Inside REMEMBERING FORMER PRESIDENT FREDERICK S. HUMPHRIES SR., PH.D.
40
7 FAMU Rises Again in U.S. News & World Report Rankings 8 Owning Her Story: Kim Godwin Goes All the Way to the Top 10 Homecoming 2021 was Truly “Epic”
14 Will Packer Performing Arts Amphitheater 16 FAMU NAA President Winds Down a Supercharged Tenure 18 Alumna Simone Hutchinson Helps NASA’s New Pathways to the Moon Project
20 Tallahassee’s Civil Rights Couple Gets Their Due 22 Rattler Wale Adelakun Contributes to Stability in Africa Through Construction Projects
24 FAMU Secures $30M Federal Grant to Recruit and Train the Next Generation of Minority Scientists 26 Brigadier General Crumbly Lives his Boyhood Dreams in the Skies
14 SPRING 2022
UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT Larry Robinson, Ph.D.
DIRECTOR OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS Keith Miles
26
36 A Rare Collection of “Spirits” 40 Tribute to Former President Frederick Humphries Sr. Who Ushered in a “Golden Age” for FAMU 46 Former President Walter L. Smith Sr., Ph.D., ‘Left an Indelible Mark on FAMU’
EDITORS
LaNedra Carroll Andrew J. Skerritt
ART DIRECTION/COVER DESIGN Brion Eason
WRITERS
36
LaNedra Carroll Christopher Gardner Kara Payne Lashawnda Swanigan Andrew J. Skerritt Yvette Stennett+ Kathy Y. Times Megan Trusdell
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS E. Murrell Dawson Eddie Jackson Larry O. Rivers
LAYOUT & DESIGN Perry Albrigo
DEPARTMENTS
PHOTOGRAPHY
3
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
5
EDITORS’ LETTER
Andrew J. Skerritt, media relations director Britney Smith, publications director Adam Ramgeet, marketing coordinator Vernon Bryant, special events Brion Eason, art director Aaliyah Wilkerson, digital content manager Tawanda Finley, executive assistant Lawana Clark, administrative assistant Glenn T. Beil, videographer/photographer
30 HAPPENING ON “THE HILL” 32 NEW FACES, NEW PLACES 34 ALUMNI APPLAUSE 38 FALLEN RATTLERS
Glenn T. Beil
COMMUNICATIONS STAFF
FOR MORE INFORMATION
(850) 599-3413 Twitter: FAMU_1887 Facebook Search: Florida A&M University YouTube: FAMUTube1887 www.FAMU.edu www.FAMUnews.com
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 1
RISING TO THE
CHALLENGE
Florida A&M University’s College of Agriculture and Food Sciences (CAFS) provides an opportunity to work in the food and agriculture industry. Our education system equips students with tools necessary to compete in their field. The 1890 Scholarship Program demonstrates our commitment to cultivating and graduating more diverse leaders, who will be well equipped to address and solve future emerging challenges in food and agricultural sciences. We have already started to see the fruits of the land grant working and benefiting our great institution.
/FAMUCAFS
@FAMU
@FAMU_CAFS
President
A MESSAGE FROM THE
You Can Get Anywhere From FAMU
As Florida A&M University navigates its 135th year, we look back at what has been a challenging, yet gratifying period in our history. In the midst of a seemingly unrelenting pandemic, we have worked tirelessly to “Protect the FAMULY.” Our success thus far is a credit to the commitment and resilience of our students, faculty and staff, our dedication to community service, and the unwavering support of our alumni and friends. The fight is not yet over; however, I take comfort in knowing that all of you will stay connected with us as we continue to fulfill our institutional mission as the “College of Love and Charity.” The past year has been one of triumphs and personal losses. Our COVID-19 testing site relocated from Bragg Stadium to Wahnish Way. In the nearly two years since it first opened, the facility has administered more than 628,000 tests. The vaccination operation has provided more than 25,000 doses of the vaccine as we have stood shoulder to shoulder with citizens to keep our entire Tallahassee/Leon County community safe. In fall 2021, we completed a successful in-person homecoming. The “Epic Return” reminded all of us just what this University means to so many people and the economic impact FAMU activities have on Tallahassee and the Big Bend region as a whole. Homecoming was a wonderful time for us to welcome back our alumni who continue to break barriers and remind everyone of one of my favorite maxims: “You can get anywhere from FAMU,” – the theme of this issue of A&M Magazine. Movie mogul Will Packer’s rise to the top enables him to give back to his alma mater and add his name to the marquee of the Performing Arts Amphitheater. Like Packer’s ascension, Kim Godwin’s rise to become the most powerful woman in broadcasting news in America is chronicled in this issue of A&M Magazine. Readers will be introduced to Konata Ato “Deuce” Crumbly, who has risen to impressive heights in the military. The past year has also dealt the Rattler family grievous losses. Among them we count the passing of our seventh and eighth presidents, Walter L. Smith, Sr., Ph.D., and Frederick S. Humphries, Sr., Ph.D. respectively. We also lost notable alumni, including former U.S. Congressional Representatives Alcee Hastings and Carrie P. Meek. Each of these “Fallen Rattlers” left their mark on the institution we know and love. They are remembered in this issue. Larry Robinson, Ph.D., is the 12th President of Florida A&M University.
Larry Robinson, Ph.D. FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 3
4 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
Editors
LETTER FROM THE
POPULAR CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHOR DR. SEUSS has let a
generation of young readers know for three decades in his record-shattering, best-selling book, “Oh, The Places You Will Go,” that the universe awaits with one life adventure after another. Though some critics call the book somewhat elementary and trite, Seuss’s last book becomes a bestseller at graduation time in places far and wide.
Andrew J. Skerritt Executive Editor
L.A. Carroll Editor/Project Manager
At Florida A&M University (FAMU), the A&M Magazine staff reflected on a more mature, more germane voice for the theme of this Summer 2022 edition of the A&M magazine: The voice of University President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., who is often heard declaring the mantra: “You Can Go Anywhere From FAMU.” The journey of countless alumni proves him right. Turn the pages of this magazine to see. For lofty pursuits by land, air, space or sea, priceless roundtrip tickets to excellence – and to the world - have been snagged by generations of Rattlers. From the highest of seven hills in Tallahassee at FAMU, more than 80,000 alumni have come, have conquered and have taken the Rattler spirit across the nation and beyond. Just take a look at the FAMU annals and you will see that the President could not be more profound or prescient. So, we invite you to take a journey with us on these A&M pages ... from NASA to the Motherland and the Diaspora, from the White House to the highest leadership position at a worldwide news operation owned by Disney. Continue with us in a backward glance at some FAMU alumni who were at the pinnacle of politics and others who were recipients of the highest accolades in leadership. Closer to the campus, a familiar byways for So, we invite you to take a journey almost all Rattlers is explored: Gamble Street was named for a slaveholder; it is now named for with us on these A&M pages ... Robert and Trudie Perkins, Tallahassee’s “civil from NASA to the Motherland rights power couple.” We travel through the history and the Diaspora, from the White of Gamble, himself, and the Perkins family - and House to the highest leadership the official, historical road to change. The A&M staff is proud to present a special position at a worldwide news section about two former FAMU presidents, operation owned by Disney. two retired members of the U.S. Congress and several significant leaders of the National Alumni Association. The journey continues with deep dives into new research about medical marijuana. Yes, from the red-clay hills of the University, inside research paths, news centers and nerve centers, and into the outer limits of the atmosphere, Rattlers have shown up and shown out . . . After all, as Dr. Robinson says: You really can “go anywhere from FAMU.”
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 5
6 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
FAMU RISES AGAIN AMONG TOP NATIONAL PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES – U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
BY [ Andrew J. SKERRITT ]
FAMU moved from 117 to 104 among Top National Public Universities; 20th to 13th on the Social Mobility Index; Top Public HBCU for the third consecutive year.
“Moving up 13 places is a testament to our focus on student success and the dedication of our faculty, staff and students to the tenets of our strategic plan, FAMU Rising,” said FAMU President Larry Robinson, Ph.D. Florida A&M University (FAMU) solidified its standing as the highest-ranked public Historically Black College or University (HBCU) for the third consecutive year as the University moved up 13 places to reach 104th in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report Ranking of Top National Public Universities. FAMU was ranked 117th in the 2021 ranking of National Public Universities. In another major move forward, FAMU was ranked 13th on the Social Mobility Index, which attests to the University’s ability to transform the economic trajectory of its alumni and their families. “Moving up 13 places is a testament to our focus on student success and the dedication of our faculty, staff and students to the tenets of our strategic plan, FAMU Rising,” said FAMU President Larry Robinson, Ph.D. “Our intentionality and teamwork allow us to focus acutely on opportunities and more effectively address challenges.” Under the University’s five-year strategic plan from 2017-2022, the University focused on student success outcomes, most notably in improved retention and six-year graduation rates,
faculty research, top-class infrastructure, customer service excellence and other key areas. FAMU is ranked seventh among HBCUs, behind private institutions Spelman College, Howard University, Xavier University, Hampton University, Morehouse College and Tuskegee University. Among the other highlights of the eagerly awaited and closely watched annual survey, FAMU moved up seven places to be ranked No. 13 in the U.S. News & World Report Social Mobility Index, a reflection of the six-year graduation rate of Pell grant eligible students. President Robinson views the Social Mobility Index as the truest indicator of FAMU’s ability to alter the economic trajectory of individuals and families for generations. FAMU ranks second among State University System institutions for social mobility behind Florida International University, which is ranked sixth. “I am especially excited by our rise in the Social Mobility Index ranking because it reflects our 133-year commitment to transforming the lives of students regardless of their socioeconomic status or whether they are among the first in their family to attend college or are
from a long line of Rattlers,” Robinson said. “At FAMU, our faculty and staff recognize the promise in every student and understand society’s need for the contributions of our graduates.” During the last year, breaking into the top 100 National Public Universities or “Marching to the Top 100” has been a priority for FAMU. It was the theme of a faculty and staff retreat this summer when President Robinson and other administrators stressed the need to improve since competing schools were not standing still. “The rise in our rankings illustrates what we can do with a focused plan and improved investment, both of which are critical to our success. It is a statement about a joint effort between our Board and the President to establish and stick with key priorities,” FAMU Board of Trustees Chairman Kelvin Lawson said. “We want to continue to push the envelope and focus on ongoing improvement in our operating model as we continue our march to the top 100 colleges and universities in the nation.”
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 7
OWNING HER STORY
ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP
BY [ Kara PAYNE ]
ABC News executive Godwin is living ‘excellence,’ lifting others as she continues her ascent High in New York, so she enrolled in FAMU’s School of Journalism, Media and Communication (SJGMC). “After one class, the rest was history,” she said. “I found my passion. I was exactly where I needed to be.”
ABC News President Kim Godwin consults with ABC World News Tonight Anchor David Muir. CREDIT: ABC NEWS
BLACK BRILLIANCE EVERYWHERE Godwin’s journey to the hilltop..
New York, N.Y. -- It took 30 hours in 1980 for Kim Godwin to reach Florida A&M University (FAMU) — on a Greyhound bus from Queens, New York to Tallahassee. Lugging an entire trunk into Diamond Hall with her mother and sister in tow, Godwin planned to pursue a career in medicine when she first stepped foot on the highest of seven hills. She had no idea she would make history as the first Black woman to be president of a global broadcast news network.
“I was going to be pre-med because that would make my mom proud,” Godwin said. “If I became a doctor, that’s something she could brag about.” After her first chemistry class in Jones Hall, however, she knew that was not going to be her path. “There’s no way I’m doing this for the next four years,” she said. She did have a knack for speaking and for writing; she was named best writer at Bayside
8 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
Godwin is a second-generation Rattler. Her father, James Edward Godwin, hailed from Panama City, Florida; he was on the FAMU Football Team under legendary coach Jake Gaither. Even though Godwin did not grow up with her father, she hoped attending his alma mater would create a connection. It did just that. After graduating, Godwin says she and her father became close. Growing up as a “poor Black kid” bused into predominantly white schools, setting foot on FAMU’s campus was a culture shock in the best way possible. Godwin was used to being the “smart Black girl” in her classroom. “I thought I was kind of special,” Godwin said. “Then I got onto FAMU’s campus and realized there was brilliance everywhere. I remember I felt such tremendous pride. I still feel it in my spirit.” She recalls the pharmacy students in their white coats and the business students in their three-piece suits. Her fellow “J-School” classmates always had their reporter pads in hand, ready to scope out the next big story. “We were taught by old-school journalists,” Godwin said. “They demanded excellence, and when I walked into a newsroom after graduating from FAMU’s School of Journalism, I was confident. I was competent. I was conscientious. No one was going to outlearn me.” Godwin says FAMU is where “Kim Godwin became Kim Godwin.” It was where she learned to harness her power and own her story. It is something she instills in the young people she mentors to this day.
AWARDS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS: ■ 2021 National Urban League Living
■ 2020 Wisconsin Black Media Associa-
■ ■
■ 2019 YMCA of New York Roy Sawyer
■
■
■
Legend Award 2020 NABJ Ida B. Wells Award Six National News and Documentary Emmy Awards Two Edward R. Murrow Awards – awarded by The Radio Television Digital News Association in recognition of outstanding achievements in broadcast and digital journalism Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia Award – awarded by The Columbia Journalism School honoring those upholding the highest standards in journalism annually 2021 Crain’s 50 Most Powerful Women in New York
tion Reward of Excellence
Community Impact Award
■ 2018 NABJ Diversity Champion Award ■ 2018 FAMU Distinguished Alumni
Award ■ 2018 Pearls of Service Foundation Impact Award (Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.) ■ 2013 Sigma Delta Chi Award – awarded by the Society of Professional Journalists since 1932. Godwin and a team of CBS colleagues received the award for Public Service in Television Journalism
A League of Her Own
Her confidence and willingness to learn have paid off. Godwin has worked her way up in each newsroom: Starting as an intern in Tallahassee at the local ABC affiliate, getting to the station without a car, to becoming an investigative reporter in West Palm Beach. Godwin knew she wanted a seat at the editorial table, where the decisions are made. She served in leadership roles from coast to coast before landing at CBS News in 2007. She rose to the level of Executive Vice President of CBS News, responsible for news coverage worldwide from London to Afghanistan, before taking the helm in April 2021 as president of ABC News. Yvette Miley, senior vice president at MSNBC, has known Godwin since she was 23. “Kim is a leader in every role and in every newsroom,” Miley said. “It has been amazing to be on the sidelines watching each step in her long and illustrious career. She makes the people around her better by her sheer excellence and drive. Kim makes great decisions, is rooted and guided by a moral compass and acts with goodwill toward others. It is an honor and privilege to know her.”
A closer look at the news leader who is now a headliner herself
As a Black woman in her recent role, Godwin says she feels the responsibility and historic nature of her position every day. She leads in a way that sets the tone for more to come behind her. No matter how high she climbs, Godwin said ‘the desire to pull others up with her resides in her soul.”
MARRIED: The happy couple eloped on a mountaintop in Sedona. Courtesy of ABC News
“The higher I’ve been blessed to rise, the more seriously I take that obligation.” FAMU Professor Kenneth Jones has worked with Godwin for more than 20 years in various capacities. He said he hasn’t seen anyone give back the way Godwin does -- not just monetarily but also spending hours with students going over their writing and videos and participating in the NABJ Short Courses hosted by the university. Godwin personally invited Nightline Co-anchor Byron Pitts to speak to students. “Kim Godwin is an example of what can happen when you’re raised right, educated right and live right,” Pitts said. “She symbolizes the future of broadcast news, not its past. She’s a dynamic leader, hard worker, talented and gifted. I’ve never been prouder of the ABC News and Walt Disney family than the day they announced Kim Godwin would be our president.” FAMU President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., echoed similar sentiments after news broke about Godwin’s newest charge this past spring.
“The FAMU community is immensely proud of her accomplishment,” Robinson said. “Her hard work and excellence have carried her to the pinnacle of her profession as president of ABC News. This reinforces what we always tell our students: You can get anywhere from FAMU. ABC News will be in good hands.”
Outside the Newsroom
The pride felt for Godwin is evident across the FAMUly and journalism industry and among her blood family and sorority sisters. As a wife, mom, daughter, sister and aunt, Godwin finds joy in spending quality time with her family. Her social media is flooded with family members and sorority sisters doting on her accomplishments and celebrating her. “She’s the sweetest person,” said AndraLica McCorvey, who, like Godwin, is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. “She is no different now than she was then — kind, caring, a hard worker. She worked so hard for the chapter. Whatever you needed, she did. When she became Vice President of CBS, I cried.” Godwin was initiated into the Beta Alpha Chapter in 1982 and has continued to provide leadership and service through AKA, according to all accounts. While giving to others remains paramount, Godwin takes her self-care seriously as well. She spends each morning in her 20/20/20 routine: twenty minutes meditating and praying, 20 minutes exercising and 20 minutes learning something. She considers herself a bit of a sneakerhead, became a runner during the pandemic and calls herself “The Queen of Weekend Travel.” “I believe in living a 360 life,” she said. “You really can have it all if you’re intentional about it.” An hour in front of the ocean rejuvenates her spirit. That and ushering monthly at her church, a mainstay in her life before the pandemic. She said ushering was something that kept her humble and centered. “It reminds me that you are no better than the old lady you are helping to her seat,” she said. “People are people. Everyone really wants the same things for their families and themselves. Ushering at church helps to remind of that.” In her role as President of ABC News, Godwin also fosters a culture of authenticity where people feel seen and heard. “FAMU’s Motto is Excellence with Caring. At ABC News, I often say excellence with kindness and especially after the year we’ve all been through as a country, and indeed as a world, it is important that we are kind. Just kind. We can still be excellent, but you don’t have to lower your standard to be kind.”
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 9
HOMECOMING A large, appreciative crowd of students and alumni converged on the Will Packer Performing Arts Amphitheater to see Kevin Hart live, along with Will Packer and Stephen A. Smith, on the set of ESPN’s First Take. The event was the highlight of FAMFest, which was part of the 2021 Homecoming Celebration.
CELEBRATION WITH A PURPOSE BY [ Andrew J. SKERRITT ]
CREDIT: FAMU OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
10 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
The COVID-19 pandemic curtailed plans for homecoming in 2020, so the demand from Rattlers for Homecoming 2021 was epic, hence the “Epic Return” theme for 2021. Thousands converged on campus for eight days of events, from a gospel blessings and brunch concert to the Homecoming game and concert with Lil Baby and MoneyBagg Yo. In between, FAMU defeated Grambling State before a sold-out stadium. ESPN’s First Take with Stephen A. Smith and Kevin Hart and Plastic Cup Boyz headlined the first FAMFest at the newly opened Will Packer Performing Arts Amphitheater. The annual celebration included homecoming staples, such as comedy, fashion, and step show, and ceremonies recognizing individuals, companies and nonprofits who financially support the University. The John S. Knight Foundation donated $1.5 million to add multimedia functionality to the University’s new amphitheater. The new public space, which includes the Will Packer Performing Arts Amphitheater, will be known as the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Plaza. “Homecoming is a celebration with a purpose,” said Shawnta Friday-Stroud, Ph.D., vice president for University Advancement and executive director of the FAMU Foundation. “These festivities are an opportunity for us to invest in current students and Rattlers for generations to come.”
ABOVE LEFT (From left) Alumni, Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Producer Rob Hardy and talk show host Rashan Ali ABOVE RIGHT Alumnus Roy Wood Jr., a correspondent for The Daily Show, was the keynote speaker for the Homecoming Convocation CREDIT: FAMU OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
LEFT President Larry Robinson and wife Sharon.
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 11
The Office of Transfer Student Services is Committed to Attracting the best and the brightest to the Hill “A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of human history.” -- Mahatma Gandhi Gandhi’s impactful words would accurately define the TheofOffice of Transfer Office Transfer Student Services andStudent The IGNITE Services Program staff. “A small body of determined spirits fired by an
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
is Committed to Attracting the best and the brightest to the Hill
unquenchable faith in their mission can alter Though small in number, staff members demonstrate the course of human history.” a determined spirit backed by their unquenchable pas-- Mahatma sion and commitment to recruiting the best andGandhi brightest Gandhi’s impactful words would accurately define the transfer students to Florida A&M University (FAMU). That Office of Transfer Services and Thepublic IGNITEHBCU Pro-to sets the stage forStudent the nation’s top-ranked gram staff.the enrollment of transfer students. increase Though smallofinTransfer number,Student staff members demonstrate “The Office Services and The IGNITE a Program determined spirit backed unquenchable aligns itself with by thetheir strategic plan and pasinitiasion andofcommitment to recruiting the best and brightest tives the University,” says Randolph Bellamy, assistant transfer Florida A&M University (FAMU). That director,students Office ofto Transfer Student Services and IGNITE sets the stage theso, nation’s top-ranked HBCUtransto Program. “In for doing our office aims topublic increase increase the enrollment, enrollment ofretention transferand students. fer student completion through graduation.” “The Office of Transfer Student Services and The IGNITE Program aligns with therestrictions strategic plan and initiaIn light of itself the current brought on by tives of the University,” Randolph Bellamy, assistant COVID-19, colleges andsays universities across the country director, Office of Transfer Services and However, IGNITE have had to reassess theirStudent recruitment efforts. Program. doingServices so, our office aims to increase transTransfer“In Student staff remains focused on their ferrecruitment student enrollment, retention and completion through efforts and cultivating recruited students to graduation.” become successful members of the “FAMUly.” InEvery lightmonth, of thetransfer currentspecialists restrictions brought on inforby conduct virtual COVID-19, collegeswith andouruniversities across the country mation sessions Florida Community College (FCC) have had to Transfer reassessspecialists their recruitment However, partners. work in efforts. collaboration with Transfer staff remains focusedadvisers on theirof transferStudent liaisons,Services local alumni and academic recruitment effortsandandschools cultivating recruited students to FAMU’s colleges to engage potential students become successfultomembers of the “FAMUly.” on transitioning FAMU. This allows students the opportunity to obtain more information about their anticipated Every month, transfer specialists conduct virtual informajors. mation sessions with our Florida Community College (FCC) partners. Transfer specialists work starts in collaboration with “My philosophy is that success from the begintransfer liaisons, students local alumni andonacademic advisers of ning. Engaging earlier allows them to make FAMU’s and schools to engage potential better,colleges well-informed decisions in terms of theirstudents academic ongoals,” transitioning FAMU. allows students the opporBellamytosays. “ToThis ensure success, we provide inditunity to obtain more information anticipated vidualized experiences to ensureabout that notheir student is left in majors. the unknown. We take pride and personally guide every transfer student through the admissions funnel until they “Myadmitted philosophy that success starts from the beginare and isultimately enrolled.” ning. Engaging students earlier on allows them to make better, well-informed decisions in terms of their academic Statistically, students coming to a four-year institution goals,” says.college “To ensure success, we provide from aBellamy community with an A.A. degree proveindito be vidualized experiences toand ensure that no stronger academically graduate on student time. is left in the unknown. We take pride and personally guide every transfer student through the admissions they There are several benefits for studentsfunnel optinguntil to attend areanadmitted and ultimately FCC and then transfer toenrolled.” FAMU: coming to and a four-year •Statistically, Affordabilitystudents -- In-state tuition fees areinstitution much more from a community collegeand withfees an A.A. degree prove to be reasonable than tuition at four-year institutions. stronger academically and graduate on time. There are several benefits for students opting to attend an FCC and then transfer to FAMU: • Affordability -- In-state tuition and fees are much more reasonable than tuition and fees at four-year institutions.
• Flexibility -- Students, especially those who struggled in high school or are unsure about investing time and money in a university education, can build a better academic foundation. • School-life balance -- Affords non-traditional students (e.g., older students, parents, etc.) an opportunity to balance college with career or family obligations. • Flexibility -- Students, especially those who struggled • More personalized attention -- smaller class sizes mean in high school or are unsure about investing time and more personal attention and more one-on-one time with money in a university education, can build a better acinstructors. ademic foundation. • Transfer agreements -- FAMU provides guaranteed • School-life balance -- Affords non-traditional students “general” admissions to students who complete their A.A. (e.g., older students, parents, etc.) an opportunity to baldegree from a Florida College System institution. ance college with career or family obligations. • More personalized attention -- smaller class sizes mean Benefits to students who join the FAMU IGNITE Program: more personal attention and more one-on-one time with instructors. • Guaranteed general admission to FAMU after complet• Transfer agreements -- FAMU provides guaranteed ing an Associate of Arts degree from a Florida Communi“general” admissions to students who complete their A.A. ty/State College degree from a Florida College System institution. • Access to FAMU transfer specialists who assist with the admissions funnel Benefits to students who join the FAMU IGNITE Program: • Access to FAMU academic advisers who provide insight about degrees and programs • Guaranteed general admission to FAMU after complet• Access to IGNITE card, which provides a “pre-student ing an Associate of Arts degree from a Florida Communiexperience” by granting free access to many on-campus ty/State College events • Access to FAMU transfer specialists who assist with the • Consideration for the Florida Community College scholadmissions funnel arship with acceptable GPA. • Access to FAMU academic advisers who provide insight about degrees and programs “While we primarily focus on Florida Community Col• Access to IGNITE card, which provides a “pre-student lege transfer students via the IGNITE program, our goal is experience” by granting free access to many on-campus to provide customer service excellence in all that we do, events while creating an environment that fosters the success of • Consideration for the Florida Community College scholall transfer students,” Bellamy adds. “We are student-foarship with acceptable GPA. cused professionals that execute new and innovative ways to recruit transfer students. Our vision is to surpass “While we primarily focus on Florida Community Colexpectations in the work and interactions with transfer lege transfer students via the IGNITE program, our goal is students. Lastly, we aim to build impactful relationships to provide customer service excellence in all that we do, that will continue to make FAMU the #1 HBCU.” while creating an environment that fosters the success of all transfer students,” Bellamy adds. “We are student-focused professionals that execute new and innovative ways to recruit transfer students. Our vision is to surpass expectations in the work and interactions with transfer students. Lastly, we aim to build impactful relationships that will continue to make FAMU the #1 HBCU.”
12 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
Randolph Bellamy Assistant Director
Randolph Bellamy Lashawnda Swanigan Assistant Director Transfer Coordinator
Spencer Tyrus Central Region
Lashawnda College of Central Swanigan Florida, Hillsborough Transfer Coordinator Community College, Pasco Hernando State College, Polk State College, St. Petersburg College, Valencia College Spencer Santiago Tyrus Alberto Central Region Southern Region
College Central Florida, Miami Hillsborough IndianofRiver State College, Dade Community College, Pasco Hernando College, South Florida State College State College, Polk State College, St. Petersburg College, Valencia College
Alberto Darel Santiago Robinson Southern SouthernRegion Region
Indian RiverCollege, State College, MiamiState DadeCollege, Broward Palm Beach College, South Florida State College State College of Florida
Darel Robinson John Tornes Southern NorthernRegion Region
Broward College, Beach Eastern State College, Daytona StatePalm College, Florida State College of Florida State College, Florida State College of Jacksonville, Santa Fe College, Tallahassee Community College
John Tornes Northern Region
Daytona State College, Eastern Florida State College, Florida State College of Jacksonville, Santa Fe College, Tallahassee Community College
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 13
WILL PACKER PERFORMING ARTS AMPHITHEATER UNVEILED BY [ Andrew J. SKERRITT ]
Will Packer at the ribbon cutting ceremony.
F
lorida A&M University (FAMU) alumnus movie mogul Will Packer unveiled the new Performing Arts Amphitheater named in his honor during Homecoming festivities on Friday, October 29, 2021. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., and prominent alumni including Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, longtime collaborator, film director Rob Hardy, and actress Rashan Ali. Packer was surrounded by his wife, Heather Packer, children, his mother, sister and other relatives. “This is a big moment for me. This is huge. It’s everything,” said Packer, who thanked his mother for “believing in me.” He also praised his classmates, especially Hardy with helping him to achieve success beyond his wildest imagination.
14 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
“It ain’t about the size of the university that determines heart. It’s about the heart that beats within the University,” Packer told the appreciative crowd. “Now is the time for Rattlers and HBCU students and grads at large to reach back and give back to those who need our support. Our time is now. There is no time to waste because it’s FAMU. The groundwork has been laid and there’s never been a better time in history to represent excellence.” The Will Packer Performing Arts Amphitheater is part of the recently named John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Plaza. The foundation donated $1.5 million to FAMU as part of its ongoing support of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and equitable public spaces.Knight’s grant will enable students, the FAMU community and Tallahassee residents to experience visu-
Clockwise from top. (from left) Kevin Hart, Will Packer, ESPN’s First Take Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim on the set of ESPN’s First Take live broadcast. A raucous, enthusiastic crowd gathered early and stayed throughout the show. CREDIT: FAMU OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
The FAMU appearance was one of the show’s first oncampus events since the outbreak of the pandemic.
“Now is the time for Rattlers and HBCU students and grads at large to reach back and give back to those who need our support. Our time is now. There is no time to waste because it’s FAMU. The groundwork has been laid and there’s never been a better time in history to represent excellence.”
al and performing arts, news and other programming, both in-person and virtually. Packer, who earned an engineering degree at FAMU, started working on his first movie “Chocolate City” with Hardy while still on campus. The founder and CEO of Will Packer Productions film production company and Will Packer Media, a television, digital and branded content company, Packer wanted his donation to motivate others to step forward to invest in students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Since he began creating movies, Packer has produced or executive produced a wide range of movies, including such films as “The Photograph,” “Little,” “What Men Want,” “Night School,” “Breaking In,” “Girls Trip,” “Ride Along 2,” “Straight Outta Compton,” “No Good Deed,” “Think Like a
Man Too,” “Ride Along,” “Think Like a Man,” and “Takers.” His television credits include “That Girl Lay Lay,” “Blackballed,” “Ambitions,” “Bigger,” “Being Mary Jane,” “Uncle Buck” and the remake of “Roots,” for which he received an Emmy nomination. Packer produced the 94th Oscars in March 2022. The ribbon-cutting ceremony kicked off a day of activities for FAMFest, which was part of FAMU Homecoming 2021- An Epic Return. The highlight was a live, on-location broadcast of ESPN’s First Take with Stephen A. Smith and host Molly Qerim Rose. Packer and actor Kevin Hart joined the First Take two-hour broadcast on the Amphitheater stage. Following First Take, Hart’s LOL radio show Straight from the Hart, featuring Kevin Hart & The Plastic Cup Boyz, taped in front of a live audience from the Amphitheater stage, that was aired several days later on SiriusXM. Shawnta Friday-Stroud, Ph.D., vice president for University Advancement and FAMU Founda-
tion executive director, and her staff have been in conversation with Packer for a number of years. He made the donation anonymously in 2019 in anticipation of a 2020 homecoming unveiling, which was derailed by the pandemic. She said this gift was just a reflection of his passion for his alma mater. “Will Packer has an unrivaled passion for FAMU. His gift toward naming the Performing Arts Amphitheater is a demonstration of his love for his alma mater and his desire to lead by example in giving back to the institution that means so much to him,” Friday-Stroud said. “We are so thankful to Will for his generosity.” The Performing Arts Amphitheater concept was developed by the Student Government Association in response to dramatic increase in the activities of student clubs and organizations over the past few years. The Amphitheater is located on “The Set,” which is the heartbeat of the FAMU student experience.
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 15
FAMU NAA PRESIDENT CLARK WINDS DOWN ‘SUPERCHARGED’ TENURE
BY [ Kathy Y. TIMES ]
“He is personable, dedicated, committed and recognizes the skills strength in others,” said Pinkard. “I was always comfortable in the background, but he has pushed me and others out of our comfort zone and allowed our strengths to be best utilized and shown. He believes in unity, doing what is right for “Mother FAMU” (even if not popular), celebrating those who have built this organization, have outstanding service in their community and careers and ensuring that we all understand the history of the Association, while continuing to move us forward and having fun!” As an officer in the U.S. Army Reserves, a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, and owner of a financial services business in Birmingham, Alabama, Clark brought a unique set of skills to his position. Those experiences, a loyal board of directors and members, chapter leaders and staff at the Office of Alumni Affairs helped him fulfill campaign pledges and much more. In 2015, he pledged to ■ accelerate membership growth, ■ strengthen the Association’s revenue streams, ■ increase alumni engagement, ■ support FAMU student recruitment efforts, ■ and establish an NAA Governmental Affairs Network.
Two-term FAMU National Alumni Association President Col. Gregory L. Clark.
Florida A&M University National Alumni Association (FAMU NAA) President Col. Gregory L. Clark’s likens the beginning of his tenure to driving a Corvette. Elected to his first term in December 2015, Clark would take the steering wheel of his alma mater’s alumni association and board of directors with a mandate. He won the election with 90 percent of the vote. “The membership was looking for me to take the wheels of the car,” said Clark. “When I became president, I had good people around me who just wanted guidance. I must give a lot of credit to my NAA board. Now, I’m grooming future presidents to come up through the ranks.” Clark had more than 15 years of NAA leadership experience when he was elected president. He moved through the ranks as founding chapter of the Birmingham Metro FAMU Alumni Chapter in 1999 to first vice president in 2010. “That’s what shaped me,” said Clark. “I had an opportunity to see things from the ground up and see areas that needed improvement.” Clark sought re-election in in 2017, unopposed. His second term culminates on June 30, 2022. It has been much like a Tesla — supercharged. NAA Southern Region President Yolanda Pinkard has known Clark for 17 years. She calls him a true leader who leads from the front. 16 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
During Clark’s first year in office, the NAA purchased association software that helped maintain membership information and seamlessly add new graduates into the system. It also paved the way for members to pay their chapter, regional and national dues online. “We took the load off our local chapters’ financial teams,” said Clark. “They no longer have to accept checks, then mail them in, and then the checks were processed by the FAMU Foundation. Now everyone can pay their dues online. At the end of every month, we send chapters their local or regional dues payments electronically.” The NAA’s membership grew from 2,000 in 2015 to its current roster of 3,800. Clark focused on growing life memberships, which more than doubled from 1,200 in 2015 to a record high of 2,800 in October 2021. That equates to an additional $525,000 in the life membership endowment fund, which exceeds $2 million. Interest funds annual scholarships for FAMU students. Clark is especially proud of a new source of scholarship dollars that pays outstanding University tuition or balances that can prevent FAMU students from registering for classes and receiving their diplomas. In February 2016, the NAA launched his “signature” program, the Save Our Student (S.O.S.) Scholarship Fund. Clark thought of the initiative after a FAMU administrator shared a list of students with debt that exceeded $7 million. The average balance was $1,000. By helping primarily juniors and seniors clear balances – mostly $500 or less – S.O.S. is a win-win for the University. FAMU’s graduation and retention rates are among key performance metrics the state uses to award the University millions of dollars. “That’s what gave me the idea to alleviate some of this debt,” said Clark. “Once I understood how the State of Florida’s performance model was affecting FAMU, I saw how we as the alumni association could affect that number.”
In 2021, an S.O.S. scholarship cleared Alandra Mitchell’s student debt of $5,146.71. Three years earlier, the international student had completed her studies to earn a Doctor of Pharmacy. She explained that she worked “multiple jobs and made numerous sacrifices,” but couldn’t pay the debt. Her financial situation changed when two family members were struck by chronic illnesses. “I was caught in a revolving door with no exit,” said Mitchell. “The outstanding balance from my final semester prevented me from graduating and receiving my degree.” Mitchell was having a tough time landing a job in her home country of Trinidad and Tobago. Today, she is a guest lecturer at the University of the West Indies. “This award allowed me to finally embark on my dream of serving my community through preventive health education,” said Mitchell. “I am sincerely grateful to the FAMU National Alumni Association for giving me the chance to answer my calling to serve.” As of June 2021, the S.O.S. fund has contributed more than $535,000 to assist 579 students with clearing outstanding student debts. FAMU Board of Trustees Chairman Kelvin Lawson describes Clark as a “transformational leader” within the FAMU NAA and beyond. “Other alumni associations look to us for how it should be done,” said Lawson. “I value his leadership. I value his ability to raise money. Greg has the most expensive breakfasts I’ve ever been to. He has truly created a legacy for any individual to follow in that role.” Lawson also appreciates Clark’s unified front to supporting FAMU by working with trustees, the University’s Direct Support Organizations, Division of Student Affairs, the FAMU Foundation, Government Relations, the Marching “100” band, and other units on campus.
Clark’s Footprint is Most Visible in a Familiar Space: FAMU Athletics.
In 1987, he earned a baseball scholarship to FAMU and helped his team win three MEAC baseball titles. In 2019, the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame inducted Clark. He has helped raise funds for the baseball team as well as women’s and men’s sports team. Realizing the football program is critical to the Athletic Department’s budget and success, he turned much of his attention during his second term to rallying alumni to donate funds for the football team’s infrastructure, personnel, and players’ academic success. “A winning football team makes it easier to ask alumni to donate to the University,” said Clark. After the football team’s loss to rival Bethune-Cookman University in 2017 at the Florida Classic, Clark was key to convincing Coach Willie Simmons to come to FAMU as the head football coach. There was a dilemma. The State of Florida caps the amount of state funds that can be used to pay a state university employee’s salary at $200,000. Simmons’ compensation at Prairie View A&M was $275,000. “In the past, we would offer coaches $200,000 and say take it or leave it,” said Clark. Clark called the presidents of FAMU Direct Support Organizations, including the FAMU Boosters, the Rattler F Club, and the FAMU Foundation. Their leaders committed a total of $50,000 to the $100,00 shortfall in Simmons’ compensation package. The NAA provided the rest of the funds — $50,000. “It was collective teamwork,” said Clark. “I feel like a proud dad as I have watched FAMU Athletics progress. The reason for its success is the hard work by the University leadership and President Robinson to include the Direct Support Organizations. All of us are pulling in the same direction and because of this, FAMU Athletics will continue to be great!”
Col. Clark receives the leadership award from President Robinson at the Spring 2022 Commencement
In 2018, the NAA also contributed $200,000 to help football players enroll in summer classes. That was the first of two years when Clark and FAMU Executive Director of Alumni Affairs, Carmen Cummings, embarked on a road trip with Coach Simmons. They traveled to major cities where alumni hosted events and raised $85,000 to help purchase new uniforms and equipment for the football team. Before Coach Simmons arrived at FAMU, Clark, the NAA board and athletics booster organizations realized that the coach and players needed a new field house. “Carmen and I are tied at the hip,” said Clark. “I couldn’t ask for a better person. If I were the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, she would be chief of staff. We have a genuine love of the University. She is a major cog in this wheel that makes this organization go. I’m going to miss that comradery and friendship.” The NAA helped FAMU Athletics raise more than $500,000 in cash and provided $350,000 of the $1.1 million cost for the field house renovation. The work was completed in the summer of 2021. “People give to people,” said Clark. “If you show them a vision, people are willing to give. I conveyed what we needed to do to move our Athletics forward. The relationships with alumni helped make the asks easier.” Clark said he will continue supporting “Mother FAMU” after his term ends and wants the next NAA president to keep up the momentum. “We can’t take our foot off the pedal,” said Clark. “FAMU needs us to be strong behind her to give our university and students a fighting chance. I’ve enjoyed the ride. I’ll never let FAMU fail.” On Friday, April 29, Clark participated in his final charging ceremony at the Spring 2022 commencement, where he received the President’s Award from President Larry Robinson, Ph.D. “Thank you for your long history of service, dedication, inspiration, and motivation you gave to our students, the FAMU National Alumni Association and the entire University while serving two terms as the alumni association president,” President Robinson said. As of July 1, 2022, Col. Clark will retire from the U.S. Army Reserves after 33 years of service. He will preside over his final NAA Convention in Tallahassee June 2-5.
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 17
MAKING HEAVENLY DECISIONS
GRADUATE IS AT THE WHEELS OF NEW NASA PATHWAYS TO THE MOON, MARS BY [ Megan TRUSDELL ]
Simone Hutchinson and husband, James Hutchinson III, and their two sons, James Hutchinson IV and Jaxson Hutchinson visit the Tallahassee campus.
As a teenager in Fort Myers, Florida, Simone Hutchinson could see tiny plumes of smoke in the distant skies when space shuttles launched on the opposite side of the state from Cape Canaveral.
Hutchison’s role at NASA is the Gateway resource integrator, responsibilities include program planning, budgeting and execution, monthly and quarterly processes. CREDIT: SIMONE HUTCHINSON
President Ro
Thoughts of working at Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston and NASA, and trying to get people back to the moon, however, were even more distant. Yet, through a Florida A&M University (FAMU) connection and a bit of serendipity, Hutchinson has become key in building “The Gateway,” an orbital platform - think mini version of the space station- that is part of Artemis, the project working to return humans to the lunar surface, a feat last achieved via Apollo 17 in 1972. “I am excited that Gateway will be the orbiting lunar outpost and will be a part of taking humans back to the Moon,” said Hutchinson, who is the Gateway resource integrator. “It will be a testbed for technologies that will eventually be used when humans journey on to Mars.” As the Gateway resource integrator, her responsibilities include program planning, budgeting and execution, monthly and quarterly reporting processes, phasing plan development, and coordination of resources across nine NASA centers. “I have always been a person who loves math and numbers,” she said. “That love of numbers now allows me to look at budgets without bias, perform excellent analysis of resource performance, and provide fiscal advice to the technical community when hard decisions need to be made.”
18 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
The Gateway program has about 300 civil servants and a budget of $700 million. “We all share in essentially getting people to outer space,” Hutchinson added. “There are the technical people who build the rockets and make sure they are safely putting them into space — bioastronautics, ‘what does outer space do to us.’ As a resource person, it’s our job to manage the money we get.”
Her Journey was Launched Via U.S. Army
Hutchinson, the third of four children, was born in Landstuhl, Germany. Her father, Nathaniel Bonner, was in the Army and stationed at Ramstein Air Base. When Bonner retired in 1993, he moved the family back to his hometown of Fort Myers, where Hutchinson attended middle and Bonner High School, from which she graduated in 2004. “It was a little challenging to find those who you might call your ‘forever friends,’ because you’re all always changing,” Hutchinson says about military brat life. “I think, ultimately, it set me up to being able to adapt and deal with change because I was constantly enduring it every three or four years until age 12.” Hutchinson initially wanted to be a teacher. After working in an afterschool program for several years,
she realized it was not her true passion. A penchant for business ran in the family. Her mom had a business degree and worked in the finance department for the Lee County School Board. She was also head of the finance committee at their church. “I like numbers and it just kind of fit,” she said. “I thought, one day, I was going to be a CEO or CFO. I don’t know that I ever had an idea of a specific company to run, but just knowing and being the best business professional that I could be was kind of the goal.” She initially did not want to attend FAMU, because so many family members, including her two older brothers, had done so and were still in the area. She was not wild about living in the same city as them, she said. However, she was on a Black-history brain bowl team in high school, and they won the state competition; for Hutchinson, a new school of thought emerged after she was awarded a full ride FAMU. The school’s combined BA/MBA degree, which allows students to complete a bachelor and master’s degree program in five years, was the “cherry on top.” Looking back, she says deciding to attend FAMU was the best decision she ever made. “There were so many great professors who poured into us like we were their children,” she said. “They looked to foster an environment for us obis where we could succeed.”
Taking Off From FAMU, Then to Ford and Beyond
Her first post-graduate job was at Ford Motor Company, where she had completed her last internship. At the time, the Detroit-based automaker was shuttering plants and cutting jobs as part of a restructuring plan to restore profitability. It was not a happy place. She did not see a future there. She mentioned her plight to a former FAMU/ SBI classmate who worked for NASA that she was It’s never too early to get son James IV interested in science and the wonders of NASA. CREDIT: SIMONE HUTCHINSON
Family time is very important to the Hutchinsons. Simone Hutchinson and husband, James Hutchinson III, and younger Jaxson during a visit to the campus.
There were so many great professors who poured into us like we were their children,” she said. “They looked to foster an environment for us where we could succeed.” looking for work. He encouraged her to apply for a NASA position. “Fast forward 15 years later, here I am,” she says. “Since coming to JSC every person I have met along my journey has made me feel like I’m a part of the mission.” Hutchinson started as a resource analyst on the International Space Station before moving to Advanced Exploration Systems, which is charged with conducting and planning the Artemis missions. Shawnta Friday-Stroud, Ph.D., dean of the FAMU School of Business and Industry (SBI), said Hutchinson was a diligent student, team player, and one who was serious about trying to excel. “We prepare future leaders across all industries, sectors,” says Friday-Stroud. “When you go through the curriculum here, there’s not much else you can’t figure out how to do. Anything that anybody throws your way, ‘OK, I can handle that,’
because you have been conditioned to do that. Her success is a testament to the program and her personal drive.” Vera Harper, Ph.D., a former associate professor of business at FAMU, agrees. “Dr. Mobley (Sybil Mobley, Ph.D., founding SBI dean) used to say when her students graduated, they could go into any area and do well because of the training they received when they were at SBI.” Hutchinson, who lives in Manvel, Texas, with her husband James Hutchinson III (also a FAMU graduate) and two boys, ages 3 and 10, said her time at FAMU laid the foundation for her to succeed in almost industry she chose. “It’s awesome to think that the work I do will eventually lead to people being on the moon, and will, eventually, lead to people going to Mars.”
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 19
TALLAHASSEE’S CIVIL RIGHTS COUPLE GETS THEIR DUE
BY [ L.A. CARROLL AND Andrew J. SKERRITT ]
Gamble Street Renamed Robert and Trudie Perkins Way
Robert and Trudie Perkins fought for civil rights in Tallahassee even at the cost of losing their jobs. The couple’s example of courage and commitment inspired others to join the fight to make their hometown a more equitable place to live, work and raise their families. CREDIT: JACKIE PERKINS
Florida A&M University administrators joined City of Tallahassee and Leon County officials and members of the community in a ceremony renaming Gamble Street to Robert and Trudie Perkins Way. The longtime Tallahassee community activists who were known as the “civil-rights power couple of Tallahassee,” were honored posthumously on Friday, Sept. 10, on what would have been their 75th silver wedding anniversary. “Robert and Trudie Perkins sought to make Tallahassee a more inclusive community, a place where everyone had opportunities to work and play with dignity,” said Mayor John Dailey, who spoke during the renaming ceremony. “Their legacy lives on, and it is my hope that having their names prominently featured on FAMU’s campus and in their former neighborhood serves as an inspiration to the next generation of leaders.” The street renaming marks a break with the city’s racial past. Gamble Street was named for slave owner Robert Gamble, a major in the Civil War. He operated a sugar plantation for 12 years near Sarasota, in Ellenton. Records show that in 1847, Gamble owned 70 slaves and, by 1855, that number had increased to 151. Deeply in debt, Gamble was forced to sell the plantation, including all of the slaves, in 1856 after sugar prices sank. A U.S. Army veteran of the Second World War, Robert graduated from Florida A&M College (FAMC) in 1947 with a degree in physics, auto mechanics and a minor in mathematics, subjects he later taught at FAMU and Florida State University. Trudie Mae Chester Perkins graduated from FAMU in 1944 with a degree in beauty culture. They were married on Sept. 10, 1946. In the early 1950s, Robert Perkins drove a truckful of Black children from the Bond community to some of the city’s white recreational facilities, a move that was met with strong opposition. In the end, Perkins’ activism led to the creation in 1954 of Jake Gaither Rec20 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
reation Center and Parks for Negros (now Jake Gaither Recreation Center and Golf Course). There were many other battles – some of which reached the U.S. Supreme Court, with Perkins representing himself all the way. Perkins taught mathematics and physics at his alma mater. He quit after being asked to sign a loyalty form, which would have been giving consent to segregation practices. Later, he also lost his job as the first Black director of the computer center at Florida State University. In the 1950s, Trudie Perkins operated beauty shops in the Bond community. In 1967, at age 46, she graduated from Lively Technical Center’s Licensed Practical Nursing Program. She was the only Black student in the class. She was the president of the Community Health Organization, which was organized in 1971 by Black nurses including Lizzie Smith to provide services to the area’s underserved population. Perkins was one of the first Black nurses to work at Tallahassee Memorial, and with coworker Smith, fought for better working conditions and pay for Black nurses. While eventually their efforts brought about significant change for others, they were fired. The couple soldiered on. They owned a convenience store on the corner of Wahnish Way and Osceola Street. She ran a hair salon on the property, which also was the only Black-owned gas station with three pumps. Their
Robert and Trudie Perkins at service station after restore.
Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey and City Commissioners joined FAMU President Larry Robinson and Jacqueline Perkins, the only survivor of the Perkins’ five children to unveil the new Robert and Trudie Perkins Way sign. CREDIT: CHRISTIAN WHITAKER
“Robert and Trudie Perkins sought to make Tallahassee a more inclusive community, a place where everyone had opportunities to work and play with dignity,” said Mayor John Dailey. fights for fair employment practices, equal rights and justice continued. The idea to honor the couple in their former neighborhood by naming a street after them was conceptualized by local residents. President Robinson sent a letter to the City Commission in support of the name change. “Gracing our campus with the new Robert and Trudie Perkins Way gives us the honor of recognizing a husband-and-wife team who contributed so much to positive change in this community,” Robinson said. “They were tireless in their advocacy and relentless in their fight for social justice and economic equality.” On July 13, 2021, the Leon County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to rename Gamble Street for the couple as “indeed a fitting and proper tribute to the two FAMC graduates whose courageous actions led to the desegregation and diversification of the City of Tallahassee’s workforce. Their actions also impacted Leon County and the State of Florida.”
County officials past and present were among the participants of the renaming ceremony. Also present were Jacqueline Perkins, the only survivor of the Perkins’ five children, joined other relatives and other descendants at the event on the northwest corner of Wahnish Way and Robert & Trudie Perkins Way. She worked closely with local historian Delaitre Hollinger and Tallahassee City Commissioner Diane Cox-Williams for almost two years on the renaming project. “My parents were not social climbers; they were just people trying to get things done. When they saw there was a problem, they sought to solve it,” Perkins said. “Sometimes, God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. My parents did a lot of things that no one knew about. They taught us that there was never anything that you can’t do.” Robert and Trudie Perkins had three sons, Robert Jr., Romerio and Reginuer, and two daughters, Loretta and Jacqueline. Robert Perkins died in 1994, his wife Trudie in 2011. The Robert and Trudie Perkins Foundation has been established to raise money for scholarships for FAMU students.
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 21
RATTLER CONTRIBUTES TO STABILITY IN AFRICA THROUGH CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
BY [ Christopher GARDNER ]
Wale Adelakun, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers special projects engineer
When Wale Adelakun graduated from Florida A&M University in 2009 with a mechanical engineering degree, he didn’t quite know what he wanted to do with his life, but he knew he wanted to do it somewhere interesting. Fellow Rattler, Daniel Francois, had graduated just a bit before Adelakun and told him about an opening with him working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Germany, he jumped at the opportunity. “When I graduated I always wanted to work overseas, but it was a very open and nebulous
concept that I want to work overseas,” Adelakun said. “Daniel graduated a year ahead of me and he reached back to me once he was in the position and said, ‘Hey, they’re looking for more people, you should consider applying.’ I thought well, Germany, absolutely let’s do it. The alumni network is strong and vast and there are FAMU graduates absolutely everywhere in the world.” Fast forward to present day and Adelakun is still working for the Europe District, but is now a part of that global alumni network from his office in the Nigerian capital of Abuja. After roughly a decade of supporting U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects throughout Europe and Africa as part of the Europe District based in Wiesbaden, Germany, Adelakun moved into a new role as the first enduring on-the-ground presence for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the continent of Africa at the end of 2020. “I always advocated opening up a slot that put a project engineer on the African continent since it’s so hard to get eyes on projects,” Adelakun said. “To be there on the continent is a huge step forward in order to deliver high quality construction to our stakeholders.” In addition to managing a large construction mission building facilities for U.S. forces and partner nations throughout Europe, the Europe
22 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
Wale Adelakun, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers special projects engineer, stands in front of a recently delivered A-29 Super Tucano aircraft in Nigeria where he lives while working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is managing the construction of infrastructure to support the new aircraft and Adelakun supports the work as a “forward-deployed” member of the A-29 project delivery team. Adelakun, who graduated from Florida A&M University in 2009, has been working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District since soon after graduation and has supported countless construction projects on the African continent over the years, in addition to throughout Europe.
District also has projects in several countries throughout Africa in support of the U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM. These range from humanitarian assistance projects like classrooms and clinics to projects geared toward building partner capacity like training ranges for the military in Senegal (which is a top provider of peacekeeping forces to UN missions in Africa) to delivering infrastructure for A-29 aircraft for the Nigerian Air Force to aid in their battle against violent extremist organizations that plague West Africa. Now stationed in Nigeria, Adelakun directly supports the largest of those programs - the A-29 Super Tucano project, delivering a light attack, combat and reconnaissance aircraft storage facility for the Nigerian Air Force at Kainji Airbase. The project consists of a $36.1 million contract for facilities to support a dozen A-29 aircraft. The work involves the construction of a new airfield hot cargo pad, perimeter and security fencing, munitions assembly and storage, small arms storage, earth-covered magazines, aircraft sunshades, a flight annex wing building for simulator training, airfield lights, and various airfield apron, parking, hangar and entry control point enhancements.
While Europe District has supported AFRICOM missions on the continent for years, this move to establish an enduring presence was an important step in support of AFRICOM’s work to promote regional security, stability and prosperity. “We recognize the growing significance our work in Africa has on achieving our national security goals,” said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers North Atlantic Division Commander Brig. Gen. Thomas Tickner. “Having an enduring presence on the continent allows us to better leverage our capabilities to support AFRICOM’s and the State Department’s desired objectives by building partner capacity and sustaining host nation relationships.” The A-29 project is one of several Europe District has in Africa. While Adelakun is a “forward-deployed” member of the A-29 project delivery team, he is part of a larger Europe District team that oversees construction in Africa in support of various other strategic initiatives, including Humanitarian Assistance, Foreign Military Sales, Counter Narcotics and Trafficking, Building Partnership Capacity, Global Peacekeeping Operations Initiative and more. Current projects under construction within these programs include new primary and secondary schools in Niger, Senegal Benin, Togo and Gabon that will provide a safe educational environment for thousands of children living in extremely remote areas. Also included is a key boat ramp in Benin that will aid Beninese authorities in the fight against illicit trafficking of narcotics, and multiple vehicle maintenance facilities in Senegal and Chad. Adelakun gave credit to the larger team it takes to deliver these unique projects, and said he takes pride in being able to see the projects come to fruition in his construction oversight role. “In construction I know I’m the executing agent and people have come before me to do the planning, and to do the design and to do the contracting through the actual contract award but it feels really good to see concrete placed, to see a project come out of the ground and to see the direct impacts and interact with the community where that project is happening,” he said. Supporting this wide range of projects in Africa over the years, Adelakun said what strikes him is the impact that the smaller dollar value projects have on their communities, including both the obvious direct impacts and the maybe not as obvious secondary impacts. “It’s very rewarding to be able to travel to these remote regions and see the direct impacts of these projects, like traveling to northern Togo and building a school in a neighborhood where the kids were schooling in mud brick walls and thatched huts and being able to build a much more lasting structure so that people could actually have a better chance at education in the
Wale Adelakun, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers special projects engineer, meets with local Togolese officials in 2014 to discuss progress on one of many humanitarian assistance projects that was under construction as part of AFRICOM efforts in the region.
area,” Adelakun said. “Projects also often include things of a more modern standard that maybe make life a little bit easier, such as solar power so people are able to charge phones or have lighting and including water wells where possible depending on the soil. Just having water available in really remote regions can change the attendance rates. Something as simple as drilling a well and suddenly girls are going to school because their families don’t have to send them far away to get water. It’s really rewarding to see the impacts like that.” Another example would be recently completed clinics in remote villages in Benin. In addition to making care more accessible, particularly for pregnant women and new mothers in the case of these clinics, they facilitate the formal documentation of births. This plays an important role in combatting human trafficking and making it easier for children to enroll in schools as they get older. Projects like these also often come with latrines specially designed for areas where there is no dependable supply of piped water that can reduce disease by reducing the population of disease carrying insects. Adelakun’s himself is a first-generation American, with both of his parents having moved to America from Nigeria to work and study. As a child he would visit his cousins in the Nigerian city of Lagos and even grew up hearing one of the primary tribal languages in Nigeria in his home – Yoruba. While the official language of business in Nigeria is English, he noted it’s that kind of experience that can also be beneficial in his unique new position. Though he grew up with familiarity with Nigeria, delivering projects in remote areas of many different countries often with foreign contractors and different construction rules and standards comes with a host of unique challenges. Adelakun said his time at FAMU played a big role in preparing him for the unique professional challenges he faces.
“It’s very far from anything I’ve learned in a mechanical engineering textbook, but I think that some of the thought processes and being able to endure and figure out innovative solutions to complex problems at FAMU definitely prepared me for this position,” Adelakun said. “It took me quite a while to understand that the goal was not necessarily to be able to solve very complex equations by hand or to deliver on very large design projects in undergrad, the goal was to be able to collaborate with your classmates, understand when you need help and be able to ask for help, figure out the system in which you’re operating and be able to deliver in that system. All of those skills are things that absolutely transfer over.” Having traveled a somewhat non-traditional path himself, Adelakun said he would encourage other Rattlers to not limit themselves based on expectations tied to their degrees or background and to make their own path. His mechanical engineering background makes him somewhat unusual within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which tends to have more civil engineers and other disciplines in greater numbers. However, he credits his experience at FAMU with opening his eyes to wider possibilities out there. “I was also involved with the National Society of Black Engineers and it was interesting to see the people that graduated, where they ended up, how they were doing and it gave me an idea of what was possible with a mechanical engineering degree and how the degree doesn’t necessarily shuttle you into one career but it’s something that gives you the critical thinking, the technical aptitude and the awareness to do with it as you please for several careers,” Adelakun said.
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 23
FAMU SECURES $30M FEDERAL GRANT TO RECRUIT AND TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF MINORITY SCIENTISTS BY [ Andrew J. SKERRITT ]
Florida A&M University (FAMU) is the recipient of a $30 million, fiveyear federal grant from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to support the Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems (CCME) and its mission to find and train the next generation of Black and Hispanic scientists. FAMU is the lead institution and President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., director of the CCME, is the principal investigator of the project. The NOAA CCME is a NOAA Educational Partnership Program/Minority Serving Institution (EPP/MSI) cooperative science center (CSC) and includes partner minority-serving institutions Bethune-Cookman University (BCU), California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB), Jackson State University (JSU), Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC), and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). The NOAA CCME’s mission is to recruit, educate, and train a new generation of scientists, particularly from underrepresented minority communities, in NOAA-relevant STEM disciplines and social sciences. This new funding agreement extends and modifies the goals and
The NOAA grant finances education for student scholars from undergraduate to completing their doctorate.
“Having underrepresented minorities who are experts not only enhances diversity but also ensures that we stay attuned to the needs of our most vulnerable populations as solutions are developed,” Robinson said.
“This is FAMU’s largest grant. The Center is a objectives of the initial five-year consortium of Minority Serving Institutions award that started in 2016. Robinson said he is looking forand was formed to address issues ward to building on the past five confronting marine and coastal communities years of training and mentoring fuand to help supply a modern talented ture scientists who will be equipped workforce in relevant NOAA areas of interest,” to tackle climate change and other pressing issues facing coastal communities. ticular attention to cross-cutting research on “The education, research and climate change and environmental justice. outreach done by the Center for Coastal and FAMU Vice President for Research Charles Marine Ecosystems will help NOAA and coastal communities address current and future chal- Weatherford, Ph.D., said it’s difficult to overlenges,” Robinson said. “Having underrepresent- state the importance of this NOAA grant. “This is FAMU’s largest grant. The Center is ed minorities who are experts not only enhances diversity but also ensures that we stay attuned a consortium of Minority Serving Institutions to the needs of our most vulnerable populations and was formed to address issues confronting marine and coastal communities and to help as solutions are developed.” CCME has adopted three thematic areas - supply a modern talented workforce in relePlace-Based Conservation, Coastal Resilience, vant NOAA areas of interest,” said Weatherand Coastal Intelligence — in alignment with ford, “This NOAA grant is representative of the research that is carried out at FAMU and is a current NOAA priorities. These priority areas include uncrewed systems; artificial intelligence; showcase for partnerships that address today’s nationally and internationally relevant issues.” cloud computing; “omics”- a field of study in biological sciences that ends with -omics, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, or metabolomics; data, and citizen science with par-
24 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
BRIGADIER GENERAL CRUMBLY LIVES HIS BOYHOOD DREAMS IN THE SKIES
BY [ Megan TRUSDELL ]
A desire to take it higher, on a mission to do it his way
Crumbly with his combat aircrew and infantry security detachment during Operation Allied Force in Albania in 1999.
When Konata Ato “Deuce” Crumbly (Class of ‘96) grew up in Fort Valley, Georgia, he was more than 100 miles from the nearest major airport. DC 10s and Boeing 747s were seen in books or on television. Military planes, however, were common going in and out of Robins Air Force Base. Besides the sight of cargo planes like the workhorse C-130, a yearning to fly was inspired by a peek into an airliner’s cockpit on a flight to Hawaii when he was 3 years old and fueled by books on the Tuskegee Airmen from the Thomas Public Library. “I was just fascinated by airplanes,” Crumbly says. “Quite frankly, some people want to be actors and singers. Me, I wanted to fly airplanes. It was a natural affinity that I had.” He became a pilot, flying Black Hawk helicopters, and reached brigadier general after tours of duty during the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia and Iraq. He is currently the director of the joint staff for the Georgia National Guard.
Driven to sprout wings, the young Crumbly traded work in Fort Valley at the local airport for flying lessons. Even joining the Army – where the glamour assignments often include tanks and artillery – did not deter him, nor did a 10-percent acceptance rate into its aviation brigade. Crumbly had an unlikely path to the Army’s upper echelon. He was a college campus brat. His father, Isaac Crumbly, Ph.D., is the associate vice president for careers and collaborative programs at Fort Valley State University (Georgia). His mother was an English professor at the university. Despite his connection to Fort Valley State, it was a football game that led him to Tallahassee and Florida A&M University (FAMU). When he was a high-school freshman, he attended the Tennessee State vs. FAMU game at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta. It was life-changing, he recalled. “The stadium was absolutely packed, filled with Black people. I was like, ‘This is awesome. We can fill up a stadium with 50,000 people. Everyone’s enjoying themselves.’ It was something about the attitude that did something to me. I was like, ‘I think I am going to go to FAM now.’ ” Crumbly was awarded a full Army ROTC scholarship at FAMU, where he majored in history and geography. His first year he stayed in Paddyfoote, “the worst dorm on campus,” he recalls fondly. “It was built for single occupancy. They ended up putting two people in there. We couldn’t get out of the bed at the same time because the room was so small.”
High praise from the highest altitude
The U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin gave Crumbly a shoutout during his 2021 FAMU commencement address, using Crumbly’s military career to illustrate the importance of working as part of a team. “In 2003, although I didn’t know it at the time, we were actually part of the same team,” Austin said. “I was an assistant division commander for the 3rd Infantry Division, helping lead my unit into Iraq on the ground, and, little did I know at the time, that then-Army Capt. Crumbly was helping us in the skies above. “Capt. Crumbly is now Gen. Crumbly, and I know first-hand that you don’t become a general in the United States military unless you’re willing to work as part of a team.”
26 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
Crumbly in the cockpit during combat missions over Southwest Asia.
It was the “Humphries Era” (named for the late Frederick Humphries, Ph.D., the eighth president at FAMU). “There was an overall, ‘Hey, you’re representing FAMU, so you have to represent excellence,” he says. “That stuck with me.”
Lt. Col Robert Smith, a career infantry officer, was in charge of his ROTC detachment. “He was very demanding of us,” Crumbly recalls. “Physical training three times a week, training two to three weekends a month to prepare for Advanced Camp, Land Navigation with only a map, compass, pencil, and straight edge.” While Army is not traditionally a pipeline for aspiring aviators, he didn’t let that discourage him. He knew he would be competing with West Point graduates for a spot in Army aviation. “I was like, ‘Hey I’m going to give it a shot. If I tell myself no, I’ll never get there.’” He was selected for Army flight school in Fort Rucker, Alabama, and graduated in 1998. While his original goal was to fly fixed wing aircraft, 90 percent of Army aviation is helicopters. He fell in love with the Black Hawk, the Army’s primary medium-lift utility transport, evacuation, and air-assault aircraft, made famous in the 2001 movie “Black Hawk Down,” that told the story of the American soldiers who died in Somalia in 1993 during that country’s civil war. During his tenure as an Army aviation officer, he participated in NATO’s intervention of Yugoslavia during Operation Allied Force in 1999 and the initial invasion of Iraq with the 3rd Infantry Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Crumbly returned from the war at the end of 2003. By that time, he had been in the Army for eight years and had moved four times. He had married his highschool sweetheart; the couple became the parents of twin girls and a baby boy. He was assigned to a reserve unit who sent him to Oklahoma for his fixed-wing qualification and joined the more “family-friendly” Georgia Air National Guard as a pilot for the E-8C Joint STARS, essentially a surveillance, ground control and battle management platform modified from a Boeing 707, out of Robins Air Force Base. He was deployed eight times. In his current position, he is responsible for all domestic operations for the Georgia National Guard – both Army and air. While it’s a non-flying position and his hands are “dry,” he is three pay grades higher than where he ever thought he would be. “The advice I give people is ‘Just do good at your current job,’” he says. “Doing good at your current job usually translates into a better job.” Larry Rivers, Ph.D., distinguished professor of history at FAMU, says Crumbly was one of his best students, noting that his research papers won several awards. “He was a hard-working young man who didn’t settle for average grades,” he says. “He came to FAMU prepared to work, serious-minded and a young man whom I knew from the very beginning would do something great in his life.”
Crumbly flying formation in the UH-60 Black Hawk in Albania during Operation ALLIED FORCE in 1999.
RIGHT Family photo in the snow. BELOW Crumbly meeting former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young in 2021 BELOW RIGHT Christmas family photo. With twin daughters Morgan (in red), & Carina. Wife LaTisha, and son Noah.
The E-8C JSTARS on the tarmac at Robins AFB.
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 27
MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS LEGAL What are the qualifying conditions to use medical marijuana in Florida? ◆ Cancer
◆ Parkinson’s disease
◆ Epilepsy
◆ Multiple sclerosis (MS)
◆ Glaucoma
◆ Medical conditions of the same kind or class as or comparable to the others listed
◆ HIV/AIDS ◆ Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) ◆ Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) ◆ Crohn’s disease
◆ A terminal condition diagnosed by a physician ◆ Chronic nonmalignant pain caused by a qualifying medical condition
STEP 1
Be a permanent or seasonal resident of Florida.
STEP 3
Be entered into the state’s Medical Marijuana Use Registry.
STEP 2
Be diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition by a qualified physician.
STEP 4
What steps should I take to get medical marijuana in Florida?*
Obtain a Medical Marijuana Use Registry Identification Card to make purchases at a state-licensed dispensary.
*Source: The Florida Department of Health Office of Medical Marijuana Use - https://knowthefactsmmj.com/ For more information, visit the MMERI website at www.MMERI.FAMU.edu.
28 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
MMERI’s mission is “to educate, inform and engage Florida’s minority population about medical marijuana and the impact of the unlawful use of marijuana.”
RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA IS ILLEGAL Knowing Florida’s Medical Marijuana Laws Can Keep You Out of Trouble
Sharing your medical marijuana with others is illegal and can get you in trouble.
Only use medical marijuana at home to avoid legal problems.
Do not smoke or vape medical marijuana in your car. Its scent could give police probable cause to stop and search your vehicle.
Do not leave the state of Florida or visit any federal property with medical marijuana. It is still illegal under federal law.
625 E. Tennessee Street Suite 210 Tallahassee, Florida 32308 Phone: (850) 561-2456 Email: MMERI@famu.edu Website: MMERI.famu.edu
Follow ‘Conversations on Cannabis’ on:
Learn More
MMERI Forum Radio
@MMERIForumRadio
@MMERIForumRadio
MMERI Forum Radio
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 29
HAPPENING
On theHill BY [ Andrew J. SKERRITT ]
FAMU Paddyfote Complex Demolished
Florida A&M University’s (FAMU) Paddyfote Complex, home to generations of students, has been demolished. The area where the buildings once stood is covered by well-mown grass. Demolition began in June soon after protective fencing was erected around the complex and sidewalks were closed along Wahnish Way near Gamble Street. Mad Dog Construction was contracted to complete the $915,763 demolition project. By early September, the final walls of the complex fell in a cloud of dust. The move is part of the University’s long-term plan to replace aging and outdated residence halls. “The older facilities are more expensive to maintain and renovate and are not Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant,” said William E. Hudson, Jr., Ph.D., vice president of Student Affairs. “Today’s students want modern facilities.”
The administration is working a new master plan for the Board of Trustees’ approval. That plan includes new residence halls, which reflects the University’s efforts to remain competitive in recruiting top students. “If we are serious about marching toward the top 100, we have to attract the types of students who are college ready and can graduate in four years,” Hudson said. Built in 1967, Paddyfote initially housed male students in double rooms. The expanded facility then housed female students in two buildings and male students in two buildings. In its last configuration, the four-building complex housed 232 female students in single rooms. Other aging on-campus housing facilities, Diamond, McGuinn, Cropper and Wheatley halls were demolished in 2019. Truth Hall, which was built in 1958, is targeted to be torn down, but that project has been delayed as a result of a lawsuit filed to block the demolition.
In recent years, the University built Polkinghorne Village and renovated and modernized Sampson Hall and Young Hall. In 2020, the University opened FAMU Towers, a 700-bed complex on the southeast of the campus. That project was funded under the HBCU Capital Finance program. More than $100 million of that loan was forgiven as part of a massive federal COVID-19 relief package. In anticipation of the demolition, the University offered student desks, mattresses, dressers, beds, sofas, and other furnishings to local nonprofits. Alumni and students who have lived in the residence hall were encouraged to share their Paddyfote photos and memories on social media using the #FAMUFoteSoldiers, and #FAMUPaddyfoteMemories hashtags.
The FAMU Paddyforte Complex
School of the Environment Rattler Moji Buoy Provides RealTime Data of Water Conditions in Apalachee Bay
A team of Florida A&M University (FAMU) School of the Environment faculty, staff and students boarded a 24-foot Carolina skiff at Spring Creek Marina in Wakulla County, on a Friday morning in March. 30 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
The team was headed out to Apalachee Bay to perform maintenance on the Rattler Moji, a solar-powered water sensing buoy that monitors water quality around the clock. Data from the buoy is beamed around the clock to the School of the Environment’s Core Lab and is accessible to researchers and students on their cell phones in real-time. Dean Victor Ibeanusi, Ph.D., said the buoy, which measures key water quality parameters - salinity, conductivity, pH, temperature, nitrate and algae levels, is a vital coastal marine research tool. “The best way to determine the impact of climate change is the checking water quality,” he said. “Water quality is the nexus between energy and food production. We conduct research so we can provide sustainable solutions.” Climate change continues to impact these coastal communities requiring research that monitors the water quality of these coastal requiems, especially at the Gulf Coast. FAMU is home to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) funded Center for Marine and Coastal Systems. Aquaculture is critical to resolving the world’s food insecurity and projected future food shortages. The recent excursion was to clean barnacles from the base of the Rattler Moji and replace one of the measuring probes. To get to Apalachee Bay, the skiff motored through Spring Creek, the world’s largest spring head, which produces 1.2 billion gallons of water daily. At the helm was Rob Olin, owner of Estuary Oysters, who partners with the School of the Environment. The buoy floats in waist deep water within a stone’s throw of the floating cages that are part of Olin’s 7.5-acre oyster ranch in Apalachee Bay. Oysters need brackish water – a certain mixture of salt water and freshwater - to thrive. Too much freshwater or too much saltwater kills the popular shellfish. “We lost 80 percent of our crop last September because of too much freshwater,” Olin said. Fortunately, Rattler Moji had been installed shortly before. “Thank God for this buoy because it measured the salinity level which I was able to take back to the federal farm agency for crop insurance.” “Because of your research and our partnership,” Olin told Ibeanusi and the students, “we’ve been able to better educate the farm agency about what they need to cover and why regarding this new industry.”
Apalachicola Bay, once home to one of the most lucrative seafood industries in America, has been closed to traditional oyster harvesting. Olin and other oyster ranchers are part of a fledgling aquaculture industry that grows oysters from seeds and sells mature oysters to restaurants and kitchen tables. The partnership with Estuary Oysters allows Dean Ibeanusi and faculty members to help FAMU students to see the connection between what they learn in the classroom and what happens outdoors. Jordan Roberts, a graduating senior environmental science student from Tallahassee, was part of the team that launched the buoy last September. “Six months later, the buoy is still thriving, still standing and then we have students now able to be hands on, help us clean it and to just ensure that data just keeps coming in real time,” said Roberts, who thinks more students would get excited about the environment if they had these kinds of opportunities to treat the outdoors like a classroom. “This is something that students would definitely be really excited about as it pertains to environmental science because it’s hands on; it’s fun; you get to go out on the water; you get to experience oysters; you can get experiences with wildlife in real time.”
FAMU Second HBCU Named Adobe Creative Campus
be Stock, which includes more than 200 million royalty-free images. “As an Adobe Creative Campus, FAMU joins a select group of colleges and universities actively advancing digital literacy skills throughout our curricula. This initiative gives our students a competitive edge in the modern workplace,” said FAMU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Maurice Edington, Ph.D. The collaboration kicked off last fall. FAMU is the second Historically Black College and University (HBCU), after Winston Salem University, to be named an Adobe Creative Campus. FAMU is the second State University System campus, after University of South Florida, to receive the designation. “Adobe and Florida A&M University are committed to providing students of all majors with the tools that are foundational to building their creative skill sets and ultimately, becoming digitally literate,” said Sebastian Distefano, director of Strategic Development for Adobe. “Greater access to Adobe Creative Cloud enables FAMU to expand its innovative teaching practices and seamlessly nurture creative problem solving among students to ensure that they are prepared both inside and outside of the classroom.” As a member of the Adobe Creative Campus program, FAMU will have access to: ■ Adobe Creative Campus branding to identify as an Adobe partner committed to digital literacy. ■ Peer-to-peer collaboration with other members at Adobe Creative Campus collaboration events. ■ Support for driving student adoption in the classroom. ■ Thought leadership opportunities within the global higher education community.
Students, faculty, staff have access to more than 20 Adobe apps Florida A&M University students, faculty and staff have full access to Adobe Creative Cloud as the University has been named an Adobe Creative Campus. As part of the collaboration, the entire community has access to all Adobe Creative Cloud apps and services across all their desktops, laptops, mobile phones and tablets. Ensuring that users can hone their digital fluency skills anywhere and anytime. As part of the agreement, the FAMU community also has access to AdoFLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 31
New Faces,
NEW PLACES FAMU NAMES MIRA LOWE DEAN OF THE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM & GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
KELLY McMURRAY
FAMU ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF KELLY MCMURRAY AS AVP FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING, ANALYSIS AND INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS
Kelly McMurray, Ph.D., serves as associate vice president for Strategic Planning, Analysis and Institutional Effectiveness, filling the role vacated by Beverly Barrington, who retired this spring. McMurray comes to FAMU from Albany State University, where she served as vice president for Institutional Effectiveness since 2019. Before joining Albany State, McMurray worked at the College of Southern Maryland as associate vice president for planning, institutional effectiveness, and research. She also worked at Gordon College, in Barnesville, Georgia, and Morehouse College in Atlanta. McMurray earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Clark Atlanta University before completing a master’s in applied mathematics from North Carolina A&T State University, then she earned her Ph.D. in educational policy studies, with a concentration in research, measurement, and statistics at Georgia State University, Atlanta in 2010. She began work on June 14, 2021.
ROBERT SENIORS
FAMU NAMES ROBERT SENIORS CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER/ AVP INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
Robert T. Seniors now serves as chief information officer (CIO)/associate vice president Information Technology Services (AVP ITS). In his new role, Seniors, who had served previously as CIO, will report directly to President Robinson. A computer science graduate of FAMU, Seniors first joined the University in 1997 as a coordinator of technology in the then-School of General Studies. The following year, he moved to the Office of University Planning and Analysis as a specialist of computer systems control. After a stint as director of technology, Seniors was promoted to vice president for Information Technology and CIO in 2007. Since 2011, Seniors has served as the associate director for Instructional Technology, where he helps facilitate the academic technological needs of faculty, staff and students. In that position, Seniors played a key role in helping the University rapidly transition to 100 percent remote instruction at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic during spring break 2020. The task included ensuring faculty, students and staff had the technology, training and 24-7 support to successfully move to remote learning. Seniors said he wants to continue to “provide the highest level of services to the FAMUly, specifically to our students, faculty, staff and alumni.”
32 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
Florida A&M University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Maurice Edington, Ph.D., has announced Mira Lowe as the next dean of the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication (SJGC). Lowe took the helm on October 22, 2021. Professor Bettye Grable, Ph.D., had served as interim SJGC dean since March 2020. MIRA LOWE
Lowe, a veteran journalist and editor, has been assistant dean for student experiences at the University of Florida (UF) College of Journalism and Communications (CJC) since 2019. She has been director of the CJC Innovation News Center, one of the largest student-powered newsrooms in the country, since 2017. A master’s degree graduate of Columbia University, Lowe has been an adjunct journalism instructor and guest lecturer on digital storytelling, communications and career preparation at several colleges and universities around the country. Before entering academia, Lowe enjoyed a successful career as a professional journalist. She was an editor at CNN Digital in Atlanta for five years after leaving her post as an editor-in-chief of JET Magazine. She also held a senior managerial role at Ebony Magazine after working at Newsday in New York for 18 years. Lowe is president of the Journalism and Women Symposium (JAWS), a nonprofit organization serving wom-
en in journalism, from 2019 to 2021, and she has also been active in the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). The New York native earned a bachelor’s degree in radio and television at Brooklyn College.
ASHLEY DAVIS NAMED FAMU’S EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR
Ashley H. Davis joined Florida A&M University as emergency management director in October 2021. In his 15-year emergency management career, Davis has responded to hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, oil spills, wildfires, and pandemics. Before joining FAMU, he was bureau chief of response for the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Davis’ approach is shaped by his personal as well as professional experience. In 2004, he was operating a yacht club in Pensacola, Florida, when Hurricane Ivan, a category three storm, destroyed his home and livelihood.
ASHLEY DAVIS
In the ensuing months, Davis relocated to Tallahassee, where he pursued undergraduate and graduate degrees in Emergency Management and Homeland Security at Florida State University. He worked two stints with FDEM, which bookend three years with the Florida Department of Transportation’s Emergency Management Team. During his career, Davis has responded to or deployed to more than 62 events, including 35 major federally declared disasters that have directly impacted Florida or the nation.
NEW EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS/TITLE IX STAFF The Florida A&M University Office of General Counsel announced four new additions to its Equal Opportunity Programs(EOP)/Title IX staff.
BILL MEANS
NEW CAREER CENTER DIRECTOR
Bill H. Means, Ed.D., was announced as the new director of the Career and Professional Development Center in May 2021. Before coming to FAMU, Means served as director of career services at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Va. Means has also worked in career services at Delaware State University Dover, Del., Livingstone College, Salisbury, N.C., Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, N.C., Queens University of Charlotte, and Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C.. The Concord, N.C., native earned his bachelor’s degree at Tennessee State University, a master’s at North Carolina A&T State University and a doctorate in educational leadership and policy at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.
HUGH DURHAM NAMED DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS
On May 28, 2021, Hugh Durham began his tenure as director of Admissions and Enrollment Management for the Office of Undergraduate Admis-
HUGH DURHAM
sions. Durham had served in a similar role at Prairie View A&M University since 2018. Before PVAMU, the Miami native worked at the American University of the Caribbean, Howard University, Georgetown University, and the University of Phoenix. In his role, he oversees Undergraduate Admissions, Transfer Services and Undergraduate Recruitment. Durham earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Florida.
ABAZINGE APPOINTED DEAN FOR THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES AND RESEARCH
LATRECHA K. SCOTT
Latrecha K. Scott, Ph.D., serves as director of Equal Opportunity Programs and Labor Relations/Title IX. A native of Quincy, Florida,, Scott holds a bachelor’s from FAMU, a Master of Education from the University of West Florida, and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Southern Mississippi. Scott fills the role formerly occupied by Carrie Gavin.
MICHAEL ABAZINGE
Following a comprehensive internal search, Michael Abazinge, Ph.D., was named associate provost and dean for the School of Graduate Studies and Research. He began his new position on April 1, 2022. A tenured professor in the University’s School of the Environment, Abazinge joined FAMU as an assistant professor in 1988. He has served in several administrative capacities during his time at FAMU including, technical services manager, interim director and interim dean. “I am quite pleased that we had a number of outstanding internal candidates. Dr. Abazinge’s distinguished record of success in the areas of scientific research, graduate education, grantsmanship, and administrative leadership made him ideally suited for this important role,” said Edington. “His broad set of professional experiences perfectly align with our ambitious vision and goals for graduate ed-
KIMBERLY M. CEASER
Kimberly M. Ceaser is assistant director, Equal Opportunity Programs/Title IX. In her previous role at FAMU, the Montgomery, Alabama, native was a case manager in the Division of Student Affairs. Her career in higher education includes stints at Tuskegee University and Alabama State University. Ceaser earned a bachelor’s in business administration and a master’s in management. She is founder/CEO of UnFolding Blessings, Inc., a nonprofit organization in Florida, recognized to combat housing and food insecurities among college students. She is also a certified life coach and a Florida notary public.
LETITIA MCCLELLAN
Letitia McClellan is the Title IX coordinator. She holds a bachelor’s in health care management and an MBA from FAMU. McClellan was employed with the Florida Department of Children and Families for approximately 18 years and holds a certification of Child Welfare Professional Supervisor. She began her career as a child protective investigator, progressed to child protective investigator supervisor, and later was an operations review specialist with the Office of Child Welfare.
DANA NORTON
Dana Norton is the Title IX investigator. In her role, the FAMU graduate is responsible for investigating and resolving complaints regarding sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, gender-related violence, and other situations that fall under Title IX within the university.
See New Faces, continued on page 35 FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 33
ALUMNI APPLAUSE
BY [ LA CARROLL ]
Carter sworn in to a second term in Minnesota
Mayor Melvin Carter III was sworn in to a second four-year term as St. Paul’s mayor. Carter was elected as Minnesota capital city’s 46th, youngest and first African American mayor in 2018. Since taking office, his accomplishments include raising the city’s minimum wage to $15/hour; tripling free programs in recreation centers; eliminating late fines in public libraries; reestablishing an Affordable Housing Trust Fund; expanding immigrant and refugee support resources and launching an Office of Financial Empowerment.
St. Petersburg, Florida Gets a New Mayor Florida A&M University (FAMU) alumni, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken T. Welch, was sworn in as the first Black mayor of his hometown on January 6, 2022. The son of a St. Petersburg City Councilman, Welch served on the Pinellas County Commission for 20 years. During his tenure, he focused on economic development, transportation, equity, housing, criminal justice reform and fighting poverty. Ken’s father, David Welch, was the first African American man to serve on the St. Petersburg City Council. His father also ran for Mayor in 1991. After receiving his bachelor’s from the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg, Welch earned an MBA from FAMU. He also worked as an accountant for Florida Power Corporation. He lives in his hometown with Donna, his wife of 30 years, and their two daughters.
34 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Carter launched the St. Paul Bridge Fund to provide emergency relief to St. Paul’s lowest-income families and small businesses most vulnerable to the economic impact of the pandemic. The fund provided more than $4 million in direct aid between April and June. He has also been in demand on national media in the wake of protests following a Minneapolis police officer’s killing of George Floyd. The son of a retired St. Paul police officer and a Ramsey County commissioner, Carter graduated from the city’s public schools before entering FAMU. He earned a bachelor’s in business administration from the FAMU School of Business and Industry in 2002 before completing a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Minnesota.
College of Law Grads are holding down the bench
Mikaela Nix-Walker, circuit judge for the Ninth Judicial Circuit, borrowed – and attributed – the motto from 100 Black Men of America as the theme for her speech during her 2021 investiture ceremony. “What They See Is What They’ll Be,” said Judge Nix-Walker, who amplified the significance of her achievement to the youth group she invited to the event as an example of a dream fulfilled. Nix-Walker shared the stage with fellow FAMU Law graduate Christy Collins who was also sworn in in Orlando, Florida. Judges Nix-Walker and Collins joined a rapidly growing list of recent law school alumni who are members of the judiciary.
In January 2022, Devin Collier was appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to serve as a judge for the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit in Panama City, Florida. Collier, became the 12th known FAMU Law alum actively serving on the bench. “We are extremely proud of our graduates who have become judges. They demonstrate the strength
and value of the program of legal education at the FAMU College of Law,” said Deidré Keller, dean and professor of law. “The College aims to provide a pathway to the career of each student’s choosing and I am always thrilled to see alumni choose to use their legal education to serve the public.” Thse distinguished judges are following in the footsteps of graduates from the original College of Law, including the late Ralph Flowers (1968), the late Alcee Hastings (1963), Perker Meeks (1968), and the late Edward Rodgers (1963), all of whom served as judges during their careers.
SBI grad is now taking care of business in North Carolina
Sonja P. Nichols has been appointed to the board of governors for the University of North Carolina system, in Raleigh. She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in business administration from the Florida A&M University (FAMU) School of Business & Industry (SBI). Nichols is president and chief executive officer of the Angel Fund Investment Firm in Charlotte, North Carolina, and also established a private securities firm in the city that is staffed entirely with veterans. She is also the founding president of the South Charlotte Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, a published author of “Your Amazing Body, Your Amazing Organization 2014,” a Biblically-based book (Barnes & Noble, Amazon) that compares or-
ganizational structure to the human body. Nichols joined the Beta Alpha Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated when she was a student at FAMU; she is a life member and also a member of the FAMU National Alumni Association (NAA).
Researcher gets new grant to look at animal protein growth
Daniel Solis, Ph.D., associate professor and agribusiness program leader, for Florida A&M University’s (FAMU) College of Agriculture and Food Sciences (CAFS), received a $70,000 research grant to perform a worldwide, comparative analysis of production growth rates of animal-based protein from 2000 to 2021. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) funded Solis’ grant for the project performance period from September 2021 through October 2022. His research project, “Assessment of Animal Protein Growth and Source of Feed” will also investigate faster-growing countries’ major sources of feed use for domestic production versus imports and the source of those imports. A prolific author and researcher, Solis received FAMU’s 2017 Emerging Research of the Year Award and, in 2017, was also named the Most Read Author at FAMU. His research interests include development and environmental economics, productivity and efficiency analysis, climate and weather economics, and project evaluation and econometrics. As described on its website, “USDA FAS links United States agriculture to the world to enhance export opportunities and global food security. FAS has a global network of nearly 100 offices covering approximately 180 countries. These offices are staffed by agricultural experts who are the eyes, ears, and voice for U.S. agriculture around the world.
New Faces, continued from page 33 ucation, which includes increasing graduate enrollment in programs of strategic emphasis and elevating the University’s Carnegie Classification to R1-very high research activity.” In addition to his responsibilities as a professor, Abazinge, a 1981 FAMU graduate, also serves as the associate director for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems (CCME) under the leadership of FAMU President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., who serves as principal investigator and director. Abazinge has produced 17 Master of Science and seven doctorate graduates, and his research findings have appeared in more than 30 publications, with several others soon to be released. Abazinge currently holds the patent for Eco-Wares, Ecosystem-Based Water Retention/Reuse System, and two other projects pending patent approval. Although highly regarded for his scientific research, Abazinge was instrumental in helping what was previously the environmental sciences program in the College of Agriculture and Food Sciences become what is now the School of the Environment. He is also credited for creating and writing curricula for various graduate-level courses and programs and securing funding for the University’s research projects and initiatives.
GLORIA WALKER, NEW CFO/VP FOR FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION
Gloria Walker, Ed.D., has been announced as the new chief financial officer and vice president for Finance and Administration. She began work on June 3, 2021. Walker, a certified public accountant, had served as vice president for business affairs and chief financial ofGLORIA WALKER ficer at the University of New Orleans since January 2020. Walker holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Houston, an MBA from the University of St. Thomas in Houston and a doctoral degree in higher education administration from Northeastern University, Boston. She comes to FAMU with more than two decades of executive leadership in higher education. Prior to her tenure in New Orleans, Walker was vice president for finance and administration at Cowley College in Kansas. She was previously executive vice president and chief operating officer at Texas Southern University in Houston, where she helped that Historically Black College and University (HBCU) navigate financial turbulence. Walker also worked as executive vice chancellor for finance and administration and CFO at Houston Community College. Her first vice presidency was at what is now South Florida State College in Avon Park, Florida.
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 35
A RARE COLLECTION OF ‘SPIRITS,’
TRANS-CONTINENTAL LOVE WILL SOON PROTECT BLACK ARCHIVES RESEARCH CENTER AND MUSEUM BY [ L.A. CARROLL ]
A gift of 19th century Ghanian artifacts will soon attract scores of students, stakeholders, scientists, and artists to the campus of Florida A&M University (FAMU). Toss in a flock of historians, scientists, an epidemiologist, and tools with a heritage older than Magellan and you have a spirited tale – and rare gift to the Southeastern Black Archives Research Center and Museum. FAMU is now the official recipient of “Field Spirits,” a donation from Richard Douglass, Ph.D., author, collector and archivist; he placed a probative telephone call to a University professor, Robbya Green-Weir — and the rest is what was previously disappearing African history from the fields of Ghana, now preserved in Tallahassee, Florida. Douglass, his good friend, and his late wife helped to make the collection a reality at the University. “About two years ago, communication between Douglass and the Archives began,” recalled Nashid Madyun, the former executive director of the Meek-Eaton Black Archives. “He wanted to donate a rare collection of wooden sculptures from Ghana to FAMU. He was still in the process of preserving the pieces before the pandemic. Madyun, now the executive director of the Florida Humanities Council in St. Petersburg, Fla., recalled that Douglass soon visited the campus, “to discuss his interest in placing the pieces with us. We have yet to find a full collection or duplicate collection like it anywhere.” Each piece of the “Field of Spirits” collection is “incredibly unique” Madyun said. They were hand carved to protect the fields, families and proper-
ty from snakes, predatory animals, and people. They could be found standing guard throughout Ghana. At that time, centuries ago, their purpose made them valuable and ubiquitous.
Protecting and preserving the ‘kinship’
Nana Apt, a Ghanian native, inherited the art pieces from her father, and, later, from her grandfather, a Fante farmer. She was vice president for Academic Affairs at Ashesi University (Accra, Ghana) and also a lifelong collector of cultural art, ancient art, ethnically specific and kinship art, with the oldest pieces dating back to the 1870s, the newest to the 1940s, Douglass says. She and Douglass, “dearest colleagues,” met in 2000 when she had moved on to become a professor at the University of Ghana (Legon). Over the years, Douglass’s wife and Apt became close friends. The couple, the collector, and an inventory of more than 52,000 pieces — were forever linked. “When I was in Ghana for my second Fulbright (fellowship), Nana offered me a room at her home for six weeks,” Douglass recalled. “Her house was a living museum.”
36 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
Read all about ‘Field Spirits of the Fante’ Published by Mot Juste, May 2021
“‘Field Spirits of the Fante’’, a 48-page book written by Richard Douglass, describes the journey of nine wooden carvings from a field in Ghana’s Western Region to the Meek-Eaton Black Archives Research Center and Museum in Tallahassee, Florida. Central to the story is professor Nana Araba Apt, a Ghanaian academic and an avid collector of African Art. She recognized the importance of the field spirits that were placed in the fields and around the homes of the Fante, part of the Akan people of the former Gold Coast in West Africa.
ORIGIN AND USE OF FIELD SPIRITS IN GHANA
The veranda was filled with countless “remarkable wooden sculptures” that have now been deemed as “ critical pieces of British history (because the Cape Coast of Ghana dates back to British rule as far back as the 1870s).
In search of new fields, history to protect
Apt died more than three years ago; Marian Horowitz, almost two years ago. Douglass says both women were souls not to be forgotten. “There are a couple of things about grief,” he said. “You can either feel sorry for yourself or give gifts of legacy for them.” Horowitz planned for his wife’s estate to pay for the transportation of the collection, the documentation of it and to support the collection their friend had gifted to them. That way, the trio could ensure that the field-art legacy continues.“There are no paper documents of West African art; the hot, dry air and humidity, and pests over the centuries,” made it almost impossible to remain intact, Douglass said. So, he reached out to another colleague, Green-Weir at FAMU. “Don’t they have a museum there?” Green-Weir: “...A wonderful museum, the only Carnegie-supported one at an HBCU (historically Black college or university).” There it was ... full circle, around the globe: The “Field of Spirits” will soon have a new group of valuable souls, pieces of significant history and important collections to keep an eye on – at the Black Archives, on the second floor, as a part of what experts are already calling “a collection of national prominence.”
The nine field spirits, or ‘batebas’, were created by Lobi craftsmen between 1870 and 1940, and were designed to protect flocks, crops, children, homes, hunters and providers. Although converted to Christianity, the Fante often held fast to ancient beliefs and superstitions. But creating pagan objects such as these spirits would have been frowned upon. Lobi woodcarvers, however, remained devoted to their traditional beliefs and their spirit figures were considered as living beings. These nine carvings belonged to Nana’s paternal grandfather, a farmer near Cape Coast. When he stopped farming around 1950, the pieces were taken off the fields and kept in storage and later moved to Nana’s home in Accra. Left in the fields, these wooden carving would have been destroyed due to exposure to the environment and insects, particular termites. As a result, few field spirits were saved, making this collection unique. The book describes how the collection was transported from Ghana to Michigan where Richard and his wife Marian Horowitz undertook the cleaning and preservation process and the decision to offer the collection to the Florida Agriculture and Mechanical University, an HBCU (Historical Black College or University) with a core mission in agriculture.
FURTHER RESEARCH
The publication of this book accompanies the collection at the Meek-Easton Black Archives Research Center and Museum of the Florida A&M University and seeks to encourage further research into the Fante myths and the relationship between them and the Lobi.
ABOUT THE FANTE: THE FANTE CONFEDERACY c. 1651 - 1824 The Fante confederacy, Fante also spelled Fanti, is a historical group of states in what is now southern Ghana. It originated in the late 17th Century when Fante people from overpopulated Mankessim, northeast of Cape Coast, settled vacant areas nearby. The resulting Fante kingdoms formed a confederacy headed by a high king (the brafo) and a high priest. It extended from the Pra River in the west to the Ga region (centered on Accra) in the east. To the south was the Atlantic coast, dotted with Dutch and British trading forts; to the north was the expanding Asante empire.
SOURCE: Encyclopedia Britannica FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 37
THE FALLEN RATTLERS
JANUARY 2022
Coach Bobby Lang
A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Bobby Lang earned a bachelor’s degree while on a football and track scholarship at FAMU. He played offensive tackle for legendary FAMU Coach Jake Gaither and went on to earn his master’s degree at FAMU. He coached at FAMU High School before joining Gaither’s coaching staff in 1966 as an assistant football and men’s and women’s track coach. Lang was one of the last surviving members of Gaither’s coaching staff. Lang earned countless awards, titles and accolades during his coaching career. He became the first coach in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) history to achieve the “triple crown” in athletics by winning conference titles in cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field. Lang also coached the team while FAMU competed in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). During his 33year tenure, from 1966 to his 1999 retirement, Lang’s teams combined to win 38 conference champions in the MEAC and SIAC. As the longtime head track and field coach, Lang took great pride in coaching several nationally recognized athletes. He coached All-Americans Pam Oliver and Olympian Rey Robinson. Lang also coached FAMU legendary sprinters Nathaniel James, James Ashcroft, Major
Hazelton, and Eugene Milton, whose team won the Penn Relays 440-yard relay three consecutive years, 1966, 1967 and 1968. A member of the FAMU Hall of Fame, Lang was inducted into the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2019. Another of Lang’s significant pursuits and accomplishments was bringing the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP) to FAMU. With fellow FAMU coach and friend Robert Mungen, he helped bring the program to thousands of area youths. For years, participants were exposed to swimming, basketball, softball, track and field, free lunches and more while on the FAMU campus. Lang is survived by his wife, Gladys C. Lang, Ph.D., daughter, Angela Lang Ward, sons, Ronald Lang and Marlott Lang, a number of grandchildren and great- grandchildren, and a brother. OCTOBER 2, 2021
Colonel William Howard “Bill” McGlockton
William H. (Bill) McGlockton, 85, of Chapel Hill, N.C. died at his home on September 16. He was born on October 28, 1935, in Rock Bluff, Florida to the late Rev. Hambric L. McGlockton and Louise (Little) McGlockton. He attended Rosenwald High School in Panama City, Florida, before he attended Florida A&M University (FAMU) in 1953 and earned a master’s degree from Ball State University in 1975. While at FAMU, his roommate introduced him to the love of his life, Lutrelle W. Hilton, who later became his wife of more than 63 years. Also, while at FAMU, after a four-year participation in the Army ROTC program, he was commissioned upon graduation in 1957 as a Second Lieutenant,which was the beginning a 25-year career in the U.S. Armed Forces.
38 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
McGlockton served eight months in the Army Reserves and entered active duty in 1958. He graduated from Flight School in 1959 as the sole African American in his class and was assigned to various aviation flying positions at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Following his time there, he undertook CH34 pilot duties in Mainz, Germany. Later, he was assigned as the Third Echelon Maintenance Detachment Commander for all CH34 Helicopter units in Hanau, Germany. Under his command, the Army selected his aircraft hangar to host President John F. Kennedy and his presidential entourage for a visit to the hangar and speech. This tour included President Kennedy’s famous “Ich Bin Ein Berliner” speech in June 1963. He later was promoted to Captain and was made an Operations Officer. In 1964, McGlockton rotated from Germany to fly CH37 Helicopters at Fort Benning, Georgia, and later transitioned to the newly arrived CH47 Helicopter in preparation for the first of two tours of duty in Vietnam in late 1965. During his two tours of duty, he completed over 450 combat hours and had three of his helicopters hit by enemy machine gun fire. At the end of his second in Vietnam, McGlockton was assigned to Fort Eustis, Virginia, where he was the first African American commissioned officer to graduate from the CH47 Maintenance Test Pilot Course, and was first in his class. Subsequently, Bill was assigned to the Command and General Staff School in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas where he was promoted to major. Upon completion of the Command and General Staff School, Bill achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and accepted his first non-aviation related assignment as Department of Army, Inspector General overseeing a five-battalion military police brigade in Kaiserslautern, Germany. A two-year assignment in
Berlin, Germany he was promoted to colonel. In 1976, Bill accepted a challenging assignment as Professor of Military Science at Saint Augustine’s College in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he graduated 23 Army Lieutenants in 1980, six of whom achieved the rank of Colonel. Next, Bill returned to aviation when he accepted the position of Deputy Director, Advanced Systems Directorate, Army Aviation Systems Command in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1982, Martin Marietta Aerospace (Lockheed Martin) offered him a position, which he accepted after retiring from the Army. He earned numerous commendations, medals, and awards during his distinguished 25-year military career, including: a Meritorious Service Medal; Service Medal, with one silver service star; the Master Army Aviation Badge; and, the Airman’s Medal, with eleven oak leaf clusters. Bill worked for Martin Marietta (Lockheed Martin) for 11 years. During this time, he was promoted to Director, Business Development and assisted with the development of a major aircraft applied system which is used on U.S. and foreign government aircraft today. After leaving Martin Marietta in 1992, Bill worked as an entrepreneur and owner of a small defense contractor business until his final retirement in 2019. He was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. He also was a member and president of Host of Orlando. After moving to North Carolina, Bill attended the Congregation at Duke University Chapel on Sundays with his wife and family. He is survived by his wife, Lutrelle, four children: William H. McGlockton, II (Joan) of Washington, D.C.; Dr. Michael McGlockton (Rayna) of Fort Walton Beach, Fla; Tarshia McGlockton of Chapel Hill, N.C.; and Tamara McGlockton Hill (Johnny) of Durham, N.C.; one sister, Mildred
McGlockton Demps; three brothers, Hambric Leon McGlockton, Jr., Carl Eugene McGlockton, and Rev. Samuel Earl McGlockton.
& Chanel); and two grandchildren, Kaiden and Keenan.
NOVEMBER 20, 2021
Bettie Floyd Tanner, an outstanding wife, mother, and a Marion County Florida educator, was from Ocala, Florida. She was a native of Flemington, Florida (in Marion County), Tanner was a retired teacher for Marion County Public Schools. She was a 1970 graduate of Florida A&M University and a member of Mt. Pedro Missionary Baptist Church, Micanopy, Florida. She has left to cherish her memory: her husband of 51 years, Raymond Tanner, of Ocala; her children, Gregory (Delois) Lawton Sr, of Sparr, Florida, and Cassandra (Gregory) Boston, of Micanopy; a devoted cousin, Elmira Clark, of Micanopy, and a host of nieces, nephews, and caring friends.
MaKayla Bryant
An outstanding alumna, former student leader, and graduate student, MaKayla “MK” Bryant, who was affectionately known to many as “Peaches,” was born on January 5, 1968, in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. She was the only child of the late Marcus L. Wyre Sr. and Sylvia KingBrown, who preceded her in death. MaKayla Bryant attended Wesleyan Holiness Elementary. She graduated from St. Paul Catholic High School (Class of 1985), where she was a cheerleader; senior class president; member of the Student Council, National Honor Society, Girl Scouts, and Future Business Leaders of America. She graduated from high school in 1985, then entered FAMU, where she was just as active as a university student, quickly becoming active in many organizations. She completed two internships at Anheuser Busch Co. and Procter & Gamble. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business and began her professional degree in College Park, Georgia at Enterprise Holdings, Inc. She advanced to Rentals, Inc. Later, she added to her degree with special certification as trainer and project manager, who was respected and well-throughout her career, which included work that spanned the corporate, financial, and information technology sectors. Bryant was as a member of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church (Atlanta), where she joined in 1996 and remained a loyal member for 25 years; She was a member of the FAMU National Alumni Association (financial secretary). She left to cherish her memory: three children (Kierra, Keenan,
NOVEMBER 3, 2021
Bettie Floyd Tanner
Administration degree from the University of Tampa. Ravenel was a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, of which he became a member in 1973 and was initiated into the Alpha Xi Undergraduate Chapter at FAMU. Ravenel was highly active in the community at many levels to include serving as a basketball coach, youth mentor, math tutor, and real-estate instructor. He was survived by wife Pamela; son, Evan; daughter, Erin; brothers, James Ravenel Jr. (Marion), Frank Ravenel Sr. (Harriett), Benjamin Ravenel (Vivian), Isaiah Ravenel (Emi), Edward Ravenel (Blanche), Harry Ravenel (Anna); sisters, Julia Forrest, Juanita Young (Oscar); aunt, Julia Gilliard; uncles, Leon Dunmeyer (Alice), Joseph Dunmeyer Sr., Edward Dunmeyer, and sisterin-law, Bernadette Ravenel. SEPTEMBER 15, 2021
DECEMBER 2021
Dalton Harrell
Florida A&M baseball player Dalton Harrell, 21, died after an accidental shooting in Bainbridge, Ga. Bainbridge Public Safety (BPS) officials reported that a group of friends were at Bainbridge Country Club on Country Club Road when a “freak accident” led to Harrell being shot in the chest in the parking lot. Harrell, 21, was the son of Bobby and Jennifer Stephens Harrell. He was a 2018 graduate of Bainbridge High School in Bainbridge, Georgia. SEPTEMBER 2021
Eugene Ravenel
Eugene Ravenel, an outstanding husband, community leader, and man of service, was born April 19, 1954, in Charleston, South Carolina. He was one of 10 children born to the late Rev. James Ravenel Sr. and Berniece Ravenel. He was a proud graduate of Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) who also earned a Master of Business
Idus Cicero Hartsfield
Idus Cicero Hartsfield was born in Tallahassee, Florida on February 3, 1965, to Richard and Mamie Hartsfield, both graduates of Florida A&M University (FAMC, 1941). He completed his early education at FAMU’s Developmental Research School (FAMU High). A was a 1974 Leon High School graduate, who began at FAMU as a dually-enrolled student. He pledged Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated and was initiated into the Beta Nu Chapter (Spring 1975). He earned the B.S. in political science (1977) and the master’s degree in public administration (1981); and Hartsfield was married to Joni Hartsfield, a FAMU alumna; they have two children, both FAMU alumni. He worked with the Florida Department of Transportation; he also worked for 15 years at the state’s Emergency Management and Volunteer First before retiring. His “always upbeat personality” was probably best known through “Unique Ad
Specialties,” the marketing business he started in the ‘80s. He leaves to cherish his life and legacy to his wife of 22 years, Joni; children Idus Cicero Hartsfield, II (Jeannelly); daughter, Ashley Hartsfield; stepson, Christopher Abraham (Carla); and five siblings. SEPTEMBER 3, 2021
Vivian Turner Williams
Vivian Turner Williams, 97, who was born Aug. 31, 1923. She was a proud 1946 graduate of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMC) who earned a bachelor’s degree in music education, with a minor in English. She did further study at the Juilliard Performing Arts School in New York. Williams taught in Jefferson and Wakulla counties for years before retiring from Wakulla. She was a member of the FAMU National Alumni Association and the National Association of University Women (NAUW). Williams was also highly active in her church and community where she played for Choir No. 2 and the combined choirs. She conducted private music lessons for many students from throughout the Tallahassee area; and She leaves to cherish her life, legacy, and memories to niece/caretaker Patricia Patrick, nephews: Harold Lawrence, Darrell (Charlotte) Lawrence, Michael Lawrence, and John Vann; sister-in-law, Mildred (Willie) Harris; brothers-in-law, David (Gloria) Williams and Leroy (Barbara) Williams; goddaughter, Alfredia Brown; and, God sister, Dr. JoAnn Houston. SEPTEMBER 24, 2021
Wallace “Chuck” Williams, Jr.
Wallace “Chuck” Williams, Jr. was born 34 years ago to Wallace and Eunice Williams. He was an outstanding son, brother, nephew, and local See Fallen, continued on page 49
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 39
INRemembering MEMORIAM PRESIDENT DR. FREDERICK S. HUMPHRIES, SR.
Remembering
DR. FREDERICK S. HUMPHRIES, SR. 1935 - 2021
40 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
Dr. Frederick S. Humphries, Sr., passed away on June 24, 2021, leaving a legacy of Black exceptionalism that remains the envy of academia. The young man from the port town of Apalachicola on the panhandle of Florida would have an extraordinary impact on many thousands of Black students and their families. Growing up in Apalachicola, Humphries was influenced by a diverse group of people. He attended Holy Family School, one of the few Black Catholic grammar schools in the south ruled by Black nuns who were relentless disciplinarians. Once, Humphries’ school scored so high on an exam, the Monseigneur suspected cheating. He gave them a different test and their scores were even better. The small town had a reputation for Black high achievers. But Fred Humphries said it was not enough for his high school math teacher Charlie Watson who constantly pushed him to “do better” and to always “strive for excellence.” Construction work in Apalachicola introduced him to Ruffin Rhodes. Ruffin talked incessantly about the power of education. Finally, Humphries said, “What’s the highest degree of educational achievement?” Rhodes said, “a doctorate.” With that, Humphries was off to Florida A&M College, which became a university during his time there. He was a popular student. Tall, handsome, and smart, known for his competitive spirit on the basketball court and in the classroom. He enjoyed getting better grades than his big-city friends. To his buddy Carl Kirksey from Miami, he asked, “How did you do on that math exam?” Carl said, “I got an 80.” “I got a 95,” was Humphries retort. He graduated with honors with a degree in chemistry, from FAMU. Humphries began his role as a member of the “First Evers” as the first African American to earn a doctorate in physical chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh. After teaching chemistry at FAMU in 1974, he became president of Tennessee State University (TSU), an arch-rival of the Rattlers. Humphries was president when the state wanted to merge TSU with the Nashville campus of the University of Tennessee, a White school. It happened, but the federal land-grant status of TSU, protected it from a hostile takeover of sorts by a White institution. Tennessee State maintained its administrative status and brand. That episode was not Humphries’s first bout with suppression. He acknowledged institutional racism as a worthy adversary to be outmaneuvered. That was his approach; it was a successful strategy.
When he returned to his beloved FAMU as president in 1985, it was the beginning of a remarkable journey that would elevate the university and Historically Black Colleges and Universities to their rightful status as valuable institutions of higher learning. Humphries’ commanding presence, innovating ideas, and enthusiasm was a powerful magnet attracting students, faculty, corporations, alumni, and research dollars at a level never before realized. He was defiant and unrelenting when advancing FAMU. During the Humphries’ years from 1985-2001, FAMU burst onto the scene as an HBCU with unmatched academic credentials. First, he increased en-
Dr. Frederick Humphries was my president as an undergraduate student at Florida A&M University and Derek and I are deeply saddened by his passing. He was larger than life. His leadership made way for scores of students to find their best selves on the highest of seven hills in Tallahassee, Florida. With his “Life Gets Better Scholarship,” he made life better for a generation of Rattlers, exposing countless students to opportunities and possibilities that exceeded the expectations of many. His enormous spirit will continue to live in every Rattler that he touched. Our prayers are with the Humphries family and my fellow Rattlers nationwide. —MAYOR KEISHA LANCE BOTTOM
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 41
Remembering PRESIDENT DR. FREDERICK S. HUMPHRIES, SR. rollment with an unorthodox recruitment style that was legendary. He would approach young people on the streets of Europe and Africa touting the FAMU brand. The University’s dominance of National Achievement Scholars would upend academic norms. FAMU led the nation with these scholars outpacing Harvard, Yale, and Stanford in 1992, 1995, 1997, and tying Harvard in 2000. But, also part of the big picture was Humphries’ commitment to disadvantaged students with untapped potential who would be nurtured at FAMU. That was the Fred Humphries’ dream. The intrinsic strength of an HBCU education was a powerful weapon for Humphries whose motto was Excellence with Caring which resonated nationwide. His defiance of racial norms was a startling rebuke to the Board of Regents and all those he viewed as a threat to FAMU. Humphries’ FAMU engendered the kind of can-do spirit and self-esteem the next generation needed to compete in the marketplace. During his presidency, Frederick Humphries raised over $157 million, awarded 873 Life Gets Better Scholarships, and increased Foundation revenues tenfold. FAMU was named College of the Year by Time Magazine and the Princeton Review. Grants jumped from $8 million to $62 million and enrollment soared from 5,000 to 12,000. Humphries was always focused on FAMU’s research profile, but now was able to strengthen engineering, the sciences, and pre-law. Of course, he successfully restored the FAMU College of Law, in 2000. The famous 8th President always credited a great faculty for playing a major role in the success of his efforts. The expansion of graduate studies is a testament to that fact. The most extraordinary part of Humphries’ legacy was the elevation of FAMU to prominence that in turn established the relevancy of all of America’s HBCUs. Dr. Humphries was preceded in death by his parents, Thornton G. Humphries, Sr. and Minnie Henry Humphries; his brother, Thornton G.
“With style and substance, Dr. Humphries presided over Florida A & M University. His love, pride, and laughter along with his searing brilliance lifted FAMU to soaring heights of ‘Excellence with Caring.’ FAMU grew, roared, and prospered as an American citadel of higher education under the leadership of Frederick Humphries, a true giant in head, heart, and spirit. Gone from our presence but never from our hearts and mind — We love Frederick Humphries forever.” —LEON COUNTY DISTRICT 1 COMMISSIONER BILL PROCTOR, FAMU HIGH GRADUATE AND POLITICAL SCIENCE INSTRUCTOR AT THE UNIVERSITY, IN A STATEMENT
Humphries, Jr. and sister, Mona Humphries Bailey. He was married to the late Antoinette McTurner Humphries. He is survived by their three children, Frederick S. Jr., (Kim Sheftall) of Washington, D.C; Robin Tanya Humphries Watson of Orlando, Fla.; Laurence Anthony (Carnesha Allen) of Houston, Texas.; and eight grandchildren Brian Alexander P. Watson of Oakland, Calif., Arielle Simone Humphries of New York, N.Y, Kirsten Antoinette Watson of Los Angeles, Calif.; Frederick S. Humphries, III of Los Angeles Calif., Laurence Anthony Humphries II of Atlanta, Ga., Dylan Gabrielle Humphries of Atlanta, Ga., Isabella Antoinette Humphries of Houston, Texas, and Pierce Henry Humphries, of Houston, Texas; and two sisters, Mamie Stevens of Moss Point, Miss.; Barbara (Milton) Jones of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; a beloved companion, Barbara Curry Murrell, of Nashville, Tenn.;
The Humphries family: Clockwise from left- Son, Frederick Jr., President Humphries, younger son, Laurence, wife Antoinette and daughter, Robin Tanya.
42 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
CREDIT: HUMPHRIES FAMILY
During his presidency, Frederick Humphries raised over $157 million, awarded 873 Life Gets Better Scholarships, and increased Foundation revenues tenfold.
HONORING THE “GOLDEN AGE” OF DR. FREDERICK S. HUMPHRIES: FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY’S EIGHTH PRESIDENT BY E. MURELL DAWSON AND YVETTE STENNETT With profound sadness the Rattler Nation celebrated the life and legacy of a giant, its beloved Dr. Frederick S. Humphries, the 8th President of Florida A&M University (FAMU), who passed away on June 4, 2021, in Orlando, Florida. The annals of history will record that President Humphries saved FAMU. Months later, tributes continue to pour in from the public celebrating his life. The President Frederick S. Humphries, Sr. “Excellence with Caring!” Memorial Exhibit has opened at the Carrie Meek-James N. Eaton, Sr. Black Archives Research Center and Museum in FAMU’s historic Carnegie Library. How is an era of extraordinary leadership and growth captured in a hastily constructed exhibit? It is an impossibility. The exhibit could only provide mere glimpses into the mind, work, and vision of this phenomenal man who piloted FAMU’s third “Golden Age.” When President Humphries took office in 1985, after serving 10 years as Tennessee State University’s 5th president (1975-1985), his reputation, experience and pioneering work as an educational leader foretold his forthcoming destiny of ushering in a period of enormous prosperity at FAMU. When placed in historical context, two of his FAMU predecessors, Nathan B. Young and J.R.E. Lee, Sr, also advanced the institution and brought national notoriety to its mission, efforts and worth. President Young (1901-1923) ushered in FAMU’s first “Golden Age.” His administration raised educational standards of the Florida State Normal and Industrial School for Colored Students and elevated it to an official four-year bachelor’s degree-granting college (1909). This same year, the school’s name was changed to the Florida A&M College for Negroes (FAMC). President Young lead the fledgling college for an unprecedented twenty-two years. His firing by the Florida Board of Control in 1923 led to a year-long protest where students burned several major campus buildings. Known as the “Great Fires of FAMC,” this was one of the earliest student-led demonstrations on any American college campus. FAMU’s second “Golden Age” rose from these ashes of protest, when Lee was appointed as the third president (1924-1944). He was a former administrator at Benedict College and Tuskegee Institute and trained under the famous Booker T. Washington. As FAMC’s president, Lee expedited a campus-wide building boom amid the Great Depression and World War II. Over two decades, several brick dormitories and some 40 buildings were constructed using federal grants. This period of progress and growth was FAMC’s second “Golden Age.” It lasted until Lee’s untimely passing in the FAMC Hospital in 1944. Forty years later, FAMU bred, Dr. Fred Humphries, a fierce defender of African American education and HBCUs was appointed president (1985-2001). During these 16 years, his reputation as an expert administrator, fundraiser and recruiter was solidified. He presided over FAMU’s centennial celebration; reestablished FAMU’s College of Law; amassed an impressive construction record; established the Institute of the Environment (now School of the Environment) and Institute of Public Health (now a part of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences); and created several new Ph.D. programs. Humphries attracted record student enrollments and in 1997-98 recruited the most National
Achievement Scholars, beating such Ivy-league institutions as Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. He also established his signature “Life Gets Better” Scholarship. One of FAMU’s most coveted honors was being selected as the 1997-98 “College of the Year” by Time Magazine. These are but a few of the countless accolades from the Humphries’ “Golden Age.” The memorial exhibit seeks to honor this extraordinary leader and lend insight into this phenomenal period in FAMU’s history. Upon his retirement as Regent Professor (2003-2014) at the FAMU College of Law, Humphries personally selected and sent to the Black Archives printed records, and a vast array of artifacts from his long-standing, stellar career. The items included: awards, publications, construction helmets, framed news article and photographs. The most striking artifact in the exhibit has been his green presidential academic robe and cap. The unplanned exhibit took on a life of its own as many people and units across the campus contributed to its completion. The exhibit includes memorabilia on First Lady Antoinette Humphries and the First Family. Also included are artifacts from his older sister and mentor, educational leader, consultant and FAMU alumnae, Mona Humphries Baily, the 1954 Miss FAMU and the 17th National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. The research for excellence and success in higher level education has already been conducted. President Humphries and his administration gave us a blueprint for future FAMU “Golden Ages.” The efficacy of his model is based on empirical findings and is designed to sustain for generations. President Humphries has bequeathed to all a “living inheritance.” One that cannot be contained by time, circumstance, or physical objects. An inheritance that compels us to seek out the best and the brightest, and to see the diamonds in the rough. This refers to faculty, staff, students and others within the Rattler Nation. His legacy also challenges future presidents and their administrations to strive for more FAMU “Golden Ages.” The Dr. Frederick Humphries Memorial Exhibit is located on the first floor of Carnegie Library and remains open due to its popularity. For more information contact the Meek-Eaton Black Archives at 850.599.3020 or blackarchives@famu.edu. FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 43
Remembering PRESIDENT DR. FREDERICK S. HUMPHRIES, SR.
THE PRESIDENT NO ONE SAW COMING BY EDDIE JACKSON
Reprinted by permission of Tallahassee Democrat Newspaper In 1985, Frederick S. Humphries was planning an attack on the soul of higher education in America. He believed this nation had promised African American students that if they worked hard and earned good grades, merit would overcome racism. His development team produced a proposal called “Life Gets Better.” Humphries slid copies of the proposal targeted for Fortune 500 corporations into a briefcase and put on his traveling shoes. He squeezed five corporations into a single day’s meeting, selling his proposal at full strength in the early morning hours — and somehow got stronger as the day grew longer. Intellectually he was off the charts, whip smart with a photographic memory, a distinguished scientist with a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh. But he was a born salesman who could have earned millions in the business world. And although higher education was his wheelhouse, he never lost a sale. The proposal called for corporations to join the university’s Cluster Program with an annually $1,500 membership fee and support for the
A fiery temper was in store for the University Relations team that did not have pledge forms on hand when Humphries was talking to alumni. The FAMU Foundation had an endowment of less than $6 million when Humphries become president. When he retired in 2001, the endowment was approaching $70 million. Today it is $125 million. 44 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
Life Gets Better Scholarship program covering the full cost of a college education. When he retired, the Cluster had grown to more than 100 Fortune 500 Corporations which contributed $3 to $4 million annually.
GETTING RESULTS
Alumni within the sound of Humphries’ voice received the same treatment. Telling Humphries how much you loved FAMU didn’t mean much unless it was backed up with cash and pledges. A fiery temper was in store for the University Relations team that did not have pledge forms on hand when Humphries was talking to alumni. The FAMU Foundation had an endowment of less than $6 million when Humphries become president. When he retired in 2001, the endowment was approaching $70 million. Today it is $125 million. Proving FAMU’s majority African American faculty and student body could perform at an equal level with other institutions was not in his strike zone. He didn’t want to play for a tie. He wanted to win. Humphries envisioned FAMU as a mecca that attracted the nation’s best and brightest African American faculty and student body, and an epicenter for innovation in higher education.
The late Joseph A. Johnson was the Herbert Kayser Professor of Science and Engineering at City College of New York, and had nearly 100 peer reviewed publications. He told Humphries he would come to FAMU only if he could have the same size research laboratory and equipment he had at City College. Humphries made it happen. When a student appeared on the cover of Parade Magazine for winning millions of dollars in scholarship funds, Humphries phoned her. She did not want to attend FAMU but did agree to visit the campus. When Humphries hung up the phone, he said, “I got her. After she visits the School of Business and Industry, I’m going to make her an offer.” He did and she accepted. He spent countless hours on the telephone calling students. When one student said she was going to Georgia Tech, Humphries asked if the president of Georgia Tech had called her. She said no. And then she said, “Dr. Humphries, I will see you in September.”
Outside the campus boundaries, on the streets of Tallahassee and beyond, white supremacy ideology loomed like dark clouds on a sunny day. Its leaders were so busy with racial chicanery, they didn’t see Humphries coming. Inside the campus, an educational enterprise was creating a new world — one graduation at a time. Enrollment soared to nearly 13,000. FAMU graduates with PhDs in engineering, environmental sciences, physics, pharmacy and education — plus MBAs in business — were multiplying. Faculty research funds were at an all-time high, approaching nearly $50 million. National and International recognition followed. In 1989, the Marching 100 was invited by the government of France to be the sole U.S. representative at its Bicentennial Celebration of the French Revolution. In 1997, Time magazine and the Princeton Review named FAMU as its first College of the Year.
Outside the campus boundaries, on the streets of Tallahassee and beyond, white supremacy ideology loomed like dark clouds on a sunny day. Its leaders were so busy with racial chicanery, they didn’t see Humphries coming. Inside the campus, an educational enterprise was creating a new world — one graduation at a time. Humphries’ Rattler spirit was born on a windswept day in 1952 in Bragg Stadium when he was a senior in high school in Apalachicola. He had driven over with a few friends to watch the Rattlers take on the North Carolina A&T Aggies. The Rattler were behind at halftime 12 to 6. President George W. Gore Jr. strode majestically to the field at halftime. His strong baritone voice said just a few words: “My fellow FAMUans: Do not be concerned about the outcome of the game. You must always remember: The Rattlers will strike. And strike and strike again!” Pandemonium ensued. The crowd went wild and Humphries joined in. Dust swirled through the air behind the east stands. And he saw something and heard a sound he would never forget. The Marching 100 had entered the field, moving at 300 steps a minute. Humphries was overwhelmed by the precision marching and complex formations, but nothing touched him like the grandeur of that extraordinary sound. It caught a ride on the wind, reached into his heart and never let him go. FAMU won the game 19-12. I am convinced the last sound Frederick Humphries heard was the Marching 100 performing his favorite song, “Total Praise,” and that extraordinary sound took him home.
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 45
IN MEMORIAM versity’s leader from 1977 to 1985, developing new academic programs and steering FAMU in the right direction,” said Robinson, FAMU’s 12th President. “We’re thankful for his leadership and celebrate his legacy and join the Smith family, friends and Rattlers around the world in celebrating a life dedicated to service and one well-lived.” Walter Lee Smith Sr. took an unconventional route on his journey to becoming an international education leader.
Former President Walter L. Smith Sr, ‘Left an indelible Mark’ on FAMU
EARLY YEARS Born in Tampa on May 13, 1935, Smith grew up in Cairo, Ga., Tallahassee, and Harlem, N.Y. In high school, he was a stellar athlete in track, basketball, and baseball. When he was FAMU president, Smith fondly recalled the days he played atop the rolling hills of Florida A&M College (FAMC), where his parents both worked. A high-school dropout at the age of 16, Smith spent his young adult years in Harlem, where he found work as a messenger and racks pusher in the New York Garment district before he joined the U.S. Army. He served for 30 months during the Korean War. After his discharge at age 23, Smith enrolled at Gibbs Junior College in St. Petersburg, Fla., where he became president of the student government association. Smith returned to Tallahassee and earned two degrees from FAMU - the Bachelor of Arts in biology and chemistry, and the Master of Education in administration and supervision. In 1965, Smith was recruited by the U.S. Office of Education (USOE) where he became a program officer in facilitating the 1964 Civil Rights Act and Title I of the 1965 Elemen-
BY [ LA CARROLL ]
Walter L. Smith, Sr. Ph.D., the seventh president of Florida A&M University (FAMU), died in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday, November 25, 2021. The former athlete, scholar, historian, and education leader was 86 years old. FAMU President Emeritus Smith was also the second president of Roxbury Community College in Boston, Mass. Notable achievements during Smith’s eightyear tenure at FAMU include the addition of un-
dergraduate and graduate studies; the expansion of the Black Archives; several new and improved facilities, a boost in sports, the expansion of Bragg Memorial Stadium, and reaccreditation of several professional education programs. “I was saddened to learn of the passing of Florida A&M University’s seventh President and President Emeritus Walter L. Smith, Ph.D. Dr. Smith left an indelible mark as the Uni-
46 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
President Smith with then State Senator Carrie Meek, the first African American woman elected to the Florida Senate. CREDIT: FAMU OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS)
tary Secondary Education Act. He worked specifically with school districts in the eight Southeastern states in the development of desegregation plans and compensatory education programs for students and teachers throughout the south. He also helped to develop desegregation and graduate education training centers for African American administrators at select universities. This included the University of Miami and the Desegregation Center at FAMU under the direction of the late Dr. James Beck.
Smith with former Rattler Football Coach Rudi Hubbard and State Senator Pat Thomas
Smith was later recruited from the USOE by the National Education Association (NEA) to assist in breaking down racial barriers in teacher organizations in the Southeastern states. He also assisted in the development of collective bargaining concepts for classroom teachers. Smith became the first assistant executive director of The Florida Education Association, and the programs he developed in human relations in Florida received the National Rosena Willis Award from the NEA in 1971 and 1972. For his work in developing strong human relations programs throughout Florida and other states, Smith was awarded a full scholarship by the African American Institute of African Studies to study abroad. Throughout the summer of 1971, he studied at universities in Ghana, Togo, Dahomey (Benin), and Nigeria. Upon completion of his doctoral coursework at FSU in 1972, Smith was recruited by Hillsborough Community College (HCC) as assistant to the president. He was later promoted to collegiums director, dean and provost at HCC. Additionally, Smith served as assistant to the dean of FAMU’s School of Education from February 1972 through January 1973. He earned a doctorate in higher education administration from Florida State University in 1974 and was named president of Roxbury College that year.
FAMU’S 7TH PRESIDENT On August 11, 1977, the Florida Board of Regents appointed him FAMU president. His appointment began in September. He was inaugurated as FAMU’s president on April 22, 1978. Smith, who served until 1985, is recognized for being a valiant advocate for his alma mater. While Smith was president of FAMU, the University grew from seven to 11 schools and colleges. Among those added were the School of Allied Health Science, School of General Studies, the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication, the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and a Division of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education. In 1984, the University was granted the authority to offer its first Doctor of Philosophy degree, the Ph.D. in pharmacology. The ‘80s also saw the expansion of the Gaither Athletic Center, which included the construction of a new Women’s Athletic Complex equipped with a track, an Olympic pool, men’s and women’s weight training rooms, and softball and baseball fields. Bragg Memorial Stadium was renovated and expanded to accommodate 25,000 spectators, and a modern field house was erected. Additionally, new facilities were constructed to house the Schools of Allied Health Sciences, Architecture, Business and Industry and Nursing. Construction and renovation projects amounted to more than $34 million. As the University prepared to observe 100 years of its existence, the Smith administration launched the Centennial Celebration Fund to establish a University Endowment, which has an investment value of more than $150 million. In 2007, the University named the School of Architecture and Engineering Technology building for him and acknowledged his accomplishments while president. Naming the building after a living person required an act of the Florida Legislature, and that body approved the request in 2006. Smith was instrumental in obtaining the funding to design and construct the original building for the School. Rodner Wright, dean of the renamed School of Architecture and Engineering Technology, said Smith’s dedication to and support of the School continued throughout his presidency. Wright was hired as dean in 1996, after the Smith Administration. “He always referred to me as ‘his dean’ because he was very proud that the SOA was one of the programs that he had started,” Wright said. “He was also very proud that the renovated building was named for him. Whenever I would see him at university events, in town or out of town, he was sure to acknowledge me.”
Smith with Muhamad Ali
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP Following his term as president, Smith was appointed senior Fulbright Scholar at the University of Malawi. During this period in 198586, he served as head basketball coach. His team at Chancellor College won the Malawi National Championship. Smith focused on new higher-education initiatives in Africa before returning to the FAMU campus. Smith’s accomplishments and commendations were many to include the following: ■ In 1993, Dr. Smith was asked to return to South Africa; later, he became the founding president of South Africa’s first American-style two-year college. ■ Smith was a U.S. monitor for the 1994 election that brought Nelson Mandela to power as President of the RSA. ■ In 1998, he was inducted into the FAMU Athletics Hall of Fame for his significant contributions to the program. Later, in 2002, Smith opened the Dr. Walter L. Smith Library in Tampa, his native city. The privately-owned library/museum is dedicated to enhancing the educational development of the people in his boyhood community. Smith is survived by his wife, Barbara W. Smith; five children, U.S. Army Colonel John L. Smith, Attorney Salesia V. Smith-Gordon, Andre Smith, Walter L. Smith II and Tracy Abrams Butler; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. FAMU hosted a memorial service on Wednesday, December 15, at the Al Lawson Multipurpose Center, Tallahassee.
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 47
IN MEMORIAM NOVEMBER 29, 2021
Former U.S. Rep. Carrie P. Meek: A Major Historical Figure in Florida Politics BY [ LA CARROLL ]
Her stellar political career and life ended with a campus research center and museum bearing her name and that of Professor James Eaton, who was the chief archivist and curator of the Meek-Eaton Southeastern Museum and Research Center; it is the only Carnegie center at a Historically Black University and College (HBCU).
U.S. Representative Carrie Meek, a major historical figure in Florida politics, 95, died in November at her Miami home. Meek represented Florida’s 17th congressional district from 1993 to 2003. “I was deeply hurt to learn of the passing of Florida A&M University alumna and former Congresswoman Carrie Meek. She rose from the Florida House of Representatives to become the first African American woman elected to the Florida Senate where she served on the Education Appropriations Subcommittee. She went on to be elected the first Black member of Congress from Florida since Reconstruction. Once in office, Meek faced the task of helping her district recover from the devastation of Hurricane Andrew. Her efforts helped provide $100 million in federal assistance to rebuild Dade County. Meek was born the granddaughter of slaves and daughter of a sharecropper. She grew up in segregated Tallahassee, Florida in a neighborhood close to the University campus. Her stellar political career and life ended with a campus research center and museum bearing her name and that of Professor James Eaton, who was the chief archivist and curator of the Meek-Eaton Southeastern Museum and Research Cen-
ter; it is the only Carnegie center at an historically Black University and College (HBCU). She also has a Miami foundation and education center named for her. In high school, Meek was a sprinter and basketball player, and later at Florida A&M. She was a notable graduate of Florida A&M (1946), where she earned a degree in biology and physical education. Blacks could not attend graduate school in Florida, so Meek continued her studies at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), where she earned a master’s degree in 1948. Meek taught at Bethune Cookman College in Daytona Beach, and at her alma mater, before moving to Miami in 1961 to serve as special assistant to the vice president of Miami-Dade Community College. There, she helped push for integration in 1963 and was active in community projects in the Miami area. Meek makes the move that catapults her from Miami to Congress Elected as a Florida state representative in 1979, Meek was the first African American woman elected to the Florida State Senate in 1982. As a state senator, Meek served on the Education Appropriations Subcommittee. Her efforts in the legislature also led to the construction of thousands of affordable rental housing units. She is the recipient of honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from the University of Miami, FAMU, Barry University, Florida Atlantic University and Rollins University (Orlando). Meek was a member not only of the powerful House Appropriations Committee as a freshman Congresswoman, in addition to the
48 // FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE
Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service and General Government and the Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies. During her five terms in Washington, she fought for programs to create jobs, fight discrimination, and economic disparities. Her 17th Congressional District covered much of Miami; her constituents included many Black people and immigrants from Haiti, Jamaica and the Bahamas, as well as Koreans and Arabs. The district included the Liberty City area of Miami, where race riots resulted in scores of people dead after white police officers had killed a Black man. Meek lived in Liberty City during her time in Congress. She fought for and secured millions for the heavily damaged city after Hurricane Andrew wreaked havoc on miles and miles of Miami, including her district. Her history includes marching in protests in support of the voiceless; she comforted the homeless, the sick and the poor. Meek was also voice courted by such political figures as former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Democratic powerhouse Hilary Clinton. The pioneering political figure, former standout athlete, educator and popular personality is survived by son Kendrick Meek, who served in the Florida House of Representatives and the State Senate and was elected in 2002 to the congressional seat being vacated by his mother. He served four terms before giving up his seat in an unsuccessful run for the Senate. She is also survived by two daughters, Sheila Davis Kinui and Lucia Davis-Raiford; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
APRIL 6, 2021
Longtime Congressman Hastings ‘Had a Good Run’ BY [ LA CARROLL ]
Longest Serving Representative Spent 30 Years in the House US. Congressman Alcee Hastings — distinguished alumnus, attorney, and former federal judge — was a U.S. Representative from Florida who served from 1993 until his death in April of pancreatic cancer. He was 84 years old. Hastings, a native of Altamonte Springs, Florida, received his undergraduate degree in zoology and botany from Fisk University in Nashville in 1958. He attended Howard University’s School of Law from 1958-60 in Washington, D.C., before transferring to the FAMU College of Law, then in Tallahassee, where he graduated in 1963. He was one of the college’s 57 original graduates and was admitted to the Florida Bar on November 15, 1963. “Florida A&M University joins with the family of Congressman Alcee Hastings in mourning his loss,” FAMU President Larry Robinson said after his death. “His life of leadership and service will be missed.” Hastings began his career as a lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, taking on civil rights cases in an area where the rights of Black people were often threatened in the 1960s and ‘70s. Hastings fought to desegregate Broward County schools and sued establishments that wouldn’t serve Black people. After building a reputation as a crusader for social justice, he made history in 1979 by becoming the first Black federal judge in Florida. Ten years later, he was impeached and removed from the bench after he was tried on charges of soliciting a bribe. The impeachment ended his judicial career, but it didn’t prevent him from seeking – and winning – public office in the future. He served 15 terms in the House, where he represented Florida’s 23rd district and, later, its 20th district. He was the longest serving current member of the House. In a 2019 speech in Florida shortly after his cancer diagnosis, the colorful Hastings said: “The most practical way of looking at it is I’ve had a good run. The simple fact of the matter is that… I have faced no challenge as considerable as this particular one, but I face it with the same courage that I’ve faced other challenges, and it ain’t nothing but something to do.” Hastings was honored by Congress with a celebration of life on April 21, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall. He was remembered by many to include:
Fallen, continued
businessman in Tallahassee. He was a 2005 graduate of Florida High (the Florida State University School). He was a 2010 graduate from Florida A&M University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. His mother is a 1975 graduate from the College of Pharmacy. Willams worked as a car salesman at the local Toyota dealership before later joining the Proctor-Honda Dealership as a sales consultant. He was known as a professional who personified dedication, hard work and leadership acumen, which resulted in a promotion to the position at Proctor-Honda as Finance Officer. He also worked as a “DJ” at weddings and other special events in Tallahassee under the name of “DjchuckD.” He was a member of Eastside Church of Christ who loved traveling, fishing, basketball, and sporting events. He is survived by his parents, Wallace and Eunice Bryant Williams; one sister, Marsha (Ron) Hill, three brothers, Lamarris Williams, Elder Melvin E. (Dorothea) Crawford and Jason Williams; two aunts: Alice (UL) and Deborah Williams; two great aunts: Dianne and Gladys Bell; two uncles: Leroy (Mary) Williams and Ray Randle; and devoted friend, Brandon Jones.
“Rep. Alcee Hastings has departed us for that great assembly in heaven. He taught me a lot about public service and life. Rep. Hastings loved the people he served and championed the plight of the least, the lost and the left behind. May he forever Rest in Power.” -
— U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, New York Source Twitter Tribute
“U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings served his constituents as a civil rights attorney, judge, and Dean of our Congressional delegation. He changed the face of politics in Florida and brought passion and unwavering dedication to the fight of justice. We are forever grateful for a life well lived.” — U.S. Rep. Val Demings, Florida Source: @RepVal Demings
FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY // A&M MAGAZINE // 49
