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THANK YOU FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE!
Lt. Col. (Ret.)
Michael L. Bell, ’76, President Monique Antoine, ’97, 1st Vice President Debora Savoy, ’81, 2nd Vice President
Celebrating the 11th anniversary of our School of Global Journalism and Communication (SGJC) this year, Morgan State University has a legacy of excellence among its alumni-journalists that is many decades older. Countless Morgan-educated professionals have made the University proud with their achievements in journalism. Think William C. Rhoden, who earned his bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication from Morgan in 1973 and went on to a stellar career as a sportswriter and editor for publications including the Baltimore Afro-American, the Baltimore Sun, Ebony magazine and The New York Times, and as author of four books, including the bestselling “Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete.” Think April D. Ryan, Bachelor of Science in Telecommunications graduate of Morgan’s Class of 1989, White House correspondent since 1997 and author of four books, including an award-winning volume titled, “The Presidency in Black and White.”
But just as Morgan’s journalism and communications programs have grown in stature since 2013 under the leadership of SGJC’s founding dean DeWayne Wickham and the current dean, Jacqueline Jones, the latest generations of Morgan’s J-school graduates have grown in skill and vision to meet the challenges of this turning-point era in the U.S. and around the globe.
Meet seven of the many Morgan professionals who exemplify our University’s success in producing journalists to lead the world.
Speakers in Chief
Morgan’s student newspaper, The Spokesman, published since 1942, has long been a breeding ground for outstanding journalists, and the past seven years have been no exception. Tramon Lucas, now the digital editor for The Baltimore Banner, served as The Spokesman’s editor in chief as a graduating senior in Morgan’s Bachelor of Science in
Multimedia Journalism (MMJ) program, in 2017. Two years later, another current Banner staffer, Penelope Blackwell, breaking news reporter, held the reins of the campus publication during her last year as a Multimedia Journalism undergraduate, and two years hence, MMJ senior Oyin Adedoyin, now a personal finance reporter for The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), held the top job at The Spokesman, and also completed a Morgan-based fellowship with the WSJ, during the tough pandemic years.
Brilliant and outgoing, Adedoyin, who was born in Nigeria and raised in Baltimore, says Morgan’s professors and Dean Jones channeled
the passion she had held for a career in journalism since she was a pre-teen.
“I feel like the professors and the dean saw in me that I was really passionate about it, and they said, ‘OK, great. Just tell us what you want to do and where you want to go, and we’ll work on our end to see how we can give you proper training, get you the proper internships, connect you with people,’” Adedoyin says, adding that she was well prepared for her first full-time job post-graduation in 2021: staff reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education.
“I feel like Morgan really gave me the confidence, being editor in chief of the school paper during a global pandemic. That was huge when I went to work at The Chronicle. I realized this is a national organization that relies heavily on student news,” Adedoyin says.
“There were a lot of things (I) learned during the coverage of the pandemic that I’m constantly thinking about (now),” she adds, “as we’re being asked to come up with ideas around the election or topics related to personal finance and how Americans are feeling about who the next president is going to be.”
(at left) Oyin Adedoyin with (center) SGJC Dean Jacqueline Jones
Tramon Lucas
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Like Adedoyin, Blackwell, a native of Washington, D.C., came to college with a strong desire to be a journalist and made the most of Morgan’s many opportunities to realize her dream. Her skills in the craft grew steadily throughout her time as a student, and she left Morgan on a high note: winning the 2019 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for a group investigative report titled, “Hate in America,” done in collaboration with other top J-school students from across the country. Her love of journalism remains strong, as she pursues her long-term goals of being a recognized reporter in public safety, criminal justice and politics. And she hopes to one day write a book about her career experiences.
“The most fascinating part of this field is the opportunity to learn about the world through the perspective of others,” Blackwell says. “This is what keeps me interested in journalism: having enough information to think and speak about what truly matters.”
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As a child in Baltimore County, Tramon Lucas often witnessed his grandparents’ reverence for TV news. He also developed a love for storytelling through creative writing. By the time he was 14 and attending high school, those two experiences had merged to become a calling to the field of journalism. And Morgan made it possible for him to answer that call.
“While Morgan wasn’t my first choice, it was the best choice…. It was a great experience,” Lucas says.
Beginning a work-study program in Morgan’s SGJC during his sophomore year, he worked as an office aide for thendepartment chair, now dean, Jacqueline Jones. That experience and his five years with The Spokesman, “really helped shape and mold me (into) the young journalist I am today,” Lucas says.
After graduating from Morgan in 2017, Lucas worked as an intern for the Associated Press, then as an assignment editor and digital
editor for WBAL-TV 11 News, in Baltimore, before taking his current post at the Banner in 2022.
“I don’t get a chance to always focus on them here, but no matter what I’m doing, no matter where I am, I think race and culture are really important,” Lucas says, “so I always like to highlight them.”
On-Air Talent
The Great Recession brought Marquis Lupton to Morgan as a master’s degree student in Telecommunications in 2009, in search of knowledge to help him transition to TV from radio, which was being devastated by the economic downturn.
It turned out to be a great move, one made better by caring and challenging professors such as Laura Dorsey Elson and Gregory Adamo, and by the support of his uncle and aunt who worked on campus: William Lupton, a professor of Computer Science, and his wife, Monica McKinney Lupton, who was director of the Murphy Fine Arts Center.
“My time at Morgan really, really made me fall in love with news gathering,” Marquis says. “I had an internship at CBS…. Then I started working at CNN in DC…. CNN had journalism classes, taught us how to research stories.”
After graduating from Morgan in 2011, Lupton worked for the CBS station in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and his career took off from there. His time at Morgan also included volunteer work for the University’s public radio station, WEAA, which gave him early preparation for his current job in public
Penelope Blackwell
Marquis Lupton
Continued from page 3
radio: local host of the National Public Radio (NPR) show “All Things Considered,” for WYPR in Baltimore. Returning to radio is like coming home, he says.
Well-grounded in African American culture by his parents during his upbringing in a predominantly white community in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Lupton has launched and led two media outlets that aimed to tell richer stories about Black communities: a digital media company named TCP (The Cultured Professional) and FACE Philly Magazine — an online publication devoted to “Family Art Community Entertainment.”
In politics, Lupton believes, his responsibility as a journalist is “to hold truth to power, but also get the right information out…. I look at us as modern-day scribes. When people look back 10, 15, 50 years from now, they’ll be referring to our words, our writing, our thoughts.”
A Spring 2023 graduate of Morgan State University, Kysha Hancock, from Prince George’s County, Maryland, has been a strong utility player for WKEF-TV, Dayton 24/7 Now, in Dayton, Ohio, since January, working as a multimedia journalist. Although she arrived at Morgan fueled with a strong ambition to succeed in media, she credits the University with helping her overcome her natural shyness and otherwise making her current employment possible.
“I am grateful I was able to attend Morgan State for all four years, because it definitely wasn’t easy,” Hancock says. “Being a college student comes with its challenges, but I’m
grateful to all the faculty and all the staff I met who really just kept encouraging me not to give up and really encouraged me to see some things I didn’t see in myself.”
Hancock made the most of the training and nurturing she received, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Multimedia Journalism and a plethora of extracurricular activities on her resume, among them serving on the Dean’s Student Advisory Council for SGJC and as Morgan’s Miss Sophomore and Miss Junior and as Miss Morgan State.
Outside of her day job, Hancock hosts an Instagram page focused on women’s empowerment: Sisterhood.Soul.Sanity. Her long-term goal is to transition to entertainment media, but for now she’s focused on reporting the news, in this highly political time in the U.S. when, she admits, that job has added importance.
“People look to the news to get facts about politics and politicians and just hear what’s really going on. We really have to make sure we’re doing our best and fact-checking and putting out correct information…” she says, “(and) also making sure that we’re not allowing our personal opinions to get tied into what we’re reporting.”
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During her more than a decade as a working journalist, Jenyne Donaldson, of Morgan’s Class of 2010, has seen political upheaval come and go. But the news anchor for WBAL-TV, the NBC affiliate in Baltimore, has developed skills, experience and high standards of professionalism that she says will continue to serve her well through changing times.
“I try to approach every story with the same amount of responsibility. Whether it’s a personal story or political, there is still an
Jenyne Donaldson
Kysha Hancock
impact, and each story deserves the same attention and focus,” says Donaldson, who adds that she also feels a special responsibility as the first Morgan graduate to serve as a TV news anchor in Baltimore.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Donaldson became hooked on a career in journalism during an event in which two local Black women news reporters told an audience about their careers. A campus tour with her godsister, a Morgan grad, convinced her to choose Morgan over other HBCUs, as a Telecommunications major with a concentration in broadcast journalism.
“Morgan taught me if you want something, go after it….” she says. “Many friends of mine were production majors, and they were doing all kinds of films and starting their own production companies. I lived across the street from the Communications Building, and we would literally sleep in that building. We would be there all night, editing and shooting, and I just learned so much from my peers. I left Morgan hungry to get the job I wanted…. I knew I was going to make it.”
She has checked off many items on her career “bucket list,” Donaldson says, including working as a national correspondent, which she did for Black News Channel, and she says she is most proud of an 18-month series she produced and reported, in which she launched an international search for a kidney, ultimately successful, to save an Army veteran’s life. She says that series highlights her desire to be a change agent through journalism.
“There are stories that you do to help change something, and then there are stories that you do that change you,” she says. “…My long-term goal now is just to continue being the best journalist I can be.”
In the Arena
A breaking news reporter for The Hill since March 2021, Olafimihan (“Fimi”) Oshin, ’19, has recently worked mainly in the political arena. The Morgan MMJ graduate has produced a huge body of work for the Washington, DCbased newspaper and digital media company during his time there: more than 2,100 stories.
“It was a lot of stories…. For me, it was (that) I had to showcase my talent, showcase myself, since I’m representing HBCUs,” says
Oshin, who wears a Morgan State University T-shirt for the interview.
Political reporting is stressful, he admits, “but at the same time, it’s more rewarding when people actually get to see the work you put out there and actually get to know more about what’s going on in the world.”
Oshin’s parents, immigrants from Nigeria, passed on their keen interest in TV news to their son, who was especially drawn to sports news during his upbringing in Laurel, Maryland. A television production class in high school piqued his interest in making journalism a career, and he pursued that ambition at Morgan, which he now considers his “second home.”
“I just loved the school. (It) gave me a chance,” Oshin says. Working on the staff of The Spokesman, covering the midterm elections for the paper and working as a sports information writer for Morgan Athletics are high on his list of favorite memories, along with an internship with the PBS television station in Syracuse, New York, which he gained with the help of Jacqueline Jones and Mitch Gelman, two of his teachers at Morgan.
Oshin’s long-term goals are to produce and direct his own documentaries and continue to write, “because I think writing is important…. I want something where my voice can be heard.
“And I think journalism is so important,” he adds. “It’s so vital during this climate right now with what’s going on in the world, especially with the election season coming up. It’s so vital for people to be informed (about) what’s going on.” n
Olafimihan Oshin
Sigma Gamma Rho Walks the Walk for Children
The end of the festivities of Fair Morgan’s Homecoming Week, on Oct. 6, will mark the beginning of a 10-week run-up to another celebration: the 70th anniversary of the Beta Tau Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Since its chartering at Morgan on Dec. 15, 1954, Beta Tau has sought to exemplify excellence in the pursuit of Sigma Gamma Rho’s mission, “to enhance the quality of life for women and their families in the U.S. and globally through community service, civil and social action.”
Beta Tau’s annual support of the March of Dimes’ March for Babies is one of the many ways the chapter helps the national sorority advance that mission. Sigma Gamma Rho is a national partner with the March of Dimes in the March for Babies campaign, which raises funds for research and education to meet the challenges created by the high rate of premature births in the United States. Preterm birth is now the leading cause of death among children worldwide.
Beta Tau also contributed to an historic achievement in child health announced by Sigma Gamma Rho last fall, nine days before the sorority’s 101st anniversary on Nov. 12,
2023. The sorority became the first member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (“the Divine Nine”) to raise $1 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, completing a pledge made in 2021.
“This is a milestone accomplishment by Sigma Gamma Rho and its members all over the world that will help St. Jude continue making progress in improving survival rates for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases,” said Richard C. Shadyac, Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC, St. Jude’s fundraising and awareness organization.
Founded by nine young educators in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1922, Sigma Gamma Rho is the only Divine Nine member that began as a professional organization. The chartering of the Alpha Chapter at Butler University in 1929 made Sigma Gamma Rho a national collegiate sorority. It now has more than 500 chapters in the U.S. and abroad and two affiliate groups that assist the sorority in its efforts and programs: the Rhoer Club Affiliates, for teenage girls, and the Philos Affiliates, for friends of Sigma Gamma Rho. The sorority’s slogan is “Greater Service, Greater Progress.”
Expectations of Excellence
“Be somebody…. Grow up to be somebody.”
Those were the words of Deacon Joseph DeVance. His words and songs could be heard often, ringing loudly from the basement of the family’s home on Gay Street in inner-city Baltimore, passing through the coal chute and echoing through the neighborhood. His wife Daisy DeVance’s quiet entreaties fueled her devout Christian passion in the rooms upstairs. The married couple made Baltimore their home in the 1940s, relocating from rural Lee County, Alabama, where they had worked as sharecroppers. Joseph and Daisy often prayed for their children and their children’s children.
Although Daisy’s and Joseph’s formal education ended in elementary school, their early message to their offspring about the importance of higher learning became a mantra in the household for generations. The expectation to “be somebody” has been met, remarkably, by all seven of their children, and family members of two ensuing generations, at Morgan State University, the National Treasure.
Curtis, the first-born child, was the first to attend Morgan, coming from Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, where he was an awardwinning scholar-athlete. He enrolled at Morgan in 1957 — after the DeVances had moved to Winford Road in Northwood, a neighborhood bordering the campus, where several DeVances still reside today. Curtis
earned his degree in science education, and was commissioned as a U.S. Army second lieutenant after completing Morgan’s ROTC program, the Bear Battalion, in 1962. He went on to earn his law degree at Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America. Curtis enjoyed early careers with the Social Security Administration and as owner of a law practice. Although he continued to minister until 2017, he retired in 2008 from the United Methodist Church in Iowa, where he and his wife, Celestyne, served as pastors for 22 years. They have since returned home to Baltimore.
Following Footsteps
James, the second child, followed in his brother’s footsteps both at Dunbar and Morgan, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in History in 1965. At Morgan’s freshman orientation, he met a pretty, young collegian named Lauretta, who is now his wife of 60 years. James retired from the Maryland Department of Parole and Probation as an assistant regional administrator in 2001 and went on to participate in the AARP Experience Corps in Baltimore City Public Schools until the beginning of the COVID pandemic.
Decades earlier, while working for Parole and Probation, James had urged another Morgan graduate, his younger brother William DeVance (Bachelor of Arts in Arts Education,
Continued on page 8
MORGAN LEGACIES
Three generations of Morgan alumni: a DeVance family gathering at the National Treasure
Class of 1967), to apply for employment in the Department. William went on to serve as state director of Parole and Probation, appointed by Maryland Gov. Harry Hughes. After leaving the Department, he retired as an educator for Baltimore City Public Schools.
Following the path of her three older brothers, sister Zenith, who passed away in 2020, became the first female member of the DeVance family to attend Morgan. She took courses at what had become the family’s higher education institution of choice, before moving on to employment with, and eventual retirement from, the Social Security Administration. She also was a fierce advocate for children and served as a court-appointed special advocate for Baltimore’s vulnerable children. The next child, Jeff, took his Morgan bachelor’s degree in Biology (Class of 1977) to a career as a juvenile services counselor. Jeff’s younger sister, Pauline, followed her sister’s footsteps and went to work for the Social Security Administration, after earning her bachelor’s degree in English, summa cum laude, at Morgan, in 1976.
The youngest child, Joseph, now deceased, completed the siblings’ academic winning streak when he earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology at Morgan in 1977. He served the State of Maryland as an epidemiologist while he pursued a doctorate at Morgan in Public Health. Tragically, he passed away before he was able to complete the degree, but it was awarded posthumously.
Continuing Tradition
Joseph and Daisy’s children fulfilled the edict to “be somebody,” but it did not end there. To date, 18 descendants of Joseph and Daisy DeVance have come “home,” either graduating from or attending Maryland’s largest HBCU. Curtis’ daughter Lynise DeVance chose Salisbury State College (now Salisbury University) for her undergraduate education, but she had two parental role models when she decided to change careers and come “home” to Morgan. Her mother, Ernestine, Curtis’ first wife, is also a Morgan graduate (Bachelor of Science in Sociology, 1961). The Master of City and Regional Planning that Lynise received from Morgan, in 1989, took her to employment as the transportation planner for the City of Annapolis and later to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in 1996. She will soon retire from the job she loves: civil rights program manager for the FHWA in North Carolina.
The year after Lynise earned her master’s at Morgan, her cousin Dorvera DeVance Owens, William’s daughter, completed her undergraduate education at Morgan after transferring — “coming home” — from the University of Maryland, College Park. The Biology and Science Education degrees she received launched her career as a science teacher. With her current employer, she has taught students in public schools in six states
James and Lauretta DeVance
ranging from California to Maryland, in online virtual learning environments. Dorvera’s brother Jamal DeVance, who passed away in 2013, and Jamal’s widow, Jer’i Potts-DeVance, met while attending Morgan.
James and Lauretta DeVance’s daughter Jocelyn DeVance Taliaferro, Ph.D., was educated at the University of Delaware and Howard University but came “home” and joined the Morgan family as a professor in the Master of Social Work program in August of last year, after 20 years as a professor at North Carolina State University.
Dr. Taliaferro’s niece Melody Arbour continued the DeVance family tradition by becoming the latest member to graduate from Morgan. Arbour earned her Bachelor of Social Work in 2016 and her Master of Social Work in 2017, both at the National Treasure, after beginning her higher education at Christian universities. A licensed master of social work (LMSW) now, she is providing therapy at an outpatient mental health clinic in Baltimore — work she has a passion for — and is moving toward her long-term goal of serving as a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW).
A Great Place to ‘Be Somebody’
Gratitude to Morgan for being an institution where you can “be somebody” is a common theme of the DeVance alumni.
“Morgan certainly did help me to ‘be somebody’,” says the eldest DeVance Morganite,
Curtis. “I was impressed with the faculty… the curriculum and (the faculty’s) depth of knowledge and their ability to impart it to us…. And the international flavor of the student body was significant to me.”
“My family legacy, coming through Morgan, is a very special and unique experience,” says Melody Arbour. “…I think it was a great choice for me, and hopefully I’m not the last Morgan graduate in my family. I’m the youngest right now, but hopefully we’ll keep the generation going and just continue that Black excellence.”
The DeVance family’s legacy at Morgan State University is a testament to the power of education and the enduring influence of a strong family foundation. From Curtis, the first to attend Morgan, to Melody, the most recent graduate, each generation has embraced the values instilled by Joseph and Daisy DeVance. Their journey from sharecroppers in Alabama to raising a family of scholars and professionals in Baltimore exemplifies the transformative power of education. As the DeVance family continues to thrive and grow, their deep connection to Morgan State University remains a source of pride and inspiration. This legacy of excellence and commitment to making a difference in their communities stands as a powerful example for future generations, proving that with determination and the right opportunities, anyone can “be somebody.” n
“…Hopefully I’m not the last Morgan graduate in my family. I’m the youngest right now, but hopefully we’ll keep the generation going and just continue that Black excellence.”
— Melody Arbour, ’16 and ’17
Dorvera DeVance Owens
(left to right) James, William and Curtis DeVance
CHAPTER AND CLASS NEWS
Chicago Alumni Chapter Spotlights HBCUs on Juneteenth
Before Juneteenth became a national holiday, Morganites Adrienne HawkinsTurner, ’84, and her husband, Joseph Turner, ’83, celebrated African American Heritage on the West Side of Chicago, in partnership with St. Joseph Missionary Baptist Church. This year, with the holiday official, the two MSUAA Chicago Alumni Chapter members participated once again in the West Side event. The 10th Annual African-American Awareness and Appreciation Parade – A Juneteenth Celebration, was held on Saturday, June 15. The
Juneteenth Parade honors African American ancestry, achievements and struggles, and Morgan was well represented by Chicago area alumni on the HBCU float. After the parade, MSU alumni were available to share information about our National Treasure during a community picnic. The theme of this year’s celebration, “Conquering our Past, Commemorating Our Present, Committing to Our Future,” resonates with the vision and mission of Morgan and our alumni. The event was covered by the local ABC TV news outlet.
Georgia Alum Ushers Morgan Legend Eddie Hurt Into the Hall of Fame
Georgia Alumni Chapter member David Vaughn had the high honor of accepting the posthumous induction of Morgan’s legendary athletics coach Edward P. (“Eddie”) Hurt into the Black College Football Hall of Fame, last spring. During Coach Hurt’s tenure at the head of Morgan football, from 1930 to 1959, the Bears were among the best teams in the nation, earning 14 CIAA championships and compiling a record of 173 wins, 47 losses and 17 ties, including 54 consecutive games without a defeat from 1932 to 1939. Hurt’s achievements as head basketball and track and field coach at Morgan were outstanding as well, and he also served Morgan as a math instructor, department administrator, physical education professor and athletic director. Vaughn accepted the honor during the 15th Annual Black College Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Presented by the Atlanta Falcons, last June, in Atlanta. The Baltimore Ravens and Morgan State University were also sponsors of the event.
(left to right) Morgan alumni Tyonne Anderson, ’96; Eunice Powell, ’79; and Adrienne Hawkins-Turner, ’84
Howard County Alumni Chapter Hosts Record-Breaking Scholarship Gala Fundraiser
June was a banner month for the Howard County Alumni Chapter of MSUAA. On June 7, the chapter recognized its charter members and proudly awarded scholarships to a record high 20 Morgan students, at its 35th Anniversary Scholarship Gala. Members came dressed to impress for the elegant, formal event at Ten Oaks Ballroom in Clarksville, Maryland. Morgan graduate Anthony Bush, ’17 and ’21, assistant vice president for Government Affairs at the Bank Policy Institute, gave the keynote address at the Gala, which also featured a captivating performance by violinist Tsung Wang and DJ Classix, Monica Williams.
The chapter’s quarterly Community Service Adopt A Road Initiative was another highlight of the month. Members rolled up their sleeves and cleaned up Berger Road in Columbia, Maryland, to give back to their community and show their Bear pride in action! A Nature Walk at Lake Elkhorn followed the road clean-up, as participants, dressed in Morgan alumni gear, embraced the great outdoors as part of the chapter’s member wellness initiative.
The June chapter meeting was also special. The guest speaker, Gabe Omaru, D.B.A., director of Programs and Outreach at the Morgan Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, informed attendees about a mentorship program for entrepreneurs and invited them to participate. And Morgan student Danae Stewart shared details about a Morgan State Entrepreneurs Showcase to be held in November.
Greater Houston Chapter Works to Boost Fair Morgan’s Student Enrollment
MSUAA’s Greater Houston Area Alumni Chapter (GHAA) set a goal to increase recruitment activities in 2023–2024 as a commitment to Morgan State University. The chapter’s significant progress toward that goal included a highly informative virtual Volunteer Recruitment Training presented by Reginald Thomas of Morgan’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions, to provide alumni with the tools to represent the University during recruitment
events. GHAA also participated in six college fairs in Dallas and Houston, attended by Texas area alumni who demonstrated dedication and love while assisting in the recruitment of future Morgan students.
For more information about the chapter and its upcoming social and college recruitment events and virtual general body chapter meetings, please email greaterhoustonarea. chapter@alumni.morgan.edu.
Southern Maryland Chapter’s Blue and Orange Fundraiser Marches On
Morgan State University’s Southern Maryland Alumni Chapter will hold its 17th annual Blue and Orange Scholarship Dinner Dance and Awards Program at the Waldorf Jaycees Community Center in Waldorf, Maryland, on Sept. 14, from 7 to 11 p.m. Tickets are $75 per person. For additional information, please contact Robert L. Riddick at (301) 934-0864.
(left to right) Southern Maryland Alumni Chapter officers Joan Chapman, Financial Secretary; Victor Watson, Treasurer; Robert L. Riddick, President; Denise Chapman-Barnes, Vice President; and the Rev. George DeFord, Historian
Florida – Jacksonville Alumni Show Morgan Pride at HBCU Picnic
Members of the Florida Alumni Chapter – Jacksonville were among the nearly 6,000 attendees at this year’s record-breaking South Florida HBCU Picnic, an annual event celebrating the vibrant culture and community of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The Picnic is held in Miami Gardens and aims
to raise funds for scholarships for students from South Florida attending HBCUs nationwide. The FL – Jacksonville members on hand were affiliated with Morgan’s South Florida Interest Group, under the leadership of Gaftie Marlow, Class of 2006. The Interest Group represented Morgan at the event.
Northern Virginia Chapter Supports Morgan Students on Father’s Day
Morgan’s Northern Virginia Alumni Chapter held a special Father’s Day Brunch last June 16, at the Old Hickory Golf Club in Woodbridge, Virginia, to raise funds for deserving Northern Virginia students attending Morgan State University. The program featured tributes to fathers, and a variety of performances, including the soulful melodies of violist Daquan Hill, the thought-provoking poetry of Poet Laureate Kim B. Miller and the laughter-inducing comedy of Christine Wilson. On hand for the event were Lt. Col. Michael L. Bell, ’76, current president of the Morgan State University Alumni Association; Jacqueline L. Lawson, ’75, Morgan State University Foundation’s 2022–23 board chair; MSUAA’s
2020 Alumnus of the Year, Arthuro V. (Art”) Lawson, ’74; and the MSUAA-DC Metro Area chapter president, Richard Allen Moore, Esq., ’78. The event received tremendous support from the Northern Virginia community.
Membership Retreat and Student Send-Off Highlight
The Richmond-Petersburg Chapter kicked off its 2024–2025 year with its 10th Anniversary Membership Retreat, at Robious Landing Park on July 14. The event featured great food and fellowship, dancing, raffles and a 10th anniversary gift.
In honor of the life and legacy of the chapter’s esteemed charter member Dr. Leon Edward Andrews, three book scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each were awarded to two incoming first-year Morgan students and one rising junior, along with care baskets filled with toiletries and snacks for the students as they prepared to head back to campus.
Thank You, Class of 1984!
They did it! In celebration of their 40th anniversary last May, the Class of 1984 raised $65,696.70 from 2019 to 2024, to contribute to the National Treasure, Morgan State University. Next up for the class is its 45th anniversary and a new goal to raise more than $84,000 before the Alumni Day celebration in 2029!
Contributions to any Morgan programs or organizations, or to the Class of 1984, will count toward the goal. Please notate payments made online at https:// givetomorgan.org with “The Class of 1984,” if allowed, to ensure the class receives credit.
Richmond-Petersburg Chapter’s 10th Anniversary
Class
The Class of 1969 presented its 55th anniversary donation, $638,584, at Morgan’s 121st Annual Alumni Awards and Class Reunion Luncheon, last May. The funds sustain the class endowment and the University Food Resource Center. This celebratory offering was the highest presented by any class and garnered
top honors for the Class of 1969 at the luncheon. The celebration will continue Saturday, Oct. 5, this year, at the Class of 1969 Homecoming Brunch in the University Student Center, Room 212, at 10:30 a.m. For details, email Nellie Maskal at orblue6947@gmail.com, or call (301) 445-1433.
Class of 1976 Seeks Volunteers for Its Golden Anniversary Reunion
“We Lit the Flame,” says the Class of 1976, and the torch continues to burn! The first graduating class of Morgan State University — 1976 — has a burning desire for volunteers to assist with planning activities and events for its 50th Anniversary Reunion in 2026.
Planning is underway. If you are interested in attending and/or volunteering for this momentous occasion, please contact Phillip Burke, chair of the 50th Reunion Committee, at 220burke@gmail.com. By doing so, you will receive email updates and information about the celebration of the Class of 1976.
(left to right) Gen. Larry Ellis, U.S. Army (Ret.), ’69; Jean Ellis, ’69; Dr. David Wilson, Morgan President; Endia DeCordova, Morgan Vice President for Institutional Advancement; Jesse Bennett, ’69; and Cecil Flamer, ’69
Homecoming Calendar
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(410) 625-6200
$175 per night | Available Dates: Oct. 4–6, 2024
Make your room reservations by calling the Reservations Center at (855) 914-1370 and using the code MSU or Morgan State. Or use the following link to reserve your room online, today: https://tinyurl.com/4ad7twz2
The cutoff date for reserving rooms at the discounted Homecoming rate is Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. In case you miss getting a room at the Host Hotel, more hotels are listed on the MSU Alumni Association website. To reserve space at one of the additional properties, please visit www.alumni.morgan.edu and click “Events” then “Homecoming,” or click “Resources” then “Hotels.”
MSUAA Business Meeting Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, 11 a.m. Meeting will begin promptly and will be held in the University Student Center Theater, first floor.
Tickets available at Ticketmaster at (410) 547-7328 or http://www.ticketmaster.com, or before the game at the Box Office, University Student Center, first floor.
Bears Football 2024
Aug. 31 Away 6 p.m. Hampton University Hampton, VA
Nov. 7, 11 a.m., Gilliam Concert Hall, Murphy Fine Arts Center
Opera at Morgan Presents Scott Joplin’s “Treemonisha”
Nov. 22, Gilliam Concert Hall, Murphy Fine Arts Center
Catholic Charities
Christmas Festival
Performance with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Dec. 3 and 4, 7:30 p.m., Baltimore Basilica, Baltimore, MD
Washington Monument
Christmas Lighting
Dec. 6, 6 p.m., Mount Vernon Place, Baltimore, MD
Maryland Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities Event
Dec. 10, Morgan State University Student Center
Annual MSU Choir
Christmas Concert
Dec. 15, 4 p.m., Gilliam Concert Hall, Murphy Fine Arts Center
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Scholarship Breakfast
Jan. 11, 8 a.m., Morgan State University Student Center
DreamFest Martin Luther King Weekend Concert 2025
Jan. 17, 7 p.m., Roland E. Powell Convention Center, Ocean City, MD
African American Flag Rededication Convocation
Feb. 6, 11 a.m., Morgan State University Student Center Theater
Malcolm X Convocation
Feb. 13, 11 a.m., Morgan State University Student Center Theater
Mitchell-Quarles
Convocation
Feb. 20, 11 a.m., Morgan State University Student Center Theater
Community Concerts at Second
Feb. 23, 3:30 p.m., Second Presbyterian Church, Baltimore, MD
Douglass-Tubman-Wells Black History Month Convocation
Feb. 27, 11a.m., Morgan State University Student Center Theater
Concert at Epworth United Methodist Church
March 2, 4 p.m., Cockeysville, MD
Concert to Benefit Johns Hopkins Nursing and Baltimore Area First Responders, with the Hank Entwisle Band
March 16, 7 p.m., Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Baltimore, MD
Spring Tour
March 17–23
GospelFest Concert with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
April 3, 7 p.m., Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Baltimore, MD
Musical Theatre at Morgan Presents “Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida”
April 4–6 and 10–13, Gilliam Concert Hall, Murphy Fine Arts Center
Honors Convocation
April 17, 11a.m., Gilliam Concert Hall, Murphy Fine Arts Center
Bears Volleyball 2024
Nov.
Nov.
Carl J . Murphy Fine Arts Center
Events – Fall/Winter/Spring 2024–2025
Calendar is subject to change. Visit www.murphyfineartscenter.org for the latest information.
Sept. 12
Matriculation Convocation
Gilliam Concert Hall
Sept. 18
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra: “Symphony in the City” Gilliam Concert Hall
Sept. 28
Renaissance Royale Masquerade Ball – Honoring the late Dr. Shirley Basfield Dunlap Carter Atrium
Oct. 1
Coronation of Mr. & Miss Morgan Gilliam Concert Hall
Oct. 24
James Baldwin Centennial Event –President David Wilson’s Fireside Chat with Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr. Recital Hall
Oct. 24–27
Theatre Morgan presents “Afternoons…Evenings...with Poe” Turpin-Lamb Theatre
Nov. 7
Founders Day Convocation
Gilliam Concert Hall
Nov. 15–17
Theatre Morgan presents “Other” – stage play Turpin-Lamb Theatre
Nov. 21–24
Composers of Color Collective –Symposium Recital Hall
Nov. 22
Opera at Morgan presents Scott Joplin’s “Treemonisha” Gilliam Concert Hall
Dec. 7
M3 (Magnificent Marching Machine) Marching Band Show
Gilliam Concert Hall
Dec. 10
Samara Joy…A Joyful Holiday featuring The McLendon Family Gilliam Concert Hall
Dec. 15
Morgan State University Choir Christmas Concert Gilliam Concert Hall
Feb. 27
Theatre Morgan & JELMA present “Getting to Grown” Turpin-Lamb Theatre
April 4–6 & 10–13
Musical Theatre at Morgan presents “Elton John and Tim Rice’s AIDA” Gilliam Concert Hall
April 17
Honors Convocation Gilliam Concert Hall
April 27
MSU Symphonic Winds Concert Gilliam Concert Hall
Let us know! Please call the Office of Alumni Relations and Strategic Engagement at (443) 885-3015, or email us at alumni@morgan.edu, to update your contact information. Stay in the Know
ARE CLASS CORRESPONDENCE AND ALUMNI UPDATES PASSING YOU BY?
Necrology
DECEASED MSU ALUMNI, FACULTY, STAFF & STUDENTS ‘GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN’
Franklyn D. Bradley II, ’70 10/14/2023
William A. Brent, ’50 ............................. 5/6/2024
Deborah E. Smith-Pilson, ’88 ....................... 6/7/2024
Augustine A. Stith, ’79 4/11/2024
Linda Michele Taylor, ’80 5/14/2024
Ernest Waiters, ’99. .
. 5/14/2024
Mickie Teresa Ward, ’99 4/24/2024
Jacqueline S. Washington, ’91 ...................... 2/1/2024
Ruth H. Washington, ’46 5/1/2024
Samuel (“Samm-Art”) Williams, ’68 ................. 5/13/2024
The Rev. Barry F. Wilson, ’68 3/13/2024
*This list includes notices received on or before Aug. 1, 2024. Any notices received after that date will be published in the next issue of Alumni
We Are the BEARS!
Cut Out Benny the Bear!
Bring Benny to the HOMECOMING 2024 Parade and the Homecoming Football Game on Saturday, Oct. 5 — Bears vs. Lions, Hughes Stadium, 1 p.m. Let’s show our Morgan Pride and root our team to victory! Cut me out and show me off!
