Morehouse Magazine Spring/Summer 2010 by Morehouse College

SPRING/SUMMER 2010

MOREHOUSE M A G A Z I N E

Capacity to Thrive ENSURING THE FUTURE SECURITY AND COMMUNITY • HORNSBY RETIRES • COMMENCEMENT 2010

MOREHOUSE COLLEGE NATIONAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 2010-2012 OFFICERS

Kevin R. McGee ’93 President Donald E. Pollard Jr. ’95 – Region 1 Vice President-at-Large Collie Burnett Jr. ’72 Executive Director cburnett@aibtv.com Guy B. Richardson ’79 – Region 5 Secretary gbrichardson@woh.rr.com Thomas N. Scott ’84 – Region 1 Financial Secretary James D. Henry ’61 General Counsel jamesdhenry@msn.com Treasurer Vacant Jeffrey L. Riddle ’90 Parliamentarian Office: 404-541-2325 jlriddle@riddleschwartz.com Harold O. Braithwaite ’77 Faculty Representative hbraithw@morehouse.edu Henry M. Goodgame, Jr. ’84 Director, Alumni Affairs hgoodgame@morehouse.edu BOARD MEMBERS REGION I-IX VICE PRESIDENTS – 2008-2010 Vice President, Region I Vacant Vice President, Region II Vacant Melvin D. Caldwell Jr. ’75 Vice President, Region III Mark W. Hill ’67 Vice President, Region IV hillm@peercpc.com Charles H. Neal ’64 Vice President, Region V charlesneal101@AOL.com George W. Thompson ’66 Vice President, Region VI Jags597@aol.com Vice President, Region VII Vacant Donald E. Long ’64 Vice President, Region VIII dlong@sdccd.edu Vice President, Region IX Vacant

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MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE I SPRING/SUMMER 2010

54 features 32

ALTON HORNSBY RETIRES For 42 years, history professor Alton Hornsby ’61 has taught scores of students about African American history. Hornsby has decided to leave his distinguished career in academia behind, retiring in May 2010. But that hardly means the nationally renowned historian will sit and do nothing.

HELPING HAITI When senior Jacques Pape received an early morning call on Jan. 12, 2010, from his mother in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the news jolted him awake—the small nation was hit by a devastating earthquake—and jolted him into action.

SECURITY AND COMMUNITY Effective security on urban campuses entails such measures as adequate police presence and camera surveillance. But that’s only part of the story. At Morehouse, strengthening the town and gown relationship plays a major role in creating a safe environment for learning and living.

FOUNDER’S DAY OBSERVANCE The arts take center stage during the College’s celebration of 143 years of living up to its founder’s ideals of excellence, leadership and service.

CAPACITY BUILDING The nation’s higher education institutions are seeking new strategies to thrive and remain affordable for students during a down economic period. It makes capacity building even more important, especially for the nation’s historically black colleges and universities.

COMMENCEMENT 2010 The humid, sun-splashed Sunday morning of Commencement 2010 was the final day that more than 500 graduating seniors would be called men of Morehouse. On their day of transition, they received one final lesson from U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and others: the importance of being a Morehouse Man.

32 ON THE COVER: Shaquille Jackson, a Minnesota high school student; Damon Phillips ’96, associate director of Alumni Relations; Damon’s son, Myles; and Kacey Maurice Bolton, son, grandson and nephew of Morehouse alumni, represent the importance of ensuring a strong Morehouse for future generations.

departments 6 20 22 24 28

INSIDE THE HOUSE IN THE NEWS HOMECOMING ON THE FIELD AND COURT DEVELOPMENT NEWS

31 62 63 65 70

ON THE SHELF BROTHER TO BROTHER ALUMNI NEWS CLASS NOTES THE ROAD TAKEN

Renaissance Men are... WELL-READ • WELL-TRAVELED • WELL-SPOKEN WELL-READ • WELL-TRAVELED • WELL-SPOKEN

WELL-DRESSED • WELL-BALANCED

morehouse.edu

p r e s i d e n t ’s m e s s a g e

A Season to Build he Morehouse calendar is always full, but the spring semester is particularly busy with the many ceremonies and commemorative events—not to mention, unexpected events—that are held at the College. This spring has been no different. Thus far, we have borne witness to a successful Founder’s Day observance, the annual King Day Celebration and—following a devastating earthquake—the valiant efforts of the student body to bring relief to our brothers and sisters in Haiti. As you enjoy this issue of Morehouse Magazine, consider the concept of community, a central theme in the feature stories. I ask that you think critically about how

each of us who values the Morehouse legacy can do more to build the capacity of the institution. Through increased and consistent alumni giving and the execution of our leadership potential, we have the ability to ensure that Morehouse continues to grow stronger fiscally and, ultimately, can better serve our students and alumni, as well as our local and global communities. Finally, we are pleased that our strategic efforts to promote safety on campus and in the surrounding neighborhoods are bringing results. Still, however, we

”It is my privilege and honor to serve Morehouse as we

solicit your support and ideas as we continue to make sure that all members of the Morehouse community feel—and are—safe. Dr. Benjamin E. Mays reminded us that “we, today, stand on the shoulders of our

respond to [Mays’] charge

predecessors who have gone before us. We, as their successors, must catch the torch of freedom and liberty passed on to us by our ancestors. We cannot lose this battle.” It

and prepare the next

is my privilege and honor to serve Morehouse as we respond to his charge and prepare the next generation of leaders to continue the battle to build community.

generation of leaders to

Sincerely,

continue the battle to build community.”

Robert M. Franklin Jr. ’75

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Taking some of the work out of networking

Experience Alumni! OFFERS MOREHOUSE MEN A NEW NETWORKING TOOL FOR JOB HUNTING For more information contact: Kellye Blackburn Eccles Career Planning and Placement Non Business Majors Morehouse College 404-215-2703 kblackbu@morehouse.edu Pat Bowers Career Planning and Placement Business Majors Morehouse College 404-681-2800 x2644 pbowers@morehouse.edu

The Morehouse Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Career Planning and Placement Office is excited to unveil its latest service, designed with Morehouse College alumni in mind: Experience Alumni! EXPERIENCE REQUIRED eRecruiting is the system currently used to coordinate all job postings and interview schedules for students. Now, Experience Alumni! offers a similar service designed specifically with more experienced candidates in mind. Experience Alumni! gives Morehouse alumni a safe, secure place to look for employment opportunities by providing job postings from companies looking to recruit experienced Morehouse Men. Job opportunities from sites such as CareerBuilder, DICE and HotJobs are also posted. BROTHER TO BROTHER If you know of positions within your own company that you want other alumni to know about, you can post them directly into the system yourself. It is a great system for recruiting other Morehouse Men!

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e d i t o r ’s n o t e s

MAGAZINE

Risks and Rewards

Robert M. Franklin ’75 President

Dear Friends: ajor decisions, particularly those that involve other people, very rarely have full consensus. And you can expect some fall out. Yet, with few exceptions, the potential of achieving greater good outweighs the risk of losing a few detractors along the way. That must have been the experience Lonnie King ’69 and Johnny Parham ’58 had in March 1960, when they joined forces with other Atlanta University Center students to protest racial discrimination and segregation in Atlanta. There were students, faculty, administrators and, certainly, city leaders who did not embrace the Atlanta Student Movement (ASM). But that didn’t stop King, who later became the first chairman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the national movement that became a major force during the civil rights movement. In celebrating their 50th anniversary, members of ASM talk about the importance of passing the mantle to a new generation of student leaders (see page 10). Many of our decisions may seem small at the time, but can end up defining who we are and shaping the course of our lives. In 10th grade, Alton Hornsby changed his mind about becoming a doctor when he fell in love with history. He tells how this one decision turned into a 42-year legacy of teaching history and telling stories (see profile on page 32). Decision making and risk taking also take place every day in the life of an institution like Morehouse College. Decisions on increasing, maintaining or decreasing enrollment size; expanding or limiting academic offerings; diversifying our recruiting efforts to target a different student market; increasing in-house capability or outsourcing various services; as well as on when and where to spend marketing dollars will impact our capacity to thrive and grow in the future. We explore the decisions that the Morehouse board and administrators are making and must continue to make to keep the College on a firm foundation in “The Capacity to Thrive” (page 48). During Founder’s Day Convocation, alumnus Michael L. Lomax ’68, president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund, said that significant change is what many historical black colleges must do “to remain competitive and do what is necessary to produce powerful results” (see Founder’s Week Coverage beginning on page 42). Those powerful results, as Lomax put it, can best be seen in the servant-leaders Morehouse continues to produce. This May, more than 500 graduates walked across the stage during Commencement—the culminating experience of sacrifice, hard work and tough decisions. Commencement speaker Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates told them that Morehouse provided them with the tools and great Morehouse Men, like Martin Luther King Jr. ’48, Howard Thurman ’23 and Maynard Jackson Jr. ’56, provided the blueprint; therefore “do not forget the legacy you are charged with upholding” (see coverage on page 54). True, we never know for sure where our decisions will lead us. But when we decide to pursue our highest ideals – for ourselves, for our communities, for our institutions – the reward is always worth the risk of being less than our best.

Let the work continue…

Toni O’Neal Mosley Executive Editor

Weldon Jackson ’72 Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Phillip Howard ’87 Vice President for Institutional Advancement

STAFF Executive Editor Editor Writer Contributing Writers

Toni O’Neal Mosley Vickie G. Hampton Add Seymour Jr. Kai Jackson Issa Chandra Thomas In the News Elise Durham Class Notes Julie Pinkney Tongue Contributing Photographers Wilford Harewood Katende Philip McCollum James Robinson Ron Witherspoon Graphic Design Glennon Design Group Administrative Assistant Minnie Jackson Web Vince Baskerville Hana Chelikowsky Kara Walker Morehouse Magazine is published by Morehouse College, Office of Communications, Division of Institutional Advancement. Opinions expressed in Morehouse Magazine are those of the authors, not necessarily of the College. Letters and Comments: Letters must be one typed page in length and signed. Please include complete contact information. Send to: Morehouse Magazine Editor, Morehouse College, Office of Communications, 830 Westview Dr., S.W., Atlanta, GA 30314 E-mail: morehousemageditor@morehouse.edu Fax: 404-215-2729 Change of Address and Class Notes: www.morehousealumniandfriends.com Morehouse College is the nation’s largest liberal arts college for men. The College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Atlanta University Center consortium of four schools. Morehouse does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, handicap, or national or ethnic origin in the recruitment and admission of its students, in the administration of its educational policies and programs, or in its staff, as specified by federal laws and regulations.

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College Launches 150th Anniversary Project

ITH THE COLLEGE’S 150th anniversary approaching in 2017, work has begun to gather, update, retell and preserve Morehouse’s rich history. Led by Marcellus Barksdale ’65, chairman of the African American Studies program, the 150th Morehouse Anniversary History Project is a multi-pronged effort using several different ways to collect and tell the Morehouse story. “Our work will leave a legacy for generations of Morehouse Men, scholars and friends that will stand the test of time and inform the future history of Morehouse,” Barksdale said. A new scholarly history is being written, building on books written for the College’s 50th anniversary, History of Morehouse by Benjamin G. Brawley, and the 100th anniversary tribute, A Candle in the Dark, A History of Morehouse College by Edward A. Jones. The anthological history of Morehouse will be told by experts in the

Graves Hall fields of medicine, politics, religion and business, among others. Documents, such as charters, by-laws and blueprints, from the past 150 years will be pulled together so they can shape

their own historical tome about Morehouse. A coffee table book, featuring pictures, graphics, prose and poetry, will give an illustrated history of the College. ■

Marcus Penny ’10 Awarded $36,000 Compton Mentor Fellowship MARCUS L. PENNY ’10 is the latest in a series of Morehouse students to be awarded the Compton Mentor Fellowship. Penny will use the $36,000 fellowship to work on his Atlanta-based project, “The Youth Eco-Entrepreneurship Pipeline.” It combines his passion for environmental sustainability issues with training and mentoring high school students to become future leaders in their communities. “This award is a very special honor for both Marcus and the College,” said Lawrence Blumer, director of the Environmental Studies Program at Morehouse. “Morehouse is one of only 10 colleges invited to this competition and the only HBCU. The award is an honor not unlike a Rhodes, Marshall or Watson, but it is unique in giving a new graduate the opportunity to pursue a community service project of his own design for a full year.” The fellowship is awarded to up to seven graduating seniors from the 10 colleges. Penny becomes Morehouse’s sixth recipient over the past five years. MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE

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“The Compton Mentor Fellowship permits students to dedicate themselves to a project that embodies ideals that Morehouse instills in our very best students — service, leadership and compassion for those in need,” Blumer said. ■

Marcus L. Penny ’10

The celebration of the life and legacy of Howard Thurman ’23 included Crown Forum speaker Julian Bond ’71.

‘The Movement Needs You Today’ Celebration of the Legacy of Howard Thurman ’23 Features Julian Bond ’71 By Vickie G. Hampton Editors reflect on the work of the Howard Thurman Papers Project, 1992-2009.

ULIAN BOND ’71, who as a Morehouse student helped organized sit-ins and other desegregation demonstrations during the 1960s, lamented the fact that the November 2009 elections in Virginia and New Jersey saw a 50 percent decrease in voter turnout among African Americans and youth. “If you’re waiting for another Barack Obama to come along to get you excited about voting…and you don’t go out and vote for a regular candidate…I’m going to find you wherever you are and I’m going to talk about you like a dog,” he said. “The movement needs you today—as badly and as much as we needed you yesterday.” Bond, of all people, can talk. He enrolled at Morehouse in 1957 but didn’t graduate until 14 years later in 1971, devoting his time to the burgeoning civil rights movement. In 1960, he helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and also served as its communications director. From 1960 to 1963, he led student protests against segregation in public facilities in Georgia. Before he left to serve full time as a civil rights movement organizer, he did attend one class that gives him historical bragging rights: the only class ever taught by Martin Luther King Jr. ’48. But it was another pioneering alumnus that brought Bond to the King Chapel on Nov. 18. 2009. He was the speaker for the Howard Thurman Crown Forum, which kicked off a three-day celebration of the life and legacy of Thurman, a 1923 graduate of the College and one of the 20th century’s most prominent American religious leaders and theologians.

The celebration marked the release of the Howard Thurman Papers Project’s first of four volumes, titled My People Need Me. The Project, under The Leadership Center at Morehouse College, was founded in 1992 with a mission of preserving and promoting Thurman’s work. The documents span 63 years and consist of more than 58,000 items, including correspondence, sermons and unpublished writings and speeches. According to President Robert M. Franklin Jr. ’75, the first volume began in 1918 as a conversation between Thurman and Mordecai Wyatt Johnson. Thurman built “interfaith bridges that revolutionized and de-parochialized religion,” said Franklin. “Dr. Thurman was a constant reference when I was here…a thinker, writer, philosopher and an intellectual role model.” According to Walter Fluker, executive director of The Leadership Center, “crown forum” originated from Thurman in the late 1930s when he taught about Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well. “He who is without sin cast the first stone. Jesus turns to her in compassion and offers her a gift of dignity and grace that became a crown over her head that she would become tall enough to wear. Such was Thurman’s gift to us.” In 1953, LIFE magazine named Thurman one of the 12 greatest preachers of the century. As the first to lead a delegation of African Americans to meet personally with Mahatma Gandhi in 1936, Thurman became one of the principal architects of the non-violent civil rights movement and a key mentor to King. ■ S P R I N G / S U M M E R

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Documentary Premieres on A.D. King ‘60 and Flip Schulke Highlight College’s King Celebration By Add Seymour Jr. wo premieres of documentaries, one on the brother of Martin Luther King Jr. ’48 and another on an acclaimed King photographer, along with a performance of Wynton Marsalis’ symphonic narrative on American history highlighted the College’s 2010 celebration of King’s life and legacy. “King 2010, His Dream. My Responsibility. Our Celebration” was the recurring theme of the two weeks of activities paying tribute to King, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning civil rights leader who entered Morehouse at the age of 15. “We must remember that intelligence is not enough,” King once wrote in the student newspaper, The Maroon Tiger. “Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” Morehouse’s celebration began on Jan. 14 with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s 18th Annual “A King Celebration” Concert in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. In addition to the annual performance by the ASO and the Morehouse and Spelman College glee clubs, the ASO performed the world premiere of Marsalis’ “Blues Symphony,” a piece the jazz legend wrote to tell the nation’s history through blues music. On Jan. 17 in the King Chapel, the documentary “Behold the Dream: Brother to the Dreamer” was shown. Presented by the A.D. King Foundation, the documentary tells the story of A.D. King ’60, King’s brother who was also a Baptist minister and a leader in the civil rights quest, particularly at churches he led in Birmingham and Louisville, Ky. Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, delivered the College’s Jan. 21 Crown Forum address at 11 a.m. in King Chapel. Later that day, the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection and the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences presented a documentary on the late photographer Flip Schulke. Schulke is probably best known for his photographic chronicle of the civil rights movement, many of those images from following his friend King from the late 1950s to 1968. The celebration wrapped up with “A Public Conversation – Remembering King: The Morehouse Years.” The Jan. 27 talk featured two of King’s classmates, Samuel DuBois Cook ’48 and Charles Vert Willie ’48. Among his many contributions to academia, Cook was the first African American full-time faculty professor at any Southern college or university and is the former president of Dillard University. Willie, a renowned sociologist and expert on national school desegregation issues, was the first African American professor at Syracuse University. ■

T Annual ASO King concert premiered a piece by Wynton Marsalis.

Rabbi Marc Schneier was the King Crown Forum speaker.

Students sign up to volunteer in the community in honor of King Day Celebration. MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE

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Louis Delsarte’s King Mural Dedicated

Louis Delsarte and President Robert M. Franklin ’75 at unveiling of the King mural.

Looking at his colorful, 125-foot, 25-panel mural honoring Martin Luther King Jr. ‘48, Louis Delsarte attributed its inspiration to the students he teaches each day as a Morehouse art professor. “The students are the future leaders and heroes,” he said. “This is what Dr. King’s legacy is about and what this memorial is all about.” A two-year labor of love has now become a pictorial of King’s life, chronicling his growing up on Atlanta’s Auburn Avenue, studying at Morehouse then becoming the world’s pre-eminent leader in the non-violent civil rights movement. “My mural depicts Dr. King in the light that he so richly deserves,” Delsarte said. “His sacrifice has moved me as an artist and as an American. I wanted the mural to reflect the peace, despite the turbulence. The colors are reflective of the hold of promise...at the end of the rainbow.” The mural was officially unveiled before an estimated 250 people on Jan. 17 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Natatorium, just a block away from King’s birth home and across the street where he is entombed at The King Center. The mural is spread across a significant portion of the Natatorium’s wall. “Great cities have great artist and have great artwork,” said Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. “Today, we have both in both the piece of work we have here and the artist who sits with us.” ■ S P R I N G / S U M M E R

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‘The revolution had begun’ Week of Activities Celebrate 50th Anniversary of the Atlanta Student Movement By Add Seymour Jr. ohnny Parham ’58 shook his head as he looked at Harkness Hall on March 15, 2010. He remembered back precisely 50 years ago – to March 15, 1960 – when the building, then part of the Morehouse campus, was to be the meeting point for Atlanta University Center students who were fed up with racial discrimination and segregation. Parham and the four other group leaders’ plan: a daylong, coordinated series of protest marches around Atlanta. “We frankly feared that perhaps we were the only ones who would show up,” he said. “But then, the first to arrive was a group of students from Morris Brown College, professionally attired. They were soon followed by other students from throughout the Atlanta University Center. And we then knew that the revolution had begun.” It kicked off the Atlanta Student Movement, in which students from Morehouse, Spelman, Morris Brown, Clark Atlanta (then Clark College and Atlanta University) and the Interdenominational Theological Center stood up against racism and helped ignite the Southern student sitin movement. Fifty years later, Parham, Lonnie King ’69 and other student leaders gathered at Clark Atlanta University to begin a week of commemorating the start of that movement. The week’s activities included a talk with movement participants; a discussion between the presidents of Clark Atlanta, Morehouse, Spelman College, Morris Brown College and the Interdenominational Theological Seminary moderated by Children’s Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelman; a workshop on how the 1960 student movement came together and how current students can address their current issues; and a proclamation ceremony with Atlanta

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Lonnie King ’69

Johnny Parham ’58

Mayor Kasim Reed. Lonnie King also was the keynote speaker at Crown Forum on Thursday, March 18, in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. King, who went on to become the first chairman of the Student NonViolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), led the students, who were initially told by AUC presidents at an earlier meeting in 1960 that they should leave the protests to groups like the NAACP. But the marches went forward: “Young people all over the South, approximately 70,000, stood up and said, ‘We are not going to take it anymore,’” King said. The students also wrote “Appeal for Human Rights,” which was published in newspapers across the country.

Judge Brenda Cole, a former Miss Maroon and White while a Spelman student, cautioned that the students’ mission is not yet fulfilled. “…[T]he work is not done. We are not here to just celebrate, but basically to have a call to action for today’s young people and pass the baton to them. We will assist them in deciding on the problems that are still with us today and help figure out ways of addressing those problems.” ■

insidethehouse Mock Trial Team Continues Morehouse Legacy of Great Debaters

he spirit of the movie, “The Great Debaters,” filled the African American Hall of Fame on Oct. 17, 2009, during a mock trial competition between Morehouse College and Howard University. The 2007 film focused on historically black Wiley College’s seemingly unlikely, Depression-era debate competition win over Harvard University. While the emotional hook of the movie was Wiley’s win over Harvard, the way young black men and women exhibited their verbal and argumentative skills is what Terry Mills, dean of the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences and an adviser for the Morehouse mock trial team, said brought the film’s spirit into the room. “Morehouse College is ‘The Great Debaters,’” Mills said.“We see that as what Morehouse does. If nothing else, I would say we pride ourselves on our young men being very eloquent speakers and well-prepared and informed debaters. That’s what we do.” Morehouse edged a narrow victory over Howard in the October debate. But the event highlighted one of the College’s more talented teams over the years. From 2006 to 2009, the mock trial team won regional championship competitions and competed in the American Mock Trial Association’s national championship each year. The squad is one of only four historically black colleges that is

President Robert M. Franklin ’75 and members of the Morehouse Mock Trial Team

part of the AMTA and is the Association’s only all-male school. The team is coached by political science instructor Roger Cusick and English instructor Charles Walton. Members of the team are Kevin Morris, William Lawrence, Ahmad Cheers, Renaldo Pearson, Antoine Albert, Wesley Jackson and Tyler Bell. “I think the longstanding history of Morehouse being engaged in mock trial and forensics/debate is a torch that is really being carried on by these young men,” Mills said. “We are very proud of them.” ■

10th Annual Breast Cancer Walk Draws Record Crowd SANDRA WALKER PROMISED that the 10th Annual Morehouse College Breast Cancer Walk would be the biggest one so far. Her prediction came true. Walker, executive assistant to the vice president for Business and Finance who founded and has organized each walk with the Counseling Research Center’s Mary Peaks, said nearly 600 people took to the Atlanta University Center’s streets to raise money for breast cancer research on Sept. 26, 2009. “We had the most participants that we ever have had,” Walker said.“And the students, I can’t say enough about them. Some of them were out at 5:30 a.m. to prepare for the walk. They did a tremendous job.” The walk raises money for the American Cancer Society’s work in helping find a cure for breast cancer. Since Peaks and Walker started the walk in 2000, the College has raised more than $150,000. Among the record-breaking crowd were some of Walker’s family members from Texas and California, as well as First Lady Dr. Cheryl Franklin and her brother, Dr. Willie Goffney, a California sur-

Sandra Walker (left holding banner) and Mary Peaks (far right) lead the breast cancer awareness walk.

gical oncologist who is also a board member of the American Cancer Society. Franklin, in conjunction with the American Cancer Society, also hosted “Party With a Purpose”at Davidson House the night before to raise money for cancer research and to announce a new health care advocacy and collaboration between Morehouse and the American Cancer Society. ■ S P R I N G / S U M M E R

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Renovated AUC Library Supports 21st-Century Learning THE RECENT RENOVATION of the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library was designed with the resources, technology and study space of the 21st-century scholar in mind. With input from the AUC institutions—including Morehouse, Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College and the Interdenominational Theological Center—the AUC Woodruff Library began a construction and renovation project in May 2009. By the project’s completion in May 2010, there was a total reconstruction of the library’s main level and major renovations to the upper and lower levels. The first completed stage of the main level—which opened in January 2010—features: • colorful, contemporary and comfortable seating options based on student and faculty input • additional power and connectivity for student computing • a technology design studio with fully outfitted video and audio editing rooms, and presentation practice rooms • one-stop service at the new information services center • four new high-tech classrooms • a library document center with color copying and portfolio, poster, publication and large-format production capabilities • WOODI’s Coffee Counter (scheduled to open August 2010) The new design also has an increased number of group study spaces, specialized business software applications and practice presentation studios where students can practice, videotape and review oral presentations. Students also will enjoy a new general reading room for quiet study, a new graduate study suite and a totally redesigned archives research center reading room. To view the AUC Woodruff Library’s renovation, visit: www.auctr.edu/renovation-site/index.asp. ■

The lower level of the Woodruff Library was recently renovated.

Renovations include updated study areas.

The Three R’s of Male Education

For the first time in several years, the presidents of the nation’s four all-male institutions of higher learning met during a panel discussion at the March 2010 American Men’s Studies Association conference at Georgia State University. President Robert M. Franklin ’75 (right) answers a question as (l-r) Christopher Howard (Hampden-Sydney), Father Robert Koopman (St. John’s) and Patrick White (Wabash) listen in. The four discussed issues in reaching, recruiting and retaining male students. ■ MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE

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’HOUSE GUESTS Men of Morehouse were repeatedly given the message—by everyone from a politician to a judge to sports commentators— that, with greater opportunities come greater responsibility to lead.

“You must come and take your rightful place at the table. The community table. You must come. You are able. The question this morning is: are you willing?” — Glenda Hatchett Star of “The Judge Hatchett Show,” Crown Forum; King Chapel; Oct. 8, 2009

“When your time comes, we want each of you to remember that you have pledged your life to this institution and its ideals, in all things that you do, and answer your call to serve.” — Jeh Johnson ’79 General counsel, U.S. Department of Defense, Oct. 22, Homecoming Crown Forum

“The great lesson about leadership that I learned from my dad was very simple: Every opportunity you have to show that you are a leader, do it. If you believe it’s right and you believe it’s the right thing to do, be a leader and it will pay off in the long run.” — Harold Ford Jr. Democratic Leadership; council chairman; Conversations on Leadership Speech; Bank of America Auditorium in the Executive Conference Center; Sept. 28, 2009

“We are storytellers. That’s what we do, and the art of storytelling will never go out of style. But you now have more tools to tell those stories than we ever had. It ought to be easier.”

“Think about what can make you unique. A lot of people have the same objectives. They all want to be [on] ESPN. But be unique. Be things people don’t expect you to be.”

— Michael Wilbon ESPN sports analyst and talk show host; panel discussion on “Power and Influence from the Sidelines: Is Sports Journalism for You?”; Sale Hall’s Chapel of the Inward Journey; Sept. 17, 2009

— Sam Crenshaw WXIA-TV sports anchor; panel discussion on “Power and Influence from the Sidelines: Is Sports Journalism for You?”; Sale Hall’s Chapel of the Inward Journey; Sept. 17, 2009

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peopleatthehouse Commerce Secretary Gary Locke Says Morehouse’s Entrepreneurship Center is Example of How U.S. Can Stimulate Job Growth By Add Seymour Jr. ENTREPRENEURSHIP, particularly how it is being taught at Morehouse, is one of the keys to jumpstarting the American economy and job growth, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke told a group of Morehouse business students and professors. “Increasingly, we’ve got to look to places like Morehouse College’s Entrepreneurship Center,” he said. “Teaching entrepreneurship isn’t going to just benefit the students here at Morehouse. It’s going to radiate outward to create positive social change in African American communities because there is no better vehicle for job creation in America than entrepreneurship.” Locke’s stop at Morehouse was part of the Obama Administration’s efforts to tout the success of last year’s Recovery Act, better known as the Stimulus Bill, which he said helped stave off economic disaster. He pointed to the nation’s

9.7 percent unemployment figure, which had been skyrocketing before Obama took office but has leveled in recent months. “Had it not been for the Recovery Act/Stimulus Plan, things would be a lot worse today,” Locke said.“We’re in a much better place today—a very different place from where we were one year ago. “I know—and the President knows—that these signs of improvement are not good enough,” he added. “As far as he’s concerned, the recovery is not complete until every person who wants a job, has a job in America.” Before his speech, Locke, President Robert M. Franklin ’75, U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed viewed the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection, the 10,000-piece collection of the civil rights legend’s personal papers, sermons and other documents. “I would not be where I am today had it not been for the pioneering efforts and advocacy and struggles and sacrifices of people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as Congressman John Lewis,” said Locke, who was the nation’s first Asian American governor when he led the state of Washington from 1997 to 2005. ■

Bryant Marks ‘94 Named to The Root.com 100 BRYANT MARKS ’94, assistant professor of psychology and head of the Morehouse Male Initiative, got a surprise when he received a call from editors of The Root.com recently. He was chosen as one of The Root.com 100, which, according to the web site, is a list of “emerging and establishing African American leaders who are making extraordinary contributions.” “It’s definitely an honor,” he said. “I’ve been getting phone calls from all over the country about it. It feels pretty good. The list is diverse in that it includes those who are celebrities and wellknown and then you have that balance with folks who you didn’t necessarily know.” The Root.com is a daily online magazine that offers commentary on news and politics that directly affect African Americans. The Root.com also has a genealogical section that helps African Americans trace their heritage. Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the site’s editor-in-chief. Others on the list include chair of the Democratic Leadership Council Harold Ford Jr.; CNN journalist Soledad O’Brien; rapper Shawn “Jay Z” Carter; actor Hill Harper; model and talk show host Tyra Banks; and Newark, N. J., mayor Cory Booker. Two other Morehouse Men who made the list are Raphael Warnock ’91, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, and the Rev. Otis Moss III ’92, pastor of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ. ■ MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE

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peopleatthehouse Weldon Jackson ‘72 Returns to Morehouse as Provost WELDON JACKSON ’72, Morehouse’s former vice president for Academic Affairs, has returned to the College as the new provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. Jackson was at Morehouse from 1985 to 1996 before leaving for Manhattan College, where he was executive vice president and provost. “In returning to Morehouse, my goal is quite simple—to assist President Franklin in affirming the excellence that is synonymous with Morehouse,” Jackson said. “We all seek to affirm excellence by challenging mediocrity. President Franklin’s clarion call for a renewal of Morehouse to graduate Renaissance Men with social conscience and global perspective reverberates throughout the halls of the academy. I consider it a privilege to be asked to join the College and assist in enhancing our institutional capacity to give the world Renaissance Men that it so desperately needs.” In addition to his bachelor’s degree from Morehouse, Jackson earned a doctorate from Harvard University. He taught political science at Wellesley College from 1977 to 1984 before first coming to Morehouse in 1985. “An accomplished political scientist and academic administrator, Dr. Jackson will play a critical role in advancing the Renaissance at Morehouse College,” said President Robert M. Franklin ’75. ■

Kanter Says Educators Should Lead Effort in Determining the Future of U.S. Education MARTHA KANTER, undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Education, told a group of educators during a discussion at Morehouse in November 2009 that their voices must be heard in determining the future of education in this country. “We need your voice desperately. We’ve had the last eight years of not hearing the voice of faculty,” she said. “We’re asking professors, college presidents and others to tell us what the federal government can do to have the greatest impact on student achievement and really bring American higher education to a far greater level of impact than ever before. We really are putting out a call to the country to help redefine the role of the federal government in education because we really have not clarified that role.” Kanter was part of a discussion held during the Faculty Resource Network at New York University’s Nov. 20-21 national symposium, “Challenge as Opportunity:

Martha Kanter, undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Education (center), participates in a panel discussion on how college’s should navigate tough financial times.

The Academy in the Best and Worst of Times.” Higher education educators and administrators from across the nation converged on the Atlanta University Center to discuss how the nation’s colleges and universities navigate tough financial times. “In order to prepare students for the best possible post-college experiences, we must focus on quality teaching and learning, in spite of often scarce resources and increased workloads,” said President Robert M. Franklin ’75 in a video presentation to the group. The discussion—which covered everything from global education to the intellectual capital that the schools bring to their communities—was moderated by New York University journalism professor

David Dent ’81. Other participants included Clark Atlanta University President Carlton Brown, Spelman College President Beverly Daniel Tatum and New York University President John Sexton. Dent asked if it was time for historically black colleges and universities to further diversify. “The analogy I like to use is when you talk about orchestras,” answered Tatum. “Clarinets, violins, horns—they all have to play together. But they don’t necessarily have to rehearse together. So what’s important right here [is that] students who make the choice to be at historically black colleges, I think they are rehearsing so they can play better when they leave (HBCUs).” ■ S P R I N G / S U M M E R

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peopleatthehouse FAMILIAL FINDINGS

Tuskegee Airman Discovers He Is Founder’s Great Grandson lexander Jefferson had no idea he was connected to Morehouse College. But a few years ago, the 87-year-old former Tuskegee Airman and prisoner-of-war found out something very interesting: his great-grandfather was William Jefferson White, the founder of Morehouse College. “Old-fashioned people never talked much about history,” Jefferson said during a campus visit in July 2009. “My mother and father never talked about history. Nobody ever talked about slavery…So I had no idea.” Because of the cultural mores during the early part of the 20th century, very few people in his family knew either. White, a Baptist minister who founded Morehouse as Augusta Institute in 1867, was married to someone else when he met Jefferson’s great-grandmother. The two had a relationship, leaving White with two families in Augusta, something that wasn’t uncommon during the time. The couple eventually went their separate ways (“W.J. was Baptist and she was Methodist,” Jefferson explained), with Jefferson’s side of the family ending up in Atlanta. Jefferson’s grandfather, Henry

Montgomery White, graduated from Clark in 1880 and became a minister. His mother, Jane White Jefferson, and two aunts also went to Clark. Decades later, Jefferson followed, graduating in 1942. Jefferson joined the Army Reserves, was called into active duty and became one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. He was shot down by the Germans and spent a year as a prisoner-of-war before being released at the end of World War II. He left active duty, married and began a 31-year teaching career in Michigan, where his family had moved. He spent 21 years in the Air Force Reserves, retiring as lieutenant colonel. So with time on his hands between leisure travel, Jefferson decided to research his family history. After poring through the Georgia State Archives, he discovered the Morehouse connection. Since then, he has visited Augusta to see Springfield Baptist Church, where Morehouse was founded. He also came to Atlanta to see Morehouse. “It’s beautiful, absolutely beautiful,” he said as President Robert M. Franklin ’75 shook his hand. “I wished I had known all of

Alexander Jefferson

this 50 or 60 years ago!” “This is a great opportunity,” Franklin said. “To meet a relative of our founder is extraordinary.” So is the story, Jefferson said. “It [gives me] great pride to say that my family has been a part of all this, Morehouse College,” he said. “And Morehouse being such a part of the tradition of the civil rights movement, it’s just wonderful.” ■

Chief of U.S. Navy Espouses Diversity, the Five Wells

Admiral Gary Roughead at a Leadership Lecture Series event. MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE

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A DIVERSE U.S. NAVY makes for a stronger and smarter naval operation, Admiral Gary Roughead, the chief naval officer for the U.S. Navy, told an overflow crowd in the Bank of America Auditorium on Nov. 4. “Our belief is that we as a Navy, and the leadership within the Navy, should be more representative of our country and be more diverse,” Roughead said during his Leadership Lecture. “In any walk of life, with any problems you encounter, if you are going to develop solutions, you want the most diverse perspectives.” Roughead also said he is firmly behind the Five Wells idea—students being well-read, well-spoken, well-traveled, well-dressed and well-balanced —espoused by President Robert M. Franklin ’75. “If I had to pick at the spur of the movement what it means to lay a good foundation for success, I think he has nailed it pretty well and I endorse it wholeheartedly.” ■

peopleatthehouse PAS SAG E S

Robert A. Clark ’59 Worked 40 Years for His Beloved Alma Mater obert Alexander Clark ’59 held a variety of prestigious positions during his 44-career in higher education, including the last 40 at Morehouse. But it was his final job at the College that became one of his favorites: van driver for the Bonner Office of Community Service. “We’d leave our service sites after long hours and we’d sometimes be frustrated and tired,” said sophomore psychology major Richard Williams. “But he would always remind us why we were doing our service. He always had a bright perspective on everything.” Clark passed away suddenly on Sept. 19, 2009. He was 74. Services were held on Sept. 25 at the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. Clark, a native of Mershon, Ga., lettered in football and track as a student at Morehouse, where he earned a degree in business administration and economics. After graduation, he served in the U.S. Army and later earned a master’s of business administration degree from

Atlanta University, now Clark Atlanta University. After stints as the registrar and director of admissions at BarberScotia College in Concord, N.C., and as a business professor at Alcorn State University in Alcorn State, Miss., Clark was personally recruited by President Benjamin E. Mays to return to his alma mater in 1969. He held several positions in the Office of Fiscal Affairs and the Office of Campus Operations. But as a van driver, he loved talking to students about their community service projects, debating about issues and stories and talking about politics and current affairs. “He would keep you abreast of the news. He would always keep the AJC, the New York Times and The Maroon Tiger in the van. He was an awesome guy,” said Williams. ■

Charles Nelson Served as Ambassador for Visual Arts

Artist Purvis Young Remembered

CHARLES HUNTLEY NELSON, assistant professor of art, died on July 30, 2009. Nelson joined the Morehouse faculty in 2007 as an instructor for the Survey of Visual Arts and oversaw the College’s Purvis Young Collection exhibit. An Atlanta-based visual conceptual artist, Nelson’s site-specific installations, paintings, drawings and video work have been displayed at institutions such as the University of Miami, South Carolina State University, Morris Brown College, Grambling State University and Agnes Scott College. He also had been a solo exhibitor or part of group exhibits at prestigious galleries and collections in Georgia, New Jersey, Minnesota, Texas, Ohio, California, New York, Washington, D.C., London, England, and Johannesburg, South Africa. ■

THE POOR AND GRITTY Miami neighborhoods where Purvis Young lived became the tools and canvas to propel his art to worldwide acclaim. An old swath of carpet. A slab of wood. A rusted piece of metal. They all combined with the colorful earth tones that characterized Young’s portraits of African American life that hang in some of the world’s finest museums. Young passed away at the age of 67 in April 2010 after a long battle with diabetes and other ailments. His connection to Morehouse comes through the Rubell Family Collection, which in August 2008 donated to the College what is the largest collection of Young’s work outside of Miami: 109 pieces worth a total of more than $1 million. The collection is displayed in the African American Hall of Fame in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. ■

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Campus Visits

peopleatthehouse SEVERAL TIMES EACH YEAR, the Morehouse College Corporate Alliance Program and the Leadership Center invite senior-level executives from the world of business to participate in the Leadership Lecture Series to share their experiences and expertise with a select group of business students and other members of the campus community. The session includes a short presentation by the visiting professional and an opportunity for informal interaction between the executives and students.

Clarence Otis (fifth from right), CEO of Darden Restaurants, Jan. 28, 2010

Jim Winestock, retired senior vice president for U.S. Operations at UPS, Jan. 21, 2010

Admiral Gary Roughead, chief of Naval Operations for the United States Navy, Nov. 4, 2009

John Rice, vice chairman of General Electric Company, April 15, 2009

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Bernard J. Tyson, executive vice president for Health Plan and Hospital Operations at Kaiser Permanente, Feb. 10, 2010

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Campus Visits

John R. Strangfeld, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc., Sept. 30, 2009

Don Thompson, president of McDonald's USA , Sept. 9, 2009

Alexander B. Cummings, chief administrative officer/executive vice president for The CocaCola Company, Feb. 2, 2010 Douglas W. Elmendorf, director of the Congressional Budget Office, Feb. 3, 2010

Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets, Oct. 1, 2009

Christopher J. Williams, chairman and CEO of The Williams Capital Group, Oct. 14, 2009

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in the

NEWS ■ April 26-2009, The New York Times COMMUNITY ORGANIZING, Alumnus Quinn Rallins ’08 was featured in The New York Times. The article read: “This spring, Mr. Rallins is finishing his master’s degree in comparative social policy at Oxford. He has analyzed research for the Rand Corporation in England, led workshops in Malaysia for Amnesty International and founded an organization to help orphans in the Dominican Republic. His next step? Top financial and technology companies and nonprofit groups have expressed interest in hiring him. Even in this economy, he has options. But Mr. Rallins wants to be a community organizer—just like the world’s most famous one, Barack Obama. Mr. Rallins says he hopes to win a job with PICO, a national faith-based organization.” ■ June 11, 2009, Reuters Online U.S. COLLEGE GRADS SHUN WALL STREET FOR WASHINGTON Wall Street may be losing its luster for new U.S. college graduates who are increasingly looking to the government for jobs that enrich their social conscience, if not their wallet. The shift in attitudes is also apparent in graduate school enrollment. At Morehouse College, more graduates are opting to study public policy, said Douglas Cooper, director of career services in the Division of Business Administration and Economics. That is a big change for Morehouse, which has a long history of sending its students to Wall Street. “Clearly, students who have historically planned on making a beeline to Wall Street have rethought that or are rethinking that,” Cooper said. MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE

■ June 3, 2009, Associated Press COUPLE’S ‘BUY BLACK’ EXPERIMENT BECOMES A MOVEMENT Maggie and John Anderson of Chicago vowed four months ago that for one year they would try to patronize only black-owned businesses. Gregory Price, chairman of the economics department at Morehouse College, said black visionaries like Booker T. Washington and Marcus Garvey made similar calls to action. “The idea is a sound one, given that black Americans are still underrepresented in the ranks of the self-employed and that entrepreneurship is a key component to wealth,” he said.

■ March 26, 2009, Associated Press, CBS Radio, ABC News, CNN, WAGA-TV, WSB-TV, WXIA-TV, WGCL-TV, Atlanta Journal Constitution, NPR, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Atlanta Daily World

In Atlanta, Holder Renews Civil Rights Commitment Attorney General Eric Holder said he is committed to a civil rights division in the tradition of the Department of Justice during the civil rights movement. Holder made his remarks at Morehouse College, where he participated in a ceremony to honor his sister-in-law, Vivian Malone Jones, the first black graduate of the University of Alabama. Holder said he and President Barack Obama are “bound and determined” to reshape the federal judiciary and make civil rights a priority.

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■ July 23, 2009, Diverse Issues in Higher Education REINVENTING ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONS When alumni of Morehouse College gathered in May for their annual class reunions, they gave the school a badly needed shot in the arm: more than $1 million. Leading the pack of donors was the Morehouse class of 1949, a group whose members include Ebony magazine executive editor emeritus and author Lerone Bennett, lawmaker and former ambassador George Haley, and Murray Schmoke, the father of Kurt Schmoke, dean of the Howard University Law School and former mayor of Baltimore. With many class members deceased, and less than a dozen able to participate in its 60th reunion, the class still proudly bested all other classes, presenting the school with $100,000. “Our school and most others need money to support and maintain the institution,” says Haley, a Maryland-based attorney and former ambassador to Gambia who also served as the first black to chair the U.S. Postal Rate Commission. “It shows [the] pride of the alumni in what has been done for them and helps the school help others.” ■ July 21, 2009, Philadelphia Tribune LOCAL TO LEAD WHITE HOUSE AGENDA ON HBCUS John Silvanus Wilson ’79 was recently appointed the executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In his new position, Wilson will work with the HBCU Board of Advisers and assist U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan as a liaison between the executive branch and HBCUs. He also will work with 32 federal agencies that support HBCUs through federal grants and contracts. Wilson said once he matriculated to other institutions, he noticed some disturbing differences between HBCUs and majority schools. He cited resource gaps, larger endowments and larger investments in the undergrad-

uate experience; lighter workloads and better pay for faculties; better facilities; and more efficiency in the administration as some items schools other than HBCUs boast. ■ September 3, 2009, Southern Voice THE MOREHOUSE MODEL: CAN A CELEBRATED COLLEGE LEAD THE WAY ON GAY ISSUES IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY? Mentorship has been a hallmark in the 142-year history of Morehouse College, where generations of African American men come for fellowship and growth at the all-male private school. Now, two of the school’s most prominent mentors— William Bynum, vice president for Student Affairs and Morehouse President Robert Franklin—hope they can influence students’ attitudes toward what Franklin called “the great challenge of this moment in history-our diversity of sexual orientation.” Franklin has made welcoming—even celebrating— gay students a pillar in his “Renaissance movement,” an effort to encourage Morehouse students to be well-read and well-traveled, to speak and dress appropriately, and to be respectful of people’s differences. ■ September 17, 2009, Atlanta Journal Constitution CRIME, DECAY ENCROACH ON SCHOOLS After the death of a Spelman student who was hit by a stray bullet while walking on the Clark Atlanta University campus, there was a flurry of media attention around safety issues at the AUC. In this story, one of the reporters asked a question about closing streets around the campus. “While the all-male Morehouse College won’t completely gate its campus, President Robert Franklin wants increased ID checks, more surveillance cameras and improved lighting on and around campus. All three of the colleges’ police chiefs are cooperating more to identify crime ‘hot spots.’ ”

insidethehouse ■ October 21, 2009, CNN

CNN: Black Men in the Age of Obama

CNN hosted a taping for a prime-time program that examines African American men a year after the historic election of Barack Obama. The program was taped in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel and was hosted by CNN anchor Don Lemon. It featured Morehouse senior political science major Tyrone McGowan; Steve Perry, CNN Education Contributor; Bishop Eddie Long, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church; DJ Drama (Tyree Simmons), Youth/Hip hop generation; and Farrah Gray, author. ■ October 4, 2009, Chicago Tribune A MILLION-DOLLAR SCHOLAR FOSTER KID GOES ON TO EARN BIG-TIME SCHOLARSHIP OFFERS This front-page story of the Sunday edition of the Chicago Tribune stated: “Derrius Quarles leans back in his seat and methodically debates Aristotle’s theory of truth during freshman honors English class at Morehouse College. He strides across campus in a navy blue tailored suit and a bold red sweater handing out business cards that boast ‘Student/ Entrepreneur/ Leader.’ But behind the 19-yearold’s dauntless appearance is a past that few on campus know. When Quarles was 5, the state took him away from his mother. He spent his childhood bouncing from home to home before ending up on his own at 17 in an apartment on Chicago’s South Side. His arrival at a prestigious, historically African American college — with more than $1 million in scholarship offers—is a story of inspiration and anguish.”

■ October 22, 2009, Inside Higher Education MORE THAN APPEARANCES Morehouse College instituted a dress code that details what students should wear to various college functions and activities and what they should not. The items that are not allowed include: caps, do-rags and hoods in the classrooms, cafeteria and indoors; sun glasses and grillz; clothing with lewd comments; sagging pants and pajamas in public; and women’s clothing and accessories. ■ November 2009, CNN, Chronicle of Higher Education, Atlanta Journal Constitution, WSB-TV, Fox 5 Atlanta, WXIATV, WGCL-TV, Florida Courier APPROPRIATE ATTIRE POLICY Morehouse’s new Appropriate Attire Policy garnered international news as people began to react to whether the policy was controversial in its language. According to President Robert Franklin ’75, the College “seeks to do more than teach students to dress appropriately for varying social situations. More

important, it aims to challenge students to think about the relationship between individual liberty and communal or social responsibility.” ■ December 2009, The Gospel Music Channel, Georgia Public Broadcasting, Fox 5 Atlanta MOREHOUSE-SPELMAN CHRISTMAS CAROL CONCERTS GET NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND LOCAL COVERAGE The annual Christmas Carol Concert was aired on The Gospel Music Channel, Georgia Public Broadcasting and a special featured on the concert aired on Fox 5 in Atlanta. ■ February 2010, ESPN OUTSIDE THE LINES Ron Thomas, director of the Journalism and Sports Program, was featured on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines.” The piece centered on the desegregation of the National Basketball Association (NBA). ■ February 2010, TV One BLOOD DONE SIGN MY NAME Marcellus Barksdale and students from his African American history class were featured in a 30-minute program about the life of former NAACP head Benjamin Chavis.

■ May 2010, Atlanta Journal Constitution EDUCATING SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS LEADERS President Robert M. Franklin ’75 wrote a guest column that was featured in the Sunday edition of the Atlanta Journal Constitution on Commencement morning. The column challenged readers to celebrate corporations and civic leaders who are working to transform social consciousness into their brand of leadership and the role that colleges and universities play in providing those socially conscious leaders. ■ May 2010, Ebony Magazine BLACK TIE BARBECUE Morehouse alums Spencer Humphrey ’03 and Neil Rollins ’02 were featured in the “Young Entrepreneurs” article in the May 2010 edition of Ebony magazine. Humphrey and Rollins, who are best friends and fraternity brothers in Omega Psi Phi, Fraternity, Inc., founded Black Tie Barbecue, a fullservice catering company. The duo, along with their wives, who are both attorneys, started the company out of necessity in 2009 after they were laid off from corporate jobs. To date, the company will surpass $200,000 in earnings and the founders pride themselves on running a debt- and drama-free operation. ■

■ January 2010, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Tennessee Tribune, Creative Loafing, CNN, WSB-TV, WXIA-TV, WAGA-TV

Morehouse Wiz Kid Is Causing A Stir Thirteen-year-old Stephen Stafford is enrolled at Morehouse College and has declared a triple major in pre-med, math and computer science. Stafford began his college career at 11, after being home-schooled by his mother. S P R I N G / S U M M E R

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G N I M O C E M O H

2009

LUMNI CELEBRATINGRAT AND THEIR A

The arts took center stage during Homecoming 2009 as alumni performers joined nearly 20,000 alumni, family and friends for the October

festivities. Along with the traditional Homecoming football game (the Maroon Tigers hosted Clark Atlanta University at B.T. Harvey Stadium) and the Miss Maroon and White Coronation Ball (crowned were Miss Maroon and White Remington Wiley, 1st attendant J’nelle Agee and 2nd attendant Alia Sabbs), other activities included music, film and other artistic endeavors. “The arts are important at Morehouse, especially this year as we get ready to open the Morehouse Center for the Arts,“ said Henry Goodgame ’84, director of Alumni Relations, Special Events and Annual Giving. A group of faculty, alumni filmmakers and performance artists participated in a panel discussion on “The State of the Arts at Morehouse.“ One panelist, veteran jazz and R&B vibraphone player Roy Ayers, also headlined the 2009 Alumni Showcase and Sound Stage, where he was joined by a number of hip hop, jazz, R&B and rock artists, all Morehouse and Spelman graduates. Homecoming speakers included Jeh Johnson ’79, general counsel for the Department of Defense, during Crown Forum, and the Rev. Michael A. Walrond Jr. ’93, senior pastor of First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem, N.Y., during the worship service. ■

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onthefieldandcourt

MAKING THE SCORE Ramone Harewood Takes Brains and Brawn to the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens By Add Seymour Jr.

he stern-faced men with the Polo shirts that have NFL logos on the chest were constant visitors to the Morehouse football offices in Gloster Hall Annex this past year. They inquired about several players, but one was a constant. “Ramone Harewood,” said Maroon Tigers head football coach Rich Freeman. “Scouts from pretty much every team have been at least once to see him. He will be playing on Sundays.” That is true. Harewood was a sixth round draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens in April. Harewood is a hulking offensive lineman who stands 6’8” and weighs 350 pounds. He anchored an offensive line that helped put the Maroon Tigers amongst the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference leaders in several team offensive categories during the 2009 season. For someone who has been playing football for only four years, Harewood has come a long way – literally and figuratively. He’s played football only since coming to Morehouse. Growing up in Barbados, he was a rugby player.

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“It’s a whole different culture. A whole different experience from America,” Harewood said. “It’s a small country. But I played a lot of sports growing up. I played rugby, but also track and field, soccer and cricket. That’s what pretty much kept me busy and kept me out of trouble.” He also was a good student. After his mother died, Harewood was raised by his mother’s best friend, whom he calls his aunt. She is a professor in Barbados and made sure Harewood studied as much as he played sports. But Morehouse never entered his mind. Harewood had never heard of the school, until a former Maroon Tigers assistant coach saw him in a high school track meet.

“He just told me, ‘If you’re trying to leave here and go play some ball, give me a call,’” Harewood said. “I was not planning on calling him, but at the spur of the moment in July, I called him. The next January, I was enrolled at Morehouse.” Since then, Harewood has excelled in the classroom and on the football field. He’s been an All-SIAC pick and has been an honorable mention “Player of the Week”. NFL scouts marveled at Harewood’s size and foot speed. They also liked his intelligence and dedication to his studies. In fact, Harewood wants to be a civil engineer if a professional football career doesn’t work out. “Where I’m from, education is key,” he said. “If you don’t have an education, you really can’t get anything. So I guess that’s been my mentality from day one. So even though I play sports, it’s never really guaranteed. But once you’ve got a degree, you can go anywhere.” Freeman is proud that Harewood has not only become a great football player, but someone other players look up to. “For a younger player seeing that school is important [through watching Harewood], that’s great for our younger players,” Freeman said. “He’s a great kid.” ■

Ramone Harewood (left) works out with a coach from the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens outside of the Morehouse football offices. Harewood was drafted in the sixth round during the April NFL draft.

Morehouse Hosts the 2010 SIAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament By Add Seymour Jr. and Bryan A. Graham THOUSANDS OF basketball fans got a taste of Division II March Madness as they converged on the Morehouse campus for the 2010 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament. The conference’s 13 schools took part in the March 1-6 tourney played at Franklin L. Forbes Arena, marking the first time since 1998 that the tournament has been played in Atlanta. The 77th installment of the tournament makes it the nation’s oldest black college basketball tournament in the country. “One of the overarching priorities of the conference office involves working every day to maximize the champi-

“Make the most out of every opportunity you have—as your network equals your net worth.” - Ryan Stewart

onship experiences of both our student-athletes and fans,” said SIAC commissioner Gregory Moore. “Moving the tournament back to Atlanta, one of the greatest destination cities in the country, will be a positive

step forward in that regard.” The tournament week included several events, including the first SIAC Sports Business Symposium, which was co-sponsored by the Morehouse Journalism and Sports Program. Eight panelists from the sports world talked about life after the playing field. “Make the most out of every opportunity you have— as your network equals your net worth,” said former Detroit Lions defensive back and radio talk show host Ryan Stewart. “It is important to think big and think about the future in the context of 10 or 20 years from now.” More than 1,200 high school students attended the SIAC College Fair. And the

Morehouse College cheerleaders won in the all-female category of the SIAC Cheerleading and Dance Competition. As for the hoops action, nearly 10,000 fans took in five days of basketball in which Benedict College won the women’s championship and Tuskegee University took the men’s title. Morehouse was defeated in the first round by Stillman College, 77-74. The young Maroon Tigers finished the season 7-20. Junior Jelani Figures was a second team All-SIAC pick after being the conference’s second leading scorer and among the league leaders in assists, free throw percentage, steals and minutes played. ■

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onthefieldandcourt

We are the TENNIS

CHA

THE STREAK OF SUCCESS for the Morehouse tennis and track and field teams continued this year as both won 2010 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles. The host Maroon Tigers tennis team, seeded second headed into the SIAC men’s tennis championships, won their second straight SIAC title behind Tory Martin, Ben Seagle and DeWayne Dixon. All three won their singles matches while Martin and Seagle won the doubles title. Martin was named the tournament’s most valuable player and was joined by Seagle on the All-Conference first team. Together, Martin and Seagle were named to the AllConference doubles team.

GOLF LED BY OLAJUWON AJANAKU and Bryan McElderry, the Morehouse Maroon Tigers have become back-to-back golf champions after winning the 2010 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference golf tournament title in April. Ajanaku, a junior, and McElderry, a sophomore, tied for the top spot, shooting a three-day total of 225, which was nine over par and seven shots ahead of the next competitor. In fact, the top five finishers were Maroon Tigers. Junior Philip Allen, last season’s top golfer in the SIAC tournament, finished third, followed by sophomore Thaddaeus Hill and Earl Cooper. (Top) Head golf coach William Lewis (third from left) with the Maroon Tigers golf team. (Bottom) Philip Allen finished third in the SIAC golf tournament.

Michael Thomas MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE

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PIONS

TRACK AND FIELD

THE FLYING MAROON TIGERS track and field team won its fifth consecutive conference title during the SIAC Championships at B.T. Harvey Stadium/Edwin Moses Track. The host Maroon Tigers finished with 231 points in winning the College’s 16th conference track and field championship. Benedict College was second with 156 points while, Albany State was third with 146 points. Matt Tuffuor won the javelin throw, finished second in the decathlon and discus, and

fourth in the shot put. Karlton Mitchell won the 3,000-meter steeplechase and finished second in 1,500-meter and 5,000-meter runs. Dreyfus Clemmons won the 1,500-meter race, was second in the 800 meters and sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Jeremy Tinsley won the 800-meter run. The winner in the high jump was Justin Oliver, who also finished third in the javelin. Joshua Ramseur took the hammer throw, while LeMario Bland topped the 100-meter dash and finished fourth in the 200-meter run. Turner Coggins won the shot put, fin-

ished fourth in the hammer throw and fifth in the discus. Abraham Kiprotich finished second in the 10,000-meter run and fourth in the 5,000meter run. The SIAC named Clemons, Coggins, Tuffuor, Ramseur, Chevon Cunningham, Michael Vinson and Khiry Lee to the first team All-Conference squad. Tinsley, Mitchell, Tony Reynolds and Barry Batson were second team picks. Bland, Tuffour, and William Payne were named to the SIAC’s All-Academic Track and Field team. ■

8 To see athletic schedules, go to www.morehouse.edu/athletics S P R I N G / S U M M E R

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developmentnews Third Annual Ladies Luncheon Helps Raise Funds for Future Health Professionals By Vickie G. Hampton

(Left to right) Attending the Ladies Luncheon are Marianne Clarke, Sylvia Wright, (behind) Pearl Hollis, Cynthia Moreland, Aissa Holliday, Cheryl Franklin, Marsha Edwards, Dana Chambliss, Leah Creque-Harris, Lynda Woodruff, Halimena Creque and Irene Creque Williams.

or the past three years, Dr. Cheryl G. Franklin, the College’s first lady, has connected successful Morehouse Men with promising men of Morehouse who look to follow in their footsteps. Her Ladies Luncheon, held annually during the Founder’s Day observance, pays homage to alumni who have made major contributions to the health professions. At the same time, it encourages Morehouse juniors and seniors seeking their own careers in medicine. Dozens of influential women—many of whom are engaged in the health professions—converge to celebrate Morehouse’s legacy of leadership in the field and to ensure its continuation by raising money for the Dr. Cheryl G. Franklin Health Professions Scholarship Fund. By Franklin’s account, there is a “sisterly spirit” that is evident throughout the affair. “We celebrate by inviting families into

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partnership with us to highlight the accomplishments of their loved one by establishing named scholarships and—in at least one case, and I’m sure more will follow—having families pursue an endowment,” she said. “It is a way for families to help cement the legacy of that person to Morehouse.” The fund, which was established in February 2008 as a result of money raised by a group of friends of the first lady and presented at the first Ladies Luncheon, has a lasting impact on the education of future health professionals during a critical point in their studies. The scholarships offer students an avenue to complete their Morehouse degrees without distraction, as well as reward their high academic standing and recognize their strong potential for significant contribution to healthcare. This year, the luncheon honored four alumni who made outstanding contributions in the health professions. Perry A. Henderson ’54, an expert in

obstetrics and gynecology in Cleveland, Ohio, was honored with a named legacy scholarship. C. Robert Chambliss III ’82, who practiced pediatric intensive care medicine, and brothers Darwin D. Creque ’36, an executive health administrator for the Department of Health in his hometown of St. Thomas (V.I.), and Lauritz C. Creque ’48, a well-respected surgeon and chief of staff at Columbia University Medical Center, Winston-Salem, N.C., were honored with named memorial scholarships. Donna M. Christensen, delegate to Congress from the U.S. Virgin Islands who is a medical doctor and a public health professional, stated in a letter that she is well aware of the significant contributions that the Creque brothers made to medicine in the territory and in the nation. “I particularly note Darwin Creque’s contributions to the Virgin Islands as a literary scholar, historian, co-founder of the modern St. Croix Avis, an economist, businessman, a health administrator and a commissioner of housing. The contributions of his brother, Dr. Lauritz Creque, are equally as impressive as a musician, linguist, school principal, surgeon, professor of medicine and health administrator,” Christensen stated. Franklin said both the luncheon and the fund are a celebration of Morehouse alumni who have had exceptional careers in the health professions. Families help with fundraising and bring to the table other organizations their loved ones were affiliated with, including their medical school alma maters. A letter from the Morehouse School of Medicine exalted the contributions of Chambliss. “We are particularly proud of (Dr. Chambliss’) vision and commitment to

DR. CHERYL G. FRANKLIN HEALTH PROFESSIONS SCHOLARSHIP FUND

2010 Donors creating a specialized pediatric transport service, now known as Children’s Response, which has ensured that more than 4,500 children received the critical care they deserved. It is his special kind of leadership that we continually try to cultivate at MSM. I know other students at Morehouse College and Morehouse School of Medicine will be inspired as they learn of his life of service to those who need our attention the most and give us hope for a better tomorrow, our children.” Each spring, scholarship recipients are presented to the community at a donor reception, where they are given a letter and a biography, which introduces them to the namesakes of their scholarships. This year, 13 scholars were recognized, including two who are headed to graduate programs in public health. This adds to the roster of 12 other students who have received awards in past years. “We want these alumni’s legacies and efforts to not only be remembered, but remembered and known and lived again through the young men who are receiving these scholarships,” said Franklin, who has run a successful OB/GYN practice for the past 20 years. “If nothing else, these young men will know at least one Morehouse alum who was influential in the health professions.” With the success the fundraising effort is enjoying, Franklin foresees achieving an endowment within the next five years. ■

Mrs. Billye Aaron Mr & Mrs. Bert Adams Mrs. Xernona Clayton Brady Dr. James D. Branch Mr. Joseph R. Brooks, Jr. Dr. Oliver T. Brooks Ms. Kimberly Broomes Mrs. Nancy Brown Mrs. Joy San Brown Mrs. Deardra G. Campbell Mrs. Dana Chambliss Mr. Norman Clark Ms. Marianne B. Clarke Mrs. Alice Combs Dr. & Mrs. Samuel DuBois Cook ’48 Mr. Thomas Cox Dr. Leah Creque-Harris Dr. Yvette Crossing Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe Mrs. Lydia Curet Mrs. Leona B. Davenport Dr. & Mrs. Andrew Davidson Mrs. Faye Davidson Ms. Bessie Mayfield Davis Ms. Kristen Davis Mr. Thomas A. D’Auria Dr. Camille Davis-Williams Mr. & Mrs. Louis Delsarte Mrs. Mable Densler Mrs. Georgia N. Dickens Ms. Neysa Dillon-Brown Mrs. Brooke Jackson Edmond Dr. Mary McKinney Edmonds Mrs. Jacquelyn Edmonds Cofer Dr. Marsha Edwards Mrs. Timothy Edwards Dr. Donna El-Din Mrs. LaVaughan Elkins Ms. Gwen Ellis Mr. Gregory C. Ellison Mr. & Mrs. Rufus Fears Mr. & Mrs. Phillip Finch Mrs. Janet Fortenberry Drs. Cheryl & Robert Franklin ‘75 Mrs. Margaret C. Gardner Dr. Audrey Gilliam Mr. Michael Gist

Ms. Anita Whatley Mrs. Irene Creque Williams Mr. B. Neil Creque Williams Dr. Halimena Creque & Dr. Barry Williams Mr. & Mrs. Richard W. Williams Mr. Tyrone Willingham Dr. Lynda Woodruff Drs. Sylvia & Keith Wright ‘87 Dr. & Mrs. Asa Yancey Sr., ‘37 Mrs. Rebecca Paschal Young

Ms. Adrienne Mims Mrs. Cynthia Moreland Mr. & Mrs. Jim Moss ’70 Mrs. Valerie Munnings Dr. Woodrow A. Myers, Jr. Dr. Vintonne Naiden Ms. Wilma A. Nichols Ms. Norberta Noguera Ms. Shola Oni Dr. Charlotte Owens Ms. Kimberly Evans Paige Ms. Regina Petty Mr. & Mrs. Dan Phelps Ms. Ginny Phillippi Dr. James Phillips Dr. Martha Plowden Mrs. Ann Pope Mrs. Paula Powell Mr. & Mrs. Reginald Prepetit ‘99 Mrs. Ozzie B. Quarterman Ms. E.J. Quilligan Mrs. Karen Rayfield Ms. Ruth Reeves Ms. Jeanette L. Reid Mr. Melvin Rice ’83 & Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice Ms. Angela Harrington Rice Mr. Donald L. Richardson Mrs. Juliette Rhodes-Cummings Mrs. Windy Robinson Ms. Avon L. Ruffin Mrs. Stephanie Russell Mrs. Ann Scott Mrs. Laura Turner Seydell Ms. Suzanne Shank Ms. Margaret Sleeper Ms. Lynn Stewart Mrs. Ginger Sullivan Dr. Ava Bell Taylor Mr. & Mrs. Carl Terry Mrs. Carol Toussaint Dr. Henrie Treadwell Ms. Chedonna Trimble-Holston Dr. Imani Vannoy Mr. Ronald A. Walker Rev. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock Mr. & Mrs. Harry Watkins

College Supporters Atlanta Neuro & Spine Institute Banks, Finley, White & Co. C. Robert Chambliss Foundation Clinical Support Systems LLC Coca Cola Enterprises, Inc. Creative Medical Solutions Design Development & Assoc. Donald Trimble Mortuary, Inc Family & Children’s Dentistry, P.C Home Medical Jackmont Hospitality, Inc. Kwik Kopy – James Hawes ‘69 Marietta Medical Group Meharry National Alumni Association NSORO Foundation Orthopedic Clinical Solutions, LLC Orthopaedic Technology Specialists, Inc. Peachtree Dermatology Associates Siebert Brandford Shank & Co. LLP Sullivan Family Foundation Turner Foundation, Inc. Corporate Sponsors Google Inc. Prudential Financial Group Auction Donors Arista Spas Atlanta Fulton County Recreational Authority Delta Air Lines Delsarte Printmaking Studios D’Lor Salon and Spa Tiffany & Co. The Absolute Therapeutic Massage

2010 Scholars Chris Guidry Hometown: Houston, Texas Classification Senior Major: Biology (Pre-Med) T. Lydel Newsome Hometown: Silver Spring, Md. Classification: Senior Major: Biology (Pre-Med) Kevin L. Anderson Jr Hometown: Louisville, Ky. Classification: Junior Major: Biology, Minor: Neuroscience

Cheryl Franklin receives flowers from scholars during the donor reception.

Mrs. Yvonne King Gloster Mr. & Mrs. Willie Goffney Dr. LeRoy Graham Drs. Deborah & Arthur Griffiths Ms. Leah Creque Williams Halstead Mrs. Debbie Hardee Ms. Kyla Marin Creque Harris Ms. Reva Montclaire Creque Harris Dr. & Mrs. Emerson Harrison ‘82 Dr. Kyra Harvey Mrs. Marian Hatch Judge & Mrs. Roland Hayes Perry A. Henderson, Jr., Esq. Mr. Robert Henderson Dr. Sheryl Henderson Dr. Virginia Henderson Mrs. Jamie Henke-Paustian Mrs. Jermani Hines-Thompson Ms. Aissa Holliday Mr. & Mrs. C.O. Hollis Mrs. Romesena H. Holman Mrs. Frances Huntley-Cooper Ms. Crystal Ingram Mr. & Mrs. Jessie Ingram ‘69 Mrs. J. H. Jacobs Dr. Alise Jones Bailey Dr. & Mrs. Aaron Johnson Dr. Angela Johnson Ms. Kathleen Johnson Mr. Leroy R. Johnson Esq. ‘49 Mrs. Debra J. Kemp Ms. Taya T. Leonard Dr. & Mrs. Michael Lindsay ‘75 Dr. Bryan Keith Lindsey Dr. Kaneta R. Lott Ms. Jasmine Henderson Love Mrs. Mattie McFadden-Lawson Mr. Robert L. Mallett ‘79 Mrs. Joan McCarthy Mr. Brian McDaniel Ms. Melissa McDaniel Mrs. Louise McKinney Dr. & Mrs. Samuel McKinney Mr. Wade Hampton McKinney III Rev. & Mrs. Wade Hampton McKinney Mrs. Jan Meadows Mrs. Annie Miller

Corbin Darling Hometown: Nassau, Bahamas Classification: Junior Major: Biology (Pre-Med) Minor: Neuroscience

Ulysses Toche Hometown: Silver Spring, Md. Originally from Cameroon, West Africa Classification: Junior Double Major: Biology and Mathematics Feyisayo Lawal Hometown: Atlanta, Ga. Classification: Junior Major: Biology (Pre-Med) David Dadey Hometown: Accra, Ghana Classification: Senior Double Major: Biology and Chemistry

Dequan Carreker Hometown: Perth Amboy, N.J. Classification: Sophomore Major: Biology (Pre-Med) . Jordan Atkins Hometown: Detroit, Mich. Classification: Senior Major: Biology

Daryl Fields Hometown: Hampton, Va. Classification: Senior Major: Psychology, Minor: Public Health Career Aspiration: Epidemiologist Vann Newkirk Hometown: Rocky Mount, N.C. Classification: Senior Major: Biology, Minor: Public Health Career Aspiration:

Emmanuel Marish Hometown: Dallas, Texas Classification: Junior Major: Biology Cumulative GPA: 3.92

Dezmond Douglas Hometown: Avon, Ohio Classification – Senior Major: Biology Minor: Neuroscience S P R I N G / S U M M E R

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developmentnews Coca-Cola Gives $7.2 Million to AUC Schools, Woodruff Library ecause of a $7.2-million donation from The Coca-Cola Company in September 2009 to Atlanta University Center institutions, dozens of men of Morehouse received assistance in paying for their college education. “We were very grateful to receive that gift,” said President Robert M. Franklin ’75, adding that, nationwide, students and their parents continue to deal with a struggling economy, tighter credit market and fewer available loans. “Morehouse has been able to respond to about 140 students who were in a real financial bind.” Coca-Cola donated a total of $6 million in scholarship money to Morehouse, Spelman, Clark Atlanta and Morehouse School of Medicine students who were experiencing economic hardships. “This gift from Coca-Cola really represents a fulfillment of the college dreams of so many men of Morehouse,” Franklin said. “Its size is humbling and inspiring.” The criteria for receiving the scholarship included academic performance, seniority (although some freshmen were scholarship recipients), financial need and student responsiveness in seeking the funds. Coca-Cola gave the remaining $1.2 million to the Robert W. Woodruff Library to upgrade the facility’s information technology infrastructure and enhance the ability to manage and provide access to critical archival documents, such as the Morehouse

Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company (second from left), joins AUC presidents John Maupin (Morehouse School of Medicine), Beverly Tatum (Spelman College), Robert M. Franklin ’75 (Morehouse College), Carlton Brown (Clark Atlanta University) and Woodruff Library director Linda Parham. College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection. “The Coca-Cola Company will always look for opportunities to make a difference in the communities where it operates, especially in our hometown,” said Muhtar Kent, Coca-Cola’s chairman and chief executive officer. “We view this as an investment in the next generation of students who will pass through these campuses, continue their education and benefit from having Dr. King’s papers within arm’s reach.” ■

Alumnus Makes Second Visit to College With a Pocketful of Coins By Vickie G. Hampton

IN 1940, Wilbur Jones ’44 hopped a freight train in Columbus, Ohio, bound for Atlanta to attend Morehouse College. He had just $3 and some change in his pocket. This past November, Jones returned to Morehouse, now his alma mater, again with a pocketful of change. The coins were 59 krugerrands. Their value: an astonishing $65,000. What a difference seven decades make. Wilbur Jones ’44 The donation will go toward student scholarships.Jones wants his donation “to go to kids that I know are in the same situation I was in.” Since his graduation in 1944,Smith has been to the campus only twice. The first was in 1995,which made him want to donate so that the campus could be improved.Now fifteen years later,he is pleased with the changes. “The neatness and niceness of the campus is so much improved. Now, all you have to do is get (potential donors) here and the student body will do the rest.” MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE

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Being back on campus brought back lots of memories—of Graves Hall, where he lived while on campus, of Harkness Hall, which back in his day was Morehouse’s administration building, and of his Morehouse hero, President Hugh M. Gloster ’31, then an English professor. He recalled one of Gloster’s stories about being dragged from a train in Mississippi and beaten up. But,according to Jones,Gloster could grace even this gruesome tale with such hilarity that—instead of in horror—his listeners would be in stitches. “He was my favorite person here. Gloster was the tops—the very best I’ve ever seen,” he said.“I knew he would be president, just wondered how long it would take him to get there.” Jones is a straight-shooter when it comes to answering the standards: Why do you give back? “Because I’m a Morehouse Man.” What would you say to encourage other alumni to give? “If they haven’t done it by being here,I don’t see what else could be said.” He’s also a bit modest. It took a little persuasion before he finally consented to an interview. And he flat out refused to have an endowed scholarship in his name. “I don’t want to leave anything but my footprints.” ■

ontheshelf Black Power in Dixie: A Political History of African Americans in Atlanta

state offices, as well as national offices that represented the city. “Once again, this old Confederate city that Sherman had humbled during the Civil War was showing the nation the way to racial harmony,” Hornsby wrote. Hornsby talks about how the new black political leadership was built and maintained, and how it dealt with the longstanding issue of race in Atlanta, with a focus on the mayoral terms of Jackson and Andrew Young. He also delves into the much maligned issue of public education in a chapter titled “Black Public Education in Atlanta: From Segregation to Integregation, 1950-1988.” Prominently mentioned were former Morehouse President Benjamin E. Mays, who was the first black president of the Atlanta School Board, and Lonnie King ’69, who helped forge the way for African American leadership in the city’s education system. Hornsby is a native Atlantan and the former editor of the Journal of Negro History. He is also the author of Southerners, Too?: Essays on the Black South 1733-1990 and Companion to African American History. ■

BY ALTON HORNSBY JR. ’61 PUBLISHED BY UNIVERSITY PRESS OF FLORIDA, 2009 ACCORDING TO RETIRED MOREHOUSE history professor Alton Hornsby Jr. ’61, black leaders in Atlanta weren’t all that happy when a young preacher moved back to the city in 1958 to be closer to the Southern Christian Leadership Council headquarters. “[Martin Luther King Jr.], they reasoned, would steal much of their thunder,” Hornsby wrote in his book, Black Power in Dixie: A Political History of African Americans in Atlanta. “He would become the leader in Atlanta.” It is just one of the book’s many interesting background stories about the rise of African American leadership in the cradle of the civil rights movement. Hornsby also details how African Americans carved their own place in the city’s power structure. The election of Maynard Jackson Jr. ’56 signaled the beginning of huge changes in how the crown jewel of the South was run as African Americans seized power in local and

Maynard Jackson: A Biography BY ROBERT A. HOLMES PUBLISHED BY BARNHARDTS ASHE PUBLISHING, 2009

A POLITICAL GODFATHER. In an August 2009 story in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, that’s how Robert A. Holmes, a long-time Georgia state legislator who retired in 2008, described Maynard Jackson Jr. ’56, Atlanta’s first black mayor. “His [political] machine was a politics of personality,” Holmes told the paper. “Maynard wanted to be a referendum on himself.” In his new book, Maynard Jackson: A Biography, Holmes describes in-depth the significance of the impact that Jackson had not only on Atlanta politics, but also on the national political landscape. Holmes, a political science professor at Clark Atlanta University, once worked on Jackson’s mayoral transition team and was a friend to the man who once said, “Politics is not perfect, but

it’s the best available nonviolent means of changing how we live.” Jackson’s life growing up in Atlanta as the son of the Rev. Maynard H. Jackson Sr. and Spelman French professor Irene Dobbs Jackson, and the grandson of civil rights leader John Wesley Dobbs put him in the middle of Atlanta’s black elite. Holmes looks at Jackson’s rise in politics, including his historic election in 1973 as the first African American mayor of Atlanta and his eight-year tenure that was marked with vast social, racial and political change for the city. One of his most lasting touches was getting minority businesses a share of lucrative city contracts, including with the then-growing Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport—a facility that would later include his name. Jackson served a second term from 1990 to 1994, which was marked by the city’s landing of the 1996 Olympic Games. Jackson died in 2003, but not before leaving a national and local political legacy that has influenced every Atlanta mayoral campaign since his election in 1973. Holmes’ in-depth depiction of the man with a large stature and booming voice gives the reader a better understanding of how Jackson made Atlanta the capital of the New South. ■

Editor’s Note: This column is open to Morehouse alumni, faculty and staff who have recently published books. Please contact Add Seymour Jr. at aseymour@morehouse.edu to submit your work. S P R I N G / S U M M E R

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‘I Thought There Would Be Fascin

Telling His

By Add Seymour Jr.

rowing up amid the civil rights era of his native Atlanta, Alton Hornsby Jr. ’61 was more interested in wielding a scalpel than a pen. “I wanted to be a doctor,” he said with a laugh. “But in the tenth grade, I fell in love with history. A teacher who was very inspiring brought life to history. It was

then that I decided that I wanted to be a history teacher.” The change of heart spawned Hornsby’s illustrious career as an author, researcher and educator that has made him one of the nation’s leading experts on Southern African American history, especially Atlanta history. From tomes about the rise of African American political might through the administration of Atlanta’s first black mayor, Maynard H. Jackson Jr. ’56 (see book review on p. 31), or compelling essays on being black in the South, Hornsby has spent a lifetime chronicling African American life, producing 18 books and numerous articles. He also was editor of the Journal of Negro History for 25 years and has been in leadership positions for numerous national boards and academic associations. Hornsby’s biggest contribution for the past 42 years has been as a mentor, professor, department chair and many other academic or administrative positions at his alma mater, Morehouse. “I’m committed to the mission of this institution,” he said. “I think the basic mission of the College, to produce black leaders with a focus on African American heritage with ethical conduct, stands and I support those principles.” Hornsby’s retirement at the end of MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE 2 0 1 0

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ating Stories to Tell’

Story the 2009-10 academic year wrapped up what has been one of

Gober ’00, who is a high school principal in Plano, Texas. “There was certainly a reputation and mystique to this class. Every class always turned into a very heated debate that Dr. Hornsby facilitated and tried not to impose his opinions until the very end when he’d summarize and provide us vital guidance.” Ayize Shawn J. Sebater ’92 runs the Washington, D.C.-based urban ministry-M.O.M.I.E.’s TLC (Mentors of Minorities in Education’s Total Learning Cis-tem). He said Hornsby’s class formed the foundation for his non-profit efforts.

“The way he structures his classes really created in my mind an innovative teaching style that I could then incorporate in teaching

Morehouse’s longest and most decorated academic careers. “Al has provided a great deal of leadership, not just in the history department, but in the humanities and the College in general,” said

to children,” Sebater said. “The things that

Willis Sheftall ’64, an economics professor and former provost. “Alton and I have been friends for 40 years. He was a senior when I was a freshman. He was a history major as an under-

black history curriculum that I really extrapo-

grad and so was I. So when I went into the history department, I was very much aware of this bright star we were about to graduate. Now he has gone on to make very major contributions, really exceptional contributions, in the area of history.” Hornsby graduated from Morehouse in 1961 and then earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. He began his teaching career at Tuskegee Institute in 1962 and joined the Morehouse faculty in 1968. President Hugh M. Gloster ’31 appointed him chairman of the history department in 1971. In what is believed to be the longest tenure for any departmental chair at an American college or university, Hornsby served for 30 years. “Al was never heavy handed with making points in discussions,” Sheftall said. “His points always had a degree of subtlety that required you to think a little bit and also created situations where the ‘a-ha moment’ came a little bit after he made his point. That’s not just a strategy he uses with his students. That’s a strategy he uses with talking with people, period.” That strategy has made a mark with hundreds of students over the years, particularly through his Great Men and Women of America course where, for instance, a spring 2010 class vehemently debated Louis Armstrong’s place in history. “I remember being very intimidated on my first day in this class. Scared would be a more accurate word,” said Courtney

make my non-profit unique is this innovative lated from Dr. Hornsby.” Hornsby said he was just using a modified version of the Socratic method. “Socrates would raise questions and then press his students to draw out the answers,” he said. “He then pushed them to raise questions, sort of like a devil’s advocate.” But teaching has only been one half of Hornsby’s life. The backdrop for much of Hornsby’s work has been Atlanta, where he watched the civil rights movement unfold and African Americans begin to climb the social and political order. He has chronicled those changes through books that go deep into the taboo Southern issues of race and power. “I was fascinated with black Atlanta history, which was unique in many, many ways,” he said. “Of course, the Atlanta University Center was a catalyst for all of that. So I thought there would be fascinating stories to tell.” Although Hornsby is retiring, he hardly plans to sit still. He has two projects on the horizon: one a look at African Americans in the post-emancipation South and another as editor of a stateby-state encyclopedia of black America. “I’m going to continue to research and write books,” Hornsby said. “Otherwise, I’d fade away if I stay in a rocking chair.” ■ S P R I N G / S U M M E R

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Helping

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Haiti

feature

By George W. Williams IV ’10

Additional reporting by Carl Ringgold Photography by Jacques Pape ’10

t 4:53 p.m. on Jan. 12, 2010, senior Jacques Pape received a lifechanging phone call as he walked into his Atlanta apartment. Jacques, you almost lost your mother,” the voice on the other end of the phone said. It was Pape’s mother calling from her sister’s hospital bedside in Haiti seconds after the unprecedented 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck just 16 miles west of Port-au-Prince, the country’s capital. “The whole notion of an earthquake hitting Haiti was hard to grasp,” said Pape, who is from Haiti and came to the United States to attend Morehouse. Pape remembers spending the subsequent few hours trying to get in contact with his uncle, older brothers and other family members. He was desperate to know whether his family was safe. >

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Morehouse students join relief efforts in Haiti. Left to right: Jacques Pape, Regis DeVeaux, Stevon Parris, Malcolm Clyburn, Ezekiel Phillips, David Wall Rice ’95, Nasser Muhammad, Paul Underwood, Le Mel Lindsey and Rodrigus Graham

It would have made perfect sense for Pape to feel immensely lonely while much of his closest family members were trapped in the devastation of the earthquake’s aftermath. But members of the Morehouse community quickly began to reach out to Jacques as the natural disaster began to seize the world’s attention. Around 8 o’clock that evening, Pape received a voice message from Gwendolyn Wade, director of Student Abroad and International Student Services. “She said, ‘If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.’ “And of course I asked,” Pape recalled. With Wade’s administrative support and guidance, Pape put together a Morehouse College Haitian Relief Fund and initiative in less than 24 hours. Through the official fund, members of the Morehouse community were given the opportunity to raise funds donated directly to non-profit organizations that were active in the relief efforts. Just seven days after the quake shook Haiti, Pape and young alumnus Roosevelt Ducelus ’08 (also a native of Haiti) stocked their cars with as many donated supplies as they could and drove from Atlanta to Miami. From there they boarded a privately charted plane and MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE

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flew to the distressed island. They took the most essential donated goods (medical supplies, water and tents), and what couldn’t be taken was donated to the Salvation Army to distribute through its own Haitian relief efforts. “I was going down there to see what happened. That’s the place where I grew up, but to other people [the disaster] was just a picture,” Pape explained of his impetus to venture into the heart of the catastrophe. “As we approached Port-au-Prince, the only lights that were on were navy ships...everything else was pitch black.” Pape arrived with a group of volunteers from Hospitals for Humanity, a non-profit organization that seeks to decrease barriers in healthcare access in some of the world’s most impoverished countries. Upon their arrival, the 50 Hospitals for Humanity volunteers were informed that their lodging and food arrangements for their five-day undertaking were through family and friends. Along with Pape, the volunteers found themselves filling a crucial void and taking over night shifts at General Hospital, Port-au-Prince’s main hospital, for two nights. Pape now serves as a coordinator for Hospitals for Humanity.

The organization makes weekly missions to Haiti, sending groups of volunteers to work in make-shift hospitals and clinics in an effort to ease the high demand for desperately needed healthcare services. The organization hopes to open and operate a hospital with what would be only the second trauma center in the country.

hile many students spent their spring break on beautiful beaches riding jet skis and indulging in other leisure activities, Pape—not entirely satisfied with his already impressive humanitarian efforts—and fellow senior Ezekiel Phillips led a small group of Morehouse students on a mission trip to give out food, water and clothing to people throughout the Portau-Prince region. “When everything happened, I was the only student in the AUC who went to Haiti,” Pape said. “Yet one voice was only so strong. By bringing Morehouse students to Haiti, they serve as ambassadors for not just Morehouse and the AUC, but the U.S. in general because not many Americans have been able to go down there.”

David Wall Rice ’95, assistant professor of psychology, stands in front of a crumbling building in Haiti.

Jacques Pape (standing in middle) helps with building a roof.

In one day, the group of student volunteers laid the foundation for 150 homes in a small Port-Au-Prince province that hadn’t been touched by any international organization up to that point. “Our focus wasn’t on one particular cause,” Pape said. “We wanted to do everything that our expertise could allow.” During the week, the Morehouse group would have debriefings about their days’ work and experiences. Phillips, who captured the entire trip on film, said the trip truly changed his life. For eight days he filmed the group’s activities and everything it entailed. “There was one moment in Haiti that I’ll never forget,” Phillips said. “When we pulled to the side of the road to give water to children in a village, we had enough water for all the children who were present. Yet they still fought over the bottles as if those bottles would be the last ones they would see in a long time.” It was during one of these debriefings that Pape was inspired to start his own nonprofit organization. He named it in honor of his father – Foundation Eric Pape. The goal of the organization is to facilitate the building of sustainable communities in Haiti. “We came to a consensus that as stu-

dents we should focus our attention on building a school,” Pape said. The cost for the first school the group will attempt to build is a mere $7,500 U.S. dollars, which includes not just the expense of the school building, but also the salaries of the school’s teachers for one year.

n the months since the earthquake, Pape feels few improvements have been made. “Nothing has improved yet because people are constantly being moved around without any long-term sustainable solutions being found,” he said. Although many countries responded to appeals for humanitarian aid by pledging funds and dispatching rescue and medical teams, Pape said more must be done. “The Haitian government is an obstacle because multimillion dollar projects can’t be achieved [due to] the corruption,” he said. “On a smaller level, the people aren’t doing any better. “I want people to see that they don’t have to rely on the government for basic supplies,” Pape said about the impact he wants his

foundation to have.“It would be in the interest of redeeming our status of being the first independent black nation, not the poorest.” Only time will tell if the relief efforts in Haiti will create a better nation for the people there. As he looks toward Haiti’s future, Pape feels suspended between optimism and a stark reality. He laments the tumultuous and deadly political climate that has plagued Haiti for most of his life. “My mom tells me of the Haiti she knew, where she could play with friends and ride her bike in the streets. That’s not how I grew up,” said Pape. “It’s up to my generation to stand up and take a stand for the future of Haiti. Hopefully, we’ll be able to restore it to where it can fulfill its name as the pearl of the Caribbean.” ■ Editor’s Note: A special fund has been set up for the Morehouse community and supporters to make financial donations. Go to https://giving.morehouse.edu/NetCommu nity/SSLPage.aspx?pid=344 and click on the menu to select Morehouse College Haitian Relief Fund.

View Ezekiel Phillips’ video presentation “Haiti: The Wake Up Call (3:33)l” on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQxdZcz2T4M. S P R I N G / S U M M E R

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Security &

COMMU

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T Morehouse has stepped up police patrols and installed more lighting and surveillance cameras in response to rising crime. But its most impressive new safety measure is its outreach to a struggling community.

here’s a new move that’s quickly catching on in the Atlanta University Center community. Students call it the swivel. “Whenever I’m walking in the community, especially at night, my earphones are off and my head is always moving left to right, right to left, on alert. I’ve got to have the swivel going on,” said Brandon Bennings ’10, from Macon, Ga. Precautionary actions such as the swivel have become necessary for many students across the nation who attend colleges in urban areas beset by rising crime rates. “This is a deeply tragic scenario in which some of our best and brightest young men come to this college and are distracted by worries over their own security,” said Morehouse President Robert M. Franklin ’75. The vast majority of campus-area crimes are armed robberies that take place at night or in the early morning hours. Students are targeted for items that they often carry with them, such as computers, iPods and cell phones. “Criminals believe that students have things that are easily disposable, and that makes them easy targets. It’s a belief that our kids have a lot of money. They see a maroon shirt, and there is a perception of affluence,” said Morehouse Chief of Police Vernon Worthy. Which makes the swivel a smart move. “A lot of the crimes happening around here are due to students’ lack of awareness. You can’t just walk around the community at two in the morning, well dressed, with your backpack on where it’s obvious you’ve got valuable things in it and then expect nothing to happen,” said Brandon Johnson ’10, from South Central, Los Angeles.

A National Problem Within the past few years, crime in and around college campuses has become a disturbing national trend—from Yale University, where a female graduate student was strangled, to Weslyan University, where a student was gunned down in a bookstore café. And no one can forget the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech, where a troubled student went on a shooting spree that left 32 students, faculty and staff members dead.

UNITY

By Kai Jackson Issa

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Dispatch operator Venson Jones monitors images from surveillance cameras that are dispersed throughout the campus.

According to a recent study done by the Daily Beast, Yale, Harvard, Brown and MIT ranked among the 25 most unsafe colleges in the nation. Four HBCU’s—Grambling State, Hampton, Alabama A&M and Norfolk State University—also made the list. Locally, crime in the AUC community is but a fraction of those crimes that occurred on downtown Atlanta college campuses within the past year. By a federal law known as the Clery Act, all colleges and universities that participate in federal financial aid programs are required to track and disclose data about crimes that occur on or around their campuses. The data for 2008 show that Georgia Tech police reported 21 violent crimes—which consist of aggravated assault, robbery, rape and murder—more than any of the other 19 Georgia college and university police departments reporting crime numbers to the FBI. Tech was followed closely by Clark Atlanta University, which reported 19 violent crimes, and Georgia State University, which reported 16. Morehouse reported 14, while Spelman reported none. Violent crime struck even closer to home on September 3, 2009, with the murder of Jasmine Lynn, 19, a Spelman College sophomore from Kansas City, Mo., who just after midnight was killed by a stray bullet as she walked with friends along James P. Brawley Drive, a public street that runs through Clark Atlanta University’s campus. Lynn was struck in the chest when at least six shots were fired during a nearby fight. Jerome Jones, 18, a Clark Atlanta student, was struck in the wrist, and MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE

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was treated at a local hospital and released. [Several weeks following the shooting, Devonni Manuel Benton, 21, a student enrolled in Atlanta’s ITT Technical Institute, was arrested and charged with one count of murder and one of aggravated assault.] The fear of crime has understandably put many Morehouse students on edge. “It’s definitely striking fear into the hearts of students, because you never know. I mean, you’re just trying to walk to the library to try to get your study on,and now,people are robbing you,” said Morehouse student Xavier Brandon ’10, from Brooklyn, N.Y.

Measures of Security Morehouse has always focused on improving safety on and around campus and in the AUC community.While a discussion on safety has always been a part of New Student Orientation, in 2007, the College began holding several town hall meetings to review safety policies and to allow students to express their concerns. Lighting was increased and additional emergency call boxes were installed throughout the campus. The College also implemented an emergency notification system for the entire community. More recent security measures include added foot patrols on the perimeter of the campus and increased monitoring of all student residential facilities and campus parking lots. Random ID checks have been put into effect, and a policy of clearing the College of visitors and outside traffic by 11 p.m. is now strictly enforced. Many students say they notice the difference.

“I feel more safe. I’ve seen a lot of police on duty walking around campus at all hours,” said Matthew Wulukau, a junior from San Francisco. The Office of Student Affairs also has sponsored a number of town hall meetings in the residence halls to increase students’ awareness about their personal safety, both on and off campus. “We want to bring to bear the seriousness of what’s been happening. We’re having RAs and RDs engage students regarding safety tips. We’re trying on a number of levels to re-emphasize that students take safety precautions,” says William Bynum, vice president for Student Serrvices. Topping the list of safety recommendations is to travel in groups and to avoid using headphones and cell phones while walking. Students are urged to use extra caution when traveling on certain streets, specifically Martin Luther King Jr. Drive between James P. Brawley and Joseph E. Lowery, where most of the crimes have occurred. The public streets that intersect parts of the Clark Atlanta campus have always posed a security threat. AUC students travel the walkway known as the promenade to visit other campuses and the Robert W. Woodruff Library. Immediately following the Lynn shooting, Clark Atlanta officials closed off James P. Brawley Drive near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, only a block from where Lynn died. This street, along with several ancillary roads, will be closed for an indefinite period of time. As part of its efforts to step up security, the Woodruff Library, which serves all AUC institutions, has instituted the “Brawley Bounce,” a golf cart shuttle service designed to transport AUC faculty and students to any location along the promenade. Within the first week of its use, the library reported that more than 200 students had used the service, which operates in addition to the normal shuttle service that the library provides to the AUC campus and MARTA stations. Other safety and security measures undertaken include providing library patrons with escorts to their cars at night, and after 5 p.m., limiting library access to all but AUC

faculty, staff and students. “It is our utmost concern that our students have a safe and comfortable research experience. We’re always talking about ways to improve teaching and learning here,” said Adrian Carver, communications manager for the library.

Partners in Crime Prevention Morehouse has coordinated with AUC schools and the city of Atlanta to combat crime as a united front. President Franklin and the presidents from the AUC schools have held joint meetings with campus police leadership and the Atlanta Police Department, as well as with Atlanta’s business leadership. Officials from each AUC school meet regularly to discuss such topics as overlapping patrols among campus police departments and more integrated emergency contact systems. Former Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington has added more uniform and undercover officers to the AUC area. These officers work in coordination with each campus’ police force. “We’re going to do everything we can to make our college campuses safe,” Pennington said at a press conference at City Hall in October 2009. Increasing the number of city officers patrolling the AUC community was a major concern voiced at an October 2009 community forum for Atlanta mayoral candidates held at Morehouse. Chief Worthy, a former commander for the Atlanta Police Department, attributes some of the problem in crime to the citywide shortage of officers. “It’s no secret that the City of Atlanta police force is short-staffed. I left the force in 1994 and we had the same number of police officers then that we have now.” Students and residents attending the forum urged the candidates to put the problem of crime front and center in their mayoral agenda. Several hundred students from the AUC attended. “Students wanted answers,” said Morehouse student Kawasi Weston ’10, from Albany, Georgia. “We wanted to hear the candidates say that they would tackle crime head

on, right away, because it’s important and because we are the future. A lot of times, politicians think that students don’t matter, but we vote.” During his inauguration speech in January 2009, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed made clear his commitment to improving public safety. “When women cannot walk to their cars at night without feeling safe, when students don’t feel safe walking to class, when convention attendees don’t want to stay downtown, we have failed to take responsibility for the most sacred obligation of our present — the safety of our citizens.”

Morehouse as a Community Partner Four decades ago, the AUC community was filled with vibrant, middle-class neighborhoods that were home to AUC professors and other professionals. Most of those neighborhoods have now fallen into disrepair and squalor, and they are among the hardest hit by job loss and foreclosures brought on by the economic recession. “You’ve got an economy where criminals have become much bolder. There’s a certain desperation to these acts,” said Chief Worthy. Part of President Franklin’s response to increasing incidents of crime has been to step up the College’s outreach efforts in the community. “No Excuses,” a new community outreach program created by Morehouse students, has used a creative blend of what Franklin terms the “Morehouse charm offensive” with promoting energy efficiency and environmental awareness, in an effort to strengthen ties to the community. More than 300 Morehouse students spent one October morning going door to door throughout several bordering neighborhoods, introducing themselves to residents and giving them bags that contained a brochure detailing community services offered by AUC schools, as well as energyefficient light bulbs as a gesture of concern and goodwill (see sidebar). “We must secure our borders,” said President Franklin,“but closing the community out is not the solution.” ■

No Excuses Campaign Takes Morehouse into the Community to Bond with Neighbors DAYS AFTER WITNESSING the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama, Morehouse students stood up in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel and repeated the phrase – “No excuses.” President Robert M. Franklin Jr. ’75 also has adopted the mantra. “We hope to leverage the Obama factor to transform all black boys and ultimately lead the Renaissance of the entire black community,” he told Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine in January 2009. The “No Excuses” mantra and the idea behind it have evolved into the No Excuses Campaign, which focuses on the students’ commitment to bettering African American communities. The first initiative in the campaign was on Oct. 17, when nearly 300 Morehouse students, alumni, faculty and staff took to the streets of more than 20 neighborhoods in the West End Community to tell residents that Morehouse cares and wants to be a good neighbor. Joining the Morehouse group were Fulton County Commissioner Bill Edwards ’72 and Atlanta City Councilwoman Cleta Winslow, along with veteran civil rights worker and District 10 Councilman C.T. Martin. “We can no longer be concerned only with what happens within these gates,” said senior Koree Hood, president of the student group, Resurgence of the Crown. “We’re only as good as the West End community. It’s important that we re-engage the student body [in the community],” he said. The group wore maroon T-shirts with the words “No Excuses” across the front. They handed out gift bags that included energy-efficient light bulbs and a brochure about community services available through the College and other Atlanta University Center schools. Some residents told the group they needed tutoring services. Others were looking for jobs. Students helped one elderly man who needed assistance with reading his medicine bottles. “I’m glad to see that they came by,” said Vernell Bell, a grandmother of a 9-year-old she hoped could be tutored by Morehouse students. “Seeing Morehouse men in our neighborhood has always made us feel very proud.” The group also took the names of unemployed people and plans to provide the list to City of Atlanta officials and businesses in the area, creating a new pool of potential employees. Franklin said the day was a huge success. “This was Morehouse Men coming home to the tradition of leadership, community service and the commitment to lift as we climb,” he said. ■ -AS S P R I N G / S U M M E R

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Founder’s Day 2010 >

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founder’s day observance

Celebrating History,

Contemplating the Future

he weeklong commemoration of the College’s remarkable 143-year history asked tough questions—not about our past, but our future. In a town hall meeting on the subject “Pathways Out of Poverty to Opportunities: Fatherhood and Healthy Families,” Jeffrey M. Johnson, president and CEO of the National Partnership for Community Leadership in Washington, D.C., said: “You have got to have resources and a lot of the president’s plan is putting resources into the hands of [community groups dedicated to helping black men and fathers]. But you don’t have to wait on the president. You should have your own [local fatherhood and family initiatives] and get the community involved.” A symposium, moderated by psychology professor David Wall Rice ’95, debated the myths and realities of the 21st century black male. And during Founder’s Day Convocation, speaker Michael Lomax ’68, president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund, chided historically black colleges and universities that rest on their laurels instead of striving to be more competitive in the 21st century. “Some of our colleges are too focused on what they used to do and not focused enough on doing what they must do to remain com-

petitive and produce the powerful results they need to today,” he said. Winter weather caused the cancellation of several highly anticipated annual events, including the Founder’s Day Concert, which was to feature jazz songstress Lalah Hathaway, and the “Reflection of Excellence” program, where Candle and Bennie honorees share their secrets of success. However, the acclaimed “A Candle in the Dark” Gala, a fund-raising event to support student scholarships, was none the less for winter’s record assault. In fact, because of the cancellations, attendees were treated to longer acceptance speeches from the honorees and to a set from Hathaway. Rounding out the observance was the Founder’s Day Sunday Service featuring speaker the Rev. Kenneth J. Flowers ’83, pastor of Greater New Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit, and the annual Morehouse College Glee Club Concert. ■

Michael Lomax ’68, president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund, was the Founder’s Day Crown Forum speaker.

The College hosted a discussion on “Black Men in the 21st Century: Myths, Data and Reality.” From left: Obie Clayton, professor and chair, Department of Sociology, and executive director of the Morehouse Research Institute and the Chivers–Grant Institute for the Study of Family and Community Issues; Dr. Shani Harris Peterson, assistant professor of psychology, Spelman College; Dr. Robert M. Franklin ’75, president, Morehouse College; Horace L. Griffin, David Wall Rice’95, associate professor of psychology, Morehouse College; Dr. R. L. ‘Heureux Lewis’00, assistant professor of sociology and Black Studies Program at City College of New York (CUNY) ; and Dr. Michael J. Strambler ’96, post doctoral associate at Yale University School of Medicine. MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE

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Michael Lomax ’68, president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund, during his Founder’s Day address on Feb. 11 in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel, made crucial statements about the future of historically black colleges and universities and what they need to do to survive and thrive. Here are excerpts from his speech:

“

…Over the years, our colleges have done more with less, but now it is time for them to get the level of investment that their performance warrants. And we are working hard in Washington to get the public funds to which our colleges are entitled—and, with President Obama’s support, we’ve increased the dollars going to HBCUs and to our students to help them pay for college.

…The reality of HBCUs today is that, in spite of a shared heritage and mission, there is variation among them and, to put it bluntly, some are weak, some are doing well and some are soaring. I believe all are needed, and we at UNCF are making the case for investing in their capacity and capability. And we are doing all we can to raise HBCUs’ collective performance and to tell their story to the nation.

…But just as there is work to do to garner more support for HBCUs, there is work to be done at our HBCUs to make sure that they are doing all that they can and must do to be the strong and contemporary institutions that they must be in the 21st century.

This is urgent work because there are tough realities facing HBCUs. There is competition for students, and today black students can choose among a range of colleges. There is competition for faculty—the best can and do go anywhere. There is competition for visionary and effective leadership…Donors, too, have a wide range of choices for where to put their dollars. They don’t just want to know what you used to do; they want to see what you are doing now before they will invest in what you say you will do later.

Our colleges cannot just rest on the laurels of past accomplishments. They must continue to modernize, organize and manage to produce powerful results today. Some of our colleges are too focused on what they used to do and not focused enough on what they are doing and must do to remain competitive and to deliver powerful educational results for their students today.

Change has come to HBCUs, and we must embrace change. We must be more student-friendly, because students are customers who can take their business elsewhere. And we must make their college experience so rich, so rewarding, so challenging that it will define their lives and be the foundation of their future loyalty and support. …All of us, not just some of us, must accept our collective responsibility for transforming our institutions not only into places where we celebrate our heritage, but where we embrace the present with boldness and determination, and where we define and shape the future of our students, our community, the nation and the world. S P R I N G / S U M M E R

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Winners of the 2010 Otis Moss Jr. Oratory Contest pose with Dr. Moss (far right) and other College administrators.

August Onorato Curley ’50 was presented the Presidential Award of Distinction by Provost Weldon Jackson ’72 (left) and President Robert M. Franklin ’75 (right).

Lalah Hathaway performed during the Gala.

The Rev. Kenneth J. Flowers ’83 of Greater New Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit delivered the Sunday Service address.

Above: 2010 Bennie and Candle Award recipients included (l-r) Ronald Sullivan Jr. ‘89, Lloyd Dean, Lonnie C. King ‘69, President Franklin ‘75, Perry Henderson ‘54, Julius Coles ‘63 and Freeman Hrabowski III. MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE

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Serving as master and mistress of ceremonies were actors James Pickens Jr. and Vanessa Bell Calloway.

Despite icy roads during an unexpected snowfall, nearly 1,500 guests attended the 2010 Gala. S P R I N G / S U M M E R

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CAPACITY The

THRIVE to

By Add Seymour Jr.

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To thrive in the 21st century, HBCUs must lean less on their legacies and inspiring, anecdotal evidence and more on current results, including increased enrollment and endowment.

t didn’t take John Silvanus Wilson Jr. ’79 very long last summer to make waves after he became executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. His stance: HBCUs need to stop complaining about what they didn’t have and begin focusing on what they should be doing. “Several presidents, in all honesty, and others had a knee-jerk reaction,” said Johnson C. Smith University president Ronald Carter ’71. Nearly a year since his appointment by President Barack Obama, Wilson has softened his view some, but the point is still clear: the nation’s 105 historically black colleges and universities will have to do a better job of building themselves up instead of talking about how close they are to falling down. “You can get out there and play the violin, or you can get out there and play the trumpet,” Wilson told Morehouse Magazine in March 2010. “The violin evokes a sad story and the trumpet evokes greatness. All I’m suggesting is that HBCUs, a lot of whom are not currently playing the trumpet, pick it up. What that means, practically, is begin to sell your capabilities instead of selling your needs.

Those are two different things and I want to insist … [that] we will be more well-served by shifting our posture.” Wilson’s notion that HBCUs should focus on thriving instead of surviving means that the lens of history, along with inspiring, anecdotal evidence, cannot be the main barometer of their worth anymore. It is a call to arms that captured the ears of HBCU administrators all over the country. “Some of our colleges are too focused on what they used to do and not focused enough on doing what they must do to remain competitive and produce the powerful results they need today,” said UNCF president and CEO Michael Lomax ’68 during his Founder’s Day Convocation speech at Morehouse on Feb. 11, 2010 (see excerpts from the speech on p. 45).“Where they can be true to their heritage and their missions, they must also be dynamic.” But how does that happen in a time when budgets, staffs and everything from travel to cell phone usage are being slashed at institutions across America, especially at traditionally underfunded and often cash-strapped HBCUs? The answer will come in how HBCUs deal with the more press-

Alumni giving at HBCUs is at 17.5%, compared to 25% at TWIs.

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ing issues of how to increase their capacity and focus on their outputs, mainly graduation rates and endowments that historically lag behind those at traditionally white institutions.

an increase in federal funding—by $30 million —for the nation’s HBCUs. But the Obama administration has made it no secret that future investment will be based on results.That puts the onus back on institutions to uplift themselves,which is where capacity building becomes important.

Capacity Building Capacity building is THE buzz phrase in higher education circles, mainly because of the nation’s recent economic downturn and the rising costs of educating students. In higher education, it refers to an institution’s ability to carry out its mission, particularly through areas such as finance management, student retention, strong administrative leadership and faculty development and fund raising. Ironically, the economic downturn that necessitated demonstrations of self-sufficiency is also what thwarts it. Dwindling donations and declining endowments and enrollments are leaving schools with less money and into belt-tightening mode. On top of that, federal funding for all HBCUs has lagged behind funding for traditionally white institutions (TWIs). “[HBCUs] are doing a yeoman’s job of educating black students,” said Leonard Haynes,the former executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs. “What would they be able to do if they were fully resourced? We have never been able to answer that for almost 100 years.” There is some financial relief coming. In late February, President Obama signed an executive order expanding the role of the White House Initiative on HBCUs that helps these schools strengthen their capacity to participate in federal programs and improve the overall relationship between HBCUs and the federal government. (The president also appointed another Morehouse Man, information technology business leader Kenneth Tolson ’88, to the Initiative’s Board of Advisors). Additionally, President Obama’s proposed 2011 federal budget calls for

‘We Must Embrace Change and Improvement’ Wilson told Morehouse Magazine in fall 2009:“[President Obama] has said America cannot lead unless we have the best educationally competitive workforce in the world and the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.Black colleges have to be a part of that...We need to figure out the best way to invest in black colleges to ensure they are core of that effort to achieve the goals that the president has set.” And there are areas that need help.For example: Enrollment and retainment: Graduation rates at HBCU’s have lagged. According to the U.S.Department of Education,even while HBCU graduation rates have risen slightly since 2001,they still fall behind TWIs in graduating students.Educationsector.org found that from 2001 to 2006,the aggregate six-year graduation rate for HBCUs was 37.9 percent. At TWIs, it was 45 percent. The gap was a little narrower according to a March 2009 Associated Press story,which found graduation rates for HBCUs was 37 percent while the national college graduation rate for black students was 41 percent. Alumni Support: Alumni gift giving for HBCUs consistently lags behind TWIs. A 2002 study by consultants Ayers & Associates, Inc., found alumni gift giving at HBCUs was 17.5 percent versus nearly 25 percent at TWIs, even though the median income level of HBCU graduates continues to rise.

Morehouse must focus on its ability to increase its endowment through ongoing commitment, fund raising and scholarship.

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To improve enrollment numbers, the College has emphasized customer service and cost efficiency.

ENROLLMENT Leadership: Unaccredited HBCUs such as Morris Brown College (Ga.), Knoxville College (Tenn.) and Paul Quinn College (Texas) are examples of failing finances, dwindling institutional resources, questionable leadership and fewer students that have led to increasing accreditation issues for HBCUs. “There are tough realities facing our historically black colleges,” Lomax said. “There is competition for students and black students have choices to go to a range of colleges. There is competition for faculty…There is competition for visionary and effective leadership. And donors have a wide range of choices about where they put their dollars. They don’t just want to know what you used to do. They want to see what you are doing now before they will invest in what you say you will do later. Change has come to HBCUs and we must embrace change and improvement.” That change will come in how colleges and universities handle and build their capacity. For institutions to carry out their missions and run at optimal levels each day,they have to be able to keep steady and/or grow their enrollment,retain students,raise money from the public and corporate communities,increase alumni giving and maintain visionary,effective leadership.

The Morehouse Response At Morehouse,embracing the changing higher education landscape and increasing the College’s capacity have been a priority. For example, Morehouse has always attracted some of the best African American students. But nationally, the competition for African American male students has intensified. That has forced Sterling Hudson, dean of Admission and Records, and his staff to ramp up how they reach out to potential men of Morehouse. “The competition for our target group is as intense as it has ever been. I’ve been here 27 years and I’ve never seen anything like what we

are up against now,” he said. Now flashy, hard-hitting futuristic videos on a new Admissions web site, http://www.morehouse.edu/admissions/home/index.shtml, give students a glimpse at an increasingly high-tech institution. Additionally, a new intra-divisional New Student Enrollment program has been created to streamline the entire enrollment process. But equally important, the program makes customer service and cost efficiency points of emphasis. Now, new men of Morehouse are getting more help with the admissions, financial aid and housing processes. The result: this March, the College had the most completed applications at that time of the year in 17 years. “We’re hoping that there will be a link between the customer service focus of NSE and the word getting out that Morehouse is on top of its game,” Hudson said.“The brand is very strong and, in spite of the economic climate, the brand is not slipping. NSE is a brand enhancer. It strengthens our brand because customers are beginning to feel the brand experience they expect from Morehouse.” Gwendolyn Sykes, Morehouse’s chief financial officer and vice president for Business and Finance, oversees the College’s tuition-driven budget that has risen by $17 million over the last five years and is supplemented by an endowment of approximately $110 million. The College’s endowment still ranks on the low end of comparable institutions, such as Bates College ($184 million), Wabash College ($252 million) and Spelman College ($341 million). Morehouse’s endowment, which dropped from $150 million during the nation’s financial downfall, helps fund scholarships and operations. “The College has had a solid investment strategy and it is just now beginning to reap the benefits,” she said. “What the College needs to focus on in these times is the ability to increase the endowment with ongoing commitments, fund raising and scholarships that will grow the S P R I N G / S U M M E R

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Effective 21st century fund raising will require institutional discipline, priority setting and innovative use of technology.

FUND RAISING underlying base of the endowment. This will allow for the College to take advantage of the current market and position it for higher growth in the future.” On the third floor in Gloster Hall, Phillip Howard ’87, vice president for Institutional Advancement, has challenged his Office departments – Communications, Corporate and Foundation Relations and Alumni Relations – to think differently when disseminating the College’s message. “Different is about trying to use the Internet and multi-media more effectively, particularly in reaching younger alums,” he said. The Take 5 initiative, which encourages alumni to take five minutes to make a financial donation to the College by texting in their contribution, is just one example of that kind of thinking, said Henry Goodgame ’84, director of Alumni Relations, Special Events and Annual Giving. “You have to be very creative,” he said. “Right now, we have about ten different things working, all trying to be responsive to alumni who need a menu of options to be involved,” he said. Some of those new ideas include the 1867 Alumni Campaign that encourages alumni to give $18.67 or $186.70 in honor of the College’s founding year, and the Georgia Campaign, which specifically focuses on the state with the College’s largest alumni base. Current students can take part in the Class Gift Challenge that allows them to send a text representing their admissions classification to a phone number that will become a $5 gift to Morehouse. “What I want alums to know is these are critical times and critical times call for critical actions,” Goodgame said. “Never before have we needed alums to step forward and show the world that this is an institution that is worthy of support and worthy of investment.” In Communications, the College’s brand and image, along with MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE

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news of all the activities going on at Morehouse, are receiving a much larger platform through technology. “Our Communications group is strengthening the College’s web presence and developing more agressive social media tactics in our overall communications strategy,” said Toni O’Neal Mosley, director of Public Relations. When it comes to fund raising, especially during a time when individuals and corporations are holding closer to their dollars, Howard said technology is important, but so is holding to the strategies that have continued to work for the College. “People still give to people and causes that they are passionate about,” he said. “But the change centers around the fact that there are fewer resources available, because we do have [a down economy] that affects fund raising. A lot of fund raising in this country comes from a relatively small percentage of the population that still has resources in downtimes. We must find new strategies to get those well pockets that are less affected by the change in the overall economy. That just means our value proposition has to be sharpened.” That sharpening, Howard believes, comes through technology. “Technology should be able to yield cost savings in fund raising,” he said. “The question is how do we do that smartly and how do we do that in a way where we add four or five instead of ten people because technology is doing some of the things we would have done manually or things we would have done on paper. “We have to be able to go back to reiterating our long-term story to our supporters, individuals, alumni and parents,” Howard continued. “[We must] tell the story they know about with the emphasis that President Franklin is putting on developing Renaissance leaders. It’s about doing the fundamentals and it’s about using new techniques. It’s really a combination of both.”

In the end, the biggest asset for Morehouse in terms of fund raising is the Morehouse brand itself, Howard said.“It’s a difficult market, as it is for all colleges and universities, but Morehouse is standing strong and we are getting support from our alums and all of our stakeholders. That is really heartening to see.” “The brand is platinum-plated,” he added. “It doesn’t rust. It’s highly valuable and people immediately recognize the worth of it without a whole lot of narrative or discourse. It’s because of what our alumni are doing in their daily lives. The doctors, the attorneys, the teachers, the business people, the scientists—all these people are in their routine life enhancing the Morehouse brand by what they do every day.” The most important girder in capacity building is leadership, an area where Morehouse has excelled in many ways. When Morehouse’s Board of Trustees was looking for a new president to succeed Walter E. Massey ’58 in 2007, not only were they looking for a strong leader to grab the financial and administrative baton, but they also were seeking an equally strong moral leader— someone who could communicate ethical traits to the new hip-hop sensible student. Franklin has focused on creating a College community focused on building Renaissance Men with a social conscience and driven by “The Five Wells” (students who are well-read, well-dressed, well-spoken, well-traveled and well-balanced). At the same time, Franklin has responded to the murky financial climate by demanding accountability and efficiency from faculty and staff. He’s streamlined administration and made some key hires. “Let’s put it this way,” said Willie “Flash” Davis ’56, chairman of

the Morehouse Board of Trustees. “Being the president of Morehouse is probably the toughest job I can think of. The alumni are probably the most critical group, as it should be because of their expectations and devotion. But the president has exceeded expectations. “We haven’t had to furlough any staff or faculty, which means he has been able to deal with our finances in a positive manner. That means that, in addition to being able to raise money, he has been able to effectively manage what we have.”

‘The Future is Bright’ Wilson smiled during a March 2010 speech to a group of HBCU faculty and administrators at Spelman College who were collaborating with Ohio University on finding ways to teach millennial, websavvy students. Less than a year later, he is more optimistic about HBCUs like Morehouse as they focus on capacity building to become the thriving schools he envisions. “I think we can meet our challenges,” he said. “You can believe the future is bright, but believing the future is bright is one thing. Taking advantage of the opportunity is another. I really do have a default answer. The future is going to be bright for those institutions that get governance and leadership right... So I think a number of HBCUs are going to be much stronger in the future than they are now and will be able to meet a lot of the challenges that are confronting them right now.” ■

Morehouse excels in leadership, an important girder in capacity building.

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Commencement/Reunion 2010

Embracing the Responsibility of Being a Morehouse Man By Add Seymour Jr.

he humid, sun-splashed Sunday morning of Commencement 2010 was the final day that more than 500 graduating seniors would be called men of Morehouse. On this, their day of transition, it was also the day of their final lesson: the importance of being a Morehouse Man.

Speaker after speaker told the class of 2010â&#x20AC;&#x201D;and a crowd of 10,000

family and friends on the Century Campus and hundreds more by web streamâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;about their new responsibility to serve others while looking to thrive in life.

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Keynote speaker Robert M. Gates (right), Secretary, U.S. Defense Department, smiles at Defense General Counsel, Jeh Johnson ’79

President Emeritus Walter E. Massey ’58 (center) excepts the Presidental Renaissance Medallion from Provost Weldon Jackson ’72 (left) and President Robert M. Franklin ’75 (right).

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates looked towards Graves Hall and mentioned all of the great Morehouse Men who worked to make sure all men are created equally – men such as Martin Luther King Jr. ’48, his classmate Samuel DuBois Cook ’48 and esteemed former Morehouse president Benjamin E. Mays. “No doubt, ours is an imperfect nation,” said Gates, who delivered the keynote address. “It has been and always will be a work in progress. So it falls to your generation to make sure we continue along that path of progress. As President Obama has said, you must put your foot firmly into the current of history.” Another person from Washington, D.C., who stressed the seniors’ new mission in life was U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.). In his charge to the graduates, Bishop, a 1968 graduate, told them that they are marked with an air of expectation for service and compassion. “You are expected to succeed,” he said. “You must develop our boys into strong, responsible men, just as Morehouse has helped to develop you. The torch is now passed. It is now in your hands. Go forth with God’s blessings and wear the name well.” It was a call to arms that valedictorian Jimmie Strong ’10, a native of Memphis, Tenn., implored his classmates to accept. “We know that the world awaits our service and our influence,”

Don L. Clark ’60, Benjamin F. Logan ’60 and James F. Lamar ’60 enjoy their 50th reunion. MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE

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John S. Wilson ’79, executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, brought greetings.

he said. “We also go with a solemn promise to all of you that we will pay forward for the priceless upbringings, unforgettable teachings and the urgings that crowned every step of our way. When the world makes the request…‘God send us men,’ the class of 2010 will step forward and say ‘here we are.’ ” Strong is putting meaning behind those words. The political science major finished most of his studies in three years, so he spent the first semester of his senior year laying the foundation for Renaissance Academy, an Atlanta-based charter school based on the Renaissance skills taught at Morehouse. Through the Jimmie Strong Lecture Series, he also teaches elementary through high school students skills ranging from proper etiquette and dress to public speaking and resume writing. Strong will spend the next year working in the International Trade & Finance Division of the U.S. Library of Congress’ Congressional Research Service. In 2011, he will attend Harvard Law School to earn a joint law and M.B.A. degree. Others plan to uphold the Morehouse Man tradition in a variety of ways. Derrick Brown is attending Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. Salutatorian Christopher Neely, who has been a mentor to middle school students in Georgia and Michigan, is a field engineer with Exxon Mobile Pipeline Company

At the roll call for the Class of 1990 during the President’s Welcome Luncheon, Bishop Jonathan Alvarado (left) leads the applause.

in Houston, Texas. And Desmond Coble, a business finance major from Fort Worth, Texas, is going to Japan where he will be stationed as part of the U.S. Navy. “It’s just a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Coble said. “I’m just excited to get out in the real world and make a difference.” It wasn’t just a day for the graduates. Gates and Bishop ’68 were presented the honorary Doctor of Laws while Tuskegee President Benjamin Payton, who retired after 27 years in office, was given an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. President Emeritus Walter E. Massey ’58 received the first-ever Presidential Renaissance Medallion for his continued work for the College and the community.

“This is the highest honor that I’ve ever received,” said Massey, who recently retired as board chair for Bank of America. “There is nothing like being honored by your own and I believe Morehouse is my own.” Before the class of 2010 left the Century Campus to make their marks in the world, President Robert M. Franklin ’75 urged the new graduates—who were freshmen when Franklin began his tenure as president—to lead by example, just as King did. “Be disturbed by mediocrity,” he said. “Do not sleep well in the presence of injustice. You must raise the social justice question if no one else at the table raises it. Be true to Morehouse.” ■

BACCALAUREATE 2010

Rising from Ruins THE SOCIAL, ETHICAL and moral walls of the nation’s neighborhoods are caving in, the Rev. Charles E. Booth told the class of 2010, the 2,500 people in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel and an overflow crowd of 500 during the 2010 baccalaureate service. “The question I pose to you is will you return to the ruins with the determination to rebuild the walls that have been torn down?” Booth asked the graduates. Booth, senior pastor of Mount Olivet Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio, hit several points that reverberated with the appreciative crowd, among them the fact that leadership should be wrapped in service and not selfishness. “Your first challenge as you think about

The Rev. Charles E. Booth gives the baccalaureate address before the Class of 2010.

going back to those ruins is not to rest, but to invigorate,” he said. “The call for you today is not to become selfish, not to look at what you consider to be a good paycheck, not to be concerned about building

a home out in suburbia so that you can enjoy the American dream. Your challenge is to return where you came from so that you can lift somebody up from out of the depths as you have been.” ■ S P R I N G / S U M M E R

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Commencement ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR: Lieutenant Colonel Otha E. Thornton ’89

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CHAPTER OF THE YEAR: Baltimore Alonzo Robertson ‘90, Chapter President

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REGION OF THE YEAR: Region 9 Nashon Hornsby ’93, Regional V.P.

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brothertobrother

Is the Morehouse Community Mature Enough to Police ‘Appropriate’ Attire? By Michael J. Brewer ‘09

“We have a responsibility to

To My Morehouse Brothers, Morehouse College, the Greater Black Community and Other Proponents of the Appropriate Attire Policy:

uphold the highest moral standard for the black male ideal —that how we think, speak, act, and yes, look, are all cuts of the brilliant diamond that is Morehouse College and our history of leadership.”

—Michael J. Brewer ’09 currently serves as chief of staff to Georgia State Representative Alisha Thomas Morgan and field organizer for Georgia Equality. For more, visit www.MichaelJBrewer.blogspot.com. MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE

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understand that we have a responsibility to uphold the highest moral standard for the black male ideal – that how we think, speak, act, and yes, look, are all cuts of the brilliant diamond that is Morehouse College and our history of leadership. However, it is the problematic and overtly homophobic arguments in favor of this policy, much more than the policy itself, that concern me about our institutional cognition surrounding issues central to this conversation. That the thinking of some welcomes this policy as a targeted censorship of gay/bisexual identity, however, demonstrates that as an institution and cultural community, we have a lot of self-edification to do concerning issues related to gender, sex and sexuality, and are not yet mature enough to police these concepts ‘appropriately.’ As a proud alumnus of Morehouse College, I love my institution with my whole heart and am infinitely indebted to her for making me the open and unapologetic Black queer man—the Morehouse Man—that I am today. In all that I do, I seek to bring only continued strength and honor to “Dear Old Morehouse.” As we all look forward to the continued leadership of Morehouse College—the Morehouse that is going to be – we must realize that we must divorce ourselves from certain barnacles of paternalism and bigotry that have characterized the Morehouse that was. The Morehouse demagogue cannot ethically be replicated by the same oppressive forces that helped to create it. The Morehouse Man (and thus, the definition of such) is ever evolving because that is what keeps our mission alive – the renewed spirit of the Morehouse College mission inspired in a new breed of distinctive philosopher-kings. Our image is not marred or depleted by creating a space in our trajectory for fluid gender expression and non-heteronormative sexuality. On the contrary, this phenomenon radically fortifies our purpose and cements our name further in the annals of history, transforming the conventional concept of black masculinity and liberating all black men from the oppressions of imperial patriarchy that have kept us bound in dysfunction for so long. And, though that heritage of prescribed hegemony may be what brought us to revere Mother Morehouse and her sons, it is incumbent upon us to seek an even higher standard of existence – one that embraces diverse expressions of black male identity, folding them into the excellence of Morehouse College. This is how we grow the legacy and lead the people. This is how we change the world. ■

alumninews national alumni association president’s message My Brothers, hank you for your conferral of collective trust this past spring when you elected me to serve as the new president of the Morehouse College National Alumni Association. I am humbled by the honor you have so graciously bestowed upon me and the newly elected officers of the Association. The first order of business is the appointment of each of you, members of the alumni body, to the position of “presidential advisers.” You are charged with the responsibility of challenging all of the newly elected officers to develop this Association so that it is relevant to you, our alumni. A great deal of gratitude is in order for the past officers and leadership of the Association. President McCall has continued to zealously move this organization forward. With the revamping of the Association’s Web site, implementing programs such as the Pro Tiger Network Mentoring Program and the Grey Tiger Initiative, President McCall and his administration have kept the Association on the right track. I hope to continue to grow the Association and position it to make an even deeper impact within our alumni base. As we move forward, our success will depend upon our ability to take a good, hard look at our Association and its purpose. Will we be confident enough to celebrate our successes, yet humble enough to acknowledge our shortcomings? Are we willing to accept and embrace the growth that must occur within our organization if we are to remain relevant to a rapidly changing alumni demographic? All of these are questions that we must answer together. President Robert M. Franklin ’75 has done much to inspire the students at Morehouse to become “Renaissance men with social conscience.” Dr. Franklin has helped to define what we alumni have always exhibited and intrinsically known: our alma mater represents a very unique and prestigious “brand.” It is a brand that all alumni share an interest in protecting. If this Morehouse brand loses value, then our credentials lose value and, ultimately, a part of who we are is lost. We are all parts of a larger whole, and no matter how hard we attempt, we can never separate ourselves from or forget the experiences of Dear Old Morehouse—be those experiences good, bad or indifferent. It is these experiences that have helped to define us as men; and as men we must be bold as we address issues surrounding alumni participation within the Association, alumni giving at the College, and collaboration amongst all of our stakeholders. I have faith that we will squarely confront the issues that face the College, the Association and our alumni body. It will require that all of us become engaged and committed leaders in our communities as we embrace new strategies for growth. It will require us to re-engage our Association and challenge it to meet the needs of its members. It will require us to look in new directions and travel the path less trodden. It will require us to set our sights on a bolder vision for the Association. I extend an invitation and an open hand for you to be a part of what will be an unprecedented term of growth, inclusion and collaboration. I look forward to working with you to develop an Association that is strong, relevant and responsive to the needs of its members.

“Will we be confident enough to celebrate our successes, yet humble enough to acknowledge our shortcomings? Are we willing to accept and embrace the growth that must occur within our organization if we are to remain relevant to a rapidly changing alumni demographic?”

Sincerely,

Kevin R. McGee ’93 President MCNAA NOTE: MCNAA is an independent 501c3 organization.

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alumninews Robert C. Davidson Jr. ’67 elected chairman of the board of trustees of Art Center College of Design ROBERT C. DAVIDSON JR. ’67 recently has been elected chairman of the Board of Trustees of Art Center College of Design. Davidson, who serves as co-chair of the Morehouse Board of Trustees, is the first African American to serve as the Art Center’s board chairman and among the first African Americans to assume board leadership of a member institution within the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. Davidson has served on the Art Center’s board since 2004, most recently serving as chair of the Presidential Search Committee, tasked with finding a new president and chief executive officer, which resulted in the appointment of Dr. Lorne M. Buchman. Davidson also has served on the board’s executive, audit and governance committees, the latter of which he has chaired since 2007. Dedicated to community involve-

ment, Davidson sits on the board of a number of other organizations, including Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.; Broadway Federal Robert C. Davidson Jr. ’67 Bank; CedarsSinai Medical Center; The White House Fellows Commission; and the University of Chicago Graduate School Advisory Council. He is also vice chairman of the South Coast Air Quality Management District Brain and Lung Tumor and Air Pollution Foundation. Among many honors, Davidson has received the Bennie Award for Leadership from Morehouse; the Man of the Year Award from the March of Dimes; the Father of the

Year Award from the American Diabetes Association; the Ronald H. Brown Award; the Raoul Wallenberg Save the Children Award from the Shaare Zedek Medical Center Jerusalem; Black Businessman of the Year from the Los Angeles Chapter of the Black MBA Association; and Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year from the National Association of Investment Companies. The president’s residence at Morehouse College is named in his honor. Davidson is the founder, retired chairman and chief executive officer of Surface Protection Industries, which became one of the top African Americanowned manufacturing companies in California. He also co-founded and served as vice president for the Urban National Corporation, a private venture capital firm that raised more than $10 million for investments in minority-controlled businesses. ■

J. Robert Carr ‘72 named executive director of the National Bar Association J. ROBERT CARR ’72 was recently named the executive director of The National Bar Association. He was formally introduced during the NBA’s 84th Annual Convention in August 2009 in San Diego. He succeeds John Crump, who served as the association’s executive director for more than 30 years. Carr is cognizant of the legacy and immense task of leading the historic organization. “Working for equal justice under law, our mission is more vital than ever,” he said. “We are as much needed today—perhaps not in the same way as when were founded. I look forward to helping to shape an ever more vibrant organization for our members and the society they serve.” For the past two decades, Carr, an attorney and human resources professional, has served in various executive leadership positions at several prominent membership organizations throughout the Washington, D.C., area. His career emerged from his experiences as a senior director for Strategic Planning and Human Resources for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA), serving on the executive

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team of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), and as the director of the Human Resources Group, including its Volunteer Resource Center. In 2003, Carr was named vice president for Human Resources and Strategic Planning at the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), and was later promoted to chief professional development officer. A recognized authority on leadership development, Carr’s leadership skills were honed at Morehouse, then later at Columbia University Law School, where he earned his J.D., and at Georgetown University Law Center, where he earned a L.L.M.. He is active within several organizations, including the American Bar Association and the American Society of Association Executives. He also is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, the Bar Association of the District of Columbia, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States. ■

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The Rev. Paul A. McDaniel ’51 was recently appointed to the Board of Commissioners of the Tennessee Human Rights Commission, a state agency charged with safeguarding Tennesseans from discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, sex, disability, age (over 40), national origin, or familial status in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodations. McDaniel is pastor of the Second Missionary Baptist Church and a community activist in Chattanooga, Tenn. Joseph Draper ’57 recently served as the grand marshal for the Morehouse Homecoming Parade. Draper is retired from the Atlanta Public School System, where he served as director of environmental services. He most recently served as executive director of the Morehouse College National Alumni Association.

Benjamin Blackburn II ‘61 and Benjamin Blackburn III ‘93 recently opened a state-ofthe-art, 2,500square-foot dental facility in Buckhead, Ga.. Both dentists are specialists in prosthodontics, restorative, implant and cosmetic dentistry. The two have been practicing in Atlanta for a combined total of 45 years. Ben Blackburn III, a graduate of the Morehouse Army ROTC program, holds the rank of major in the U.S. Army Reserves. He recently was deployed to Camp Shelby, Miss., for 90 days to provide dental care for soldiers transitioning to and from war operations in the Middle East. Blackburn III also has been appointed to the six-member board of Imagine Downtown Inc., a partnership between the Atlanta Development Authority and Central Atlanta Progress. The board is responsible for awarding

up to $50 million in federal tax credits in blighted urban areas. William Gary ’67, vice president for Workforce Development for the Northern Virginia Community College System, the second largest community college system in the nation, has been named chairman of the Dulles Regional Chamber’s Board of Directors for 2009-2010. He is the first African American elected to the position.

19 7 0 s Benson Cooke ’75 was recently named the 41st president of the National Association of Black Psychologists during its 41st Annual International Convention and the 5th ABPsi International Congress on Licensure, Certification and Proficiency in Black Psychology at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. He will serve a two-year term as national president from 2009-2011. Reginald Crenshaw ’78 was elected to a six-year term as a commissioner on the Mobile County (Ala.) School Board. He is one of five commissioners responsible for all board policies related to

the fiscal affairs, human resources and physical resources for the largest school system in the state of Alabama. These policies will have an impact on more than 65,000 students and 6,500 employees.

19 8 0 s The Rev. Dr. Gregory G. Groover Sr. ’83 has been elected chair of the Boston School Committee, which he has served as a member since January 2007. The committee is a seven-member board that governs and sets policy for the Boston Public Schools. Members are appointed by the mayor, who selects from a list of finalists recommended by a 13member citizens nominating panel. Terrance L. Dixon ’87 has joined the Southern Regional Office of the College Board as senior associate for higher education. Before joining the College Board, Dixon served his alma

President Robert M. Franklin ’75 Named the University of Chicago Divinity School’s Alumnus of the Year PRESIDENT ROBERT M. FRANKLIN ’75 has been named the 2010 Alumnus of the Year at the University of Chicago Divinity School, joining former president Benjamin E. Mays who received the same honor 51 years ago. The award recognizes outstanding achievement by graduates of the Divinity School, and has been awarded annually since 1947. Mays was the third honoree when he was chosen in 1949. Franklin earned his doctorate in ethics and society, and religion and the social sciences from the Divinity School in 1985. He delivered his Alumnus of the Year address, "Nurturing Citizens through Liberal Arts Education: Reflections on Dr.

King's Unpublished Papers," at the University of Chicago’s Swift Lecture Hall on April 29, 2010. Franklin also recently was honored by ESSENCE and the Southern Company during An Evening of Excellence, a commemorative reception held in conjunction with the Congressional Black Caucus. He was presented with the prestigious Hope Award, honoring him for his outstanding leadership as an educator and architect of change. Additionally, in March 2010, Franklin was appointed to serve on the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Capital Financing Advisory Board, which advises the Secretary of

Education and the designated bonding authority on the most effective and efficient means of implementing construction financing to HBCUs, as well as advises Congress on the progress made in implementing the program. His tem will end in September 2013. ■ S P R I N G / S U M M E R

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classnotes Profilesin Leadership

Morehouse Experience Renders Rare Dividends REGINALD DAVIS ’85 LEADING A FINANCIAL institution is no small feat, especially in this current economic climate. But Reginald Davis ’85 isn’t deterred. The Hartford, Conn., native insists that his Morehouse years prepared him well for his current post as president of RBC, the U.S. banking arm of the Royal Bank of Canada. “This might sound cliché, but without Morehouse I probably wouldn’t be where I am Reginald Davis ’85 today,” contends Davis, who holds a bachelor’s degree in insurance and actuarial science. “Some people might look at it as hokey, but the tradition at Morehouse is real. We were challenged and exposed to African Americans doing so many different things. There aren’t many environments where African American men are encouraged and challenged like this.” Thanks to the tough love of professors like Vince Egan and John Williams, Davis says he is well prepared for the many challenges ahead, including steering the company’s bottom line back into the red in upcoming quarters. “They both were fairly uncompromising in their expectations of their students,” he says. “They weren’t my favorites back then, but, looking back, I know they cared.” Davis remains committed to giving back to his alma mater by serving on the Dean’s Advisory Board and as a mentor for the mentorship program. Since October 2009, he has helmed five divisions for the Raleigh, N.C.-based company, including retail banking, commercial markets, specialized businesses, private banking and residential mortgages. Prior to joining RBC Bank, from 1985 Davis served in seven executive roles at Wachovia, including executive vice president and Eastern Banking Group executive, where he led retail and wholesale activities in 20 East Coast states. “You don’t see a lot of African Americans on this level in banking and financial institutions, or corporate America in general, for that matter. I’m proud to represent as a Morehouse Man.” ■ —Chandra R. Thomas MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE

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mater as associate dean of recruitment and admissions where, for 14 years, he worked to help improve overall student quality and to meet enrollment objectives. John D. Brewer ’89 was appointed the associate administrator for the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). Previously, Brewer was employed with the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, where he worked on a variety of intelligence and finance-related projects for the departments of Defense, Justice, Treasury and Homeland Security, as well as private-sector financial institutions such as Bank of America and Wachovia. He also was a senior analyst in the Office of Global Risk Assessments at the American International Group (AIG), where he was responsible for providing analysis on business risks and global threats to AIG and its largest customers. H. Beecher Hicks III ’89 was partner to the acquisition of Gray Line of Nashville. Hicks is a partner in Red Clay Capital, an Atlanta-based, minorityowned and -managed private investment firm. Gray Line of Nashville is the largest motor coach company in the state of Tennessee and the 28th largest motor coach company in the nation.

19 9 0 s Jeffrey Ogbonna Green Ogbar ’91 was recently appointed the new associate dean for the humanities of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Connecticut. He formerly served as an associate professor of history. Said Sewell ’92 was appointed executive director of the new Academic Success Center at Fort Valley State University. He is responsible for assessing the current structure and making the changes needed to produce optimum outcomes, efficiency and improved effectiveness. In addition to operating the center, Sewell is an associate professor in the department of history, geography, political science and criminal justice at the university.

Clifford Bryan ‘94 recently announced the syndication of his living history column on Michelle Obama and the Obama administration. Clifford’s column is currently featured nationally by Clarity Digital Group LLC at Examiner.com. Bryan’s Michelle Obama Examiner column was the No. 1 column in politics at Examiner in August, receiving more than half a million page views as his pieces “Michelle Obama’s Shorts Are Short,” “Do Right Wing and Conservative Parents Talk Bad About Obama at the Dinner Table?”, “Civil War II,” and “Michelle and Barack Obama’s New Religion--Say Hello to Obamunism!” went viral in only a matter of days. Joel Secundy ’94 has assumed the role of deputy assistant secretary of services for the U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration. As deputy assistant secretary, he oversees and manages three separate offices that develop trade policy, identify foreign market barriers, and analyze trends affecting the domestic and foreign competitiveness for U.S. businesses in the service, tourism and finance industries. He previously worked as a recruiter for Russell Reynolds Associates in the New York financial services practice. Kenneth D. Pratt ’95 was elected president of the Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter of the National Bar Association. Currently, Pratt serves as a legislative advocate with the Florida League of Cities, advocating in the Florida State Legislature on behalf of more than 400 cities across Florida on economic development and housing issues. Nicholas Bussey ’97 has been named director of the United Negro College Fund Special Programs (UNCFSP) Institute for International Public Policy

classnotes (IIPP). The IIPP Fellowship Program is funded by the U.S. Education Department to increase the number of minority professionals in international affairs careers. The UNCFSP supports summer institutes, study abroad, language training, internships and graduate school for each fellow admitted into the program. Undergraduate sophomores apply and remain in the IIPP pipeline indefinitely. The Rev. Charles L Fischer III ’97 has been appointed director of alumni, annual fund and church relations in the Office of Institutional Advancement at Virginia Theological Seminary. This new position is the result of two merged positions: director of alumni affairs and church relations and director of the annual fund. Fischer recently received the M.Div. from Virginia Seminary, where he distinguished himself as a campus leader, having served as the student body president.

2000s Alex Watkins ’01 has been named admissions representative for Olivet College. Watkins previously served as an account executive at MacDonald Broadcasting Co. in Lansing, Mich., where he was responsible for helping local businesses reach their objectives through advertising and marketing. Adriel A. Hilton ’03 was recently featured in Ebony magazine as one of its “Young Leaders Under 30.” He was recognized for his work with the Greater Baltimore Committee, a regional business organization based in Baltimore. Hilton is a member of several boards, among them:

The Maryland Business Roundtable of Education Speakers Bureau Advisory Board and The Foundation Board of Alpha Kappa Psi, Baltimore Alumni Chapter. He recently was appointed executive assistant to the president for Upper Iowa University. Hilton holds a doctorate in higher education from Morgan State

University, a master’s in applied social science from Florida A&M University, and a bachelor’s in business administration from Morehouse. Manu Platt ’03 recently joined the faculty of the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory. He has been selected as one

of the 19 scholars named by the Georgia Cancer Coalition for its Distinguished Cancer Clinicians and Scientists Program for 2009-10. Platt will receive $50,000 each year for five years to support his research efforts. The Coalition selects scientists engaged in the most promising areas of cancer research.

Profilesin Leadership

Accountant Who Followed a Higher Calling WALTER PARRISH III ’81 IT WAS ON THE CAMPUS of his beloved alma mater that Walter Parrish III first began grappling with his call to ministry. “I was an accounting major and I wanted to go make money. Accounting seemed like a good way to do that,” says Parrish with a chuckle. But three years after graduating from Morehouse, the Baltimore native enrolled at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. The rest, as they say, is history. Parrish is now the general secretary of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc., the nation’s third largest African American Baptist convention. It claims 2.5 million members worldwide and 1.5 million in the United States. PNBC was formed out of a power struggle between younger ministers in the National Baptist Convention who wanted to move the denomination to the forefront of the civil rights movement. It was the spiritual home of some of the period’s most celebrated civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr. ’48. Walter Parrish III’81 In addition to his new duties, Parrish continues as senior pastor of Union Baptist Church in Montclair, N.J. Before moving to the historic African American congregation, which is affiliated with both the PNBC and American Baptist Churches, Parrish worked 12 years for American Baptists’ Ministers and The Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board. He began as interim pastor at Montclair in 2003, but was promoted to permanent pastor within two months. While at Morehouse, Parrish served as president of the glee club and sports editor of The Maroon Tiger newspaper. He co-founded the Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel Assistants Program. “Morehouse prepared me by telling me that nothing was impossible and to be prepared for anything,” he says. “While at Morehouse, I met and learned about black men doing things I didn’t know we were doing. It gave me the confidence that I could do anything. “There’s certainly an expectation of success at Morehouse. We all want to make each other proud. We strive for that.” ■ —Chandra R. Thomas

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classnotes Marriages

Births

Ralph Hugh Smith II ‘85 married the former Robin Denise Strong on October 3, 2009. Aaron Moree Foster ’95 and Niesha Nicole Hamilton were recently married in Manhattan. The bride and bridegroom are directors at Pfizer in Manhattan: she in the policy department and he in the management science department. Foster graduated magna cum laude from Morehouse and earned a doctorate in biostatistics from Harvard. He is also a director of the Mattapan Community Health Center in Mattapan, Mass. The Rev. Beryl M. Whipple ’04 wed the former Roxanne A. Vaughan at a ceremony held in The Forum in

The Rev. Beryl and Roxanne Whipple

Baltimore on September 5. Whipple pastors two churches: Asbury United Methodist Church, White Marsh, Md., and John Wesley United Methodist Church, Joppa, Md. He is also a 2007 graduate of Wake Forest University, where he earned the master of divinity, and is currently working towards a master’s in church management at Villanova University School of Business.

Onewill willgraduate graduate in in 2011. 2010. One One will will not. not. One

Your gift to the Georgia Alumni Campaign can make the difference.

sen by the United Negro College Fund as “Outstanding Alumnus” in 2003. Jeffrey Anderson ‘97 and Dr. Kami Robert A. Clark ’57 died on J. Anderson (Sp’97) are the proud parents of a September 19 at his home in Atlanta. son, Jeffrey L. Anderson II, born on June 9, Clark, a 40-year employee of Morehouse 2009, in Atlanta. The family is well and look- College, held several positions in the Office ing forward to the Morehouse Class of 2030. of Business and Finance and Campus Benjamin A. Blackburn III and his Operations. His most recent position was wife, Jeanette, proudly announce the birth of a with the Bonner Office of Community son, Benjamin A. Blackburn IV, on May 23, Service as a driver. Before beginning his 2008. Benjamin IV, a soon-to-be member of career at Morehouse, Clark served as the the Morehouse Class of 2029, is the grandson registrar and director of admissions for of Benjamin A. Blackburn II ’61 and greatBarber-Scotia College and as an associate grandson of Benjamin A. Blackburn Sr. ’29. professor in the department of business at Alcorn State University. Jai Leon Gilchrist ’84, son of alumnus James Leon Gilchrist ‘56, passed The Rev. Phale D. Hale ’40, for- away after a brief illness at Ronald Reagan mer Ohio state legislator and a chairman UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. A of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, died memorial service was held on August 26, 2009, in Temecula, Calif., and a second recently at the age of 94. Hale was memorial service was held in Tallahassee, retired as pastor of Union Grove Baptist Fla. Donations can be made in his honor Church, where he served for 43 years. to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center or He was very active with the NAACP and the American Cancer Society. by 1950 had established two NAACP David K. Wills ’85 died suddenly at chapters. Hale is quoted as saying: “If you his Atlanta home of cardiac arrest. He was have a dream, wake up and pursue it.” 47. Wills was the younger brother of alumThe Rev. Adolph Parsons ’40, nus Dr. Noah E. Wills ’83 and the youngest pastor of St. James Baptist Church in son of alumnus Dr. Noah E. Wills Jr. ’50. Forsyth, Ga., for 61 years, recently died at Joseph Polk III ’91, former player the age of 91. Parsons was a community and coach for the Maroon Tigers football leader and worked for racial reconciliation between black and white churches. He also team, passed away recently in Atlanta. served as a counselor at Mary Persons High While attending Morehouse, he was a School and was a calming presence during four-year starter and named to the Georgia the integration of schools in the early 1970s. All-Conference Team. Polk also was Emmett L. Proctor Jr. ’48 recently named a Black College All-American and passed away after a lengthy illness. “Mr. played in the 1990 Freedom Bowl. In Maroon and White,” as he was affection- 2006, he was named to the All-Time State ately known to his fellow alums, was the Team, which he considered to be one of 2002 Alumnus of the Year and was cho- his greatest athletic achievements. ■

Passages

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passages Godfather of African American Doctors Recruited Black Doctors to Columbus M. DELMAR EDWARDS ’48 M. DELMAR EDWARDS ‘48, physician and community leader, was ‘Godfather of African American doctors.’ He died Sept. 11, 2009, after a distinguished career as a surgeon, educator and leader. He was 82. “He was a trailblazer in the medical, civic and business community,” said Dr. Louis Sullivan, a founder of Morehouse School of Medicine and a former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “While we mourn his loss, we all benefit from the contributions he made to our community.” Edwards became the first African American to practice surgery in Columbus, Ga., after moving there from his native Arkansas in 1964. “He came at a time when African American physicians were not welcome,” said Dr. Sylvester McRae. He scaled the walls of racial rejection and skepticism to lead the General Surgery Section at the Medical Center in Columbus and serve as chairman of the Department of Surgery. Along the way, he helped close the racial gap in medical disparities by recruiting scores of African American physicians to practice in middle Georgia. “He was known as the Godfather of African American physicians because he recruited so many African American doctors to Columbus,” said McRae. “When Dr. Edwards recruited me in 1985, there were probably less

than 10 African American physicians. Today there are 60 to 75. Dr. Delmar Edwards was instrumental in recruiting all of those physicians. He was a father figure who extended himself and his resources to help others.” Edwards also was a founding trustee of the Morehouse School of Medicine. A scholarship named in his honor has helped dozens of MSM students become doctors. “Dr. Delmar Edwards’ contributions in the early years of our institution were invaluable,” said MSM President John E. Maupin. “He believed in our mission and his extraordinary philanthropy helped ease the financial burden of many of our students – and we will miss him.” Added Sullivan, who is a founder and the first black president of the Morehouse School of Medicine: “Delmar lent his credibility and support to the Morehouse School of Medicine, and that is one of the reasons the school exists today.” Edwards was the first African American male to graduate from the University of Arkansas Medical School. He also received training at Central State University in Ohio, Atlanta University and Morehouse College. He was the first African American member of the Columbus Rotary Club, a long-serving member of Columbus State University Foundation Board, a member of the Board of Directors of AFLAC, Inc., and a pioneer in Columbus civic, religious and community activities. He also was active in local and state politics, and lent early encouragement and support to state Rep. Calvin Smyre (D-Columbus) and Congressman Sanford Bishop. Edwards and his late wife, Betty, had three children: Maurice, Christopher (1979) and K. Jessica. He also is survived by six grandchildren. ■

Finance Executive Helped Many Black Atlantans Buy First Homes ROSWELL O. SUTTON ‘41 ROSWELL O. SUTTON ’41, died Aug. 19, 2009, of heart failure at Hospice Atlanta. The long-time businessman and entrepreneur was eulogized in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse. Sutton began his illustrious career at Citizens Trust Bank, where he rose from bookkeeper to executive vice president. In Atlanta, the Army veteran was a bank official when blacks were anomalies in such positions. Because of his position, he helped many blacks buy their first homes. After retiring from CTB in 1974, he founded R.O. Sutton and Associates, a financial consulting business. For decades, he also served as vice president for finance for Paschal’s Concession, Inc., which oper-

ates restaurants at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Sutton earned his bachelor’s degree from Morehouse in 1941 and earned a master’s degree from the graduate school of banking at the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1953. Very active in the Atlanta community, Sutton was a member of several boards, including Atlanta Life Insurance Co.; the Butler Street YMCA; the George Washington Carver Boys and Girls Club; the Big Bethel A.M.E. Federal Credit Union; and the Phi Beta Sigma Federal Credit Union. He also served on the Governor’s Advisory Council on Mental Health, Retardation and Substance Abuse; and the advisory council of the Fulton County Alcoholism Treatment Center. Sutton served as international president for the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity for 17 years and is the only member in fraternity history to be granted the status of international president emeritus. ■

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DE TOUR

Otha Thornton’s goal to become a city manager did an about-face when he

p until March 2010, I was the

bilities was casualty operations for all of Iraq.

chief of personnel plans and

We had soldiers who died or were wounded in

operations in Iraq. If this

action,and we had to get them processed

were a civilian position, it’d

through the system with dignity and respect

be similar to a senior vice

and ensure that they were well taken care of. It

president for human

was a good day when I came in and we didn’t

resources. I was responsible for about 250,000

instead continued his

personnel (service members and civilians), so

family legacy in the military.

MOREHOUSE MAGAZINE

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have any casualties. Benjamin E.Mays’philosophy of educa-

my primary job was to ensure that, in the

tion has had the greatest impact on me

planning process, we provided essential per-

throughout my career.He said that the purpose

sonnel services for everyone.

of an education was first to build character; the

That was very,very complicated. We had

S P R I N G / S U M M E R

OF second,serve humanity,and the third,earn a liv-

to be sure that everyone entered and exited Iraq

ing. Morehouse really reinforced that. I will tell

on the Commander in Chief’s time schedule;

you that the foundation for me was what Mays

ensure that everyone received their mail; we had

said about character,education and doing the

to be sure that we had proper medical facilities

right thing and serving humanity. And every-

and medical units; and one my major responsi-

thing else will take care of itself.

TheRoadTaken out and go back to work towards becoming a

the same thing. Just working with the scouts

looking for a college that was about developing

city manager in Atlanta. But I enjoyed what I

and working with the Iraqis trying to contribute

leaders in the community and emphasizing

was doing in the military and was offered

something to Iraqi society.

community service. These criteria guided me

many opportunities to remain in service. I was

to Morehouse. My mother also recommended

commissioned as a military intelligence officer

of the things we take from Morehouse. If you do

the College because she had an outstanding

and I’ve just had some great opportunities that

those first two things -- service to humanity and

Morehouse teacher from back in her high school

came about and here I am 21 years later.

doing the right thing -- everything else will take

days. I was looking at West Point and North

Before serving in Iraq, I was a presidential

care of itself. ■

Georgia Military,but once I visited Morehouse

communications officer and director of

in the spring of 1984,I knew and decided that’s

Human Resources at the White House

Thornton begins his retirement in July 2010 after 21

where I was supposed to be.

Communications Agency. While assigned to

years in the military.

When I was a junior in high school,I was

The Morehouse experience was great. It

the White House Communications Agency,

was a very good experience,running across all

among other things,I provided direct commu-

the young men from all around the world. It’s a

nications support for presidential events. For

DUTY

By Lieutenant Colonel Otha E. Thornton ’89

different level of education…it was just a very,

example,I set up the communications sites for

very good experience.

the president and made sure that he had

My major was urban studies with a concen-

instantaneous communications while perform-

tration in management. My goal was to eventu-

ing his roles as chief executive officer, com-

ally become a city manager. But God had other

mander in chief, and head of state. I played a

plans. Actually after I graduated,I knew I want-

major role in the preparation and planning for

ed to serve in the military. It was sort of a family

the inauguration of President Obama.

tradition to serve.In my immediate family,there

I would tell you the military has been

was my brother,Eric. I graduated in 1989 and

filled with many wonderful opportunities. It’s

Eric graduated in 1995. He was a captain in the

something I would recommend for students to

military and he served in Bosnia. He’s still with

consider for the service to country and the

the military,but he’s no longer in Iraq. I also

leadership experience that it offers.

have a brother,Charles,who graduated in 1999.

For me, much of it goes back to what

Charles was a special operations soldier who

Mays talked about: teaching about service to

served in Afghanistan. My dad was also military.

humanity and doing the right thing. I got a

So I did my first four years in the military after I graduated Morehouse. I was going to get

The last is earning a living and that’s the least

chance to work with Iraqis. We had a couple

N E

W S

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