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CENTENNIAL SPECIAL EDITION ~ MAY 15, 2010
Campus Echo 100 YEARS OF TRUTH AND SERVICE Our stories told F
ellow Eagles, family and friends, in your hands you hold a piece of history connected to this Centennial year. In the search for N. C. Central University’s past, the Campus Echo m e r e l y scratched the surface. There are Carlton countless stoKoonce of Editor-in-Chief ries NCCU’s rich history since its humble founding 100 years ago. It would be next to impossible to record all the tales of strength, perseverance and bravery that have played out on this prestigious campus. These pages contain only a few of these stories. It is a sampling of people, ideas and situations. From founder James E. Shepard’s early struggles and triumphs to establish his dream for AfricanAmericans, to this year’s centennial festivities, we have tried to capture a sense of the significance of NCCU’s Centennial. Some of the stories here hold painful memories; others hold the promise of a brighter tomorrow. All the University’s stories, told and untold, challenge us to revisit and to remember the long dusty road that has been the trail from slavery to freedom. It has been an honor to serve as the Campus Echo’s Centennial editor-in-chief and for our staff to share this history with all Eagles, near and far. We hope this edition compels you to research more University history so that future alumni may continue to fly high. As we look forward to the next century, the Campus Echo asks everyone to join us in remembering.
NCCU CELEBRATES A CENTURY OF GROWTH
Origins explored BY BRITNEY ROOKS ECHO OPINIONS EDITOR
A newly renovated campus courtyard is symbolic of constant progress at NCCU over the century. The renovation is part of an ongoing beautification effort.
Both the struggle and the character of N.C. Central University’s founding days are revealed in recent archival documents provided to the Campus Echo. The documents, provided courtesy of the Rockefeller Archive Center in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., offer a fascinating account of NCCU’s first two decades: from its days as the National Religious Training School and Chautauqua in 1910 to its transformation into the National Training School, then to the state-supported Durham State Normal School, and then to the North Carolina College for Negroes. The documents include founder James E. Shepard’s correspondence, various appeals for financial support and Rockefeller General Education Board reports. The documents tell the story of the institution’s early financial struggles, its religious foundation, and its philosophy of education. NCCU began as a normal school — a school that trains high school graduates to become teachers. One 1921 document provides Shepard’s background: He graduated from Shaw University in 1894 at the age of 19. He was employed as a pharmacist in Durham, worked for the Internal Revenue Service, and was appointed General Field Secretary of the International Sunday School Association in 1905. In a 1909 handwritten appeal for support to a Dr. Wallace Buttrick of New Jersey, Shepard writes, “There can be no question that if such institutions are needed for the white race … that to a greater degree ... one would be of much help to the colored race.”
ASHLEY ROQUE/Echo staff photographer
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Family affairs, NCCU shares ‘sha TAW BY ASHLEY GRIFFIN ECHO ASSISTANT EDITOR
“The roaring 20s” conjures images of jazz legends like Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. Then the good times came to an end and the Great Depression loomed. At the North Carolina College for Negroes, a family tradition was being born. The Williams clan boasts eleven N. C. Central University alumni including aunts, cousins and great-aunts. The first of the clan was Beulah “Gigi” Luvenia Kearney-Williams, who arrived in 1928. She established a family tradition that continues to this day. Kearney-Williams, now
99, is one of NCCU’s oldest alumni. She graduated 75 years ago with a degree in accounting. Tuition, room and board then cost $300. Born in 1910, KearneyWilliams grew up in the rural town of Franklinton, N.C. where she spent most of her childhood helping her sharecropper father in the field. Her mother was the cook for white plantation owners. Although KearneyWilliams’ parents were not well-educated, they dreamed that their children would attend college. At 18, Kearney-Williams arrived at North Carolina College for Negroes in Durham where she and her father were greeted by
kwa’ BY DIVINE MUNYENGETERWA ECHO STAFF REPORTER
Beulah ‘Gigi’ Luvenia Kearney-Williams, 99, started a family tradition in 1928 when she enrolled in the North Carolina College for Negroes, now NCCU. BRYSON POPE/Echo staff photographer founder and president James E. Shepard. Kearney-Williams said
she could remember Shepard’s approach as “kind and heart-warming.”
“He was a nice-looking man,” she said.
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When you read that N.C. Central University was instituted in 1910 as the National Religious Training School Chautauqua, you might wonder: “What exactly does this ‘Chautauqua’ mean? “It translates into ‘meeting place,’” said Terry Huff, coordinator of University Dimensions of Learning. The idea behind the Chautauqua summer-camp movement, which was rooted in Christian instruction and popular education, was to bring culture, lectures, plays, music and education to rural and small-town America.
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Exile and trial of the Campus Echo A 1973 federal appeals court reinstated student paper after two-year hiatus BY ASHLEY ROQUE ECHO STAFF REPORTER
The September 1971 memo from then-Chancellor Albert N. Whiting was clear enough: “I am here announcing that all funds for the publication of the Campus Echo have been temporarily suspended …” The chancellor’s memo threatened to permanently suspend University sponsorship of the Campus Echo unless a consensus could be reached with the Campus Echo editor regarding “standard journalistic criteria.” Another University-sponsored edition of the Campus Echo would not appear until the fall of 1973. During the intervening two years, the matter was tried first in district courts and then in federal appeals courts. When the dust finally settled, the Campus Echo’s editor-in-chief, Johnnie Edward “Jae” Joyner, and SGA president Harvey White were the victors in one of the nation’s landmark cases in student press law. The case, officially titled Joyner v. Whiting, ruled that the University had violated the First Amendment by cutting funding for the Campus Echo. In a 3-1 ruling, the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond overturned the lower court’s ruling in favor of Whiting with the following: “We reverse [the lower court’s decision] because the president’s irrevocable withdrawal of financial support from the Echo and the court’s decree reinforcing this action abridge the freedom of the press in violation of the First Amendment.” Joyner, recalling the verdict, said his first reaction was relief. “I just sat down in the stairwell and cried,” he said. Since the verdict, Joyner
Left: Headline of Sept. 16, 1971 Campus Echo that led to Chancellor Whiting to cut fund for the newspaper. Right: Headline of 1973 Campus Echo announcing reinstatement of the newspaper following victory in federal appeals court.. Courtesy of NCCU Archives
“We reverse [the lower court’s decision] because the president’s irrevocable withdrawal of financial support from the Echo and the court’s decree reinforcing this action abridge the freedom of the press in violation of the First Amendment.” FOURTH CIRCUIT U.S. COURT v. Whiting has been repeatedly cited, according to Mike Hiestand, an attorney and legal consultant for the national Student Press Law Center, which is dedicated to protecting the free speech of students. “Any sort of case involving college press laws definitely has Joyner v. Whiting as support for the defense of college students’ freedom of speech,” said Hiestand. The trouble began with the September 16, 1971 issue of the Campus Echo. The front-page banner headline read: IS NCCU STILL A BLACK SCHOOL [sic]. The headline to the top story read: LOOK AND YOU SHALL SEE. No byline is given to the writer of the article –— which reads more like an editorial than a news story — but court documents indicate that the story was written by Joyner. In the article, Joyner expresses his concern that too many white students are attending NCCU. “There is a rapidly growing white population on our
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campus,” he writes. “Black students on this campus have never made it clear to those people that we are indeed separate from them … and wish to remain so ... and until we assume the role of a strong, proud people we will continue to be co-opted.” White students, he writes, are getting “special privileges” and “don’t have to stand in long registration lines.” And now, he writes, whites are “teaching us.” “Our institutions are being taken away from us,” writes Joyner. He supports his case with a quotation from civil rights activist H. Rap Brown: “‘I do what I must out of the love for my people. My will is to fight. Resistance is not enough. Aggression is the order of the day.’” Page two of the edition includes this announcem e n t : “AT T E N T I O N : Beginning next issue The Campus Echo will not run white advertising.” The edition’s Afro-centricism is highlighted by the Campus Echo nameplate, on
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which the words “Campus” and “Echo” are separated with an image of Africa and the word “KoKayi”— summoner of the people. The article ends with: “Now will you tell me, whose institution is NCCU? Theirs? Or Ours?” Elsewhere, Joyner had announced that only black students would be allowed to work at the Campus Echo. Chancellor Albert Whiting’s response was swift. In a memo announcing that University funding would be cut from the paper, he wrote that the September 16 issue of the Campus Echo didn’t meet “standard journalistic criteria” and that it didn’t “represent fairly the full spectrum of views on this campus.” He said that Joyner’s article was full of “racial divisiveness and antagonism.” Whiting, who had been advised by North Carolina’s attorney general that the University could lose federal funding, stated that Joyner was promoting segregation and that he violated equal protection guaranteed
by the Fourteenth Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. “The point that I wish to make,” wrote Whiting in the memorandum, “is that as a State-Supported Institution especially, but also in terms of what is morally and legally right, this institution is not a ‘Black University’ and does not intend to become one.” In a recent interview, Whiting said, “The schools were already integrated when Joyner became the editor. Joyner was violating the law by not allowing white students to write for the Echo.” Immediately after Whiting cut funding, students began picketing in front of his home. Whiting’s decision to cut funding, students began picketing in front of his home. Whiting’s decision to cut funding was backed by the UNC Board of Governors. The case became a showdown between free speech, protected by the First
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CHAUTAUQUA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 At their peak year in 1924, Chautauquas appeared in about 10,000 communities and served roughly 45 million Americans. The Chautauquas, which originated in Chautauqua, New York, would often set up tents beside lakes or in groves. Former president Theodore Roosevelt described the Chautauqua movement as “the most American thing in America.” According to historians, the Chautauqua movement is best viewed within the context of late-19th-century populism’s concern for the common man and disdain for political corruption. The first Chautauqua was an assembly to train Sunday school teachers in western New York in 1874. Over the years, Chautauquas became less centered on religious instruction. “The earliest classes included upholstery, salesmanship and printing,” said Huff. According to Huff, vocational courses were later added to teach skills like cement work and cloth dyeing. “Once the Circuits were established, there was nothing during their heyday that evoked the excitement and promise of summer more than the coming of the brown tent,” writes Chautauqua chronicler Charlotte Canning. An 1891 Chautauqua program promised to give “the college outlook on life.” While the Chautauquas were oriented to whites, some travelling assemblies included African-American gospel singers, giving some whites a rare opportunity to witness black culture. The Chautauqua circuit died out during the Great Depression, with a few of the assemblies remaining until the mid-1940s.
ORIGINS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
N.C. Central University as it looked in 1917. Courtesy of NCCU Archives
James E. Shepard.
The appeal is accompanied by testimonials from Theodore Roosevelt and Durham Mayor W.J. Griswold. “Your plan is certainly an admirable one, as you intend to supplement the industrial
and higher education of your people by a special religious training,” wrote Roosevelt. Griswold wrote that the school would be “a great help to the educational, moral and religious uplifting of the colored race.”
There’s also the account of the financial crisis of 1915 when the school, described as “badly involved financially,” was sold at auction to the Golden Belt Realty Company. But in 1916 the school, which consisted of 34 acres
and nine buildings, was bought back for about $42,000. Key to the repurchase was a $25,000 donation from New York philanthropist Mrs. Margaret Olivia Russell Sage. In today’s dollars the donation would be equal to $500,000. “We owe a great deal to Mrs. Russell Sage,” said Andre Vann, current University archivist. “Without that contribution the school would have, in essence, closed its doors.” Over her lifetime Sage, founder of the Russell Sage Foundation, gave $120,000 — about $2.5 million in today’s dollars — to support the college in its early days. In 1923 the state of North Carolina purchased the school for $80,000 and assumed its $50,000 debt. In documents recounting that transition from the
National Training School to the Durham State Normal School for Negroes, the school’s philosophy of education and rules are itemized. “The institution stands for a sound Christian character, a sound body, a trained mind, and a well-directed industrial training,” says one document. Profanity, pool playing, dancing between the sexes, and leaving the grounds without permission were prohibited. Students were limited to participation in two campus organizations; two hours of Bible study were required each week. Students failing to provide a minimum of 28 hours work at the school had to pay the school 10¢ for each hour they did not work. ---------------------------------Dr. Wallace Buttrick Teaneck Road Englewood, N.J. Dear Sir: The helping hand which you have always extended to help the Negro race along educational lines, has prompted a well wisher in the cause I represent to suggest to me that I write and ask your help in the
establishment of the "National Religious Training School and Chautauqua for the Colored Race" at Hillsboro, N.C. The testimonials enclosed (including one from the Vice President of the United States) are guarantees that this project has been well considered and has the support and encouragement of some of the leading men of the country. There can be no question that if such Institutions are needed for the white race whose opportunities for self improvement are unlimited, that to a greater degree, in comparison, one will be of much help to the colored race. My work for many years as General Secretary of the International Sunday School Association has given me special facilities to know of what practical benefit such an institution would be in the uplift of my race. I sincerely hope this undertaking will meet with your sympathy and that you will help us in our effort for so worthy an object. Any information you may require I will be glad to give. If you so desire, I shall call and see you on my next visit to New York. Yours very respectfully, James E. Shepard
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Two former Campus Echo editors look back Echoes of NCCU, Durham history
54 years later, Echo editor reflects Former editor pushed students, faculty to take activist stance
1945 alumna shares her memories of University’s past
Yearbook photo of former editor-in-chief, Mary Jean McKissick Photo Courtesy of NCCU Archives
BY CARLTON KOONCE ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Try to imagine N. C. Central University and Durham on a spring day in June about 65 years ago. World War II is in its last days, Durham is considered the Black Wall Street and the North Carolina College for Negroes is holding its 20th commencement. The school’s motto: “I serve.” It’s 1945 and Mary Jean McKissick McNeill, known then as “Kissie,” is graduating. McNeill, now 84, was one of 102 in her graduating class. McNeill had served the 1944-45 academic year as the editor of the Campus Echo. “John Hope Franklin taught Negro history,” said McNeill, a resident of Durham who retired here after teaching for much of her adult life in Washington, D.C. at Eastern and Anacostia High Schools. “He taught history from slavery to freedom. Like the name of the book,” she said. “I made an A in it and I loved it.” If you’ve ever wondered where the name for the Fa r r i s o n - N e w t o n Communication Building came from, McNeill has the answer. She studied under Pauline Newton, the chair of the speech department and W. E. Farrison, the chair of the English depart-
ment. “I would study the dictionary for Pauline Newton’s class,” said McNeill shaking her head. “They were my teachers, but became my co-workers.” A member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., McNeill grew up in Asheville and relocated to Durham to attend James Shepard’s North Carolina College for Negroes. She received a bachelor’s degree in English and library sciences. McNeill’s grandfathers were ministers and in those days, every student was required to attend vespers, sermons or prayers on Sundays. She also sang in the choir at B. N. Duke Auditorium. “There were Sunday school classes in the administration hall that were well attended,” said McNeill. “Not many attended the Holy Cross Church. There were not many black Catholics in the South back then.” McNeill’s dormitory was the original Chidley Hall, now Rush Hall, located off of Fayetteville Street at the campus main entrance. At the time, tuition, room and board ran in the hundreds, not thousands of dollars. The largest scholarship available from the University was for $500. McNeill said the school had many inspiring speakers and visitors, including ministers, actresses and
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Shirley Temple James-Holliday led the Campus Echo in 1956. An active student on campus, Holliday started NCCU’s first NAACP chapter. NEKA JONES/Echo staff photographer
“We paid $546 for room, board and everything. The Echo was in the library on the first floor back then, before they built the porch. We had two desks and two typewriters, one for the advisor and one for the editor.” SHIRLEY TEMPLE JAMES-HOLLIDAY 1956 CAMPUS ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
BY CARLTON KOONCE ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The 1950s were a dynamic time on the campus of North Carolina College at Durham. As a center of learning for colored people throughout the South, the College attracted a variety of students who would go on to become future educators and community activists. Shirley Temple JamesHolliday, the 1956 editor of the Campus Echo newspaper, recently dusted off her memories of Chuck Berry, B. B. King and Billie Holiday to share with present-day Eagles. “I was the hostess for Louis Armstrong and his wife when they came to campus in the spring of 1956,” said Holliday. “That was a memory.” Holliday remembers N. C. Central University legends Sam Jones, who
played for the Boston Celtics, Tex Harrison of the Harlem Globetrotters, and actors Robert Cheek and Ivan Dixon. She also remembers learning to swim in the pool at the old women’s gymnasium, located in what is now the Student Services building. “The only things that were here when I was were four dorms and four other buildings,” she said, “that was it.” “We still had mandatory vespers [church sermons] on Sundays and had to sit in assigned seats in B. N. Duke Auditorium,” said Holliday. She said the services were stopped because they eventually ran out of seats. Holliday said that aside from vespers she didn’t have much time for extracurricular activities. “I didn’t have time to watch TV because I was in
charge of the student United Way on campus and I would go on TV to talk about money we had raised. It wasn’t much,” she said. “The Echo was in the library on the first floor back then, before they built the porch.” “We had two desks and two typewriters, one for the advisor and one for the editor.” The year that Holliday was editor, the Campus Echo won an “Excellent” rating from the Associated Collegiate Press. She also was the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority representative to the PanHellenic Council and a member of the National Social Science Honor Society, Pi Gamma Mu. “I had to set type and I had to get special permission from the dean of women, Dean Latham, to stay out past 9 p.m. If you broke curfew you could get
kicked out,” said Holliday. “We had to go to the Service Printing Company on Pettigrew to print back then.” By college, Holliday already knew a little something about working hard. As a child in Jamesville, in rural Eastern North Carolina, Holliday worked in tobacco and chopped peanuts as well as working in her father’s restaurant. Holliday’s adviser at the Echo was Horace Dawson, professor of English. She and her staff of about six people. including the sports editor and an arts editor, put the paper together. Back then, the Campus Echo was six pages long and covered news that affected African Americans. Holliday also wrote editorials; she received $50 a
raises a few concerns about the campus today. Rogers said she believes the administration should focus more on students and less on “politics.” “They must be reminded that they have jobs here because of these students,” said Kaye Rogers. “We need to focus on graduating more graduates from HBCUs. A lot of the time students get frustrated with all the extra things from the administration and they end up leaving.” Today Gigi’s granddaughter, Jean Rogers, who received her B.A. in mass communication from NCCU in 2006, is working on her master’s degree in speech pathology. She transferred to NCCU after a year at Howard University. “When I arrived at Howard University, I was very unhappy,” said Rogers. “The people weren’t that friendly. I decided to leave and come to NCCU.” “Coming to NCCU meant a
lot to me,” she said. “When I transferred here my grandmother was so happy with my choice. I had to leave to get an appreciation for it.” “My grandmother was smart and very good in math,” said Jean Rogers. “She spent a lot of time helping her father read documents and helped him with math so he wouldn’t get cheated by the white landowners,” she said. Another family member, Jean Rogers’ cousin Amura Cameron, also joined the family tradition and graduated in 2007 with a B.A. She will graduate this year with a master’s degree in psychology. “For me NCCU has been a stepping stone and has branched together new friendships, cultural and social experiences that I would not have received anywhere else,” said Cameron. “There’s security in feeling like it is home because it is a familiar place.”
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NCCU graduate student Jean Rogers with her grandmother Beulah ‘Gigi’ Kearney-Williams. Kearney-Williams came to NCCU in 1928. Rogers graduates May 15, 2010. Photo Courtesy of the Williams Family
“He was a good man in many ways to me, the students and his faculty.” Once Kearney-Williams told Shepard of her family’s
financial situation, Shepard was able to provide her with jobs on campus to pay for her tuition, room and board. Some of those jobs consist-
ed of washing dishes in the dining hall, ironing, cleaning residence halls and cleaning and catering for the Shepard home.
Next in line to attend NCCU was Kearney-Williams’ daughter Kaye Rogers. Kaye Rogers, KearneyWilliams’ youngest daughter, was one of the first African American students to integrate Durham High School, now Durham School of the Arts. She came to NCCU to earn her master’s degree in education because it was convenient after she married and had children. Kaye Rogers is a graduate of the class of 1975. “My mother influenced my decision to come to NCCU,” she said . “The small campus, the small-town atmosphere and the professors here are truly concerned with giving the students the best education,” she said. “My graduate school experience was wonderful, the professors were inspiring and motivating to me, and I really enjoyed my experience there,” said Kaye Rogers. Although she praises NCCU on some subjects, she
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‘Fly high’
NCCU tops Named best public HBCU
1959 alumna brings past and present into focus BY AMARACHI ANAKARAONYE ECHO STAFF REPORTER
June 2, 1959 was the 45th annual commencement of the N.C. College at Durham, now N.C. Central University. That year’s class completed its secondary education in an era of legalized discrimination, and without the efficiencies of modern technology. Most students cannot imagine life without cell phones, computers, iPods and Facebook — but past alumni paved the way without these “necessities.” Among the graduates that year was Mattie Giles, convocation speaker of NCCU’s 62nd annual Founder’s Day. A major in sociology with a double minor in education and library science, Giles is a retired professor of social work at the University of the District of Columbia. “I am grateful for all the University has done for me and countless others,” said Giles on Friday. Giles said she was particularly honored to be the convocation speaker during NCCU’s centennial year. She said NCCU graduates were stronger and wiser and
Mattie Giles, 1959 alumna, at Founder’s Day Convocation, October 2010. BRANDI MYERS/Echo staff photographer
more educated because of the University’s founder. “Dr. Shepard made it possible, no matter the school’s name.” Giles’ convocation speech connected the rich past of NCCU with the present state of the institution. She recounted her freshman year at the N.C. College at Durham with pride.
BY AMARACHI ANAKARAONYE
of founder James E. Shepard, Giles earned 55 cents an hour for workstudy in the James E. Shepard Memorial Library. She told the audience about a Mr. Alston and his dog, who constituted “the one-man, one-dog, onenightstick” campus security force from 1954 to 1959. “For us to look where we’re going, we’ve got to look where we’ve been and from whence we’ve come,” she said. Giles discussed the prejudices of the Jim Crow era and social activism. She and her peers were involved in civil rights sitins and boycotted downtown Durham department stores and diners. Education offered them an escape from the shortcomings of society as well as the tools to combat it. “Education allowed us to get away from picking cotton, harvesting tobacco, working in mills and working in white folks’ homes for minimum wage,” she said. “Be well, carry the torch and fly high,” said Giles, closing her speech. Giles expressed appreciation to Dr. James E. Shepard. “For his vision, dedication, tenacity and courage, we are stronger, wiser and more educated individuals,” she said.
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In its centennial year N.C. Central University has been ranked the top public HBCU in the nation. U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Colleges 2010” also ranked NCCU 10th out of 80 public and private historically black colleges and universities. Private HBCUs took the top nine rankings. “I think it’s good,”said Ainsley Owens, president of the Greensboro chapter of the NCCU Alumni Association, Inc. Owens graduated from NCCU in 1999 with a B.A. in political science and a B.S. in criminal justice. “It speaks well on our current academic program,” said Owens, “and on the strength of past administrations. NCCU has something to offer that is equal to other prestigious HBCUs.” This is the third consecutive year U.S. News and World Report has ranked undergraduate programs at HBCUs. NCCU has risen through the rankings from #30 in 2008 and #15 in 2009 to its current rank. “I was impressed,” said biology freshman Nzingha Saunders. “I felt like I made the right choice about where to go. Being the top public HBCU is very impressive.”
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Jean “Kissie” McKissick McNeill reflects on her days as a Campus Echo editor-in-chief. ASHLEY GRIFFIN/Echo staff photographer
actors. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor were among the visitors. “The biggest story I reported was the death of Roosevelt,” said McNeill. “It was sad.” President Roosevelt died in April 1945. He had held office for four terms and had seen America through the Great Depression and much of World War II. According to McNeill, most men were serving in the war and very few men were seen on campus. “Sororities and frats had little things going on like service projects and good deeds,” she said. McNeill described NCCU founder James E. Shepard as “straightlaced and no-nonsense.” She said he was forced to be cautious as the leader of a state-supported black college. “Dr. Shepard didn’t want to rock the boat,” she said. “He was stern but fair, and I admired him greatly.” As editor of the Campus Echo, McNeill said her biggest worry was printing something that would offend Shepard. “It wasn’t fear, just respect,” said McNeill. “Young people respected their elders then.” Then, each issue of the Campus Echo was about four pages. The adviser, Isador Oglesby, was a business teacher. McNeill said about 20 students worked on the Campus Echo, but usually about 10 helped during
She recalled the humiliation of wearing “beanies,” or skull caps, to signify freshman classification, and witnessing the vocal gift of her classmate, Shirley Caesar, at the freshman talent show. “What a difference time, need and resources make,” said Giles. Under the guidance of Marjorie Shepard, daughter
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production nights. “We didn’t have a large budget, but Dr. Shepard wanted to promote the paper,” she said. “If we published once a month, we were doing OK.” Shepard approached her about working at NCCU just before she graduated. “He said, ‘Ms. McKissick, you’ve done well here. Come back for your master’s and we’ll give you a job.’ ” And this is exactly what she did. McKissick earned her master’s degree in English in 1954 and taught English and speech for about 10 years while living on Rosewood Street and raising a family. After teaching at NCCU, McNeill moved to Washington, D.C., where she taught high school. While McNeill was teaching in the 1950s, NCCU was called N.C. College at Durham. Durham’s black society and economy were flourishing. “Anyone who was anyone in black society came to Durham in those days,” she said. “There were so many negro entrepreneurs operating businesses in town, then — the Mechanics and Farmers Bank, movie theatres — we had everything we needed.” McNeill also witnessed and supported the first stirring of the civil rights movement. “It was a different time and place,” she said. “NCCU students would
meet secretly with Duke and UNC students to discuss plans for the movement.” McNeill said the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. met with her brother, Floyd McKissick, about training people for sit-ins and preparing them in case they were jailed. “They taught people how to stay passive, take blows and trained them to deal with abuse,” she said. “There were no baseball bats. You went in with just the good Lord on one shoulder and an angel on the other.” McNeill also lent her support to students organizing the historic June 23, 1957 Royal Ice Cream Parlor sit-in in Durham. This sit-in was the first of several historic sit-ins that occurred in North Carolina. The parlor, once located at the corner of Roxboro and Dowd streets had a side door on Dowd Street that had a separate window to serve blacks, while the main entrance on Roxboro Street was used by whites. The sit-in, organized to defy Jim Crow laws that enforced segregation, was led by Rev. Douglas Moore, who went on to become the first North Carolina delegate to Southern Christian Leadership Council. Moore is credited with helping to convince Martin Luther King, Jr. to adopt a non-confrontational policy to American apartheid. The parlor is now home to Union Independence School, a tuition-free, fully endowed private elementary school serving Northeast Central Durham. McNeill, a selfdescribed Obama fanatic, said she wants young people to “know their history” and “be ambitious.” “Have value and respect for all the efforts our forefathers put forth to put us where we are today,” she said. She said too many young people place athletics above higher goals. “Times change, conditions change, people change. “Do what’s demanded for the times.”
HBCUs ranked in the top five were Spelman College, Howard University, Morehouse College, Fisk University and Xavier University of Louisiana, respectively. In North Carolina, Elizabeth City State University was ranked 11, Winston-Salem State University 17, and N.C. A&T State University 25. “That’s so awesome, considering we’ve outranked other private universities,” said jazz studies freshman Deena Murrell. “I’m proud we’re in the company of such prestigious institutions,” said Murrell. “I feel like we’re in the Ivy League of HBCUs.” Public universities are typically ranked lower than private universities because the ranking methodology gives substantial “points” for student selectivity based on SAT and ACT scores. Additionally, larger class sizes, lower retention rates, and smaller endowments lower rankings are higher at public universities. “We are taking a moment to appreciate this good news, but only a moment,” said Chancellor Charlie Nelms in an NCCU press release. “Our objective is to become even stronger.” Students like Murrell are still excited. “I feel like we’re in the Ivy League of HBCUs,” said Murrell.
James-Holliday, 1956 Campus Echo editor-in chief, with Robert Perry (left) and Dr. Alfonso Elder (right). Photo Courtesy of Shirley Temple James-Holliday
month for her services. Holliday said students should take pride in what past students built. One of the most memorable stories Holliday published was the 1956 summer Olympic trials, in which N. C. College student Lee Calhoun qualified for the Melbourne, Australia Olympics. Calhoun won gold medals in the 110 m hurdles in the 1956 and 1960 Olympics, the first Olympic athlete to do so. The Echo ran many stories about desegregation at that time, following the Brown versus Board of Education decision of 1954. “Martin Luther King came to Hillside in ’55 but no one went. I couldn’t get anyone to go,” said Holliday. She also had trouble persuading professors to participate in civil rights boycotts. “They said lots of things were tried and nothing still worked.” Holliday said one day a white man with a group called ‘Democrats in Action’ came to campus to try to get students to organize. “Dr. Elder said students could lose funding from the state legislature for becoming involved in politics. “Dr. Dawson told me to just ‘let it go’ so I did.” Holliday said she and her mother, Iona James, were
interested in the NAACP, and in 1954 Holliday went to an NAACP convention in Dallas. It was after this meeting that she started the first NAACP chapter at the University; about 15 students would meet in the old law building to discuss integration and voting. The old law building, where the William Jones Building now stands, burned down around this time under suspicious circumstances. “We were warned to stay away from UNC and Duke or we would be arrested,” said Holliday. “Period.” Holliday said she wanted to use the Campus Echo to promote the NAACP but that then-Chancellor Elder told Holliday that she could not do that. “I told them this paper was just mental Pablum because I couldn’t write anything controversial,” she said. Holliday explained that Pablum was the name of an infant cereal food during the 1930s. Holliday said one day a professor told her, “Your name is in the McCarthy papers.” The McCarthy papers were a list of names of suspected communists operating in the U.S. during the period known as the Red Scare. She said she had met a
man whom she only remembered as “Nathaniel” in Texas who happened to be a member of the North Carolina Communist Party. “I didn’t know him,” she said. “We just met. I didn’t know anything about it.” “My mother said I wouldn’t be able to get a job in North Carolina because of it.” After graduation, Holliday went to Simmons College in Boston, where she earned a master’s degree in library science because at the time NCCU was not accredited. From there, she moved to Rhode Island, where she bought her first house for $5,500 and a $500 down payment. She worked at a library for five years and then lived in New York City for 30 years where she worked at Morris High School in the Bronx, the high school of Gen. Colin Powell (ret.). In 1992, Holliday moved to Creedmoor, N.C., where she still resides. Holliday said students should work hard and stay focused in order to develop a career. “Regardless of your grades, take instructions, follow instructions, and see a job through,” said Holliday. Anything worth having you have to work hard for it.”
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Campus Echo SATURDAY, MAY 15, 2010
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ART OF ALUMNUS ERNIE BARNES’ TAKES CENTERSTAGE DURING CENTENNIAL YEAR
In this 1994 painting, almunus Ernie Barnes captures the jubilation and spirit of an N.C. Central University Homecoming. As part of NCCU’s Homecoming and Centennial celebration, his art was on display in the University art museum last fall. Barnes, who died last April at the age of 70, has bequeathed his art and books to NCCU. “Homecoming” ~ Courtesy Ernie Barnes Estate
CARLTON KOONCE ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The art of alumnus Ernie Barnes was the centerpiece of N.C. Central University’s homecoming and centennial celebration. His art, which he called neo-Mannerist in style, has been described as unequaled in the world of modern art. Throughout his artistic career, Barnes focused on African-American culture and the world of sports. In his obituary — Barnes died last April — the New York Times described his work as “kinetic and often vividly bright.” The Los Angeles Times described his sports paintings as “haunting portraits of agility, strength, and the emotional cost of fierce competition.” A notable feature of his art is that his characters often have their eyes closed. “We don’t see each other. We are blind to each other’s humanity,” he often said. “Sugar Shack,” was his most famous painting and was used for Marvin Gaye’s 1976 album “I Want You.” Barnes said inspiration for the painting came from the memory of being refused admittance to a dance as a child. Barnes was the behind-
the-scenes artist of Jimmy Walker’s character J.J. on the 1970s TV series “Good Times,” and his work appeared on the closing credits of the show. Barnes was born in Durham on July 15, 1938. His mother was a domestic and his father a clerk with a Durham tobacco firm. His mother, Fannie Mae, encouraged him to express himself artistically. As a child Barnes was timid and overweight. He would draw to escape bullies, but he lifted weights in high school, slimmed down, and became captain of the football team. He attended NCCU, then called North Carolina College of Durham, on a football scholarship and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 1960 as an offensive lineman. He went on to play for several professional teams over the next five years. Through his pro football career, Barnes sketched his teammates and earned the nickname “Big Rembrandt.” He was the AFL’s official artist. In 1965 he traded his “cleats for canvas” and struck a deal with the New York Jets’ owner who paid him to start his art career. Barnes was the official sports artist for the 1984 Los
Considered his most famous painting, “Sugar Shack” was used as the cover art for Marvin Gaye’s 1976 album “I Want You.” “Sugar Shack” ~ Courtesy Ernie Barnes Estate
Angeles Olympics and was dubbed “America’s Best
Painter of Sports” by the American Sports Art
Museum. He was commissioned to paint by the NBA,
Kanye West, Harry Belafonte and Charlton Heston.
NCCU’s pioneer of history in images Alumnus Alex Rivera’s photography featured in Art Museum during Centennial BY TOMMIA HAYES ECHO STAFF REPORTER
Alex Rivera displays his Crown Graphic camera in his office. RASHAUN RUCKER/Echo staff photographer
The name Alex Rivera is synonymous with photojournalism. Well known for portraying the civil rights movement through his camera lens, he told stories the country would never forget. “I never thought I was involved in anything that was history-making or great. To me, it was just another day-to-day assignment,” he told the New York Times. Rivera died on October 23, 2008 at 95. In honor of N.C. Central University’s centennial anniversary, some of Rivera’s photography was on display in the University art museum through April. Rivera was born in Greensboro in 1913. His father, a dentist, was active in the civil rights movement and a member of the NAACP. Rivera attended Howard University but hard times
during the 1930s forced him to leave school and seek work. His first job was working as a photojournalist and arts editor for the Washington Tribune, a black weekly in Washington D.C. Rivera’s first major photo assignment was to shoot Marian Anderson’s historic concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939. Fearing he was having too much fun, Rivera’s father and Dr. James Shepard, NCCU’s founder, “conspired” to get him off the streets of D.C. and back to the South. Rivera arrived at NCCU in 1939, then called North Carolina College for Negroes, to finish his education and establish the University’s public relations office. He was elected student body president his senior year and received his BA in 1941. Rivera often took pictures of football games for
other black colleges when they had no photographers. The famous photograph of Zora Neal Hurston attending a football game at the University in the 1940s was taken by Rivera when the current Greek bowl was the football field. Following graduation, Rivera served in the military with the office of Naval Intelligence from 1941-1945. After the war, Rivera worked for Pittsburg Courier, a black newspaper with a circulation of 200,000. It was for the Courier that Rivera took his renowned photos of the segregated South, called “The South Speaks.” Between 1947 and 1948 Rivera traveled to South Carolina and Georgia to investigate the last reported lynchings in those states. He became well known for his articles and photos that documented segregation. Rivera wrote several articles about the first blacks to
integrate UNC-Chapel Hill’s law school in the early 1950s, among them Floyd McKissick, Kenneth Lee and Harvey Beech. Kenneth Rodgers, director of the NCCU art museum, said Rivera’s photography of the Brown vs. Board of Education saga is what catapulted Rivera to fame. “He never went anywhere without a chauffeur cap and bowtie,” said Rodgers. “He said if he was stopped [by police] he could say he worked for such and such.” Rivera photographed Durham’s first black male police officers in 1944 when the force was integrated and did the same for the city’s first African-American female officers in 1973. Rivera worked as NCCU’s public relations director from 1974-1993. He chronicled the University’s history in all for over 66 years.
n See RIVERA Page 10
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Resurrecting black history Epic study of African American experience
Historic leaders on display Former chancellors, political leaders subjects of art project BY ASHLEY ROQUE ECHO STAFF REPORTER
John Hope Franklin (right) and former Chancellor Leroy T. Walker enter B.N. Duke Auditorium for the 1986 Honors Convocation. Courtesy of NCCU Archives
BY CARLTON KOONCE ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
As we pass the one year anniversary of historian John Hope Franklin’s death, the recent release of the 9th edition of his epic book “From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans” continues to fascinate scholars. Completely revised and updated to include recent events such as the presidential election of Barack Obama, the premiere resource of black American history was first written between 1943 and 1947 while Franklin was a history professor at N.C. Central University, then called North Carolina College for Negroes. The book was first published as “A History of Negro Americans.” Franklin’s son, John W. Franklin, said his father’s fields of study were 18th and 19th century Southern and American history. “He believed that everyone’s story is important, not just the stories of ‘important people,’” said John Franklin. “He was shocked by what he learned of the inhuman treatment of Africans during the slave trade and in the Americas,” he said. John Franklin said that his father realized that the history of African Americans was missing, incomplete and incorrect. Since its release, the book has been translated into German, Japanese, Chinese, French and Portuguese. It has sold more than 3 million copies to date. “It’s filled with all kinds of amazing stories and includes all new bio-sketches and ‘window in time sections,’” said Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, the book’s co-author. Higginbotham is a professor of history and the chairperson of African American studies at Harvard University. Higginbotham said Franklin handed her the book to rewrite a few years after the 2000 revision because he was working on
his autobiography. “He read the book in 2004 and said it was outdated,” said Higginbotham. “It was a challenge to fit new information into the old so I had to start with a clean slate.” Higginbotham said she started from scratch researching and incorporating information into the new edition. She said the scholarship in the book is about 80 percent updated. She said it was important that the book have the same power and respect it had in 1947. “Little things like the section on Malcolm X have been revised and the African chapter is completely different,” said Higginbotham. “There was no chapter on the black power movement in the old editions and there is discussion of hip-hop and its global expansion." Higginbotham said black studies came out of the black power era and singers like Nina Simone and James Brown. The 9th edition pays more attention to black women and their contribution to history and black culture, including artists, writers and musicians. “I looked back in history and asked ‘where are the women?’” she said. “They were there but you don’t see them because people didn’t ask.” “Because women were there, I tried to include more about them by providing big sections on their work in the era of self-help,” she said. Carlton Wilson, NCCU history department chair, said he first read the book during the summer of his sophomore year at NCCU. He described it as “one of the most essential books of the second half of the 20th century.” “It was the first book of black history I had ever read,” he said. “The flowing prose and research taught me how to write narrative history. It taught us all, anyone who is a historian.” “It is a significant part of American history and
LeRoy Walker. Mickey Michaux. Annie Day Shepard. W.G. Pearson. Julius Chambers. C.C. Spaulding. Alphonso Elder. Jeanne Lucas. Charlie Nelms. These are the nine new portraits of leaders in the black community now displayed in the lobby of the Farrison-Newton Building. Each leader has contributed to the growth and development of N.C. Central University over its 100 years. Fine arts students contributed to the celebration of the Centennial while learning about the past and present African-American leaders. Each portrait was created by art students from the art club, under the leadership of adjunct professor Chad Hughes. “The appearances of these faces demands questions,” said art professor Achamyleh Dabela. “We want to share the stories of these leaders with the whole student body because we don’t want students to spend four years here and not know who are our main leaders.” Though some of the portraits are of former chancellors and presidents, others depict civil rights leaders and government representatives, such as Jeanne Lucas. Lucas, an alumna of Hillside High, became, in
1993, the first AfricanAmerican female to serve in the state senate. “I think it’s amazing that we get to see the faces of so many historical figures displayed like this,” said Olivia Scott, junior English major. “It sort of inspires you as you walk in because these portraits remind us of how far we can really go.” Another portrait is of Leroy Walker, head coach of NCCU’s track team in 1945. Walker went on to become the first black president of the U.S. Olympic Committee. NCCU track and field athletes competed in all the Olympic Games between 1956 and 1980. “I love how they are big enough to where you can see them clearly while driving on Fayetteville Street,” said Ivorie Sangutei, English senior. According to art junior Bobbi Cherry-Davis, the prints are based on photographs from NCCU’s archives. “We projected the images to make them bigger and used black charcoal to trace the images on a huge piece of paper,” said Cherry-Davis. “We then put an ‘x’ in areas that we were going to paint all black. It’s a lot of fun because, when you first look at the huge outline, you don’t know exactly how it’s going to turn out,” she said. “So when you see the finished work, it looks really amazing.”
“I think it’s amazing that we get to see the faces of so many historical figures displayed like this. ... It sort of inspires you as you walk in because these portraits remind us of how far we can really go. OLIVIA SCOTT JUNIOR ENGLISH MAJOR
John Hope Franklin began writing his epic study of the AfricanAmerican experience while teaching at NCCU in the 1940s, then called the North Carolina College for Negroes. African American history,” said Wilson. “Other scholars had written black history but eventually Franklin’s book institutionalized African American history for high school and college textbooks.” Wilson said that every edition and co-author has added to its significance and the new edition continued the tradition. He said the new addition is more appealing and looks more like a textbook. “Even whites had a valid text to teach without using biased resources,” said Wilson. “It’s a universal work that surpasses time and place.” Wilson said he remembered a Fulbright study tour to China back in the ‘90s in which he and his companions met with Chinese professors who were teaching African-American history to their students. “We asked them what resources they were using to teach,” said Wilson. “They looked at us strangely and
said ‘John Hope Franklin.’ It shows the reach of the book and Franklin as a scholar.” Higginbotham said Franklin saw about 15 of the chapters before his death and called it “wonderful.” She said he said it was just what he wanted, “to make the book new.” Higginbotham knew Franklin all of her life and said he had a “generous spirit and always tried to help others.” She said while pursuing his research, Franklin endured all kinds of injustices, including having to sit in the back of libraries to conduct his research. “He endured insults for later generations that could read history, love history and use it to demand equal rights.” Higginbotham described Franklin as“ a wonderful gift to black people and America.” “He used to say ‘there’s no greater gift America could give to the world then to solve its race problem’.”
Biology freshman Marion Grant admires a portrait of Annie Day, James E. Shepard’s wife. JERRY ROGERS/Echo staff photographer
Shepard’s dream lives for ‘tweens BY CHARITY JONES
And at the end of the year
ECHO STAFF REPORTER
It’s not just our library that bears the name of N.C. Central University founder James E. Shepard. There’s also a nearby middle school that carries his name. At James E. Shepard Middle School, students are taught about Shepard throughout the school year.
they have a Shepard celebration. About half the teachers who work at the magnet school graduated from NCCU, which goes to show that “Eagles flock together.” Seventh grade humanities teacher Roland McDaniel, an NCCU alumnus, coaches basketball, football and track at Shepard Middle.
“I believe it is an ongoing dream that has instilled a sense of success to young men and women,” he said. “Dr. Shepard’s dream will never stop growing and never be fulfilled but will continue to grow.” Located at 2401 Dakota Street, the school is just a few blocks from NCCU and was built in 1963. Shepard Middle currently has 413 students. Of these 85
percent are African American, 7 percent are Hispanic and 5 percent are white. The school offers students a variety of programs and opportunities. “One year the students had a chance to meet John Hope Franklin, where they presented him with their biographies that they had written for an assignment in class,” said Ericka Boone, the school’s assistant principal and a 1994
NCCU alumna. “The students seemed very excited to see the person they had written about in person.” Shepard Middle has a strong relationship with NCCU, Boone said. “Some of the law students from NCCU come over and assist students with basic laws, and speeches,” she said. The school also has a mock courthouse where students
hold trials on court cases that took place in the past, or they make up their own. NCCU also offers student mentors who come over to the middle school and spend oneon-one time with students. “I think Dr. Shepard would be proud of the students and the program that we offer to students and would like to see both NCCU and Shepard to become top-notch schools,” said principal, James Ingram.
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Campus Echo SATURDAY, MAY 15, 2010
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Golden Eagles soar through 50 years Class of 1959 inducted on University’s Centennial Year BY CARLTON KOONCE ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
N.C. Central University’s 2009 Founder’s Day Convocation saw the induction of the latest batch of alumni into the Golden Eagles Society. The society acknowledges the achievements of graduating classes after 50 years. Some Golden Eagles limped to receive their certificates while others walked with canes. Still others moved with the speed they did over a half century ago. During the induction, Chancellor Charlie Nelms and Provost Kwesi Aggrey presented certificates to the inductees. Nelms described the Golden Eagles as “trailblazers for the rest of us to follow.” Sarah Bell-Lucas, director of the engagement program in the University college and one of the inductees, compared the induction to a marriage proposal. “It’s an emotional time,” said Bell-Lucas. “I cried tears of happiness.” The 2009 Golden Eagles entered the North Carolina
Ethel Speight Russell is one of 70 Golden Eagles inducted during the 2009 Founders Day Convocation in the McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium. BRANDI MYERS/Echo staff photographer
College at Durham in 1955 with 217 undergraduates
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Nelms told the audience that every NCCU student’s
“destination is graduation” and student goals should
be not that they attended the university but that they graduated. “I never dreamed when I left NCCU in 1959 what would later happen,” said Bell-Lucas. Shirley Holliday, a 1956 graduate of NCCU was inducted into the Golden Eagles Society three years ago, said it feels great to be an Eagle after 50 years. “It is wonderful to see all the great changes on the campus,” said Holliday. “I am still in wonder at how much for the better they have changed Annie Day Shepard Dorm and of course the library.” According to Bell-Lucas, each class gives back to the school and this year’s Golden Eagles as a group gave $45,000 to an endowment fund they have in the University foundation. The money is used for scholarships and other University needs. Holliday and Bell-Lucas said students should look forward to becoming Golden Eagles. “Prepare for life-long learning and embrace change as it comes,” said Holliday to graduating seniors.
Six to receive inaugural Shepard medallion honor
Former Echo editor keynotes convocation B Y A SHLEY R OQUE
While at the Herald
ECHO STAFF REPORTER
At N.C. Central University’s 61st convocation, Ernie Suggs, a reporter with the Atlanta Journal Constitution, described the Campus Echo as an “incubator” that propelled him into a successful career in journalism. Suggs, a 1990 English graduate and Campus Echo editor-in-chief from 1987-1989, was the keynote speaker at NCCU’s April 9th annual Honors Convocation, an event that celebrates students’ academics, community service and creative achievements. Suggs described the day as one he will never forget. “To see all of my old professors, classmates, and fraternity brothers, who came all this way to hear me speak was definitely a highlight of my life,” he said. Suggs established his reputation early in his career with an in-depth series of articles in 1997 about HBCUs called “Fighting to Survive.” The stories ran in an 8day series in the Durham Herald Sun which won him numerous awards including, Journalist of the Year by the N.C. Black Publishers Association. As an English undergraduate, Suggs was the sports editor at the Campus Echo his freshman and sophomore years and editor-in-chief his junior and senior years. “Working at the Echo was the most significant thing I did during my undergraduate years,” he said. Suggs said Echo reporters did not shy away from controversial news stories while he was editor-in-chief, but noted that NCCU administrators respected the students’ freedom of speech. After graduating, Suggs first worked with Gannett Westchester Newspapers in N.Y. for two years and then the Durham Herald Sun for five years.
Former Campus Echo editorin-chief, Ernie Suggs. WILLIE PACE/Echo staff photographer
Sun, Suggs was assigned to cover NCCU. “I was able to give NCCU good coverage, frequently," said Suggs. “It’s important for journalists to cover everything and not simply the things that go wrong.” Suggs was awarded a Nieman Fellowship in 2008 by Harvard University, an award given to an accomplished journalist in mid-career. During the fellowship, Suggs studied at Harvard’s African and African American Studies Department. He has since been named a trustee with the Nieman’s Foundation Board. Suggs was emphatic during his speech and his interview about NCCU students realizing that they can succeed anywhere, including an Ivy league school like Harvard. “At Harvard, there is this sense of entitlement that the students have,” he said. “And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.” Suggs said AfricanAmerican students need to feel that sense of entitlement. “We have a sense of contentment, when we should be walking around knowing that we are entitled to good things, just as much as anyone else,” he said.
NCCU OFFICE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
Six people with ties to North Carolina Central University will be recipients of a newly created honor, called the Shepard Medallion, as part of the university’s 100th anniversary. The six are: Julius Chambers, an NCCU alumnus, legal champion for civil rights and Chancellor Emeritus; H.M. “Mickey” Michaux Jr., an NCCU alumnus whose long career as a member of the state House of Representatives has focused on the fight for higher education, particularly for minority students; Mattie Sharpless, an NCCU alumna, former U.S. ambassador and longtime foreign agricultural envoy; LeRoy Walker, chancellor emeritus and past NCCU and Olympic track coach, and the first black president of the U.S. Olympic Committee; Peggy Ward, an alumna, former NCCU trustee and awardwinning agent for a national life insurance company, and NCCU Chancellor emeritus Albert N. Whiting. Five of the six are scheduled to receive the specially designed bronze medallions at the university’s Centennial Gala on May 22 at the Durham Performing Arts Center. Whiting’s travel plans from his home in Maryland were uncertain on Tuesday. Nominees for the Shepard Medallion were solicited from the campus and nationally. From that pool, a campus committee recommended a handful of finalists to NCCU Chancellor Charlie Nelms, who picked the honorees. Nelms commissioned the medal to recognize people, associated with the university, who have made significant contributions to the school, to their communities or to their professions. The contributions must be in keeping with the public university’s motto, “Truth and Service.” “Our rather small university has produced more than its share of leaders, in every sphere of endeavor,” Nelms said in announcing the
Julius Chambers
LeRoy Walker
awardees. “We’ve sent legislators to Washington and Raleigh, and scientists to the most prestigious laboratories in the nation. Our faculty and students served in the trenches of the civil rights movement. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of NCCU-trained teachers have educated our school children and college students. These people we honor rise to the top of anyone’s list of exemplars of service and achievement.” Chambers was NCCU’s chancellor from 1993 to 2001. A 1958 graduate of the school and a president of the student body, he went on to obtain a law degree and fought key civil rights court cases. His Charlotte law firm, the first integrated firm in the state, is credited with influencing more landmark state and federal legislation in school desegregation, employment and voting rights than any other in the United States. Michaux received his undergraduate and law degrees from NCCU, in 1952 and 1964, respectively. He became the first African-American U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, and first won a seat in the state House of Representatives in 1972. He is considered the dean of the General Assembly, and in recent years, has guided the annual state budget through the chamber. He has tirelessly campaigned for adequate funding for NCCU and other minority universities. Medallion 2 Sharpless received a bachelor’s in business education in 1965 and a master’s in business administration
Mattie Sharpless
H.M. “Mickey” Michaux Jr.
and economics in 1972 from NCCU. She joined the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service in 1965 and was its acting administrator for much of 2001. Following that position, Sharpless was named U.S. Ambassador to the Central African Republic, where she served until a coup toppled that nation’s government in 2003. With that posting, however, Sharpless became the first woman agricultural attaché to serve as an ambassador. She retired in 2006. Walker was chancellor from 1983 to 1986, but he was a familiar figure on the NCCU campus. Walker became head track and field coach at NCCU in 1945. He went on to chair the physical education and recreation departments. His track teams at NCCU were legendary, and many of the members competed in the Olympics across the span of decades. He was president of the U.S. Olympic Committee and in 1987 was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. Ward is a 1974 alumna of NCCU. She is a longtime agent for New York Life Insurance Co., where she has won numerous awards for her service to the company and to her clients. Ward served on the university’s Board of Trustees from 1993 until 1997, and was chairman of the board from 1995 until 1997. She also served on the board of trustees of UNC-TV, part of the University of North Carolina system, and chair of that board’s Advancement Committee. Whiting was NCCU’s last
Peggy Ward
Albert N. Whiting
president and first chancellor. Named president of North Carolina College in 1967, Whiting was chief executive when the university was made part of the UNC system in 1972 and the name of his position changed to chancellor. Under Whiting, NCCU’s School of Business was created and programs in public administration and criminal justice were launched. The medallion features a likeness of Shepard’s statue in front of NCCU’s administration building and the date of the school’s opening. On its reverse, the phrase “The Shepard Medallion” is written in raised letters. The recipients’ names will be engraved on each. The May 22 gala is one of the more formal events in NCCU’s yearlong centennial celebration. Dr. James E. Shepard, a pharmacist and academic and business leader, chartered his school in 1909. Then called the National Religious Training School and Chautauqua, the school formally opened its doors to students on July 5, 1910. Tickets to the gala are $100, and can be purchased online at www.nccu.edu/gala. The medallion was struck by Recognition Products International, a Maryland company that manufactures the Pulitzer Prize medal as well as the University Award medallion, presented annually by the board of governors of the 17-campus University of North Carolina system for illustrious service to higher education. Sponsors of the Gala include State Farm Insurance Co., The Forest At Duke and The Freelon Group.
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An aerial view of NCCU in 1959, then called North Carolina College at Durham. Courtesy of NCCU Archives.
Old Hillside High School was demolished in 2001 to make way for the University’s expansion south of Fayetteville Street. The expansion includes Ruffin Residence Hall (below), the Mary Townes Science Complex (below) and the BRITE Building. Photo by Echo staff photographer Aaron Daye
Howard Chidley inspects Chidley Hall Dormitory for men when it opened in the 1950s. Courtesy of NCCU Archives
The centerpiece of “Soaring on the Legacy.” The Centennial Quilt, now on permanent display in the lobby of the James E. Shepard Library. The quilt was designed and produced by alumni, faculty and townspeople.
NCCU’s “Royal Court.” (left to right) Mr. Sophomore, Christopher Beatty; Ms. Freshman, Lauren Pinckney; Ms. NCCU, Chavery McClanahan; Ms. Black USA, Shayna Rudd; Ms. Senior, Ashley Crawford; and Ms. Sophomore, Amanda Chadwick.
Ben Ruffin Residence Hall opened August 2005. Ruffin was the first African-American chair of the UNC Board of Govenors. Photo by Echo staff photographer Ashley Roque
Photo by Echo editor-in-chief Carlton Koonce
Chancellor Charlie Nelms at a Spring 2010 “Chat with the Chancellor.”
Barack Obama at NCCU’s O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium, during his primary campaign, Nov. 1, 2007.
The Sound Machine at the Aggie-Eagle Classic, Raleigh 2004
Reflection of Mary Townes Science Complex in the BRITE Building.
Photo by Echo staff photographer Roddrick Howell
Photo by Echo staff photographer Bryson Pope
Photo by Echo staff photographer Aaron Daye
Photo by Echo staff photographer Ashley Roque
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The little church that moved
Former Chancellor established a record of bringing resources to NCCU
Holy Cross Catholic Church has grand moving day BYDIVINE MUNYENGETERWA ECHO STAFF REPORTER
In its Centennial year, a University staple has been relocated. Holy Cross Catholic Church will soon be known as “the little church that moved.” The brick and mortar edifice journeyed from Alston Avenue to 1912 Fayetteville Street, next to the James E. Shepard House. The church began its move the weekend of April 23 and 24 and is currently waiting to be fixed permanently on its new foundation. The church was lifted off its previous foundation and relocated to make way for
N.C. Central University’s new nursing school building and additional parking at the Alston Avenue location. Holy Cross has been a fixture at 1400 South Alston Avenue since 1953. Its move to Fayetteville Street illustrates NCCU’s desire to hold onto the church’s rich history. Holy Cross is one of a few African American Catholic churches in the Southeast. NC Catholics, the online magazine of the Catholic diocese of Raleigh, notes that in the early years many members and leaders of the Holy Cross parish would come from the student body of what was then called North Carolina College for
Negroes. Holy Cross was established in the community in 1939 to evangelize the black community. Mass was held in makeshift venues until the church found a home on Alston Avenue. Throughout the years the number of members grew from one black family in 1939 to approximately 350 families today, according to NC Catholics. With the exception of 3.6 acres, the property surrounding the church was sold to the state to allow NCCU to expand. The Holy Cross congregation, was relocated to 2438 South Alston Avenue in 2007.
Former Chancellor Julius Chambers sits behind an “in-pile” in his office at NCCU, Sept. 2000. RASHAUN RUCKER/Echo staff photographer
Julius L. Chambers was born in Mt. Gilead, North Carolina in 1936. He was student body president at N.C. Central University in 1954. In 1962, he ranked first in his law school class at the UNC-Chapel Hill. He was selected by Thurgood Marshall as first intern for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. He practiced law at the first law firm in North Carolina to intergrate. His car was firebombed when he challenged Charlotte’s segregated schools in 1960s. After he argued and won the case to integrate Charlotte’s Shrine Bowl High School football game, his home was firebombed. In 1984 he became Director-Counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. He was Chancellor of N.C. Central University from 1993 to 2001. Chambers was inter-
viewed by incoming assistant editor Ashley Roque on May 11, 2010.
been extremely happy with what the school has succeeded in becoming.
Campus Echo: How important is it that N.C. Central University is still here, a hundred years later?
Campus Echo: What are your thoughts on HBCUs today?
Julius Chambers: It’s very important. Not only from the prospective of Dr. Shepard and those who dreamed with him about providing a means for education for minorities and poor children, but also for providing an exchange or an opportunity for all Americans to learn something about minorities and others and to understand how they too can make a contribution to society. I think that Dr. Shepard would have dreamed that the institution would not only serve to provide a means for an education for minorities but also for all Americans. He would have
Julius Chambers: I think that they have played a significant role and have brought us — all of us — a long way in ensuring that minorities have been able to get an education. NCCU provided an opportunity for me to get an education. And it provides an opportunity for minorities all across the way. But equally important, HBCUs have provided a means for a diversity of Americans to gain a better education. I think it’s crucial for America and all of us that we have the opportunity for
n See CHAMBERS Page 11
Holy Cross Catholic Church has stood at 1400 South Alston Avenue for 57 years. It was built for African-American Catholics in Durham and held its first mass in December 1939. CARLTON KOONCE/Echo editor-in-chief
RIVERA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 In 2002 Rivera said the photo he took of a mother and child seated on a segregated bus was one of his favorites.
“It shows the kind of country that this little child was being born and reared in,” he said. “That’s the reason why I
like it so much.” Rodgers said that Rivera was “humble and took pride in his work.” “People forget he wrote
the stories along with the pictures,” said Rodgers. “He was the mentor to any number of black writers and photographers.”
“Where else will one find a history in pictures and text of North Carolina’s early days, Durham’s black wall street, celebrities of
national and international stature and some of the most celebrated civil rights photographs in the nation?” he said.
Famed author Zora Neale Hurston attending a University football game on campus during the 1940s. Rivera came to NCCU in 1939 and took pictures of black college football games when there were no other photographers.
Rivera said this photo of a mother and child on a segregaed bus was one of his favorites. Rivera became famous for his photos documenting segregation in the Jim Crow South. The series was titled “The South Speaks” and was published in the black owned Pittsburg Courier newspaper. Rivera told the New York Times he never thought he was making history.
Courtesy of Alex Rivera Estate
Courtesy ofAlex Rivera Estate
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100 years pass ... remember it like it was yesterday. I was in Benjamin Ruffin Residence Hall in a suite waiting anxiously with Ms. Ginelle Hines. It was the day of the N.C. Central University SGA elections and little did I know that within the next ten minutes, my life would be changed forever. Someone called Ginelle and told her that Dwayne the results were in and that we Johnson both had won. As we logged into Blackboard I couldn’t hold back my tears of joy and relief. There it was in black and white. Dwayne Johnson – 20092010 NCCU SGA President. As I read those words, I knew that the easy part was over. I knew that the upcoming year would be one of the hardest in my life. I was expected to be one of the most visible student body presidents ever due to the celebration of our Centennial; and to also maintain a strength of advocacy, and an excellent GPA. The Centennial year has been a monumental year, which has affected not only Eagles, but other people across the nation. As we reflect on the Centennial, there are a few things that I would like to point
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I could fill a whole newspaper with the mountains that students at NCCU have climbed. out. At many institutions success is measured by the work of the administration. However, in order to preserve history we must also look back at 100 years of student progress and student impact at NCCU. It was the “students” who helped demonstrate acts of justice — who helped integrate the Carolina Theatre in 1963. It was the“students” who helped serve on the Obama Squad to get a 90 percent voter turnout at NCCU, which led to a Barack Obama victory. It was “students” who helped raise funds for Haiti and New Orleans in their time of need. It was the “students” who have helped advocate for expanding and enhancing NCCU. It was the “students” who marched in the band so that the Sound Machine could get invited to play in the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, Calif. It was the “students” who helped fight the war to keep the Campus Echo funded in 1971 so you can read my words today.
I could fill a whole newspaper with the mountains that students at NCCU have climbed. As students, we must understand that we completed many of our goals with the help of administration, faculty and staff. But we also need to understand that “WE” play an important role in the success of OUR University. My father Reginald Johnson graduated from NCCU in 1989. When I asked him what he loved most about his University, he responded the “culture.” If I were asked the same question that he was asked then, I would respond the same way. This is a culture that you can only get from NCCU. From the chicken Wednesdays, to the 10:40 breaks, from Homecoming, to class discussions. Whatever the occasion, Eagles are always soaring high — making sure our culture is maintained. It is students who give their talent, or skill to make sure that this environment is one that anyone can feel comfortable in.
What I have always admired about this University is that anyone can come to NCCU and be “GREAT.” By that I mean everyone will have his or her opportunity to shine, from the classroom, to the runway, from the dance floor, the track, the football field or to the basketball court. I now have the privilege of being the student body president for another year. As we reflect on the Centennial, I hope that we continue to look forward to the next 100 years. Students, let’s remember that we have to pass our culture down from generation to generation, which makes mentoring very essential to progress. I also hope that we continue to serve others. Many of the accomplishments in our school’s history have been because of our dedication to service. Many felt that my first term would be of great importance as we would be celebrating the Centennial year. However, I feel that this year will be the most important, because it represents the next 100 years of Truth and Service. Students, as we come to the end of our Centennial celebration, let’s remember those who helped clear the skies so that Eagles may fly high, and during this period of transition, let us weather the storm, so that future Eagles may truly soar.
drawing by Rashaun Rucker
Question: Where do you see NCCU in the next 100 years?
James E. Humanity ames E. Shepard was born Nov. 3, 1875 in Raleigh, just 10 years after America’s Civil War ended. The South was still smoldering under the tempest of social calamity when Shepard was born. Shepard was a visionary of the highest caliber. What could have formulated this sincerest devotion to the spirit Willie of humanity in this 35-year-old Pace giant of a man? What forces came together to inform the education-driven motives in Shepard? What events placed before him could have happened to steel his determination towards selflessness and to see education beyond himself as most fascinating? He had to work within the framework of a social climate of racial oppression in these years of his hope for a better possibility for humanity. Perhaps we can draw a men-
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We should all take advantage of this legacy, the cause for which Shepard gave his life.
tal picture of that time’s anachronistic Afro-American Black Pride Movement—a movement that symbolized the undaunting social hero of 1910. Shepard must have known that education could be the salvation from many types of tyranny. Shepard would have known that the distrust, the despair, and the rejected hopes relative to America’s Reconstruction era could be resolved. He would have known firsthand the looks of despair on the faces of the newly emancipated slaves who marched before him, ruing the past while at the same time marveling at the bright though cloudy horizons of the future of freedom’s endless possibilities. Shepard would have heard the constrained prayers that raised the rafters of nearby churches.
Even so, the distant reverberations of lamentations for heavenly Providence that trebled through the red and whitestreaked clay hills of Alabama and Georgia would have reached Shepard’s heart. Through the most remote Southern soils of all America, with a freedom recognized by the American Constitution, Shepard sought to answer the prayers of his people with humility: he seemed to answer prayers for a public demand as well as a private respectability. Most assuredly, Shepard was not daunted by the constraints that held other men bound to their dreams. Shepard’s dream was an early dream, one that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. would propose some 53 years later. It is a dream that Mr. Barack Hussein Obama—the first African American president of
the United States of America — would realize just 35 years after Dr. King reiterated Shepard’s dream. Shepard helped to set down this foundation for our self reliance. Shepard’s lifelong goal was education. It was a means to the end that he dreamed not just for himself. He not only envisioned the dream; he worked diligently to assure that education for his fellow man would be like freedom for every man. We should ponder his social climate in America only 45 years after the most iconic event in America’s history, the American Civil War. It is difficult just to imagine the courage and determination of Shepard in 1910. Let alone, it is remarkable that he succeeded so well that N.C. Central University still stands here on Fayetteville Street, 100 years later. We should all take advantage of this legacy, the cause for which Shepard gave his life and we should make sufficient and actual use of his dream.
“I see the campus expanding and being able to offer more to the students here at NCCU. Also providing students with the proper necessities that it takes to have a successful college career.” — Latasha Roddick
“I see new buildings, more people coming here, a bigger gym, and a new stadium.” — LaQuan Barnes
“I definitely see NCCU being number one on the HBCU list .” — Oluwaseun Ogunnoiki
– Sound Off by Uyi Idahor
Chambers CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 this kind of exchange of ideas and training opportunity.
ments around Holy Cross Catholic Church. It’s been an exciting experience.
Campus Echo: Give me some thoughts on your eight years as Chancellor at NCCU? Julius Chambers: I came to NCCU with the hope that we could bring resources to the school that were desperately needed. I wanted to build the facilities and resources necessary to provide educational opportunities. We were able to work with the university system to develop a bond issue that was desperately needed. Growing out of that, NCCU has been able to build a number of resources to grow tremendously and is now able to do a lot of things that it wasn’t able to do before. Today we have the BBRI and the science complex, Programs have been added because we
Campus Echo: What kind of vision do you have for NCCU for the next hundred years?
Julius Chambers viewing the 2000 NCCU Homecoming Game. RASHAUN RUCKER/Echo staff photographer
now have the facilities to do it. And we had the growth of the law school, the growth of the sci-
now appearing on a computer near you
ence program, and the growth of the classroom buildings among others and now the develop-
Julius Chambers: I often joked with a lot of my friends, including a lot of whites who support the University, that NCCU is entitled to a dental and a medical school to have programs comparable to the programs at Chapel Hill. Now, I don’t know that we need a dental school, I think though that we have begun with some programs that would make the campus as competitive and important as any other institution in the University System. We have been acquiring some of the resources that will enable the school to do that. I think it’s crucial that we con-
tinue with programs that will enable the campus to remain competitive and in fact grow. For example, I watched as N.C. State University and other campuses grerw with the new sciences. And I wondered why the HBCUs weren’t developing as well. I understand now that we are beginning to see more of the growth of the HBCUs in these important areas. Since you asked what my dream would be for the next hundred years, I would like to see the school develop the BBRI, the other bio-sciences, and the law school, as well as supporting programs for the law school and the business school — particularly to the point where we will be as competitive overall as any other campus in the University System. I would like to see us work to accomplish that objective.
the new Campus Echo Online campusecho.com
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Homecoming
Chancellor Charlie Nelms and SGA President Dwayne Johnson at the fall convocation BRANDI MYERS/Echo staff photographer
Two Washington, D.C.-based alumni, Anna Joyce Newkirk Pratt, Miss NCCU Alumna 2008-09, with Gerald Angelo Pebbles, Mr.NCCU Alumnus, at the Homecoming parade. KANISHA MADISON/Echo staff photographer
Will Scott trudges through Central State player in NCCU’s homecoming win. JERRY ROGERS/Echo staff photographer
2009 – 2010 Miss NCCU Chavery McClanahan surrounded by past University Queens.
The 2009 Homecoming fashion show was a thriller.
JERRY ROGERS/Echo staff photographer
RODDRICK HOWELL/Echo staff photographer
ECHO CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 Amendment and equal rights — in this case for whites — protected by the Fourteenth Amendment and the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Twice in U.S. history, the Supreme Court has declared it unconstitutional to censor publication: in 1931 (Near v. Minnesota) and in 1971 (New York Times Co v. United States). In Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, a case where high school students were forbidden to wear black armbands with peace symbols, the courts ruled that the First Amendment applied to public schools as long as the speech did not disrupt school operations. According to the Tinker standard, public universities cannot take away funding just because the material is controversial or because administrators don’t like
what is being said. But Joyner and Harvey White did not win everything. The courts held that Whiting had the right to refute Joyner’s black-only policies, a position Joyner had already conceded earlier with a statement that white students could work at the Campus Echo and that white companies that employed on an equal opportunity basis could advertise with the paper. Acording to David Pollitt, the Chapel Hill civil rights attorney who represented the Campus Echo in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the case must be understood in light of the late 1960s and the early 1970s. These were the years of Malcom X, the Jackson State killings, the Black Panther Party and the Vietnam War. “The general atmosphere of those years was trouble-
some,” said Pollitt, who explained that Joyner’s position reflected the atmosphere of revolution and turbulence. “To combat the racism of the time, there grew a sense of black militancy with the black power movement to fight the racism, and Joyner was just part of those times,” said Pollitt. In a recent interview, White, the SGA president who joined Joyner in the case, explained that with integration, many people felt that HBCUs would lose their heritage and would be unable to provide the support African Americans needed. “Because the chancellor did not include students in making this decision, we felt that it should not be the president’s prerogative to permanently cut the funding,” said White.
White said students tried to keep an off-campus version of Campus Echo going when the funding was cut. “To raise funds, we put on a dance, had house parties, and we gave money out of our own pockets,” he said. "There were even a few professors who helped support us financially.” According to Tom Evans, an English professor who came to the University in 1969, the Durham Morning Herald, which later merged into the Herald Sun, helped fund some of the off-campus publications. In a recent interview, Joyner said his decision to take on the University created a lot of personal difficulties and that now, he is simply “tired” of having the issue brought up. He explained that while there was support from many student leaders, many students saw his deci-
sion to take the University to court as “radical.” He said that many students complained that he was doing more harm than good. “People who I thought were friends walked away when the situation got tough,” Joyner said. “I lost a lot of friends for standing up for the Echo.” After graduating, Joyner went on to teach in several public elementary and middle schools in North Carolina. He now teaches at an alternative school in Petersburg, Va. Joyner and his wife have raised three children. Harvey White went on to earn a Ph.D. in public administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was a dean of the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Southern University in
Louisiana and now teaches public affairs and international development at the University of Pittsburgh. Before coming to NCCU, Whiting was the dean of faculty at Morgan State University. Whiting worked at NCCU for 16 years. He served as president from 1967-1972 and chancellor from 1972-1982. During his tenure as chancellor, North Carolina College became N.C. Central University. Whiting helped launch the University’s School of Business. Evans recalled that years after the landmark case, he saw Joyner and Whiting at a reception at the NCCU Art Museum. The commotion had settled,” he said. “Joyner was in a three- piece suit and not his army fatigues. Joyner and Whiting were civil and respectful.”
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The Campus Echo thanks NCCU for supporting a free student press. National Awards won by the NCCU Campus Echo, 1999 - 2010 2010 HBCU Excellence in Journalism Student News Media Awards ~ Black College Communication Association 1st – Best Student Newspaper (once weekly or less), Editors, Carlton Koonce, Ashley Griffin 1st – Best Online Site 1st – Best Headline Writer, Geoffrey Cooper 1st – Best Editorial Cartoon, Brandon Murphy 1st – Best Individual Page Design, Carlton Koonce 2nd – Best Design, Broadsheet or Tabloid, Carlton Koonce 2nd – Best Design, Broadsheet or Tabloid, Geoffrey Cooper 2nd – Best Online Multimedia Package 2nd – Best Editorial/Opinion Section Honorable Mention — Best Photo Story, Chi Brown, Recyclery
2009 HBCU Excellence in Journalism Student News Media Awards ~ Black College Communication Association 1st – Best Headline Writer, Shelbia Brown 1st – Best Photo Story, Kenice Mobley, Nighttime in Durham 1st – Best Photo Story, Ray Tyler, Hillside High's Artists 2nd – Newspaper Design 3nd – A&E Criticism, Chasity Richardson 3rd – Investigative Story, Geoffrey Cooper, Tubas MIA
2008 HBCU Excellence in Journalism Student News Media Awards ~ Black College Communication Association 1st – Best Overall Student Newspaper (non–weekly), Editors Rony Camille and Shelbia Brown 1st –Best Features A&E Section, Joanna Hernandez and Brooke Sellars 1st – Best Overall Sports Coverage, Larisha Stone and Quentin Gardner 1st – Sports Game Story, Quentin Gardner 1st – Best Sports Feature 2nd – Best Special Section, Rony Camille, Travis Ruffin, Shelbia Brown, Natalia Farrer, Geoffrey Cooper, Gabriana Clay–White Some of Our Best Teachers 2nd – Best Feature Story, Kenali Battle, It’s a Family in the Shop 2nd – Best Use of Photography, Staff Photographers 2nd – Best Sports Story, Quentin Gardner, NCCU Trounces FSU 3rd –Best Individual Page Design, Rony Camille, Denita Smith: An Immeasurable Loss 3rd – Best Feature Writing, Kristiana Bennett, If Colors Could Talk 3rd – Best Editorial/Opinion Section, Kai Christopher 3rd – Best Sports Story, Shatoya Cantrell, Thanks for the Memories CIAA Honorable Mention – Best Overall News Coverage, Rony Camille, Shelbia Brown and staf Honorable Mention – Best Feature Story, Denique Prout, Cerebral Palsy Slows Body, Not Soul
2007 HBCU Excellence in Journalism Student News Media Awards ~ Black College Communication Association 1st – Best Use of Photography
1st – Best Design Broadsheet 1st – Best News Illustration 1st – Best Individual Page Design 2nd – Best Online 2nd – Best Student Newspaper - Nonweekly 2nd – Best Editorial Cartoon, Brandon Murphy 2nd – Best Spot News Story 2nd – Best Special Section of Theme Edition 2nd – Individual Photography, Roderick Heath 3rd – Signed Commentary and Column Writing 3rd – Best Sports Photography, Roderick Heath 3rd – Best Features/A&E Section
2006 HBCU Excellence in Journalism Student News Media Awards ~ Black College Communication Association 1st – Best Student Non - weekly Student Newspaper 1st –Best Designed Newspaper 1st – Best Use of Photography 1st – Best Special Section, Rony Camille, Election preview 1st – Best Overall Sports Coverage, Sasha Vann 1st – Best Headline, Carla Aaron-Lopez 1st – Best Individual Page Design, Carla Aaron–Lopez, Katrina Brings Misery 2nd – Best News Coverage, Staff, SGA Elections 2nd – Best editorial cartoon, Kalen Davis, Bush Steals Votes 2nd –Best Feature, A&E Section 3rd – Best Editorial Cartoon, Brandon Murphy, Crossing Fayetteville Street Honorable Mention – Best Signed Commentary, Carla Aaron–Lopez Honorable Mention – Best Arts and Entertainment Criticism, Carla Aaron–Lopez Honorable Mention – Best Sports Photograph, Roderick Heath Honorable Mention – Best Feature Writing, Julius Jones Honorable Mention – Best Online Newspaper, Tiffany Kelly and Erica Horne
2005 Mark of Excellence Award ~ Society of Professional Journalists, Region 2 1st – Best All Around Online Newspaper 2nd – Best Non-Daily Newspaper 3rd – General Column Writing, Lovemore Masakadza 3rd – Online spot news, Lovemore Masakadza, Ammons to replace vice chancellor
2005 HBCU Excellence in Journalism Student News Media Awards ~ Black College Communication Association 1st – General Excellence Award (Overall best), Campus Echo staff 1st –Best News Coverage, Campus Echo Staff 1st – Best Spot News Story, Lovemore Masakadza, NCCU students give views on debate 1st – Best News Story, Lovemore Masakadza, Stompin' out HIV 1st – Best Photography 1st – Best Individual Photo, Aaron Daye, Sound Machine 1st – Best Feature/AE Page Design, Aaron Daye, Sound Machine Feature
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1st – Best Individual Sports Page Design, Sheena Johnson, Aggie–Eagle Classic 2nd – Best Editorial Cartoon, Kalen Davis, Undercover Bush stealing votes again 2nd –Best Feature Story, Ihuoma Ezeh, Single moms work hard 3rd – Best Front Page Design Honorable Mention – Best Investigative Story, Lovemore Masakadza,Provost/Tenure process Honorable Mention – Best News Story, Lovemore Masakadza, Tenure process reveals kinks
2004 Mark of Excellence Award ~ Society of Professional Journalists, Region 2 1st – Best All–Around Online Student Newspaper 2nd – Best All–Around Non–Daily Student Newspaper
2003 Mark of Excellence Award ~ Society of Professional Journalists, Region 2 1st Place – Best All–Around Non–Daily Newspaper 1st – Feature Photography, Rashaun Rucker, Dog Days 2nd – Best All–Around Online Student Newspaper 2nd – Feature Photography, Mike Feimster, Postcards from Harlem 3rd – In–Depth Reporting, Terra Abrams and Dalia Davies,Crying Murder Honorable Mention – Feature Writing, Cedric Bowers, What's in a Word? Honorable Mention – Sports Photography, Mike Feimster
2003 HBCU Excellence in Journalism Student News Media Awards ~ Black College Communication Association 1st – Best News Story, Terra Abrams & Dalia Davies, Crying Murder 1st – Best Sports Photograph, Mike Feimster 1st – Best Layout and Design, Campus Echo staff 2nd – General Excellence – Best Overall Paper, Campus Echo staff 2nd – Best On-Line Newspaper, Campus Echo 2nd – Best News Photograph, Rashaun Rucker 2nd – Best Cartoon, Remy Yearwood, Campus Life 9/5/02 3rd – Best Sports Column, Mike Williams 3rd – Best News Photograph, Rashaun Rucker 3rd – Best Sports Photograph, Rashaun Rucker 3rd – Best Feature Photography, Rashaun Rucker
2002 Mark of Excellence Award ~ Society of Professional Journalists, Region 2 2nd – Best Overall Non-Daily Student Newspaper
2002 HBCU Excellence in Journalism Student News Media Awards ~ Black College Communication Association 1st – Best Newspaper – Biweekly, Echo staff 1st – Best Online Edition, Jennie Alibasic 1st – Best News Coverage, Campus Echo staff 1st – Best Overall Photography, Rashaun Rucker 1st – Best Photograph, Rashaun Rucker 1st – Best Layout & Design, Campus Echo staff 2nd – Best Feature, Cedric Bowers, What's in a
word? 2nd – Best Sports Coverage, Mike Williams
2001 HBCU Excellence in Journalism Student News Media Awards ~ Black College Communication Association 1st – News Coverage, Campus Echo staff 1st – Online Edition, Jennie Alibasic 1st – Photography, Rashaun Rucker & Mike Feimster 1st – Sports Coverage, Ed Boyce editor 2nd – Best News Story, Ed Boyce, Votes to decide fate of schools 2nd – Best Feature Story, Maria Beaudoin, NCCU offers training for the visually impaired 2nd – Best Individual Photo, Rashaun Rucker, MLK's Eternal Flame 2nd – Best Sports Story, Ed Boyce, Pippen runs through adversity 3rd – Best Individual Graphic Design, Remy Yearwood, graphic designed for student survey Politics Honorable Mention – Best In-Depth Reporting or Series, Student Survey: A Four-Part Series, Rainah Simmons, LaToya Goolsby Honorable Mention – Best News Story, Danny Hooley, The Long Goodby Honorable Mention – Design and Layout, Danny Hooley, Ed Boyce, Mike Williams, Rainah Simmons, Jennie Alibasic, and Phonte Coleman Honorable Mention – Commentary, Jennie Alibasic, Presumed innocence for whom? Honorable Mention – Best Overall Grahics, Remy Yearwood for graphics produced for Student Survey: A four–part series
2000 HBCU Excellence in Journalism Student News Media Awards ~ Black College Communication Association 1st – Best Newspaper, Campus Echo staff 1st – Best Online Edition, Jennie Alibasic 2nd – Best Sports Coverage, Ed Boyce & Mike Williams 2nd – Best Photography, Rashaun Rucker 3rd – Best Spot News Story, Phonte Coleman, Dr. Al Clark dies 3rd – Best Feature Story, Christine Newman, Daycare has personal touch 2nd – Best Layout, Danny Hooley & Ed Boyce Honorable Mention – Best Spot Reporting, Danny Hooley, Shooting near NCCU
1999 HBCU Excellence in Journalism Student News Media Awards ~ Black College Communication Association 1st – Best Spot News Coverage, Campus Echo staff 1st – Best Spot News Story, Mari McNeil, Food service 1st – Best Photography, Paul Phipps 2nd – Best Photograph, Paul Phipps 3rd – Best Sports Story, Ed Boyce, Harper brings 3rd – Best Spot News Story, Richard Dunlop, Housekeepers Honorable Mention – Best Spot News Story, Dinky Kearney, Lawsuits Honorable Mention – Best Spot News, Kim Ross, "Housing dilemma"
Just a few members of the 2010 Campus Echo staff
Campus Echo Carlton Koonce - Editor-in-Chief Ashley Griffin - Assistant Editor Online Editor David L. Fitts Jr. Opinions Editor Britney Rooks A&E Editor Diane Varine Sports Editor Aaron Saunders Photo Editor Jerry Rogers Assistant A&E Editor Erica McRae Staff Photographer Mike DeWeese-Frank Staff Photographer Roddrick Howell Staff Photographer Mitchell Webson Staff Photographer Chioke Brown Staff Photographer Corliss Pauling Staff Photographer Willie Pace Copy Editor Lakela Atkinson Copy Editor Amanda Chambers Reporting Coach Stan Chambers Staff Reporter Brian Moulton Staff Reporter Ninecia Scott Staff Reporter Matthew Beatty Staff Reporter Jabari Blackmon Staff Reporter Ashley Roque Staff Reporter Amarachi Anakaraonye Staff Reporter Kanisha Madison Staff Reporter Chris Hess Staff Reporter Theresa Garrett Staff Reporter Tommia Hayes Sound Off Uyi Idahor Cartoonist Brandon Murphy Faculty Adviser - Dr. Bruce dePyssler Alumni Advisers - Sasha Vann, Carla Aaron-Lopez Mike Williams, Sheena Johnson, Jean Rogers, & Carolyn McGill
Letters & Editorials The Echo welcomes letters and editorials. Letters to the editor should be less than 350 words. Editorials should be about 575 words. Include contact information. The Echo reserves the right to edit contributions for clarity, vulgarity, typos and miscellaneous grammatical gaffs. Opinions published in the Echo do not necessarily reflect those of the Echo editorial staff. E-mail: campusecho@nccu.edu Web address: www.campusecho.com Phone: 919 530 7116 Fax: 919 530 7991 © NCCU Campus Echo/All rights reserved The Denita Monique Smith Newsroom
Front row left to right: Sports editor Aaron Saunders ; Copy editor Lakela Atkinson; Opinions editor Britney Rooks Middle row left to right: Staff reporter Chris Hess; Editor-in-chief Carlton Koonce. Back row: Staff photograher Chi Brown; Assistant editor Ashley Griffin; Online editor David Fitts, Jr.
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Campus Crossings Apartments Community congratulates N.C. Central University for 100 Years of Truth and Service.