevin Rome Athletic Director: Andre Pattillo Head Coach: Rich Freeman Sports Information Director: Yusuf Davis
2 P.M. 2 P.M. 3 P.M. 1:30 P.M.
TSU Grad Richard Freeman Named New Football Coach
Coach Richard Freeman prepares his team for the upcoming season.
RICHARD FREEMAN, a former assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Lane College, has been hired as the new head football coach, announced director of Athletics, Andre Pattillo. “We are happy to have Rich Freeman here at Morehouse, and we expect our football program to make steady progress under his leadership,” Pattillo said. “Rich is an outstanding individual with excellent coaching credentials, which should greatly benefit our players.” A native of Atlanta, Freeman is a 1997 graduate of Tennessee State University, with a bachelor’s in physical education and recreation. He was a team captain and a standout linebacker at TSU. Primarily a defensive specialist, Freeman also had coaching stints at Tennessee State, Alabama State University, Concordia College and Miles College. Freeman was hired later than usual for a college coach and inherited a complete staff. He replaces Terry Beauford, who resigned as head coach after two seasons with a record of 6 wins and 15 losses. ■ S U M M E R
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onthefieldandcourt Sports Roundup
TRACK AND FIELD
MOREHOUSE GAINS THIRD AT TRACK NATIONAL Soaring ever higher and faster, the Flying Maroon Tigers dashed and leaped their way to a thirdplace finish at the NCAA Division II National Track and Field Championships this May. The highest finish in Morehouse track and field history was powered by excellent coaching by head coach Willie Hill and his assistants and a total team effort by a dedicated group of student-athletes.
performed as expected, winning the last event of the three-day championships. Dayson, Hartley, Horn and Prince sprinted to a 3:06.18, to nudge out Central Missouri, which finished second at 3:06.42. Keith Moffatt, a senior from Newport News, Va., took second place in the high jump, with a leap of 7’-3.” Moffatt entered the meet as the defending champion, but
Damian Prince
Randall Flimmons
Morehouse improved from 10th place last year. The team’s score of 68 points was five points behind last year’s national champion, St. Augustine’s College, and 26 points ahead of fourth-place finisher Ashland University. Long jumper Randall Flimmons, 400meter hurdler Damian Prince and the 4x400-meter relay team of Curtis Dayson, Brandon Hartley, Marquis Horn and Prince won national titles in their events. Flimmons, a drama major from Columbus, Miss., soared 25’- 10 ?” to claim his first national outdoor long jump title. His leap was nearly two feet farther than his nearest competitor. In March, Flimmons won the NCAA Division II national indoor long jump title. Prince, who entered the tournament with the second fastest time in the nation for the 400-meter hurdles, performed even better than expected. The junior health and physical education major from Decatur, Ga., ran away from the competition in a time of 49.21. As the top-seeded team entering the nationals, the 4x400-meter relay team MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE
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finished behind Minnesota State-Mankota’s Jim Dilling who also edged out Moffatt at the indoor nationals, in March. Sprinter Marquis Horn was a major contributor to the Morehouse cause. The junior speedster from Long Beach, Ca. took third-place in the 100-meter dash (10.45) and the 200-meter dash (20.80). He also ran in the 4x100-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay. In the triple jump, Flimmons finished fifth – hopping, skipping and jumping his way to a total of 50’-2 ?.” Sophomore Evan Flax, a sophomore from Fontana, Ca., had outstanding performances in three jumping events. He finished fifth in the long jump, with a leap of 23’- ?;” he took fifth in the high jump, with a height of 7’ ?;” and he grabbed sixth in the triple jump, covering 50’- 2 ?.” The Morehouse 4x100-meter relay team of—Brandon Hartley, Marquis Horn, Brandon Morgan and Damian Prince snagged fifthplace, in a time of 40.43. All participants who finish in the top eight in their event are named to the All-America team. For complete results of all events, visit www.trackshark.com for a link to the NCAA Division II Championships.
THREE MAROON TIGERS IN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP Three of Morehouse’s premier studentathletes competed in the nation’s top track and field meet this June for a chance to represent the College and the United States in the World Track and Field Championships in Osaka, Japan, in August 2007. Long jumper Randall Flimmons, high jumper Keith Moffatt and hurdler Damian Prince will travel to Indianapolis to showcase their talents at the AT&T USA National Track and Field Championships, June 20-24. At stake is the opportunity of a lifetime – a trip to the year’s biggest stage in track and field. The top three finishers in each event will represent the United States at the World Championships, which is considered a prelude to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Flimmons, a drama major from Columbus, Miss., is the leading collegiate contender entering the national competition. In May, Flimmons, soared 25’- 10 ?” to win the outdoor long jump title at the NCAA Division II National Track and Field Championships (see previous article). Prince, a junior health and physical education major from Decatur, Ga., won the 400-meter intermediate hurdles event at the NCAA D-2 championships. He also is the reigning SIAC champion in the 400meter hurdles. Moffatt is the four-time SIAC high jump champion. The senior physical education major from Newport News, Va., finished second at the NCAA D-2 outdoor championships in May. Moffatt, who has never finished lower than second place in a collegiate high jump competition, won that event in 2006. Both Flimmons and Prince were named the South Region 2007 Athletes of the Year by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Additionally, Prince was named the overall 2007 Track Athlete of the Year based on his outstanding season, while Coach Willie H. Hill was named the South Region Coach of the Year for the second straight year.
GOLF
MOREHOUSE THIRD AT NATIONAL TOURNAMENT Moving up one spot from last year, Morehouse finished third in the Division II section of the 2007 PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship held in May in Port St. Lucie, Fla. More than 170 contestants from 36 colleges and universities, representing 13 countries, comprised the field for the 21st annual event. Morehouse scored a 301-294-299 – 904, to take third behind Fayetteville State University (852) and Lincoln University (889). The Maroon Tigers placed ahead of conference rival Paine College, which scored 948. The only other SIAC school—Kentucky State University – took seventh place. All of the Morehouse golfers scored in the upper echelon of the 42-man D2 lineup and contributed to the team victory. Philip Allen led the five-man Morehouse team in scoring, with a three-day total of 7174-71 – 216. The Atlanta freshman finished fourth among Division II golfers. Steven Wooten, a junior from New Paltz, N.Y., tied for 14th place with an 80-76-73 – 229; Bilal NuMan, a sophomore from Columbus, Ga., earned 16th place, tallying a 75-76-80 – 231; and Edward Hills, a junior from Cleveland, Ohio, grabbed 19th place with a 79-78-77 – 234. Esquire Ward, a junior from St. Mary’s, Calif., shot a team high 237 for the tournament, to take 22nd place. His 76, on day one, and 78, on day three, were instrumental in the total team victory, which uses the lowest four scores of each round. Coached by teaching professional William Lewis, the Morehouse team has made a steady rise up the collegiate ranks since golf was re-instituted as an intercollegiate sport at the College four years ago. The team won three of six tournaments this season. State Farm Insurance and The Golf Channel produced a one-hour Championship highlight program that aired on June 6. For complete results of the championship, visit www.golfstat.com ■
ontheshelf We Call Our Daddy “Mister”: In Defiance of Convention, Life & Times at the Rose Hill Plantation James E. Schell ’49 Published 2005 A complicated family in a complicated time. Burrell Harrell, the son of a Confederate soldier, was expected to follow the Confederate traditions, including those involving the racial divide. Refusing to abide by those expectations, Harrell maintained a relationship with a mulatto woman, Rosa Winston, that not only produced nine children, but also ignited a firestorm of prejudice. Morehouse alumnus James E. Schell ’49 tells the story of this family in his book “We Call Our Daddy ‘Mister:’ In Defiance of Convention, Life & Times at the Rose Hill Plantation.” It is a
story of a family where the children were not accepted as black or white, and their father eventually left them without financial stability. Yet, Schell writes in the book, “they have resolved their living such that they are no longer ashamed of who they are.” Schell graduated from Morehouse with a bachelor’s in mathematics and physics. He went on to complete graduate work in anthropology and genetics at California State University, Northridge. He said his book discusses what race is and what it means through a family he considers as “microcosmic of America.” “I recognize that we still have a color problem in the United States,” Schell said in a recent telephone interview.“I wrote this book to enlighten those who thought there was no problem. If we were enlightened, there would be less of a problem.”
F O O T N O T E S
The Future of Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Ten Presidents Speak Out Carolyn O. Wilson Mbaiekwe (editor) McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers President Walter E. Massey ’58 has been featured in a new book that focuses on the future of historically black colleges and universities. In “The Future of Historically Black Colleges: Ten Presidents Speak Out,” Massey and nine other college and university presidents discuss the historical roles of black colleges, the current mission of these schools, fundraising and development, and the impact of diversity programs, minority recruitment and technology. Also featured in the book is Morehouse alumnus Michael Lomax ’68, president of the United Negro College Fund, and Beverly Tatum, president of Spelman College.
d Speakers of the House: Morehouse Men Reflect on Their Journey to Manhood John Eaves ’84 Publishing Associates Inc., 2006 Morehouse alumnus John H. Eaves ‘84 interviewed more than 30 Morehouse alumni who have distinguished themselves as national or local leaders, who discussed the College’s goal to produce top quality graduates and leaders. Contributors include Congressman Sanford Bishop ’68, U.S. House of Representatives; Ronald D. Brown ’75, president and CEO, Atlanta Life Financial Group,
Inc.; Donald Hopkins ’62, associate director of Health Programs, The Carter Center; Edwin Moses ’78, U.S. Olympian; David Satcher ’63, former U.S. surgeon general, and Louis Sullivan ’54, former Health and Human Services Secretary. Eaves writes: “You will read their stories and learn how they were inspired to greatness. It is my hope that by the example of these Morehouse men who follow in the tradition of many others, that emerging Black male students will be inspired to choose excellence as a standard.” Editor’s Note: See page 60 for an excerpt from the book.
d Southern Homecoming Traditions: Recipes and Remembrances Carolyn Quick Tillery Citadel Press, 2006 The sweet taste of Homecoming in the Atlanta University Center is the main course in a book by author Carolyn Quick Tillery. “Southern Homecoming Traditions: Recipes and Remembrances” focuses on the food and history of Morehouse, Spelman and Morris Brown colleges, Morehouse School of Medicine, the Interdenominational Theological Center and Clark Atlanta University. Cooks can try their hand at bleu cheese, cranberry, pine nut and goat cheese spread or smoked bacon and black bean dip while reading about the history of Morehouse and the biographies of some of the College’s most prominent alumni. The book also features speeches, letters, diary entries and photographs from throughout the AUC. S U M M E R
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developmentnews
Center for the Arts to Provide New Home for Glee Club and Music Department
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he Morehouse College Center for the Arts will be further evidence of the College’s commitment to better include the study of the arts in its world-class liberal arts education. The Center is designed to serve the academic missions of the Department of Music, as well as meet the performance space requirements of the College campus. The Center will serve as a permanent home for the Morehouse College Glee Club, providing both performance and rehearsal space for this group, whose wide repertoire and reputation for excellence have it routinely traversing the globe for standing-room-only performances. The $20-million, 76,000-square-foot facility, will be built at the corner of Joseph P. Lowery and West End Avenue, will house the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center and Music Education building. The groundbreaking was held on May 18, 2007 (see sidebar). The Center’s architectural features capture the beauty of the traditional red brick bar accents and columns on the main campus, while adding the more modern, artistic elements of light colored stone accents, glass walls and cathedral ceilings. As a welcomed addition to the Morehouse campus, its planned location at the edge of the historic West End district of Atlanta, will create an attractive gateway to the south entrance of the campus.
SUMMARY OF SPACES SPACE TYPE
APPROX. GROSS SQUARE FOOTAGE
Concert Hall/Performance Spaces Music Education Building Common Support Areas
44,910 25,134 5,956
TOTAL
76,000
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RAY CHARLES PERFORMING ARTS CENTER Concert Hall The centerpiece of the Center for the Arts is the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center. Upon entering the 600-seat concert hall, patrons will be impressed by the warm, rich colors, celestial lighting and elevated left and right parterre. The Ray Charles Performing Arts Center will be the primary performance space for the Morehouse College Glee Club, the Jazz Ensemble and other smaller performance groups, as well as student and faculty recitals, musical theatre productions and opera. With plans to present renowned musicians through superior classical and jazz music series and community ensembles, the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center will earn Morehouse widespread recognition from artists, media, and audiences, both nationally and internationally. PERFORMANCE SPACES Black Box Theatre The black box theatre is a large, flexible theatrical space which can be easily adapted into any (end, thrust, arena, or corner stage) theatrical form. This space, which will feature will provide a very intimate focus on the story, writing, and performances rather than technical elements. The loose chairs on platforms seating, allows the entire space to be adapted to the artistic elements of a production. Instrumental Rehearsal Hall and Choral Rehearsal Hall The Instrumental Rehearsal Hall and Choral Rehearsal Hall are flexible spaces that can accommodate daily rehearsal demands, as well as the occasional small performance. The Instrumental Rehearsal Hall features specially designed two-story doors that open out onto an outdoor, informal amphitheatre setting referred to as the Jazz Lawn. Amphitheatre One of the most unique attributes of the Center is the outdoor amphitheatre – located at the rear of the Instrumental Rehearsal Hall. The amphitheatre, which will seat approximately 200 patrons in chairs and on blankets, begs for the occasional impromptu musical performance or casual gathering of students between classes.
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‘A Great Day for Ray’ MUSIC EDUCATION BUILDING The Morehouse College music program is nearly 100 years old, dating back to the founding of the world-renowned Morehouse College Glee Club in 1911. Music majors may concentrate in performance (woodwinds, brass winds, strings, voice, piano, and organ), choral conducting and literature, music theory and composition, and music education. The program received accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Music in 2006. The Music Education Building is designed to address the future instructional, rehearsal and performance space needs for several generations of Morehouse students. In addition to classrooms, practice rooms, a recording suite, faculty studios, the departmental office suite and dedicated storage areas for students’ instruments and a library for sheet music, the facility also features Instrumental and Choral Rehearsal Halls large enough to accommodate solo and small ensemble music performances. COMMON SUPPORT SPACES Lobby Atrium Upon entering the Center for the Arts, visitors are immediately engaged in the life of the Center, made possible by the glass entryway to the soaring two-story atrium. Once inside, visitors looking out immediately feel the connection between the vibrant new facility and the main campus. The focal point of the lobby atrium is the 2nd level balcony of the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center. To the right of the atrium is a grand stairway leading to the upper level. Pre-Event Reception Area Beyond the stairway, is an intimate two-story alcove —a perfect space for informal receptions and pre- and post concert gatherings. The space features a floor-to-ceiling glass wall capturing a 140-degree angle view of the corner of Lowery Blvd. and the West End Ave. corner of B.T. Harvey Stadium. The upper level balcony of the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center, which also over looks this space, will enjoy the same view. Common support spaces also include the mechanical, electrical and telecommunications utility spaces and systems for the Center. ■
Willie “Flash” Davis ’56, Quincy Jones, multi-Grammy Award winning entertainer and close personal friend of Ray Charles; First Lady Shirley E. Massey, Joe Adams, president of Ray Charles Enterprises and President Robert M. Franklin ’75 for the groundbreaking ceremony.
ACCORDING TO HIS GOOD FRIEND, music mogul Quincy Jones, Ray Charles was blind only when he was in the presence of pretty girls—bumping into things to draw their attention and sympathy. Any other time, the fiercely independent music genius shopped, traveled, even flew a fleet of his own planes, like a man possessing 20/20 sight. As astounding as this may sound, turns out his vision was even more impressive. On Friday, May 18, Morehouse held a groundbreaking for its Center for the Arts, with its centerpiece performing hall being named the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center. The $20-million, 76,000-square-foot facility is the realization of Charles’ vision to find, educate and inspire the next generation of music pioneers. “My only regret is that [Charles] is not here to share this moment, because it was his vision that brought this magnificent facility in the realm of reality,” said Dr. Uzee Brown Jr. ’72, chairman of the Department of Music. Besides Ray Charles, other major donors to the center are the Woodruff Foundation ($4 million), Joe Adams ($1 million), Eugene Mitchell ($1 million) and David Geffen ($500,000). By the time Jones, Adams, President Massey, Brown and other city officials and college administrators turned over the soil to symbolically break ground for the much heralded building, the spirit of Ray Charles had been unearthed to witness the birth of his vision. “It’s a great day for Ray – and Ray is with us,” said Adams. ■ —Vickie G. Hampton
To support the Morehouse College Center for the Arts, visit www.morehouse.edu. S U M M E R
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Morehouse King Collection Attracts Million-Plus Donations
Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO Lloyd Blankfein (left) is joined by Martin Luther King's sister, Christine Farris, and others as they view articles in the Morehouse King Collection.
Goldman Sachs Donates $2 Million to Endow Director’s Chair THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP, INC., a leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm, has recently donated $2 million to endow a chair that will be held by the new director of the Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection. The chair will be named The Goldman Sachs Leadership Chair in Civil and Human Rights. “This generous donation represents yet another significant milestone in our ongoing partnership with Goldman
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Sachs,” said President Walter E. Massey ’58. “Thanks to this gift, we will be able to fulfill one of the most important aspects of our stewardship of the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection: making the papers available to scholars and others interested in studying the works of our most prominent alumnus.” “An important element of Dr. King’s teachings is a call for each individual to feel a sense of responsibility for the community as a whole,” said Lloyd C.
Blankfein, chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs. “We try to apply this lesson of leadership and accountability not only at our firm, but in the communities in which we live and work. We have enjoyed a long association with Morehouse College and appreciate the opportunity to deepen our relationship with this important institution in such a meaningful way.” Goldman Sachs will work closely with the holder of chair, as well as with the Morehouse faculty and administration, to develop programming around the theme of leadership as exemplified by King’s life. There is a connection between Goldman Sachs and Morehouse dating back nearly 100 years. John Hope, the College’s first black president, and Walter Sachs, the son of one of the founders of Goldman Sachs, played significant leadership roles in the founding of the NAACP. In 1906, Hope joined W.E.B. Du Bois and others in the Niagara movement. He was the only college president to participate in the protest meeting, which culminated with the founding of the NAACP. He later served on the advisory board for the group. In 1909, Walter Sachs served as the first treasurer and chairman of the finance committee for the NAACP. He was an early figure in the civil rights movement and helped the organization establish special funds to promote an anti-lynching crusade and take legal action against discrimination. Goldman Sachs has actively recruited at Morehouse for a number of years; currently, there are 39 Morehouse alumni on its professional staff.
developmentnews BP Foundation Donates $1.5 Million to Help with Cost of Acquiring, Housing King Papers
BP FOUNDATION donated $1.5 million to help with the cost of acquiring and housing the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection. BP America Chairman and President Bob Malone presented the check to Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and Morehouse College President Dr. Walter Massey, who also serves as a member of the BP board of directors. “It is an honor and a privilege to be able to participate in preserving the historic papers of Dr. King,” Malone said. “On behalf of BP employees worldwide, I commend Mayor Franklin, Dr. Massey, Ambassador Andrew Young, and others for spearheading the effort to conserve these papers so that current and future generations of people can learn of the important life of Dr. King.” The King Papers Project is a major research effort to assemble and disseminate historical information concerning Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the social movements in which he participated. Mayor Franklin, Dr. Massey and Ambassador Young led the effort to purchase the papers, return them to Dr. King’s hometown of Atlanta, and house them at his alma mater, Morehouse College. “Because of the tremendous and historic importance of the papers of Dr. King, having them in his home city and at a public institution is in the best interest of the millions of people in this country and throughout the world who are admirers of Dr. King for initiating the 20th Century civil rights revolution,” said Malone. ■
TRIO Receives Grant for Talent Search Program THE MOREHOUSE TRIO Program has received a $1.7-million grant for the College’s Educational Talent Search Program, making it the highest funded talent search program in Georgia. The program is an early-intervention project that serves 1,000 students in grades six to 12. The grant, which will be awarded in $441,000 increments over four years, was recently announced by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Higher Education. The Talent Search Program promotes skills and provides the motivation necessary for successfully completing a baccalaureate degree by emphasizing personal and career development, technological and academic skills, ACT and SAT readiness, and collegepreparatory workshops. The program also provides academic monitoring, counseling and tutorial services. “It is programs such as Talent Search that will ultimately enable our lowincome/first- generation students to become exposed to the physical plants of postsecondary educational institutions and ultimately enable our students to take their rightful place within this ever competitive and perplexed society,” said Marshall Troup, program manager. ■
Morehouse Partners with University of Florida On Science Education Programs MOREHOUSE COLLEGE has partnered with the University of Florida to launch a new program geared toward supporting science education programs. The Science for Life Program, funded by a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), allows undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty members to teach and learn from each other. The grant enables the two schools to establish a teaching postdoctoral fellow program. Both the University of Florida and Morehouse also will award Howard Hughes Teaching Professorships to at least 27 current faculty members who demonstrate excellent undergraduate mentoring skills. The awards of $10,000 over a two-year period can be spent at the faculty member’s discretion. and allow fellows to spend 25 percent of their time teaching while pursuing in-depth research projects. ■
GM Jump Starts Homecoming 2007 Mike A. Washington, Regional Fleet & Commercial Manager, Southeast Region, General Motors presents a $10,000.00 check to President Massey ’58 to fund the 2007 HBCU Chevy Tailgate Tour during Homecoming 2006.
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L E A V I N G
big shoes to fill By Vickie G. Hampton
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ore than 400 friends of Morehouse College gathered to toast President Walter E. Massey’s tenure during the Massey legacy dinner, held April 13 at the Atlanta History Center. Included on the guest list were corporate, foundation, education and political leaders, including Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin; and alumnus Christopher M. Jones ’99, assistant dean for Graduate Students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The evening’s festivities were hosted by Fredricka Whitfield, award-winning news anchor for CNN. Entertainment was provided by Grammy-nominated artist Oleta Adams, known for her hit song, “Get Here.” Unveiled at the dinner was a Massey legacy video, which featured Dr. Massey being interviewed by Amanda Davis, anchor of FOX5 News, Atlanta. Top sponsors were BP and The Coca-Cola Company. The dinner honored Massey for his twelve years of service to Morehouse, which include in incredible milestones: an historic Capital Campaign, a commitment to producing world citizens, and closer to home, a successful overtures to be a good neighbor. During the celebration, Joe Adams, College benefactor and president of Ray Charles Enterprises, presented President Massey with size 22 shoes, signifying that he has big shoes that will be difficult to fill...
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President Massey '58 at the first exhibition of the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection at the Atlanta History Center (top) and greeting students on campus.
IN 1995, Walter E. Massey ‘58 had a tough decision to make. The physicist who once led two of the nation’s premier scientific organizations had reached a fork in the road. One prong led to a continuation of the career path he was already on as provost at the University of California with a probabilty of becoming the university’s president. The second prong led back to the place where he started: his alma mater, Morehouse College. He credited the College for making him who he was. “I recognized that I would not have been able to enjoy the successful career I had had up to that point without the preparation I received at Morehouse.” Happy with his career path to date - he was responsible for the University of California’s three national research laboratories - returning to Morehouse took a little persuasion. His son and two Morehouse classmates, Willie “Flash” Davis ‘56 and Otis Moss Jr. ‘56, impressed upon him that he was the right man for the job. “In the end, my decision to accept the offer came down to my conviction that Morehouse was the right place, that the presidency was the right job, and that I was the right person - the right leader at the right time - for Morehouse College.” As a man who had served as the director of the Argonne National Laboratory and later the National Science Foundation, Massey’s first move was to do the research. He talked to trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni, supporters and parents. “And I listened to them,”
He’s Got Game “MY MOUTH DROPPED OPEN,” said Ryan Hyndman, recalling his impromptu freshman-year conversation with first lady Shirley Massey. Having learned that Ryan was a tennis player, she encouraged him to sign up as one of the president’s tennis partners. “I had never even considered playing tennis with the president of the College,” said Hyndman. A few weeks later, Ryan and Massey played their first match, after which the president logged the student’s contact information into his cell phone: “Another shocker,” said Ryan. “I’m enthusiastic, if not good” is how Massey sums up the tennis game he is willing to try out on anyone, at any time. “Actually, he’s a very good player,” said Ryan, who described their outings through the years as “free-flowing and very enjoyable. His game is very aggressive. You can tell he has that flat-out desire to win. I translate his aggressiveness as wanting to be the best.” —Donald Winbush MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE
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he said, “to their visions and their dreams.” It’s little wonder, then, that the vision he announced during Opening Convocation in 1995 would resonate with the entire community and those who loved and respected Morehouse. The physicist had effectively synthesized all that he learned and encapsulated it into a vision statement that would become the catalyst for all that he would envision and achieve for the College: “It is my vision that Morehouse College will be among the very finest private, undergraduate liberal arts colleges in the nation - period.” The vision led to a cultural change on the campus that was nothing less than sweeping and ushered in the concept for the “academic village,” a term that Massey coined. The pairing of academic - the pursuit of teaching, learning, exploration and discovery - with village - which speaks of community, unity, safe haven and shared values - spoke of the interconnectivity of all the elements needed for an excellent educational experience. Realizing the Academic Village Creating the academic village meant the need for the most ambitious fundraising effort in the College’s history, aptly named The Campaign for a New Century. The Campaign met its $105.7- million goal a full year before its culmination. In June 2006, the Campaign officially closed and the goal was exceeded by $13 million. Arguably, without Massey’s strong, inclusive leadership, the Campaign would not have come to such historical proportions. Experts in institutional fundraising all concur that it’s not the brick–and–mortar laundry list of a school’s needs that inspires philanthropy—especially in difficult economic times—but the leader’s overarching vision to advance a worthy mission. Yet, as successful as the Campaign was, it is not the crux of the Massey legacy. The Campaign was the means to realize the academic village—an environment that in all aspects advances the teaching/learning enterprise: from updating the core curriculum to enhancing faculty and staff development; from improving customer relations to cultivating flowerbeds. The physical building of the academic village included construction of the 70,000-square-foot Leadership Center facility, poised to become the national epicenter of ethical leadership; the John H. Hopps Jr. Technology Tower; and the Otis Moss Jr. Residential Suites, a 375-bed apartmentstyle dormitory. Groundbreaking for the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center featuring a 575-seat concert was on May 18, 2007.
The president’s first lady ALTHOUGH IT’S BEEN A NUMBER OF YEARSsince the former model last strutted her stuff on a fashion show runway,Shirley Anne Massey is still a model – an exemplary role model of what it means to be Morehouse’s first lady. “I fit the job of first lady to me – to who I am – as opposed to trying to fit into some preconceived notion of what a first lady should be,” said Shirley Massey.“I’m the kind of person who sees what needs to be done,and I just do it.” Since joining her husband on his assignment at his alma mater in 1995, Shirley has worked as graciously as she has tirelessly to help make his vision for Morehouse become a reality.She is well known in the Morehouse community as a compassionate and energetic person who will help direct traffic,plant trees, hammer nails, organize initiatives, raise money for scholarships – whatever it takes to benefit the College.Among other things,she has served as president of the Morehouse Auxiliary and spearheaded the Campus Beautification Committee. But by far her biggest on-campus role has been hosting the many alumni,students,parents,dignitaries,corporate leaders and entertainers who have visited the campus. She oversees every detail of the preparations for special events and private dinners at Davidson House, the first family’s residence. As for her biggest off-campus role? That would be dancing with the stars. Possessed of a vivacious personality,Shirley is,to say the least,not shy.She loves to dance and will ask anyone to dance with her – a fact that is duly documented by photos taken of her with prestigious partners such as Berry Gordy of Motown and President George W. Bush. “You may have noticed that whenever I say something about Morehouse, I say we,” said Walter Massey. “Shirley has always been my partner. We have always done things together. At Morehouse, she has had a real job – and not an inconsequential one. I could not have done my job, any of these things, without her.” –Adrienne Harris S U M M E R
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Constructing impressive facilities, however, did not supersede building community. One of Massey’s first steps in building community was a personal choice he and first lady Shirley Massey made to live on campus—the first Morehouse president to do so in 30 years. Besides living and guest quarters, The Davidson House Center for Excellence includes four lower-level conference rooms. “Davidson House is not just a president’s residence, or even a place for meetings, but a place that makes a statement about Morehouse embracing the community,” Massey said during the building’s dedication in 1998. New Initatives, New Partnerships In fact, under Massey’s leadership, several initiatives were launched to make sure that Morehouse, with its considerable intellectual and human resources, would become an active partner in helping to address issues that the wider community was grappling with. The Morehouse College Revitalization Task Force works closely with 10 neighborhood associations to develop specialized neighborhood revitalization plans. The College received an Economic Development Administration Grant to conduct a feasibility study on economic empowerment. And in 2002, Morehouse partnered with other Atlanta University Center schools to form University Community Academy, a charter school that has garnered several national distinctions. The College Partners, Inc., a collaboration with Spelman College and Morehouse School of Medicine, was established to allow for land transfers between the schools and the Atlanta Housing Authority. Closer to home, Massey turned his attention to developing a stronger sense of community on campus. The Institutional Values Project was introduced in 2001 to foster open discussions about nine shared values, including integrity, civility, trust and spirituality. Leadership 4.0 was initiated in 2005 to improve customer service skills and to “treat each other better.” Under Massey’s watch, the College’s strongholds have grown stronger. The College has long been respected for its excellent liberal arts education. In 2003, The Wall Street Journal listed Morehouse as one of the top feeder schools to the most elite professional and graduate schools in the nation. The College is one of only two HBCUs to produce three Rhodes scholars. In major competitions across the disciplines, Morehouse students continue to bring home top placements, from its fourth championship in the Honda All-Star Challenge to capturing several top honors in the HBCU Newspaper Conference.
President Massey’58 and students do the “Walk It Out” during the annual faculty and staff follies.
“I’d like to be thought of as someone who really cared about the College and tried to make it better. It’s clearly a wonderful thing to have happened in my life.” -Walter E. Massey ’58 Producing World Citizens The sense of community ingrained in Morehouse students is evident in the fact that, today, more than 75 percent of all students participate in community service. Massey, a world traveler, felt strongly, however, that the 21st-century scholar also should be a “world citizen” in an increasingly global community. He and Mrs. Massey embarked on a personal campaign to see that every Morehouse student has a passport. Their influence has led to more students studying and traveling to distant locals: from trips to South Africa to study the AIDS epidemic to Spanish students’ excursions to South America to immerse themselves in the language and culture. President Massey leaves Morehouse College with the best kind of legacy-a living, evolving one with the suppleness to be molded by the hands of the future. After all, excellence is a pursuit-not really a destination. And Morehouse’s unfinished cathedral of excellence has grown both grander and homier because a favored son searched his heart and returned to the ‘House. ■ S U M M E R
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many a appetite. Barbeque connoisseurs look forward to a finger-licking good time at the tailgate party. Golf enthusiasts eagerly tee off during the MCNAA golf classic. Die-hard Tiger fans root for their team at the pep rally and game. Music lovers sing and sway to melodies of the Homecoming concert’s featured artists. Add a step show, parade, fashion show and parties to the bubbly stew and Homecoming is a virtual feast of great food, rehashed glory days and relished reunions. ■
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Miss Maroon and White Eniola Mafe is escorted to her throne by two Morehouse students. 2 A student flips at the annual fashion show, one of the most anticipated Homecoming events. 3 The normally potent Maroon Tiger offense is not enough to conquer the Albany State Golden Rams. The Tigers lose 16-6 during the game that pits the SIAC leading offense (Morehouse) against the leading defense (ASU). 4 The House of Funk Marching Band shows precision during the Homecoming parade. 5 Rev. Jawanza Colvin ‘97, East Friendship Baptist Church, Washington, D.C., speaks to students during the Closing Worship Service. 6 Miss Maroon and White Eniola Mafe and her attendants Michelle Page (left) and Alexis Hudson. 7 President Walter E. Massey ‘58 and Miss Maroon and White Eniofa Mafe start the evening festivities with the traditional dance. Kevin Rome ‘89, vice president for Student Services, share a dance with First Lady Shirley A. Massey. 8 E.B. Williams Jr. ’54 catch up with old friends, Anne and Johnny Parham ’58. 9 Jeffrey Riddle ‘90, former president of the Metro Atlanta Chapter, presents Phillip McCall ‘69, president of the National Alumni Association, with a check during Homecoming week as his classmate, Atlanta City Councilmember Ceasar Mitchell ’91 looks on. Riddle received the Distinguished Alumni Award. 10 Hip-hop artist Nas rocks the ‘House. 11 Academy Award-winning actor Jaime Foxx shoots for the hoop during the celebrity basketball game.
To view more photos of Homecoming 2006,
visit www.morehouse.edu
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NEW NAA PRESIDENT PHILLIP MCCALL JR. ’69 WANTS MOREHOUSE MEN TO
A CALL for Commitment STEP UP AND BE COUNTED
By Seth Coleman ’91
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e’s heard every excuse in the book, and Phillip McCall, the National Alumni Association president, just isn’t buying it. There is no excuse for hundreds of alumni not to be active in the College’s largest network of Morehouse men. McCall said many Morehouse graduates have not been as involved as they should and, putting it bluntly, he said, it all comes down to one word: indifference. And for every excuse he’s heard, he has an answer. “Some say, when I was in school I had a bad experience,” said McCall, an attorney and retired insurance executive who now runs a business consulting firm. “I say that everyone can point to an experience or two that wasn’t all that pleasant. But still, Morehouse helped you get to where you are today. “Others say they don’t have time,” McCall said. “I say, you make time for everything you feel is important. This is important.” McCall wants older alumni to become even more involved. He wants younger alumni, those in classes from the 1980s and forward, to stop being indifferent about the organization. And he wants current students to act like, speak like and dress like men of Morehouse. McCall thinks the College and the NAA are both at a crossroads. In his position, McCall, a member of the
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class of 1969, wants his organization to stand ready to make sure both travel down the right path. “We have to move ourselves to the next level by maintaining a strong sense of character and concern for the surrounding community,” he said. Part of moving to that next level is McCall’s appeal to the new generation of alumni to step up. “We have to move from stagnancy to a level of greater viability,” McCall said. “The organization has been supported primarily by alumni who graduated in the 40s, 50s and 60s. Unfortunately, they’re starting to die off. The numbers in our graduating classes began to really grow in the 80s.” The Morehouse NAA has about 1,400 dues-paying members, according to McCall, roughly 10 percent of the number of living graduates. Although the percentage is in line with the ratios of other historically black colleges and universities, McCall said that’s not good enough. Not for Morehouse. “If we settle for that, we’re being hypocritical,” he explained. “We talk about comparing ourselves academically to places like Harvard and Yale, and we should. So why should we not hold ourselves to the same standard when it comes to the National Alumni Association.”
inperson
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We talk about comparing ourselves academically to places like Harvard and Yale, and we should.
So why should we not hold ourselves to the same standard when it comes to the National Alumni Association?
To spur more involvement, McCall said he wants to do a better job of promoting what the NAA does. For example, not only does the association sponsor social and networking events during both Homecoming and Commencement, but it also organizes career fairs for recent graduates and emergency support services for current students. McCall is also pushing three major initiatives to attract more members to the Morehouse NAA. The Pro Tiger Network for aspiring lawyers is a program supported by graduates currently working in the legal industry who will serve as mentors for current students interested in pursuing careers in the law. As part of the program— chaired by Thomas G. Sampson ‘68, managing partner of the Atlanta-based law firm Thomas, Kennedy, Sampson & Patterson—alumni will counsel students on everything from the classes they should take at Morehouse to the proper way to study for the L-SAT, to guidance on summer jobs they should take to prepare for law school. Eventually, McCall wants to expand the Pro Tiger Network program to other major disciplines, such as banking and finance. Another initiative, the Gray Tiger Network, is a community service initiative for retired or semi-retired alumni 55 years of age and older. Participants would pledge to volunteer their time and efforts in the community on projects like teaching chess to elementary school children.
“Whatever it is that you like to do, you can find a way to have a positive impact on the community,” said McCall, who noted that the Network will give the NAA and the College even more credibility with potential corporate sponsors. “We will keep up with all of the volunteer hours, so that way, we will be able to state that our alumni have invested [a certain] number of hours in the community. It makes a powerful statement.” “I know it’s a different time and the climate and culture have changed,” McCall said. “But as a Morehouse student, you should want to be different, stand out. Speak, dress and act like you are about something. You came to Morehouse to become something. Practice being the man you want to become.” Though he is fiercely passionate about the College, McCall almost didn’t attend Morehouse. In fact, he had no interest in Morehouse when he was a Birmingham high school senior and aspiring musician. He had already secured a music scholarship to attend Florida A&M University. Then his mother, an elementary school teacher who spent 50 years in the profession, gently intervened. “She said music is OK, but I would get a better education at Morehouse — which was more important,” McCall said. “I could tell by her voice and her demeanor that this was not negotiable. If I had argued, it would have been wasted breath.” McCall would go on to major in
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English and meet his future wife, Jeannette, a 1970 graduate of Spelman, whom he married just two weeks after he graduated. After a three-and-a-half year military stint serving in Viet Nam, McCall used the GI bill to attend law school in Atlanta (at what is now the Georgia State University School of Law), while working for Travelers Insurance Company. After earning his law degree, McCall was hired as a regional manager by what is now the CIGNA Corporation. During his three decades with CIGNA, McCall oversaw offices in Nashville, Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Cherry Hill, N.J., where he and Jeannette reside today. Along the way, they raised four children. “I was working a lot and so [Jeannette] was the drill instructor at home,” said McCall, a grandfather of five. “She stayed at home and had the tough job: raising our kids.” Through the years, he and Jeannette – who is active in Spelman’s Philadelphia alumnae chapter – kept their alma maters close to their hearts. McCall wants all Morehouse graduates to feel the same way he does. “I want all of the stakeholders in the National Alumni Association – alumni, faculty and staff, parents and students – to see our organization as being relevant,” he said. “I want them to know the impact we are making. And I want our members to see how important the work is that we are doing, how important it is to give back, and feel good about it.” ■ S U M M E R
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140th Founder’s Day Celebration
Back to the Old Landmark “No matter how far you go, every now and then, you ought to return home.” By Shaneesa N. Ashford
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ith those words, the Rev. Raphael Warnock ’91 ushered in the 2007 Founder’s Day celebration by leading a church service at Springfield Baptist Church in Augusta. More than 100 members of the Morehouse community, including faculty, staff and students, made the pilgrimage, which occurs every five years, to the place where the Morehouse story began 140 years ago. It was the homecoming for men who Warnock classified as “carpenter’s sons.” Speaking on the topic “Carpenters and Coffin Makers,” Warnock compared Morehouse’s beginnings to those of Jesus, who returned home to find his people in awe of the knowledge and power he acquired. Morehouse men, he implied, were the sons of a carpenter, Morehouse’s founder William Jefferson White. White, a cabinetmaker and Baptist preacher, was a proponent for the rights of blacks, having served as president of the Georgia Equal Rights League, an organization devoted to acquiring voting rights for blacks. He joined with a former slave, MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE
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the Rev. Richard C. Coulter, and an educator, the Rev. Edmund Turney, in creating Augusta Institute, which would eventually become Morehouse College. Warnock, pastor of historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, said that from those beginnings come thousands of men who have succeeded in every arena. “We’ve come to Augusta because the men of Morehouse have sat at the table of humanity, have been engaged in the public square and have asked the nation pressing questions – questions that strike at the heart of a nation that claims to be under God,” Warnock said. “We’ve come to Augusta to ask - is this not the carpenter’s son?” Leaving the service, the Morehouse men continued to honor White by placing a wreath at his gravesite. They also visited Augusta’s Tabernacle Baptist Church, which was founded by Augusta Institute alumnus the Rev. Charles T. Walker, and Harmony Baptist Church, which was founded by White. Men who have transcended the conditions of their founding
The Rev. Eddie S. Glaude ’89, associate professor of religion at Princeton University, receives a standing ovation after his Founder’s Day Convocation address.
‘Representative Men’ Morehouse alumnus The Rev. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. ’89, associate professor of religion at Princeton University, spoke of leadership and greatness during the Founder’s Day convocation. Using the term “representative men,” taken from an essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Glaude spoke of a people’s need for great leaders. Emerson spoke of the naturalness of belief in great men; Glaude spoke of the “seduction of greatness” – the idea that a people chooses those perceived as great to represent them. But, Glaude said, those chosen have a larger purpose. “Great people exist so that even greater people can follow,” said Glaude. Indeed, Morehouse used its birthday to honor men who have achieved greatness. This year’s Bennie and Candle recipients represented the areas of civil and human rights, arts and entertainment, medicine, theology, business, law and
politics. The honorees brought a wealth of knowledge to the Morehouse campus community during the annual Reflections of Excellence program. As each reflected on his professional and personal life, one theme continued to surface: leadership. In discussing his life as CEO of Liberty
Trust, Alden McDonald Jr., the recipient of the Candle in Business, spoke of being a part of the decision-making process, a philosophy that has allowed him to succeed despite personal tribulations. “It is important to plan every step of personal, professional and community
The Rev.Raphael Warnock ‘91,pastor of Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church,was the guest preacher during the Founder’s Day Worship service at Springfield Baptist Church in Augusta, Ga. S U M M E R
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2007 CANDLE AND BENNIE HONOREES: The Rev. Amos C. Brown ‘64, senior pastor of Third Baptist Church in San Francisco, Candle for Religion; The Rev. Joseph Lowery, civil rights leader and former president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Candle for Lifetime Achievement in Human and Civil Rights; Robert C. Davidson ‘67, president and CEO of Surface Protection Industries, Bennie Award for Leadership; Roscoe Lee Browne, Emmy winner and Tony nominee, Candle for Lifetime Achievement in Arts and Entertainment; President Walter E. Massey ’58; Sidney Poitier, Academy Award winner, Candle for Lifetime Achievement in Arts and Entertainment; Melvin Smith ’61, pediatric orthopedic surgeon, Bennie for Service; Alden McDonald, CEO of Liberty Bank and Trust Company, Candle for Business; and Leroy Johnson ‘49, former Georgia senator and attorney, Bennie Trailblazer Award
life,” McDonald said. “I want to be on the design side and not the behind side.” The sentiments were echoed by other members of the panel. Robert C. Davidson Jr. ’67, the Bennie recipient in leadership, took it a step further in his five keys to success, which included setting clear goals, developing a plan and establishing high expectations. Sidney Poitier, along with actor Roscoe Lee Brown for lifetime achievement in arts and entertainment, broke racial barriers in the film industry as the silver screen’s first black leading man. He spoke of “a pivotal moment of decision,” which for him came after a devastating audition in which he was told by the director to seek a job as a dishwasher. “He said that because that was his worth of my value,” Poitier said. “(I said) I must show him that he is wrong about me. I will prove it to him and myself.” In the newest addition to the Founder’s MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE
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Day activities, honorees also imparted their knowledge serving as “professors for a day,” speaking to numerous classes. Dr. Melvin Smith ’61, the Bennie recipient in service, led a
special topics in biology class, speaking on titanium rib replacement surgery, which he helped to invent. McDonald, the CEO of Liberty Trust, discussed production and operations management as a guest lecturer. Amos C. Brown ’64, the Candle recipient in religion, spoke on the African American community’s need to rejoice in life while leading an introduction to religion class. “The only time most black folk ride in a limo is at a funeral,” Brown said. “We need to get back to the business of celebrating life and not death in the black urban communities.”
Honoring Men
Tony award-winning actress LaChanze, who served as mistress of ceremony for the “A Candle in the Dark” gala, joins husband Derek Fordjour ’01.
The 19th annual “A Candle in the Dark” Gala celebrated the College’s founding, but also honored those who offer support to Morehouse in various capacities. Serving as mistress of ceremonies for the
show was Tony Award winner LaChanze, who won the Best Leading Actress Award for her role as “Celie” in the Broadway show “The Color Purple.” She is married to Morehouse alumnus Derek Fordjour ’01. This year, more than any other, the emphasis was on family. The honorees acknowledged their spouses and families, who they said stood with them through the tough times. It was especially poignant for honoree Davidson, who was introduced by his son, Morehouse senior Julian Davidson. He also took the time to show off the other members of his family, wife Faye and sons Robert III (class of 2001) and John (class of 2003), who joined him on stage. Just as the immediate families of the honorees helped them become stronger,it is the family and friends of Morehouse who ensure the College’s strength. The gala has raised more than $6 million since it began in 1989. That amount continues to grow. This year, for example, honoree Johnson announced the creation of a fund to aid in student scholarship, while Bank of America President and CEO Kenneth Lewis announced the formation of the $100,000 Walter and Shirley Massey Community Development Endowment. Major sponsors of the gala included the
“All struggle will not make you great, but you cannot be great without struggle,” he said. “A tree that has never been in a storm is not trustworthy—it may even be dangerous. The winds help the roots to grow deeper,make the branches grow wider and the top grow taller. “After the storm, the tree is always stronger.” ■ Monica Pearson, news anchor for Atlanta’s WSB-TV, moderates Reflections of Excellence, a panel discussion featuring the 2007 Bennie and Candle award recipients.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Bank of America, BP Foundation, Delta Air Lines, General Motors, Johnson and Johnson, UPS and Wal-Mart. The Coca-Cola Company served as lead sponsor and hosted the VIP reception. Bringing a fitting close to the Founder’s Day activities was the Rev. Otis Moss Jr. ’56, former chair of the Morehouse Board of Trustees and pastor of Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in Cleveland. During the closing service, Moss discussed a decidedly less glamorous perspective on the College’s founding: the role that struggle has in the making of a great institution or individual.
Vickie Hampton contributed to this article.
Morehouse Alumnus Art McClung ‘66 and his wife Angela (center) are recogonized for their continued support of the College during the Major Donors’ Reception by Phillip Howard 87, vice president for Institutional Advancement, Willie “Flash” Davis ’56, chair of the Board of Trustees, and President Walter E. Massey ’58.
Anne W. Watts (center), associate vice president for Academic Affairs, with student presenters (left to right): Julian Davidson Charles Blanton, Christopher Thomas, Brandon Crowley, Yaw Asare, Di’Jonn Grizzell, William Jurist, Kenneth Jones, Travers Johnson, Courtney English and Brandon Todd S U M M E R
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“There is no yardstick that exists that would be accurate for me to measure how this place has enabled me to grin. I owe a great deal to the Morehouse experiences.” –Dr. Anne W. Watts
WOMEN of MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE
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feature
By Kai Jackson Issa
F
rom the founding of Morehouse to today, countless women have distinguished themselves within all areas of the College—as students, faculty, staff and administrators. A little known fact is that a few women were among the first students ever admitted to Morehouse. While the college officially stopped admitting women in 1870, at least 26 completed all of their coursework at Morehouse and were awarded the bachelor degree from the College between 1929 and 1936. “When I came to Morehouse in 1967, there were very few women here in leadership roles, “ says Anne W. Watts, associate vice president for Academic Affairs. “It was a male-dominated environment.” Watts rose from English professor to the institution’s first female class dean. In 1996, she was appointed one of the college’s chief academic officers. “There is no yardstick that exists that would be accurate for me to measure how this place has enabled me to grow. I owe a great deal to the Morehouse experience,” says Watts. Watts is a Morehouse legend, known for her singular expertise in training Morehouse students in oratory, evidenced each year at the annual “A Candle in the Dark” gala. It is by way of Watts that many top tier students receive “the nod” and undergo rigorous preparation to compete in some the world’s leading academic
scholarships, including the Rhodes. Watts credits former Morehouse faculty members Anna Harvin Grant and Addie Mitchell as key mentors in her development as a leader. “Both were role models for me. I saw them as women who could clearly define excellence and who held their students to high standards.” Grant mentored generations of Morehouse students who went on to distinguished careers in the social sciences. An internationally recognized scholar on black family life, she was director of the Black Family Institute and chair of the sociology department—the College’s first female to chair an academic department. Grant can be counted among the most distinguished educators in the College’s history, male or female. Mitchell directed the College’s reading program for several decades beginning in 1954 and was an influential voice for the entire Morehouse faculty until her retirement in the early 1990s. Sheryl Allen was the first female professor in the Division of Business and Economics to receive tenure. Sociology professor and noted scholar Ida Mukenge, one of the first females to hold a leadership position in the College’s academic administration, remains an influential member of the faculty today. “Women need to make their presence known here,” says Delores Stephens, an English professor who has served the institution since 1964, including as the English department’s first female chair and as a faculty representative on the Board of
First Lady Shirley Massey
Trustees. “We need to let our students know that women can hold their own. It reminds them that we are a great part of the wholeness of the universe.” Stephens also is a living legend at Morehouse. She has mentored countless Morehouse students, challenging them to rise to the level of excellence in language. One of her most well-known students was filmmaker Shelton “Spike” Lee ‘79. “She saw that I had some talent and just stayed on me,” Lee once remarked. “She would mark my papers in red ink and at times it looked as if someone had slit their wrists on them.” The number of women employed as full-time faculty has risen substantially in the last 40 years, from 13 in 1966 to 58 out of a total of one 173 in 2006. Morehouse’s distinguished leaders also include an impressive roster of first ladies who were instrumental in shaping the
the ’HOUSE Anne Wimbush Watts, associate vice president for Academic Affairs
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Sheryl Allen, Business and Economic Program
College. Lugenia Burns Hope, wife of the College’s fourth president, John Hope, was a trained social worker and a tireless activist who encouraged Morehouse students to work to improve the deplorable conditions under which many black residents of Atlanta lived in the 1920s and 1930s. She founded the Neighborhood Union, which became a national model for urban communities, and was active in civic groups throughout the city, all the while supporting President Hope in the promotion and development of Morehouse into a world-class institution. Hope also helped to found the Morehouse Auxiliary, a primarily women’s organization that remains an important fundraising and student-support vehicle for the College. Two first ladies also held positions at the College. Beulah Gloster, the first wife of President Hugh Gloster, held a doctorate in English literature and directed the Reading Center for several years before her untimely illness and death. Mrs. Yvonne King Gloster, President Gloster’s second wife, was an attorney who served as Dr. Gloster’s executive assistant for several years MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE
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Adrienne Harris, Chief of Staff in the Massey Administration
“We need to let our students know that women can hold their own. It reminds them that we are a great part of the wholeness of the universe.” and as in-house counsel for the College. Under Mrs. Gloster’s leadership, the College successfully raised its endowment, including $5 million for the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. Shirley Massey, counted her role in the building of Davidson House as her most important contribution to the College. “It’s a showcase piece for Morehouse, and its being here has helped change the entire neighborhood,” she said, “ We now
have amenities and neighborhood committees that weren’t here before. Davidson House has helped to transform this community.” There are an impressive number of women now occupying positions in the College’s administrative cabinet. “When I came here twenty-nine years ago, you did not see many women in administrative leadership,” says Phyllis Bentley, executive assistant to the provost. “Now, women are receiving much more recognition.” Karen Miller, general counsel and vice president for Administrative Services, is the second woman to hold a vice president position at the College. In her position, Miller directs the College’s strategic initiatives and oversees much of the services provided by the College. She points to Willis “Butch” Sheftall ‘64, the College’s interim vice president for Academic Affairs, and President Massey as key mentors. “There are many people on campus who are open to mentoring and you have to seek it out,” she says. “I don’t feel like I had any issues here based on my being a
Delores Stephens, English professor
woman. It’s really about identifying a desire to hold a leadership position and putting the focus necessary to achieve it. “ “Leadership is about showing up and getting the job done and once you do that, you’re in,” says Adrienne Harris, President Massey’s chief of staff and among the most influential leaders on campus. Harris’ influence is felt in all areas of the College because all of her communications work advances President Massey’s voice and vision for the College. Harris joined Morehouse in 1995 as director of publications and was promoted several times within just a few years. “Morehouse is a man’s world, but Walter Massey is a man who honors individuals’ contributions regardless of gender,” says Harris. “The more I showed I could do, the more opportunities I have been given.” For every woman in high profile positions at the College, there are many women, past and present, whose “behind the scenes” roles have kept the institution running. Agnes Watson served Morehouse for several decades, first as President Benjamin E. Mays’ secretary and then as
Karen Miller, vice president for Administrative Services and General Counsel
“Every woman who works at Morehouse is influential, because in terms of numbers, we are everywhere. Every aspect of the College benefits from the contributions of women.” assistant to the business manager, where she was a key player in the financial workings of the College. She is also credited with typing Martin Luther King Jr.’s entire doctoral dissertation. Women have played a vital role in ensuring Morehouse students observe proper civility and decorum. Flora LeMar, the legendary “postmistress” of Morehouse during the Mays and Gloster administration,
served as the unofficial chief hostess for the College. An invitation by LeMar to “come out and pour” punch at a College social event meant that a student was to be properly attired and observe the impeccable manners befitting a Morehouse man. This tradition of scrutiny continues with Georgia Rolax, the College’s switchboard operator. Practically every Morehouse student has had occasion to pass by “Ms. Georgia’s” station on the ground floor of Gloster Hall. “I try to be a leader to our young men. I try to set an example by teaching them to be courteous and kind,” says Rolax. “I tell them to stay off their cell phones. I don’t allow that in here.” As students, faculty, staff and administrators, the women of Morehouse, past and present, are part of a sturdy bridge that will lead the College to higher levels of excellence and distinction. Perhaps Adrienne Harris says it best: “Every woman who works at Morehouse is influential, because in terms of numbers, we are everywhere. Every aspect of the College benefits from the contributions of women.” ■
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brothertobrother
Helping Brothers Reach Their Goals Alumni are grateful for National Alumuni Association’s Student Emergency Loan Fund
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‘A BLESSING TO ME’
‘ABLE TO FOCUS ON STUDYING’
MY NAME IS RHASHEED CUNNINGHAM and I am a graduating senior at Morehouse. My mother is a single parent and I have, for the most part, supported myself during my matriculation. This semester, I am
MY NAME IS SAMUEL WILLIAMS; I am a member of the Class of 2003. Today, I proudly wear the insignia of a Morehouse Man who graduated cum laude and later matriculated at Meharry Medical College. This was a feat that could not have been accomplished were it not for the unique support system within the Alumni Association: namely, the Emergency Student Loan Program. This program was instrumental to my livelihood as it enabled me to avoid having to return home due to my inability to meet the financial obligations President Walter E. Massey ’58 that all students have. These and Samuel K.Williams III ’03
I give thanks to the Alumni Association for being a blessing to me and other Morehouse brothers. I pray that this emergency fund continues to help other struggling students like myself.
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carrying 18 credit hours. I am an off-campus student with the responsibility of making sure my rent, utilities and food are taken care of. With all of this said, there have been several times when I have been in very unfortunate situations— unable to pay my rent and the landlord had all the legal papers to put me out. sBut the Morehouse College National Alumni Association Student Emergency Loan Fund was the saving grace, and a check was always given to me at that critical hour of need. I have since paid those loans back. I give thanks to the Alumni Association for being a blessing to me and other Morehouse brothers. I pray that this emergency fund continues to help other struggling students like myself. I look forward to attending graduate school at Georgetown University upon graduation, and I hope to play an active part in the Association and to give back so that brothers coming after me also will have an Alumni Association to count on. —O. Rhasheed Cunningham ’07 MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE
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This program was instrumental to my livelihood as it enabled me to avoid having to return home due to my inability to meet the financial obligations that all students have.
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included purchasing books and supplies,but also buying food and paying rent. Once these essential needs were met, I was able to focus on studying and graduating on time. It is important that the Morehouse brotherhood continues to support programs such as the Emergency Student Loan Fund, which enables young men to achieve their dream of a quality education from irrefutably the best college on earth for African American men. This can be accomplished only through increased alumni support to ensure that future students will be as blessed as many of us already are. —Samuel K. Williams III ‘03
alumninews national alumni association president message Phillip McCall Jr. ’69
Brothers,
T
he Association entered 2007 with strong momentum as there are several programs underway and others in various stages of development. With a dedicated and active team, a lot is being accomplished by the staff and alumni leaders at all levels. For example, the Pro Tiger Network has been organized and will serve as an initial pilot program to mentor both current students and recent graduates focusing on specific professions. The Grey Tiger Program will seek to involve our more “seasoned” alumni in volunteer activities within their communities. Both initiatives are intended to provide alumni with opportunities to give back in their specific areas of interest. Your Association continues to seek out products and services that will benefit our membership, while providing income to the organization. Our partnerships with MBNA and Liberty Mutual continue to thrive and we plan to establish more of them. Additionally, we expect to have an alumni-logo merchandise program available shortly through our website. In the membership area, it is gratifying to note that we have added or reactivated five chapters since the beginning of the academic 2006-07 year. This is due to the hard work of the respective regional vice presidents and the local alumni who answered the call. While the membership level is not where it should be, these new chapters are solid indications that we are moving in the right direction! Our Emergency Loan Program is experiencing an increase in the number of requests as student needs continue to grow. Since dues are the major income source for the Association, it is crucial that we continue to grow our membership base to support this and other student-assistance programs. In closing, I urge you to visit our website – morehousecollegealumni.com— for updates, articles and a listing of chapter officers and board members. Your feedback and suggestions on ways to enhance the organization and its effectiveness in serving alumni and the College are also requested. Thanks to all of you for your continued support.
“It is gratifying to note that we have added or re-activated five chapters since the beginning of the 2006-07academic year. This is due to the hard work of the respective regional vice presidents and the local alumni who answered the call.”
Regards,
Phillip H. McCall Jr. ’69
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alumninews Northern New Jersey Chapter Holds Inaugural Scholarship to Leadership Gala ON MAY 12, 2007, the Northern New Jersey Chapter of the Morehouse College Alumni Association made history as it—in conjunction with the United Negro College Fund— hosted the first ever Scholarship to Leadership Gala. With President Jameel Scott ‘05 at the helm, the inaugural event was a huge a success, raising more than $15,000 in scholarship funds to assist students from the state of New Jersey attending Morehouse. The keynote address was delivered by Michael Lomax ‘68, president and chief executive officer of the United Negro College Fund. Among the distinguished Morehouse alumni honored with the Benjamin E. Mays Award were the Honorable Judge Julien X. Neals, chief judge of the City of Newark Municipal Court, for his outstanding contribution to the community and James Coaxum III, coordinator and associate professor of educational leadership at Rowan University, for his outstanding contribution to education. Major sponsors for the event included Johnson & Johnson, Al Ball, Allstate Insurance, Merck, Novo Nordisk and Benjamin Moore. ■
A Gathering of Morehouse Men: attorney Wallace Truesdale’92 (left to right), vice-president of the Northern New Jersey Chapter of the Morehouse College National Alumni Association celebrates with Nicholas C. Limbal ’05, parliamentarian; Judge Julien X. Neals ’86, chief judge of the City of Newark Municipal Court Chief and honoree; James Coaxum III ’93, coordinator and associate professor of educational leadership at Rowan University; Michael Lomax ’68, president and chief executive officer of the United Negro College Fund and keynote speaker, attorney Kenneth A. Newby ‘97, recording secretary, Jesse M. Branson ’04, vice president; Hakim Sparkman ’98, treasurer; attorney Nashon Hornsby ‘93, vice president of the National Morehouse Alumni Association and Jameel A. Scott ’05, the chapter’s president, at their inaugural gala.
Keith Perry ’86 Named Chief of Staff for Marion Barry
Keith Perry '86 (second from left) was recently named chief of staff for D.C. councilmember Marion Barry.
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KEITH ANDREW PERRY ‘86, a veteran of District of Columbia government and politics,recently was named chief of staff for D.C. Councilmember Marion Barry. He previously was Barry’s legislative director, and before that, was special assistant to the director of the Department of Human Rights and Minority Business Development and administrator of Community Services for the D.C.Department of Recreation and Parks. Perry is a former senior executive with the national staff of the League of Women Voters, and served as executive director of the Consortium for Youth Services, Inc. Most recently, Perry served as chief of staff to D.C. City Councilmember Kwame R. Brown, before exploring a campaign for the Ward 6 Council Seat. He returned to the council as legislative director for Councilmember Marion Barry in May 2006 A native of Washington D.C., Perry graduated from the Howard University School of Law School. While at Morehouse, he served as SGA president. ■
alumninews Robert J. Yancy ’64 Retires After 40 Years in Education ROBERT J. YANCY ‘64, recently has retired from an illustrious, 40-plus year career in higher education and entrepreneurial service. Yancy was the first dean of the School of Business at Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU), Marietta, Ga. This position was the start of SPSU’s initial graduate degree program and the first and only degreed program offered outside the field of engineering technology. Under his deanship, the Robert J. Yancy ’64 program was accredited in the shortest possible period of time. To date, no other program has matched this academic achievement. Yancy also was the first African American to serve as dean of a school of business in this majority university. After 15 years as dean, he retired from the University System of Georgia in June 2006. Yancy recently received the Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award for 200506 at SPSU. The award is given annually to the faculty member who displays the highest degree of excellence and professionalism in the discharge of their faculty responsibilities.Yancy, who holds a doctorate from Northwestern University and an MBA from Atlanta University, was nominated and received letters of support from his faculty colleagues and from students who had studied in his classes. In the 2004-05 academic year, the University System of Georgia initiated a “Hall of Fame” to honor faculty and staff of member institutions who had displayed extraordinary commitment to the university. Yancy was selected as the Southern Polytechnic State University faculty to represent the institution in the Hall of Fame. ■
Ralph B. Everett ‘73 to Take Helm of Black Think Tank RALPH B. EVERETT ’73 has been appointed to head the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, the nation’s premier black think tank that takes the pulse of black America and develops policies and programs to improve the lives of minorities. “I just think this is a great time . . . a great opportunity to drive public policy to improve the lives of African Americans and other minorities,” Everett was quoted as saying. “This is a time when more African Americans will wield power in Congress than ever before. We want to be part of that mix.” Everett was staff director and chief counsel for the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee under then-Sen. Ernest F. Hollings (D-S.C.). Since 1989, he has been a partner at Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, and served as managing partner of the firm’s D.C. office and co-chair of the federal legislative practice. ■
Left to Right: Samuel Oliver, Representative Frank Peterman, Jr. D-St. Petersburg Center; Florida Governor Jeb Bush; Senator Anthony Hill, DJacksonville, Senator Fredericka Wilson D-Miami at signing of a bill that sets up a counscil to study issues affecting black males.
Representative Frank Peterman Jr. Passes Landmark Legislation FRANK PETERMAN JR. ‘85 (D-Saint Petersburg, Fla.) passed House Bill 21 creating a “Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys” during the 2006 legislative session. The bill, which passed unanimously in both the House and the Senate, creates a 19-member council appointed by the governor, the speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and the president of the Florida Senate. The bill charges the council with the task of studying the conditions affecting African American males, “including, but not limited to, the homicide rates, arrest and incarceration rates, poverty, violence, drug abuse, death rates, disparate annual income levels, and school performance in all grade levels, including post secondary levels and health issues.” Peterman has been appointed to serve on the council, which convened during the first quarter of the 2007 legislative year. ■
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classnotes Howard Zehr ‘65 Receives Prestigious Justice and Peacebuilding Award
Edward G. Long ‘71 Named Police Chief in Portsmouth, Va.
THE COMMUNITY OF CHRIST has honored Howard Zehr ‘65, founder of the first victim-offender reconciliation program in the United States, with its International Peace Award, one of the world’s top awards for work in the peace field. The award includes a sculpture and a $30,000 donation to an organization designated by the recipient. Zehr’s choice was the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va., where he is co-director. He plans to use the award to assemble and publish the research of some of the center’s master’s degree graduates. The award is in recognition of Zehr’s role as “one of the founders of the contemporary restorative Howard Zehr ’65 justice movement,” according to the organization’s website, www.cofchrist.org/peaceaward. Additionally, The Journal of Law and Religion has given Zehr its “Lifetime Achievement Award” at an Oct. 5 ceremony at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn. Zehr has written or edited seven books, including the widely-cited “Changing Lenses: A New Focus for Crime and Punishment,” which is in its third edition and has been published in Russian, Ukrainian and Japanese. An easy-to-read version of Zehr’s ideas is contained in his “Little Book of Restorative Justice,” which also has been translated into multiple languages. Zehr, who graduated from Morehouse in 1965, holds a master’s degree from the University of Chicago and a doctorate from Rutgers University. Before coming to EMU in 1996, he served for 19 years as director of the office on crime and justice for the Mennonite Central Committee. A former professional photojournalist, Zehr often uses photography and interviews for his documentary work on restorative justice topics. ■
EDWARD G. LONG ’71 has been named the police chief of Portsmouth, Va. Long began his career as a uniformed street police officer on the Atlanta Police Department in 1969. He served that department for 20 years and left with the rank of captain as a night chief of a force of 1,700 police officers. He served as a major with the Dayton, Ohio, police department from 1986 to 1990; as chief and executive vice president with Eastern Shield Security Systems Inc. in Washington from 1990 to 1996; and as chief of Housing Police and Security Services with the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority from 1996 to 1998. He joined the Portsmouth Police Department on March 1, 1999, as an assistant chief and was serving as interim chief. Long earned a bachelor’s in business administration from Morehouse in 1971, studied toward a master of business administration degree at Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University) and earned a J.D. from Atlanta Law School in 1980. Edward is younger brother of fellow alumnus and Region 8 vice president Donald Long ‘69. ■
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Thomas C. Chatmon Jr. ’79 to Run Orlando’s Downtown Development Board, Redevelopment Agency THOMAS C. CHATMON JR. ‘79, president and chief executive officer of Albany Tomorrow Inc., the agency that handles redevelopment in the southwestern Georgia city, has been hired to run Orlando’s Downtown Development Board and its Community Redevelopment Agency, which oversee development of the city center. Chatmon was instrumental in Thomas C. Chatmon Jr. ’79 developing and executing the $210million Albany Downtown Riverfront Master Plan. Other projects on Chatmon’s watch included the Flint RiverQuarium, the Turtle Grove Play Park and the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel and Conference Center. ■
classnotes 1960s Julius Coles ‘64 recently received the 2007 James Madison Medal from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Coles, a 1966 graduate of Princeton, is currently the president of Africare and previously served for 28 years with the U.S. Agency for International Development. The Madison Medal, named for the nation’s fourth president, recognizes an alumnus who has had a distinguished career, advanced the cause of graduate education or achieved an outstanding record of public service.
1970s Ralph B. Everett ’73 is the new head of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, the nation’s premier black think tank. Since 1989, Everett had been a partern with Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, where he served as managing parter for the firm’s Washington, D.C., office and co-chair of the federal legislative practice. Bruce E. Gipson ’79 recently returned to his hometown of Denver to serve as HIV/STD Prevention Case Manager/Individual Level Intervention Specialist with
the program, Brothas4Ever. Brothas4Ever is one of several programs from “It Takes a Village,” an African American non-profit agency whose mission is to coordinate and collaborate with other agencies in the distribution of various services to target populations with the ultimate goal of reducing health and social disparities among underserved people of color in the Greater Denver area.
1980s Timothy Tee Boddie ’81 recently received the National Conference for Community and Justice Humanitarian Award in Hampton, Va. The award is presented annually to individuals who have promoted respect and understanding among people of diverse racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds. Eric J. Troy ’84 was recently appointed director of the Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male at The Ohio State University. Troy will oversee initiatives and programming targeted to increase the academic performance, retention and graduation rate of African American male students. He previously served as
program manager and manager of public relations and special projects for the Center and Office of Minority Affairs. Sanford E. Watson ’85 has joined the law firm of Tucker Ellis & West, LLP with offices in Cleveland, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Prior to joining the firm, he served as the director of public safety for the city of Cleveland.
named director of Magnet and Choice Schools for Guilford County Schools in North Carolina. Burks and a team of educators developed The Early College at Guilford into a national model. Since the school’s inception in 2002, North Carolina has launched the New Schools Project, Learn and Earn and other
1990s Stephen Barr ’91 was recently named the national advertising director for sports/fitness within the Hearst Magazine Group. Barr oversees advertising for Men’s Health, Bicycling, Runner’s World, Backpacker and Best Life magazines. Previously, he served as general accounts director for Esquire Magazine, also part of the Hearst Magazine Group. Arvon J. Perteet ’91 was recently sworn in as a practicing attorney in the state of California. He plans on practicing in the Bay Area. Rollin Fitzpatrick Jackson Sr. ’92 recently earned a doctorate in career and technical education with an emphasis on human resource education from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Tony Lamar Burks II ’93, the founding principal of North Carolina’s first early college high school, has been
Tony Lamar Burks II ’93
innovative initiatives designed to establish smaller learning communities and reform high schools statewide. Paul Stewart ‘93 was recently chosen named alderman for the 18th Ward of the Cook County (Ill.) City Council. Stewart previously worked for the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, the city Department of Streets and Sanitation and the Chicago Housing Authority. John Easton ‘95 was featured in the March 2007 issue of Black Enterprise
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classnotes Profilesin Leadership
Implementing Social Change Charles “Chuck” Hobbs II ’94 and Richard Keith Alan ’94 Behind one of the year’s most high profile cases—Florida’s first ever hazing trial—are two defense attorneys whose legal roots can be traced back to the halls of Kilgore on the Morehouse campus. Attorneys Charles “Chuck” Hobbs II and Richard Keith Alan II, both in the class of 1994, are the defense attorneys for five members of the Florida A&M University’ chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. who are being tried by Florida under its new hazing law for allegedly hazing a pledge. The case has received widespread attention, with coverage on ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Court TV, Forbes Online and Fox News, as well as in news media in Japan, France and the United Kingdom. After a mistrial was declared back in September, a new trial began in December. Although the case is significant to Florida Charles Hobbs II ’94 fields questions from reporters. and national history, for Hobbs and Alan, the significance goes much deeper. The duo’s popular local newspaper columnist, as well as a respected source for dream of practicing law and making a difference together was declared such news media as ESPN. while they were roommates at the College. Hobbs also was a defense lawyer in the 2003 high-profile case “As roommates in Kilgore Hall room 207 our junior and senior in which NFL player and then-Florida State University quarterback years, we both realized that our interest in the law could be used as a Adrian McPherson was on trial for gambling violations. The case ended tool to implement social justice,” Hobbs said. in a mistrial with a deadlocked jury. Hobbs said Morehouse allowed them to reach for higher heights. Morehouse professor and Honors Program director Jocelyn Jackson “Upon entry into Morehouse most, if not all, of our classmates remembers coaching Hobbs on the Morehouse brain bowl team. were top students in there respective hometowns,” Hobbs said. “He was very forthright and very aggressive,î Jackson said. ìHe “Knowing that, there was a friendly competition among us to succeed was very, very capable. I saw him as an emerging leader, being in in hopes of becoming future leaders.” charge of something. He was somebody who was able to give Alan agreed. confidence to others, making them believe in themselves.” “Morehouse offered an atmosphere of free expression and Hobbs said that his professors at Morehouse, like Jackson, intellectual debate amongst a diverse student body,” Alan said. “This planted a seed in him that is still growing today. gave me an opportunity to develop the patience and objectivity needed “My professors at Morehouse went to great lengths to establish a love to analyze differing points of view.” for learning that went deeper than rote knowledge,” he said. “In particular, Alan is a 1997 University of Miami School of Law graduate, a Dr. Marcellus Barksdale and Dr. Giles Conwill in the history department South Florida trial attorney licensed to practice in Florida’s state and helped to increase my understanding of the historical degradation of black federal courts. He also handles civil and criminal litigation. people with respect to human rights and due process under the law.” Hobbs graduated from Florida A&M University in 1995 with a Both young attorneys have a passion to inspire the next master’s in social science and from the University of Florida College of generation. Hobbs plans to join a group other black male professionals Law in 1998 with a J.D. He started his legal career as an assistant in establishing a mentoring program for young black men. He wants state attorney and has worked for several prestigious groups, including youth to know that all things are possible and the sky is the limit when the Law Offices of Frank Sheffield, P.A and Knowles & Randolph. it comes to their career aspirations. ■ Hobbs also has served as an adjunct professor at FAMU and is a MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE
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classnotes
John Easton ’95
magazine (page 58). Easton, an award-winning multimedia producer, was contacted by the magazine to support the development of an article covering YouTube, an online media phenomenon. His expertise was important in providing expert analysis and real-world examples on how businesses can take advantage of this growing opportunity. Jeff Barton ’96 was recently appointed to the position of deputy budget
and research director for the City of Phoenix. Barton is responsible for coordinating and managing approximately 50 percent of the city’s $3.6-billion operating budget. He also recently was appointed chairman of the audit committee for the Arizona Federal Credit Union. Kevin Johnson ’96 was recently chosen to become the senior pastor of Bright Hope Baptist Church in North Philadelphia. Johnson, who will be the church’s first new senior pastor in 35 years, will take over leadership of the church following the retirement of the Rev. William H. Gray III, former head of the United Negro College Fund, who has served as pastor since 1972. Johnson holds a master of divinity degree in religious
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Kevin Johnson ’96
education from Union Theological Seminary and is a doctoral candidate at Columbia University. Leonard Sledge ’96 was recently appointed assistant director of economic development at The College of William and Mary. In this position, Sledge will play a lead role in managing projects and identifying grant opportunities. His responsibilities also include working with faculty and local companies in the areas of manufacturing and workforce development. Jonathan L. Walton ’96 has successfully defended his doctoral dissertation to earn the doctorate from Princeton Theological Seminary. His dissertation engages televangelism in the African American community as a form of popular and political culture and was awarded the highest distinction of summa cum laude. Walton has relocated from Princeton to assume
the position of assistant professor of religious studies at the University of California, Riverside. Abdullah Birdsong ’99 recently completed requirements for the master of music degree at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. He currently serves as CEO of Rhema Release Media LLC, a Christian media firm specializing in web design and book publishing.
2000s Jeremiah Thompson ’01 has been named the 20062007 senior resident chaplain at Emory University Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta. Robert Wall Jr. ’01 was recently named superintendent of buildings and grounds for Jackson State University. Wall oversees facility operations and assists in the development of an energy management division for the university. Prior to assuming this position, he was operations project manager for the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation. Chaz Arnett ’03 was recently chosen as one of Essence magazine’s 2007 DoRight Men. Arnett, a recent graduate of Harvard Law School, was recognized for the work that he is doing to transform his community. The former Morehouse S U M M E R
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classnotes Profilesin Leadership
Scoring in Banking Darryl Green ’87 Darrell Green ’87 may share a name with a former seven-time All-Pro defensive back for the Washington Redskins, but he’s making impressive moves of his own—in the banking arena. A 1987 graduate with a degree in business administration with a concentration in banking and finance, Green is first vice president for commercial sales administration at SunTrust Bank, the seventh largest bank with 33,000 employees Darrell Green ’87 and assets topping $100 million. “I was in sales for 18 years. I knew I wanted to do something greater. I did the research,” Green said. “I took the best of what I did in sales and, now, I serve a different client – an internal customer.” In his current role, Green manages incentive programs for the bank and supports all the relationship managers for the commercial side of the bank. The company recently asked him to develop an ethnic affinity group, a community with similarities—such as black MBAs or Asian American journalists. Green got his start at National Bank of Detroit—now JPMorgan Chase—as a commercial loan representative/credit analyst, where he established and managed a $30-million commercial loan portfolio and built an account base from zero to 27 first-time commercial clients in Dayton, Ohio. It was also in Dayton that senior executives noticed his potential and recognized him as the Top Sales Performer in Ohio. In 1996, Green made the decision to join Atlanta-based SunTrust Bank as an assistant vice president. Recognizing his talent for sealing the deal, SunTrust promoted him to vice president and finally to director of sales administration/first vice president, Commercial Banking Group. At SunTrust, he has managed a portfolio consisting of $40 million in commercial loans and more than $11 million in deposits, with an aggregate annual profitability of more than $1 million. He built a portfolio from zero to more than $35 million, earning responsibility for business customers with annual revenues ranging from $5 million to $200 million. Green’s work earned him “stellar” performance rating for the year 2003, when he generated $14 million in new loan volume in 2003 and established relationships with five new clients. He also is actively involved in hiring/training of new associates. When he was a relationship manager, he was ranked 4th among 44 relationship managers in the SunTrust organization. In his work at SunTrust, Green has traveled all over the Caribbean and Mexico, rewarding employees for their hard work. “I credit Morehouse for my success,” he said. “My eyes were opened thanks to Ben McLaurin, who took me on the Spring Tour. It all started at Morehouse. “Going to Europe at 19 and places like the Louvre changed my life. I never thought I would have gone to the places I have been,’ he said. Green said the key to success is to “cast a wide net, find a passion and explore.” ■
—Rori Blakeney MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE
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Bonner Scholar resides in Baltimore. Martin L. Woods ’04 recently was featured as a soloist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s first complete performance of “All Rise” by Pulitzerprize winning composer Wynton Marsalis. “All Rise” breaks new artistic ground with its harmonious fusion of the classical, jazz, gospel, blues, and folk music genres. Donald Washington ’06 was recently honored by the Student NonViolence Coordinating Committee for his service to the Atlanta community. Washington currently serves as founder and executive director of The Peacemakers, an organization that provides King-inspired nonviolence training to Atlanta youth. He also was featured in the January 2007 issue of Ebony magazine.
Births A. Benjamin Spencer ‘96 and his wife, Marlette, recently celebrated the birth of their third child, James William Spencer. The family, which also includes two daughters, Mya and Isabella, lives in Richmond, Va. Spencer is a law professor at the University of Richmond School of Law and author of Acing Civil Procedure. Rollin Fitzpatrick Jackson Sr. ‘92 and his wife, Akesha, are the proud parents of a daughter, Paige Makenzie, who was born on Sept. 28, 2006. She weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces at birth. The couple also has a son, Rollin Jr. ■
classnotes
Passages Otis Smith ‘47 had legacy of breaking sports records, racial barriers that still stands OTIS WESLEY SMITH ’47 earned the nickname “Will Shoot” and still holds the record for being the only documented athlete to letter in four varsity sports at Morehouse. However, the arena where his mark would prove to be indelible is the medical field. Smith, Georgia’s first practicing black pediatrician, died on February 5 2007, of complications due to Alzheimer’s. He was 81 years old. Otis Wesley Smith ’47 He, along with fellow physicians Albert Davis, James Ellison and Roy Bell, led the effort of the Doctors’Committee on Implementation to document the inequities based on race within the American health care system, particularly within Atlanta, and to expose them to full public view. The four physicians traveled to the White House to meet with President Lyndon Johnson to demand action. Documents enforcing the health care provisions of the Civil Rights Act were signed and executed. The doctors’ courageous work helped to desegregate all hospitals in Georgia. As chairman of the committee, Smith was instrumental in revolutionizing America’s health care system. Later, Smith joined the Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority, the governing board of Grady, and would see the hospital’s West End Health Center named in his honor. Smith, who earned an M.D. from Meharry Medical School, had been honored extensively for his unselfish involvement in and dedication to community service. Morehouse awarded him the first T. Herman Graves ‘43 died in September 2006 of apparent kidney failure in Atlanta. He died on this 87th birthday. Graves was a major contributor to the College and a long-time member of the National Alumni Association. He had a very successful career as a football coach at Howard High School in Atlanta, among other schools in the area. In 1971, he became an executive with the Atlanta Braves. His funeral was held on September 14 in the King Chapel. Julius B. Bailey ’51 died on February 12, 2007.
ever Bennie Service Award in 1989. He was named physician of the year by the Georgia State Medical Association and the Atlanta Medical Association. He also received citations from three Georgia governors. He was a 1946 initiate member of the Alpha Rho Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He was a member of the Butler Street YMCA, the Atlanta Medical Association, the Georgia State Medical Association, the National Medical Association, the West Fulton Rotary, and is a life member of the NAACP. Among numerous other organizations, he was a member of the board of trustees of the St. Mark AME Church, the board of trustees of the Turner Theological Seminary of ITC, the advisory board of Morehouse College, the board of directors of the Sickle Cell Foundation, the board of directors of the Southside Comprehensive Health Center, the Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority, and a member and former president of the Atlanta Chapter of the NAACP. The Fulton DeKalb Authority (Georgia) dedicated a medical building on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in his name. He also received the prestigious Trumpet Award for his work with the Doctors’ Committee on Implementation. On Feb. 26, 2007, he was posthumously inducted into the Civil Rights Walk of Fame. His ties to author Margaret Mitchell began in the 1940s, when she anonymously provided scholarships for Morehouse students to support their undergraduate and medical school education. As a recipient of one of those scholarships, Smith spoke publicly and frequently about the Pulitzer Prize-winning author’s humanitarian works. Smith and his wife, Gwendolyn, had one son, Ralph, a 1985 Morehouse graduate. His funeral was held in King Chapel on Feb. 12. ■
William “Tex” Robinson ’64 recently died after a lengthy battle with cancer. While at Morehouse, Robinson served as captain of the Morehouse Tigersharks swimming team. He practiced law in Norfolk, Va., and served for many years as a state legislator. Charles “Pie Man” Jackson ’65 recently died of cancer in a Florida nursing home. Robert A. Durant Jr. ’71 died on Feb. 12, 2006, in Dillon, S.C. Durant was the owner of Disability Associates in Latta, S.C., which specializes in obtaining social and medical benefits for deserving individuals.
Donald Womack ’75 passed away on April 20, 2006, of a heart attack in Los Angeles. He was a member of the varsity basketball team from 1974 to 1975. Kenneth D. Thomas ’79 passed away on October 29, 2006, in Michigan. He was owner of A1 Tax and Accounting Company in Romulus, Mich. Kenneth Hardwick ’85 recently died in Las Vegas as the result of a homicide. He was a real estate and business broker in Las Vegas, where he resided for the past five years.
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“
When I was told I could not make it in the NBA because I went to a small school, I just didn’t believe it. At Morehouse, students are exposed to the top speakers in the world. We are told to believe in ourselves and lead, so I knew no other way but to lead and not follow.
”
-Harold C. Ellis ‘92
National Basketball Association Player and Scout
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Shooting for As told to John H. Eaves Jr. ‘84
W
hile attending Frederick Douglass High School in Atlanta, Georgia, I was cut from the basketball team during my sophomore and junior years. Though discouraged, I was undeterred and concentrated on my studies. I tried out again for the basketball team during my senior year, but made it that time. My team had a winning season, and I became one of the stars on the team. I enrolled at Morehouse not to become a NBA player, but to go to graduate school. I received an academic scholarship, but as a freshman, I lacked confidence in my academic abilities because I attended a public high school. But, as I started going to my classes and studying hard with my friends, I performed well and my confidence grew. . During my tenure as a student, I was on the basketball team, worked each summer with the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP), joined the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, and became a lifetime member of the Morehouse National Alumni Association when I was a senior. Being an athlete at Morehouse was rewarding, yet very challenging. The faculty demanded more of athletes than regular students and did not excuse athletes from studying after games. The coaches even required players to take books on road trips, and if a
TheRoadTaken practice session were the same time as a test, the athletes could not practice, but had to take the test instead. This was amazing, but exactly what we, as black males, needed. Our basketball team won more games that any other team in the history of Morehouse. We went to the Division II Final Four at Springfield during my sophomore year and during my junior year the team made it to the Division II tournament again, but lost before advancing to the Final Four. The miraculous thing was that all the basketball players came to Morehouse on academic scholarships, so we were students first and athletes second, and we bonded well as a team. My most memorable experience was a heated triple overtime game against our arch rival, Clark College. I hit the winning shot and afterwards all the Morehouse students rushed the floor, picked me up, and carried me off the floor.This was an awesome feeling,because it was indicative of the brotherhood and love that we had for each other as Morehouse students. By the time end of my senior year, I had been named player of the year [three times], and had become the all-time leading scorer in Morehouse basketball history. This was a proud accomplishment, but my proudest accomplishment was earning a perfect 4.0 grade
Success point average during the spring semester of my senior year. This accomplishment made my father proud, too. I entered Morehouse as an inner-city kid and I left four years later as a man ready to go into the world. At graduation, when I saw all of those positive black males with me, I knew I had a chance to be successful in life. I knew my parents and this school had given me the opportunity to be successful. Morehouse breeds students to lead. So when I was told I could not make it in the NBA because I went to a small school, I just didn’t believe it. At Morehouse, students are exposed to the top speakers in the world. We are told to believe in ourselves and lead, so I knew no other way but to lead and not follow. I played five full seasons in the NBA and was voted team captain of the Los Angeles Clippers by my teammates. Today, I work for Billy Knight of the Atlanta Hawks, and I am learning to be a general manager of a NBA team. To prepare myself for this future role, I have obtained a master’s degree in sports management, and now I am pursuing a Ph.D. in sports psychology. This is not bad for a guy who was often told I wouldn’t make it. ■
Harold C. Ellis ‘92
Excerpts from a conversation with Harold B. Ellis ’92 as interviewed by John H. Eaves Jr. ‘84 for his book, “Speakers of the House: Morehouse Men Reflect on their Journey to Manhood,” a collection of inspiring words from 30 of Morehouse College’s most distinguished graduates. Eaves is the newly elected chairman of the Fulton County (Georgia) Commission. He holds a Ph.D from the University of South Carolina and a master’s in religion from Yale University. In 2004, Eaves received the “Alumnus of the Year for Public Service Award” by the Morehouse College Atlanta Alumni Chapter.
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M O R E H O U S E C O L L E G E N AT I O N A L A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N
2006-2008 OFFICERS Phillip H. McCall Jr. ’69 President Morehouse College National Alumni Assoc. 14 West High Ridge Road Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 Office: 215-636-0590 goldiemccall@aol.com Joseph Arrington ’58 Vice President-at-Large Morehouse College National Alumni Assoc. 1255 Veltre Circle, SW Atlanta, GA 30311 Home: 404-699-1063 brubean@yahoo.com Joseph Draper ’57 Executive Director Morehouse College National Alumni Assoc. 655 Bolton Rd NW Atlanta, GA 30331 Home: 404-691-3219 jdraper@morehouse.edu Guy B. Richardson ’79 Secretary Morehouse College National Alumni Assoc. 142 Beckley Farm Way Springboro, OH 45066 Home: 937-748-1906 Work: 937-262-2114 gbrichardson@woh.rr.com Marvin C Mangham ’69 Financial Secretary 2815 The Duke of Windsor Atlanta, GA 30344 Office: 404-816-1153 Home: 404-768-7034 mmangham@cypressmail.com
Calvin H. Harris ’92 Treasurer Morehouse College National Alumni Assoc. 9401 Hickory Limb Columbia, MD 21045 Home: 443-545-5266 calvin_harris@comcast.net Jeffrey L. Riddle ’90 Parliamentarian 901 Cascade Crossing Atlanta, GA 30331 Office: 404-541-2325 jlriddle@riddleschwartz.com Harold O. Braithwaite ’77 Faculty Representative Morehouse College National Alumni Assoc. 830 Westview Drive, S.W. Atlanta, Georgia 30314 hbraithw@morehouse.edu Henry M. Goodgame Jr. ’84 Director, Alumni Affairs Morehouse College National Alumni Assoc. 830 Westview Drive, S.W. Atlanta, Georgia 30314 Office: 404-215-2658 Home: 404-691-3541 hgoodgame@morehouse.edu
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Howard C. Willis ’76 Vice President, Region I Morehouse College National Alumni Assoc. PO Box 428 Talbotton, GA 31827 Office: 706-321-3901 howardc@williscma.com Perry A. Little ’66 Vice President, Region II Morehouse College National Alumni Assoc. 9428 Pebble Glen Avenue Tampa, FL 33647 Home: 813-272-5775 littlepa@fljud13.org James M Boykin II ’81 Vice President, Region III Morehouse College National Alumni Assoc. 8220 Fallen Maple Drive Chattanooga, TN 37421 Home: 423-605-0681 jMBoykinII@aol.com Stuart T. Turner ’86 Vice President, Region IV Morehouse College National Alumni Assoc. 311 Arbor Lane Ambler, PA 19002 Office: 215-542-1590 turnspit@gmail.com Charles H. Neal ’64 Vice President, Region V Morehouse College National Alumni Assoc. 13957 Stahelin Detroit, MI 48223 Home: 313-837-0124 charlesneal101@AOL.com
James D. Henry ’61 General Counsel Morehouse College National Alumni Assoc. 114 St. Andrews Drive, E. Ft. Washington, MD 20744 Home: 301-292-2171 jamesdhenry@msn.com
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REGION I-IX VICE PRESIDENTS
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Jonathan Palmer ’94 Vice President, Region VI Morehouse College National Alumni Assoc. 4100 Sheridan Avenue N Minneapolis, MN. 55403 Home: 612-529-2502 Office: 612-508-5481 jhpalmerjp@aol.com Charlie R. Dean Jr. ’82 Vice President, Region VII Morehouse College National Alumni Assoc. 1699 Wildfire Lane Frisco, TX 75034 Office: 214-441-7052 Home: 972-731-5813 cdean@fhhlc.com Donald E. Long ’64 Vice President, Region VIII Morehouse College National Alumni Assoc. 7950 Alida Street LaMesa, CA 91942 Home: 619-466-0406 Office: 619-388-3265 dlong@sdccd.edu Nashon Hornsby ’93 Vice President, Region IX Morehouse College National Alumni Assoc. 3 Huron Way Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 Home: 609-882-4334 Office: 609-777-7704 nashon.hornsby@doh.state.nj.us
ALBANY CHAPTER Chester A. Taylor ’82 President, Albany Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Association 1008 N. Vanburen Street Albany, Georgia 31701 Cell: 229-296-8001 Chester.Taylor@asurams.edu
SAVANNAH/HILTON HEAD CHAPTER Leonard Law Jr. ’58 President, Savannah/Hilton Head Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Association 9 Bradley Beach Road Hilton Head Island, SC 29928 Home: 843-842-5622 Llawjr58@aol.com
ATHENS CHAPTER Andre E. Bell ’91 President, Athens Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Association PO Box 6762 Athens, Georgia 30604 Cell: 706-549-7428 aebell@charter.net
REGION II CHAPTER PRESIDENTS
ATLANTA CHAPTER Kevin R. McGee ’93 President, Atlanta Chapter PO Box 110095 Atlanta, GA 30311 Cell: 404-790-2963 Home: 770-323-3761 kevinmcgee@hop-hospitality.com
CENTRAL FLORIDA CHAPTER Kenneth J. Thompson ’82 President, Central Florida Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 2517 Madron Court Orlando, FL 32806 Office: 407-867-5133 Home: 407-894-8054 Kennyt76@aol.com
AUGUSTA CHAPTER Solomon W. Walker ’58 Interim President, Augusta Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Association 29 Park Place Circle Augusta, GA 30909 Home: 706-738-4230 Office: 706-721-1896 SOWALKER@mail.mcg.edu BIRMINGHAM CHAPTER Jerome Luke ’79 President, Birmingham Chapter Morehouse College Alumni Association Birmingham Chapter P. O. Box 360072 Hoover, AL 35236 Home: 205-620-1522 Business: 205-5605364 Email: jeromeluke@bellsouth.net COLUMBUS CHAPTER Donald McCarthy ’89 President, Columbus Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Association 6115 Bayberry Drive Columbus, GA 31907 Home: 912-334-3273 dmccarthy@mcsdga.net HUNTSVILLE/NORTH ALABAMA CHAPTER Herman Mixon ’65 President, Huntsville/N. Alabama Chapter 3910 Gardenside Dr., N.W. Huntsville, AL 35810 Phone: 256-859-2359 hermanhuntsvill@aol.com MACON MIDDLE GEORGIA CHAPTER Emory E. Lamar ’66 President, Macon Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 116 White Lane Gray, Georgia 31032 Home: 478-986-1744 Office: 478-986-2090 Emory_Lamar@yahoo.com MOBILE CHAPTER Reginald A. Crenshaw ’78 President, Mobile Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. PO Box 10796 Prichard, Alabama 36610 Home: 334-342-4695 rcrenshaw@bscc.cc.al.us MONTGOMERY/TUSKEGEE CHAPTER Tyrone C. Means ’74 President, Montgomery-Tuskegee Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Association P.O. Box 5058 Home: 334-277-6832 Office: 334-270-1033 tcmeans@trngslaw.com
BROWARD CO. CHAPTER Robert Holmes ’58 1577 NW 7th Avenue Pompano Beach, FL 33060 Home: 954-943-7485 Rholmes1577@msn.com
JACKSONVILLE CHAPTER Anthony Ammons ’84 President, Jacksonville Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 2001 Art Museum Drive, Jacksonville, Florida 32207 Home: 904-262-6177 Office: 904-396-0899 Fax: 904-396-0994 AAmmons@ambancfinancial.com MIAMI – DADE CHAPTER Vacant TAMPA ST. PETERSBURG CHAPTER Perry A. Little ’66 President, Tampa St. Petersburg Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Association 9428 Pebble Glen Avenue Tampa, FL 33647 Home: 813-272-5775 littlepa@fljud13.org TALLAHASSEE CHAPTER Linzie F. Bogan ’88 President, Tallahassee Chapter 1807 Vineland Lane Tallahassee, Florida 32317 Home: 850-656-2278 Email: lfbogan@earthlink.net WEST PALM BEACH CHAPTER Vacant NASSAU BAHAMAS CHAPTER Traver Whylly ’91 President, Nassau Bahamas Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Association Post Office Box N8412 Nassau, Bahamas Office: 242-322-7548/9 Home: 242-322-7373 Pager: 242-380-1518
REGION III CHAPTER PRESIDENTS CHARLOTTE CHAPTER Melvin D. Caldwell ’75 President, Charlotte Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 11312 Treebark Drive Pineville, NC 28134 Home: 704-541-0771 sheerms@aol.com CHATTANOOGA CHAPTER Reginald S. Capers ’79 President, Chattanooga Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 2475 North Briar Circle Chattanooga, Tennessee 37406 Home: 615-899-7807
M O R E H O U S E C O L L E G E N AT I O N A L A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N GREATER COLUMBIA CHAPTER Elliot E. Franks ’56 President, Greater Columbia Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 464 Annondale Road Columbia, South Carolina 29212 Home: 803-781-8542 Office: 803-461-3800 efranks@scjeda.net CHARLESTON CHAPTER Daryl Milligan ’79 President, Charleston Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 200 Meeting Street Bank of America Charleston, S.C. 29401 Office: 843-723-6867 MEMPHIS CHAPTER Douglas G. Scarboro ’97 President, Memphis Chapter 1770 Carr Avenue Memphis, TN 38104 910-726-1355 Dscarboro@leadershipacademy.org NASHVILLE CHAPTER Vacant WINSTON-SALEM CHAPTER Reggie Hunt ’02 President, Winston-Salem Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 3145 Shaftesbury Lane Winston Salem, NC 27105 Office: 336-462-4874 godbody3000@msn.com TRIANGLE CHAPTER Mark J. Simeon ’79 President, Triangle Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 4009 Cottonwood Drive Durham, North Carolina 27705 Home: 919-489-5492 Office: 919-688-6945 mjsimeon@intrex.net GREENSBORO CHAPTER Gerald L. Truesdale ’71 President Greensboro Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 2716 Henry St. Greensboro, North Carolina 27405 Office: 919-274-2757 gtruesdale@gpsa.biz
REGION IV CHAPTER PRESIDENTS BALTIMORE CHAPTER Mark W. Hill ’67 President, Baltimore Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 103 Persimmon Circle Reisterstown, MD 21136 hillm@peercpc.com
RICHMOND METRO CHAPTER Randy Dillard ’75 8235 Tarragon Drive Mechanicsville, VA 23111 Home: 804-569-1616 Office: 804-772-4972 randyd@crosslink.net WASHINGTON, D.C. CHAPTER James D. Henry ’61 President, Washington, D.C. Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 114 St. Andrews Drive, E. Ft. Washington, MD 20744 Home: 301-292-2171 jamesdhenry@msn.com EUROPEAN CHAPTER Richard Allen ’70 President, European Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Association 32, Rue de la Quintinie 75011 Paris France Home: 0145302954 Re_allen@hotmail.com
REGION V CHAPTER PRESIDENTS CHICAGO CHAPTER Darryl Holloway ’83 President, Chicago Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 2345 West 71st Street Chicago, IL. 60636 Home: 773-306-0207 Email: djway1@yahoo.com CINCINNATI CHAPTER Bryan K. Nelson ’93 President, Cincinnati Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 3817 Spring House Lane Cincinnati, OH 45217 Home: 513-961-2006 bryan_k_nelson@yahoo.com CLEVELAND CHAPTER Justin R. Horton ’97 President, Cleveland Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 9835 Country Club Circle Cleveland Heights, OH 44118 Home-216-321-8829 JHorton@Inc.com COLUMBUS CHAPTER Adam K. Troy ’82 President, Columbus Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 340 E. Town St. 8-300 Columbus, Ohio 43215 Home: 614-461-8212 Office: 694-509-6664 omgkkat@aol.com
DELAWARE CHAPTER Ernest R. Council Jr. ’76 4 Beverly Place Wilmington, DE 19809 Home: 302-764-0385 isaih5417@comcast.net
TOLEDO CHAPTER George E. Rice ’95 President, Toldeo Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. P.O. Box 2995 Toledo, Ohio 43606 Home: 419-537-9207 Email: grice@bgnet.bgsu.edu
THE GREATER PHILADELPHIA CHAPTER Freddie R. Rayford ’63 President, Greater Phil Chapter PO Box 52 Eagleville, PA Home: 610-631-5776 frayford@earthlink.net
DETROIT CHAPTER Curtis H.B. Kilpatrick II ’69 President, Detroit Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 16860 Snowden Detroit, MI 48235 Home: 313-345-1935 ckilpat577@aol.com
HAMPTON ROADS CHAPTER Thomas J. Conage ’64 President, Hampton Roads Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 110 Coliseum Crossing #142 Hampton, VA 23666 Office: 757-851-4304 Home: 757-851-4650 tconage@cox.net
MIAMI VALLEY CHAPTER Charles Hall Jr. ’55 President, Miami Valley Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Ass 2800 Olt Road Dayton, Ohio 45418 Home: 513-835-5812 LOUISVILLE CHAPTER Vacant
INDIANAPOLIS CHAPTER James A. Duke ’90 President, Indianapolis Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 4042 N. Graham Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46226 Office: 317-487-5249 Fax: 317-487-5034 jamesd@indy.net
REGION VI CHAPTER PRESIDENTS ST. LOUIS CHAPTER A.K. Turner ’95 President, St. Louis Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Association 2007 Wilbert Drive St. Louis, MO 63136 Office: 314-276-4078 Home: 314-868-4930 MINNESOTA CHAPTER Jonathan Palmer ’94 President, Minnesota Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Association 4100 Sheridan Avenue N Minneapolis, MN. 55403 Home: 612-529-2502 Office: 612-673-5016 jhpalmerjp@aol.com KANSAS CITY METROPOLITAN AREA CHAPTER Keith A. Cutler ’86 President, Kansas City Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Association Post Office Box 414587 Kansas City, Missouri 64141-4587 Office: 816-471-8575 Home: 816-523-0729 CutlerEsq@aol.com MILWAUKEE CHAPTER Edward Ward ’80 President, Milwaukee Chapter 6551 North 56th Street Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53223 Home: 414-353-5837
REGION VII CHAPTER PRESIDENTS HOUSTON CHAPTER Antoy J. Bell ’00 Interim President, Houston Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 9219 Sorrento Ct. Humble, TX 77396 Home: 281-788-5217 Aug02@hotmail.com JACKSON CHAPTER Alfred Junior ’60 President, Jackson Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 1775 Oakland Avenue Jackson, MS 39213 Home: 601-366-2062 Office: 601-923-3930 ajunior@hehia.org NEW ORLEANS CHAPTER James Wallace ’58 President, New Orleans Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 7016 Lake Wilow Drive New Orleans, LA 70126 Office: 504-734-4570 Home: 504-246-6656 jawallace@home.com AUSTIN CHAPTER Edward Hill, III ’90 President, Austin Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 17005 Bishopsgate Drive Pflugerville, TX 78660 Office: 512-343-7297 Home: 512-310-2116 edhill@alumni.utexas.net
DALLAS CHAPTER Ronald L. Jeans ’91 President, Dallas Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 3013 Penstemon Court Garland, Texas 75049 972-530-6826 rljeans@comcast.net
SEATTLE CHAPTER Shaun A. Spearmon ’01 President, Seattle Chapter Morehouse College National Alumni Assoc. 4020 NE 4th Place Renton, WA 98056 Home: 425-430-1209 sspearmon@gmail.com
SAN ANTONIO CHAPTER Vacant
REGION IX CHAPTER PRESIDENTS
BATON ROUGE CHAPTER Vacant
REGION VIII CHAPTER PRESIDENTS GREATER LOS ANGELES CHAPTER Eric D. Rice ’95 President, Los Angeles Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 8208 New Hampshire #2 Los Angeles, CA 90044 Home: 323-752-9149 erice008@gmail.com DENVER CHAPTER Kristopher M. Colley ’78 President, Denver Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 24671 E. Park Crescent Drive Aurora, CO 80016 Office: 303-330-0260 Home: 303-355-6281 KARLADCOLLEGE@HOTMAIL.COM SAN DIEGO AREA CHAPTER Anthony R. Haile ’01 President, San Diego Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 4414 Alabama Street #1 San Diego, CA 92116 Home: 510-710-7783 anthony_haile@yahoo.com SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA CHAPTER Tadd O. Scott ’91 President, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 322 Hanover Ave #304 Oakland,, CA 94606 Home: 510-593-7461 Office: 7075563510 taddscott@hotmail.com
BROOKLYN QUEENS LONG ISLAND CHAPTER President, Brooklyn-Queens-Long Island Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. P.O. Box 681 New York, NY 10009 Office: 212-240-3225 391044@dfa.state.ny.us GREATER CONNECTICUT-RI CHAPTER Charles Turner, Jr. ’59 President, Connecticut Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc 45 Glen Road New Haven, CT 06511 Home: 203-776-0117 eturner@uncf.org GREATER BOSTON CHAPTER Sean Keenan Daughtry ’93 President, Boston Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 9 Beech Glen Street Roxbury, MA 02119 617-989-9735 skd@gbmcaa.org MANHATTAN CHAPTER Lamarr R. Jones ’98 President, Manhattan Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 221 DeKalb Avenue #4 Brooklyn, New York, NY 11205 Home: 917-519-5790 Lamaarr.jones@ufafilm.com NORTHERN NEW JERSEY CHAPTER Jameel A. Scott ’05 President, Northern New Jersey Chapter Morehouse National Alumni Assoc. 622 E. Curtis Street Linden, NJ 07036 Home: 908-486-2566 jameel_scott@yahoo.com
Save the Dates OPENING CONVOCATION September 20, 2007 • King Chapel HOMECOMING WEEK October 14-21, 2007 141st FOUNDER'S DAY CONVOCATION February 14, 2008 • King Chapel THE INAUGURATION OF THE TENTH PRESIDENT OF MOREHOUSE COLLEGE DR. ROBERT M. FRANKLIN '75 SYMPOSIUM February 14, 2008 • King Chapel THE INAUGURATION CEREMONY February 15, 2008 • King Chapel REFLECTIONS OF EXCELLENCE February 16, 2007 • King Chapel A CANDLE IN THE DARK GALA & INAUGURAL BALL February 16, 2008 • Hyatt Regency
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Lottie Louise Bailey Harris is one of the approximately 26 female graduates of Morehouse College who were enrolled at the College between 1929 and 1936. The former public school teacher received her degree in 1931. She is the wife of fellow alumnus James Buchannan Harris '25. Courtesy of Morehouse College Archives
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