Alumni News Fall/Winter 2023-24

MORGAN

Fall/Winter 2023/24

ALUMNI NEWS

The ‘Next Gen’ of Performance and Visual Artists With a Special Tribute to Jack White

Alumni News Contents

GIVE A GIFT TO MORGAN

We are always told, “It is better to give than receive.”

So, on your birthday, anniversary, graduation, holiday or any other significant day in your life, honor your alma mater by giving a gift to Morgan State University! Visit www.givetomorgan.org, and click on “Give Now,” or make your check payable and mail it to:

IT’S TIME TO PAY YOUR ANNUAL DUES!

Thanks to all who have paid their annual dues to the Association this year. Your annual dues not only support the Alumni Association, but $5 is directed to the MSU Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship Fund, which supports students in need.

Annual MSUAA dues for 2023–24 are $35 and are due!

Please note that dues renewal notices were emailed this year. We also sent notices by regular mail, because of the poor response rate for renewals. We remain dedicated to reducing costs and improving the environmental sustainability of our campus-wide activities. We’ll wait until everyone accepts this strategy.

Annual dues payments can be made online at https://alumni.morgan.edu. Or mail your payment to: Morgan State University Alumni House, 1700 E. Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21251. Questions? Please email them to the Alumni Relations team at alumni@morgan.edu.

THANK YOU FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

YOUR VOICE WILL BE HEARD!

THE ALUMNI NEWS

The Alumni News is published biannually by the Office of Alumni Relations and the Office of Public Relations and Strategic Communications.

Any questions or concerns about this publication may be directed to:

Office of Alumni Relations, Alumni House, Morgan State University, 1700 E. Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21251 or (443) 885-3015.

Thank you to everyone who submitted an article for the newly redesigned Morgan State University Alumni News. As always, we welcome the opportunity to share your information with the Morgan family. However, because of space limitations, it was not possible to include all submissions in the printed publication. If your news does not appear in these pages, never fear: your voice will be heard! Articles not published in the printed newsletter may be viewed on the MSU Alumni Association website at alumni.morgan.edu

MSU Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 64261, Baltimore, MD 21264-4261

MSUAA President’s Message

Greetings, fellow alumni.

I am truly honored and humbled to serve as the new President of the Morgan State University Alumni Association. Growing up a son of two parents who graduated from Morgan State College, I never would have believed I would ever be in this position. After serving in several leadership posts at the chapter and Association levels, I am ready to continue moving our organization forward by focusing on increasing alumni membership and chapter growth, thereby achieving the ultimate goal of increased support to Morgan State University. Thanks to each of you for having confidence in me by bestowing upon me this tremendous responsibility. I look forward to serving each of you, the alumni, and Morgan State University. Fair Morgan Forever,

Lt. Col. Michael Bell, U.S. Army (Ret.), ’76 President, Morgan State University Alumni Association

Things You May or May Not Know About Your New President

• Is a member of Morgan’s first University class (1976), with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics

• Was a Distinguished Military ROTC Bear Battalion grad and retired after serving 23 years in the U.S. Army as a pilot flying multiple aircraft, including the UH60 Black Hawk

• Worked as a Program Manager for TRW Inc. and Northrop Grumman Corporation

• Worked and retired as an Engineer for the Department of the Army as a civilian

• Has a master’s degree from Webster University and is a Harvard University Fellow

• Is a legacy Morganite: both his parents graduated from Morgan State College

• Is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

MSU Alumni Association – Executive Officers

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Michael L. Bell, ’76, President

Monique Antoine, ’97, 1st Vice President

Debora Savoy, ’81, 2nd Vice President

Eboneé Knight, ’20, Secretary

Oprah Martin, ’14, Treasurer Michelle Angu, ’10, Financial Secretary

Heidi Bruce, ’95, Executive Director, MSUAA

Phyllis C. Davis, ’82, Immediate Past President

Lt. Col. Michael Bell, U.S. Army (Ret.), ’76

Morgan Pride – The Artists

In an era in which “what” often dominates the culture with its super-high-tech products and processes, the arts represent the always vital, always relevant “why” for humankind. Graduates of Morgan State University’s fine arts programs have long led the world in answering that “why?” Fair Morgan is world-renowned for its contributions to excellence in the arts, producing countless performing and visual artists who have uplifted humanity and exemplified Morgan’s Core Values with their work, and who continue to do so today.

Here we spotlight just a few of the distinguished stewards of Morgan’s powerful legacy in the arts.

Musical Dreamer

“We are the riot. Because the same Baltimore, Maryland the world saw in flames is full of crabeating, Old Bay Seasoning, Inner Harbor dwelling, chicken box ordering, unique umlaut accent having dreamers, truth seekers, freedom fighters, riot starting, change makers….”

Those poetic opening words of the 2023 Emmy Award-winning Maryland Public Television documentary Artworks: “Dreamer” herald the full maturity of an exceptional Morgan-grown musical talent.

Composer and vocalist Jasmine Barnes grew up in Baltimore’s Park Heights neighborhood near Pimlico Race Course and explored wide-ranging artistic interests throughout her childhood and teens until she arrived at Morgan State University, in 2010, where music rose to the top.

“I started (at Morgan) as an architecture major, and when I changed my major (to music), everything made sense. I think being surrounded by so many professional artists who were Black meant a lot,” Barnes says. She had played instruments as a member of the marching band in high school, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, she adds, “but I really didn’t understand music theory. I never had a voice lesson until Morgan. I never composed anything until Morgan.”

A prolific composer now, at age 31, still very early in her career, Barnes has written five operas, including, “She Who Dared,” a two-hour work with librettist Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, about the women of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Artworks: “Dreamer,” an episode executive-produced by another Morgan graduate, Maryland Public Television Senior Vice President and Chief Content Officer Travis Mitchell, ’92, follows her collaboration with the Baltimore Choral Arts Society on a musical tribute to Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. Among her other recent works are a song cycle titled “A Sable Jubilee” commissioned by baritone Will Liverman.

Historical subjects often motivate her work, Barnes says, “and I owe that to just living in Baltimore, as far as learning Black history. But I won’t even say Black history because, really, I learned American history. I’ve always seen the well-rounded view of America that comes with being an AME Church kid. Both my parents are pastors, my mom is a pastor in the AME Church, and my grandmother was a preacher in the AME Church. So I’ve been surrounded by history my whole life.”

Barnes holds two Morgan degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in Voice and Opera, awarded in 2015, and the University’s first conferred Master of Arts in Music Theory and Composition, awarded in 2018. And she credits her Morgan peers, her close network of composer friends (“the Blacknificent 7”) and her many Morgan mentors — among them Morgan Choir Director and Fine and Performing Arts

Chair Eric Conway, Morgan Associate Professor of Music James Lee III, Morgan President David K. Wilson and Morgan Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Tanya Rush, now retired — with guiding her to her current success.

Her connection with Morgan is permanent, Barnes says. “I would love to campaign for Morgan, to get more composition students. I figure the success of my career will make other young Black (students) want to compose and want to come to Morgan for it. That is a plan of mine.”

Jasmine Barnes, ’15 and ’18

Photo by P.A. Greene

Hollywood Trendsetters

“A Hollywood trailblazer” who “makes multiculturalism happen” is how Morgan Magazine characterized writer, producer and author Doreen Spicer-Dannelly in 2012, and the words about the Morgan graduate are just as true today. Best known for developing and producing the Disney Channel hit The Proud Family, which aired from 2001–2005, SpicerDannelly, of Morgan’s Class of 1993, has a long list of other major creative credits, among them developer and writer of the film “Jump In,” which broke records for the Disney Channel with 8.2 million viewers, in 2007; creator of the international hit sitcom The Wannabes Starring Savvy, which debuted in 2010; and author of the junior novel “Love Double Dutch,” published in 2018. And she is still expanding her portfolio of family entertainment projects geared toward diverse audiences: Disney has ordered a reboot of The Proud Family — The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder — and “Love Double Dutch” has been optioned by a producer for a television series based on the book.

“Look out for a new middle grade novel in 2024,” she adds. “I can’t reveal the name or the subject, but it’s going to be a goodie!”

Spicer-Dannelly has a multicultural heritage: the New York native is Black and Puerto Rican. She studied acting at two performing arts schools in Brooklyn before enrolling at Morgan as a Communications major. The fortuitous launch of a Morgan writing program sponsored by Warner Bros. during her first year gave her a greater outlet for her creativity, and impressing writer-directorproducer Samm-Art Williams with her work ethic when she was a student was a boost to her career. Williams, of Morgan’s Class of 1968, had worked on several popular TV shows at the time, including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Martin and Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper.

Mentoring young screenwriters and animators is a calling Spicer-Dannelly takes as seriously as she does her own professional achievements. Her words of advice to aspiring writers and directors in 2012 echo her thoughts today.

“Know that Hollywood has no shortage of people with great ideas. The future belongs

to those screenwriters and animators who diligently invest in developing themselves, their craft and keep up with technology and read up on the trades,” says Spicer-Dannelly. “Classes will give you the basics, but you must go beyond the classroom to make yourself a more valuable

artist. Learn to be the creator, producer and marketer of your work. So, use the tools, materials and expertise available at Morgan to produce a few projects and establish your brand before you graduate. With that, you won’t be waiting to be discovered by Hollywood. You can launch your career from wherever you are or wherever your calling may lead you.”

Love and Life

With her commitment to giving back, it’s no surprise that Doreen Spicer-Dannelly — as well as playwright and filmmaker David E. Talbert, ’89, and Morgan professor MK Asante, Jr. — were career influencers for Morgan-grown director, producer and actor Devin J. Ricks. Ricks began making home videos for his family and friends when he was in elementary school and brought his longtime love for filmmaking with him when he began his studies as an 18-year-old undergraduate at Morgan State University in 2009. His experiences at the National Treasure, he says, gave him many of the artistic and life skills he’s needed to develop his passion into a full-fledged and still growing career.

Ricks is a Pikesville, Maryland, native and a 2013 graduate of Morgan’s Bachelor of Science in Broadcasting and Integrated Media/ Video Production program. He made a big, welcome entertainment splash through his

Doreen Spicer-Dannelly, ’93

Continued from page 3

independent film company, Devin J. Ricks Productions, during the COVID pandemic, with the release of “Love Cycle: Situations Pt. 1,” the fourth work in his Love Cycle series, which he began when he was in high school, aiming to “share beautiful love stories, whether that deals with family, relationships, friendships, etc., and create a narrative that helps people navigate through the complicated emotion (of love),” he told Investor Telegraph in December 2021. The film showed in AMC theaters on the East Coast and followed his 2014 work, “Love Cycle: Beautiful Mistake,” which he launched with his first sold out premiere, a red carpet event with more than 500 attendees held at a hotel in Baltimore.

Between those two projects, Ricks has grown as an actor — another vocation that he loves — most recently with a role in the coming TV series Lady in the Lake; as founder and head of an online media/streaming platform, Dev TV!; and as owner of the apparel and lifestyle brand The DJR Experience. He has also built his professional network, including a connection with Spicer-Dannelly.

“One thing that Morgan taught me is to network, and everywhere you go, make sure you make yourself known,” Ricks says.

Morgan gave him vital knowledge about Black culture, Black excellence and Black accomplishments, and to “stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready,” Ricks says. “They were giving us the tools that we needed to navigate life, telling us this is what’s going to happen and this is how you conduct yourself in the interview.”

“When I graduated, I felt a calmness,” the artist says. “A lot of people panic, but for me, after going to Morgan, it was kind of like, ‘OK, this chapter is over. Remember what you’ve learned, and do your very best.’ ”

The Sound of Philadelphia

Leah Hawkins, world-renowned soprano, native of Philadelphia and member of Morgan’s Class of 2013, says her attraction to Morgan was “Destiny! A close family friend (Constance Baker, Class of 1957) attended Morgan State College and was a member of the Philadelphia Alumni Chapter. She’d have my dad sell tickets to the MSU Choir’s Annual Philadelphia Concert, so I started seeing the choir annually from about 10 years old.”

Hawkins is the most recent recipient of the Marian Anderson Award, given by the Kennedy Center to a young American singer in opera. (Her fellow Morgan alum Soloman Howard, ’09, also received the honor, in 2020.) She has crisscrossed the country and the globe in recent years, thrilling audiences with her performances with companies such as Washington National Opera, Santa Fe Opera, the Metropolitan Opera and Opéra national de Paris, fulfilling the career vision she believes she has had since birth. When she was 8 or 9 years old, her parents purchased a baby grand piano, “convinced I’d be one of those

Photo by Curtis Brown

Leah Hawkins, ’13

Devin J. Ricks, ’13

singers who accompanies herself on the piano. I quickly showed that it was not my gift,” she adds with a smile. “I saw my first opera, ‘Carmen,’ at Opera Philadelphia, and… told my parents that I wanted to learn to sing that way. They suggested voice lessons, we found a teacher, and here I am.”

Of course that educational journey also included invaluable experience as a Bachelor of Arts in Music student at Morgan. By the time she graduated from the National Treasure, Hawkins had traveled to six continents on tours with the Morgan State University Choir.

“It was so special to have time and space to connect with the University leaders who joined us for those tours, all while exploring new cultures and languages and representing my school abroad, and with my closest friends! The extensive travel as a student prepared me for the travel in this career. I have a sense of ease and trust in myself when I move about the world, because I learned it early on,” says Hawkins, who also credits Morgan for its world-class academic preparation. She earned a Master of Music in Voice from Yale University in 2015.

“Musical education made the coursework in my master’s degree a breeze,” she reports, “and my strong liberal arts education made me a much more well-rounded human than many of my colleagues.”

Called to Greatness

The artist says she has remained close to Morgan — returning to campus for concerts, appearing as a soloist with the Morgan State University choir with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and The Philadelphia Orchestra and, like another Philadelphia native in Morgan’s arts family, Issachah Savage, staying connected with Morgan’s music faculty and her Morgan peers.

Savage, a Bachelor of Arts in Music graduate of Morgan’s Class of 2003, is an internationally acclaimed tenor now working on operatic and concert stages with opera companies and symphony orchestras around the world. His most recent career milestones include taking on the title role of Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser at Los Angeles Opera and a number of notable performances at the Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, the

Canadian Opera Company and the Opéra National de Bordeaux, among others.

Well-supported in his youth, Savage was raised in a safe community by a very religious and musical family, but with no collegeeducated role models, he had no plans for higher education. A call from Morgan’s legendary Choir Director, the late Nathan Carter, changed his life.

“He had heard me sing on TV with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops and invited me to come to Morgan. I didn’t know my performance would become an audition. I found out years later it was my mentor the late Blanche BurtonLyles (who) told him about me and said, ‘You need to hear him.’ I was offered a full tuition scholarship as a voice major. That was a forward in my life that will always give me pride.”

Like Leah Hawkins, Savage relishes his memories of the Morgan State University Choir concerts and tours.

“At no expense to the students, Morgan’s celebrity choir traveled all over the world, affording me many opportunities to work with top professionals in opera, jazz, R&B, musical theater and even in film. It was a magical experience and a hands-on education that money couldn’t buy. Morgan certainly gave me the necessary tools for the next phase of my development,” says Savage, who has continued his education, earning a Master of Music in Opera Voice Performance from The Catholic University of America.

“My experiences at Morgan superseded anything I could have dreamed of,” he adds. “I didn’t just learn music or academics. I also learned many life lessons and have formed lifelong relationships.”

Photo by Jiyang Chen

Issachah Savage, ’03

Continued from page 5

Portraying Truth

Coming to Morgan State University and its modern, then-new fine arts facility — Murphy Fine Arts Center — in the early 2000s, Helina Metaferia found a nurturing environment for her nascent career in the often-hypercompetitive field of the arts.

“I was encouraged by the faculty (to believe) that anything was possible,” she says.

As a Morgan graduate — Bachelor of Fine Arts, 2005 — Metaferia has made the most of that encouragement, bravely questioning and illuminating complex histories of institutionalized and systemic oppression with her interdisciplinary art, which includes collage, assemblage, video, performance and social engagement, and often utilizing her own body as a medium. Her work has had wide exposure, through solo exhibitions and projects with prestigious venues and events, such as the Museum of Fine Arts, in Boston, and the Sharjah Biennial in the United Arab Emirates, and in the permanent collections of numerous institutions, among them the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. An arts educator, as well, she engages with students in Brown University’s Visual Art Department as an Assistant Professor.

Metaferia fully embraces the multiple influences that have shaped her career. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Maryland, she is the child of Ethiopian immigrants who came to the U.S. in the 1960s and ’70s. Her mother, Maigenet Shifferraw, led a nonprofit organization for Ethiopian women and formerly taught at the University of the District of Columbia, before she passed in 2016. Her father, Getachew Metaferia, is a professor of Political Science and International Studies at Morgan, where he has served for 24 years. She says her parents have been pan-Africanist, progressive and feminist.

“This influenced the kind of art I currently make, including a lot of its political and feminist undertones,” says Metaferia. “As an artist, you need to be very curious of the world, while keeping a critical eye toward social constructs in order to make work about them. Having educators and activists as parents helped breed those characteristics in me.”

Guided by her high school art teacher to pursue a college degree in the field, Metaferia came to Morgan and studied with arts faculty such as Kenneth Royster, Eric Briscoe, Patrick McGuire, Blaise DePaolo, Guy Jones, Sam Holmes and others. Her English professor, Monifa Love Asante, encouraged her to go to graduate school “and was a big reason I ended up at Tufts University’s School of Fine Art for my (Master of Fine Art),” she recalls. “I feel honored to be shaped by such amazing educators, and they, along with my parents, are a big reason why I teach art today.”

Her Morgan education has prepared her well, Metaferia says. “Historically Black Colleges and Universities have a strong legacy in cultivating well-rounded experiences for their students. I felt I had a good foundation in learning about myself, with all of my courses taught from an African Diasporic perspective. This esteem cultivated through the HBCU experience at Morgan allowed me to enter graduate school and embark on my artistic journey with a strong sense of self and purpose.”

And, it’s been a real family affair.

“My brother, three of my cousins and I all graduated from Morgan State…. We’ve got a big Bear tradition in our family and are happy to have been supported by its HBCU legacy.”

Photo courtesy of Tommie Battle

Helina Metaferia, ’05

Jack White

pioneering artwork

Visual Artist Jack White, ’58 – A Tribute

Last winter, the Morgan family mourned the passing of one of its brightest stars. Visual artist and educator John Sidney (“Jack”) White, Class of 1958 — creator of paintings, prints, sculptures and drawings that touched people across the U.S. and beyond — came to the end of his long, productive, influential life on Jan. 28, 2023. He was 91 years old.

White was born in Benson, North Carolina, in 1931. After completing his secondary education in the area’s segregated public schools, he served four years in the U.S. Air Force then enrolled in Morgan, where he studied with Professor James E. Lewis, now namesake of Morgan’s James E. Lewis Museum of Art (JELMA). After graduation, he took his Bachelor of Science in Fine Art to upstate New York, where he began his work life as an art teacher.

White continued to teach throughout his adult life, inspiring students in public schools, in prisons and at several higher education institutions, including The Ohio State University, Cayuga Community College, Empire College of the State University of New York, and Syracuse University, where he

cofounded the Community Folk Art Center, a cultural and artistic hub committed to the promotion and development of artists of the African Diaspora.

White had countless solo exhibitions of his work, which also appears in public collections in numerous venues, among them the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture, the Tampa Museum of Art and JELMA. He and his wife, Valerie Bauhofer, traveled widely and spent five years together in Athens, Greece, where his work was also exhibited.

The art world will remember this outstanding Morgan alum for his adventurous vision, his pioneering work, his humility and modesty, and his generosity in sharing his gifts. May he rest in peace. n

Bound by Mission and Alma Mater

Joe Simms and Kaliq Hunter Simms are a power couple as American as apple pie: talented, hardworking, professionally accomplished and rooted in their faith, with master’s degrees from universities at or near the top of the mainstream national rankings in their fields. But when asked about the institution to which they owe their career success, they don’t hesitate to name their undergraduate alma mater, Morgan State University.

“100%” says Kaliq, who earned her dual Bachelor of Arts in English and Secondary Education at Morgan in 1996 and has led Sisters Academy of Baltimore as President since July 1 of this year.

“All of it,” adds Joe, a Bachelor of Science in Psychology graduate of Morgan’s Class of 1993, who has served as Chief Diversity Officer of Stanley Black & Decker since March 2021. “(Morgan) is the foundation on which our (professional) lives have been built.”

That foundation is deep as well as strong. Joe’s mother, Carolyn Spriggs Simms, enrolled at Morgan in 1958, after graduating from Dunbar High School in Baltimore City. She worked multiple jobs to pay her way through college as a commuter student and, after a year at Towson University and a change of major, earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Morgan in 1965. Kaliq’s mother, a native of Baltimore and graduate of Eastern High School, and her father, from Philadelphia, also graduated from Morgan: Anita Turks Hunter received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology at Morgan in 1964, and she met the man who became her husband, Joseph Allen Hunter, there, while he was working toward one of the two degrees he earned at Morgan — a Bachelor of Science in Biology in 1967 and an MBA in 1974. The couple married in the Morgan Christian Center — now the University

Memorial Chapel — in 1969, 22 years after Anita’s mother, Louise Grooms Turks, earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education at Morgan. Louise went on to complete the master’s program in education at Columbia University, joining other talented Black students who commuted weekly to New York on an end run around Maryland’s segregated higher education system. She passed away in 2011.

‘We Were Prepared’

Their campus experiences at Morgan varied with the times and with their personal circumstances and motivations, but career success is a common theme for this multigenerational bonded family. Louise was already certified and employed as a teacher when she pursued her Morgan degree, at the beginning of her career-long tenure with Baltimore City Public Schools. By the time her daughter Anita came to the campus as an undergraduate in 1960, Morgan was a wellestablished center of the civil rights movement. In 1963, Anita joined the group of Morgan students now known as the University’s Civil Rights Pioneers, spending three nights in jail with many of her peers during the successful, nonviolent protest to racially integrate Northwood Theatre. But the politics of the time weren’t all-consuming for her. A good student, and fully immersed in Morgan’s social life, she says, “I had a ball at Morgan…. I really enjoyed my college years. They were some of the highlights of my life.”

“The teachers took time with us. The classes were relatively small. Morgan was very nurturing. When we graduated, the workplaces were taking more Black people in. And we were prepared,” Anita recalls.

In Anita’s case, the State of Maryland and

(left–right) Joe Simms, Hope Simms, Kaliq Hunter Simms, Anita Turks Hunter, Hunter Simms and Carolyn Spriggs Simms gather near Truth Hall on Morgan’s campus.

its citizens benefited from that preparation, through her 42-year career with the Division of Parole and Probation, first as a probation officer, then as a supervisor, then as a statewide program administrator, before her retirement in 2006. Her husband, Joseph, was drafted into the military after graduating from Morgan, served in Vietnam as a U.S. Marine Corps Captain during the war then worked for Dupont as a chemical engineer and for the State of Maryland in human resources before his long tenure in human resources for Baltimore City Public Schools. He passed away in 2005.

Carolyn also retired from Baltimore City Public Schools, in 2004, where she spent the lion’s share of her four-decade career as a teacher, administrator and counselor. She is still making her Morgan mark in education, working part time for preschools in Baltimore County. As a student at Morgan working part time for Enoch Pratt Free Library during the school year, in the 1950s and ’60s, Carolyn had little time for nonacademic activities, but she recalls her great relationships with her teachers, among them Iva G. Jones, Ph.D., a revered Professor of English.

Pushing It Forward

Kaliq and Joe met briefly at Morgan when Joe was a senior and Kaliq was a firstyear student, but they didn’t get to know each other until a few years later, when both had already begun the career ascent they attribute to their Morgan experiences. Kaliq had taught English in South Korea for two years as a Morgan Fulbright Scholar — “a life-changing experience” — and was planning to follow her maternal grandmother and an aunt into a career as a master teacher in an African American community. Joe was working in Philadelphia as a human resources manager. They married in 2000.

Kaliq’s Fulbright experience inspired her to obtain a Master of Education at Harvard University — along with two of her Morgan peers who earned Harvard degrees in medicine and law at the time — and then pursue her goal of starting a school. She began working for successful private schools to learn more about their work, and that became 20 years’ experience helping students of color from marginalized groups navigate the private school environment. Eight years as a diversity and equity consultant followed, “teaching teachers how to work with all kinds of students,” Kaliq says, until her current opportunity to lead Sister’s Academy, “which is really the pinnacle

of my career…. My school is predominantly African American and Hispanic, a girls’, tuitionfree middle school in Baltimore…and in the Catholic tradition, which is also near and dear to my heart.”

Joe’s current high post with Stanley Black & Decker came in the third decade of his career in Corporate America, a journey that began when a Morgan professor suggested labor and industrial relations as a bridge between Joe’s major of Psychology and the business world. Joe obtained his master’s at one of the top schools in that field, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and continued to 28 years of growth as a human resources leader with Fortune 500 and other major companies.

Kaliq and Joe and their parents are all committed to giving back, through teaching, mentoring and/or financial contributions, and Morgan is at the top of their list of charitable causes. They are all members of Morgan’s Alumni Association, and Anita served as Class Agent for the Class of 1964 for many years.

They’re also hoping to continue the family line of Morgan alumni, and their Greek affiliations, which began at Morgan also: Anita and Kaliq are Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority sisters, and Joe is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

“Now we have a 15-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old son, Hope and Hunter…. They’ve definitely been to Morgan’s campus many times, and we are pouring it into them, ‘You have to look at Morgan,’ ” Kaliq reports. “We’re trying to tread lightly, but we’re hoping our kids also make the choice to go to Morgan, and at the very least we’re trying to expose them to HBCUs…. We’re trying to push the legacy forward through our children.” n

Joe and Kaliq Simms with Morgan President David K. Wilson (center), at Morgan on the Vineyard 2023

Photo by Andre Dunston, Epic Media Photography

Morgan Alumnae Celebrate Their Centenary

The Office of Alumni Relations was delighted to receive news from the Morgan family about two centenarian alumnae who celebrated birthdays this year.

Rosetta W. Graham, Ph.D., became 100 years wise on April 27 and celebrated the occasion with the staff of Integrity – Esther’s Place at The Park Assisted Living, in Baltimore City. A true trailblazer, and native of Baltimore, Dr. Graham earned a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication from Morgan in 1956 and went on to earn a doctorate in social work. She retired from The Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1989 after working as a therapist for 22 years and two years later became the first Coordinating Counselor for the Baltimore City Family Bereavement Center. Throughout her life, she has supported numerous programs aimed at assisting and improving the lifestyles of the challenged and disadvantaged. She was the first African American to become a member of the Religious Society of Friends of Baltimore. The gifts presented to Dr. Graham at her birthday celebration included a quilt from Redonda Miller, M.D., President of The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Hilda E. Kelson, of Morgan’s Class of 1947, reached her milestone 100th year on June 27, celebrating in grand style with more than 75 guests at a pizza party in Pikesville, Maryland. Mrs. Kelson majored in Music at Morgan, where she first met Morgan Psychology major Thomas C. Kelson, Jr., in front of Holmes Hall, the first step toward their marriage of 72 years. Thomas, a mortician, passed away in 2020. Mrs. Kelson attributes her longevity to love and care of self, keeping stress to a minimum, giving back to the community and keeping God close to her heart, knowing that He will always direct her steps.

Hilda E. Kelson, ’47

(left) Dr. Rosetta W. Graham, ’56

фВΣ Monument Showcases Service

The planning of the centennial celebration for Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Gamma Chapter yielded a monumental idea. The planning committee, chaired by Bro. Paul Archibald, Dr.Ph.H., made the decision in November 2016 to erect a monument on Morgan’s campus to memorialize the names of the Gamma Chapter members who sacrificed to maintain and strengthen the legacy of the chapter throughout its history. A fundraising campaign for the project, spearheaded by Bro. Elford Jackson, was launched in 2021 by the brothers of Gamma Chapter and the Phi Beta Sigma – Gamma Alumni Chapter of the Morgan State University Alumni Association (PBSGAC).

Less than a year later, PBSGAC unveiled the monument on Morgan Commons, during a ceremony that included remarks from Morgan President David K. Wilson; the Honorable Bro. Daryl Anderson, Sr., International Executive Director for Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.; and other representatives of Phi Beta Sigma and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. The design of the

monument, which highlights the names of more than 222 fraternity brothers and 49 chapter line names, was led by Steve Venick, President of Fram Monument Company, Inc.

PBSGAC became an official chartered chapter of the Morgan State University Alumni Association (MSUAA) on May 15, 2015. Its purpose is to foster, maintain and support a mutually beneficial relationship between pre-alumni, alumni, the University and the Maryland community.

PBSGAC hopes the monument will serve as a reminder of their fraternity’s motto, “Culture for Service, Service for Humanity,” a guiding principle that also led PBSGAC to establish the Phi Beta Sigma – Gamma Chapter Endowed Scholarship Fund. The fund was launched last June with an initial investment of $10,000. An event hosted by PBSGAC in July at Northwest Regional Park, the inaugural Gamma Family Reunion Fundraising Cookout, was held to support the endowment.

CHAPTER AND CLASS

A capacity crowd gathered at the Regal UA Snowden Square movie theater in Columbia, Maryland, last June 19, for the Howard County Alumni Chapter’s Juneteenth celebration. The chapter rented out the theater to allow families to see Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.” The event, organized by the chapter’s Membership Committee, was “a great success,” reports Chapter President Paul Haley.

“My wife came up with the idea of renting a movie theater as an engagement event for the chapter,” adds Bishara Bates, who co-chairs the Membership Committee with his wife, Tarica. “And when we were looking into it, we realized that ‘The Little Mermaid’ was coming

out, which was sort of historically important because of the new Black (lead character). So we decided to align that with Juneteenth, because of the importance of the holiday, and take the opportunity to celebrate Black excellence.”

The chapter achieved its goals, says Bates: “We had families there. Some of the little girls were dressed up as Little Mermaids. It was really nice and allowed them to really see representations of themselves on the screen.”

“It was a group effort,” he adds. “Our Chapter Vice President Keisha Shepherd and the entire Membership Committee were responsible for this.”

The Alpha Delta Chapter of the Morgan State University Alumni Association is merging its mission of support for Morgan students with the opportunity to enjoy excitement, fun and adventure on the high seas. The chapter will sponsor a cruise to Greece in summer 2025 as a fundraiser to finance scholarships for students at the National Treasure!

Be on the lookout for detailed information about this event, to arrive in the next few months. Contact information for the organizers follows:

Andrea Gaskins-Battle C: (215) 779-0495

amgbpooch0828@gmail.com

Howard County Chapter Fills ‘Little Mermaid’ Showing to Celebrate Juneteenth

Join Alpha Delta Alumni Chapter’s Scholarship Cruise to Greece!

South Hampton Roads Chapter’s First Scholarship Brings Cheer

MSUAA’s South Hampton Roads Alumni Chapter is proud to announce the award of its first scholarship: $2,000 to Khalani Griffin, a 2023 graduate of First Colonial High School in Virginia Beach.

Khalani’s parents, Terry and Tiffany Griffin, invited the chapter to their daughter’s Trunk Party, which was held at Mt. Trashmore, in Virginia Beach, on July 30, where the scholarship was presented.

Congratulations and best wishes to Khalani, who began training in August with the Cheer Bears, Morgan’s cheerleading team!

Classes Ending in ‘4’ or ‘9’, Get Ready to Celebrate in May!

We hope all classes ending in “4” or 9” are looking forward to celebrating their upcoming Anniversary Reunions in May 2024, at Alumni Day! We will celebrate your class at the 121st Annual Alumni Awards and Class Reunion Luncheon. The luncheon is tentatively scheduled for Friday, May 17, 2024, in the Calvin and Tina Tyler Ballroom of the University Student Center. The Class of 1974 will celebrate its 50th anniversary at the event! Tickets will go on sale in early February 2024. The Classes of 1973 and earlier will be recognized as the Emeritus Class.

If you haven’t begun contributing to Morgan State University Foundation, Inc., with a gift to support student scholarships, please start today. Making an early start is the best way to have your class shine with a substantial and memorable gift. Reunion classes of 2024, leave your mark on Morgan, its future and the future of its students! Leave your legacy!

Class Agents Listing

The Class Agents for classes ending in “4” or “9” are listed below. If you have not heard from your Class Agent, or no agent is listed for your class, please take the initiative by contacting him or her or by volunteering to be a Class Agent yourself. Please call the Office of Alumni Relations at (443) 885-3015 or email alumni@morgan.edu to volunteer. We hope you will participate and join in all the fun and festivities next May! It’s important that you do, for the future of our beloved University and its students. See you at the luncheon!

Class of 1949

Class of 1954

Class of 1959

Class of 1964

Class of 1969

Class of 1974

Elaine Blackwell Meblackwell7@gmail.com

No Class Agent (Please call the Alumni Relations Office.)

James Ward ................... jamesawardjr@gmail.com

Delores C. Cooke, Esq. edm.forester@comcast.net

Laura P. Byrd laurabyrd@yahoo.com

Nellie Maskal .................. orblue6947@gmail.com

Erica Cryor fielde@aol.com

50th Anniversary Class Angela Gaither-Scott ............. angela.gaither-scott@morgan.edu

Floyd Taliaferro taliaferro7@gmail.com

Arturo Lawson arthemalaw@aol.com

Sharon Russell ................. sharonrussell.realtor@gmail.com

Class of 1979

Class of 1984

Class of 1989

Class of 1994

Class of 1999

Class of 2004

Class of 2009

Class of 2014

Class of 2019

Leroy Jenkins, Jr. skipjenkins195@gmail.com

Elizabeth Jacobs Davies-Sekle ...... tigerlizzy8@aol.com

Bonnie Ramsey-McDonald medicalsocialsv@aol.com

Mrs. Karen Wright KarenW1225@gmail.com

Novlette Jackson-Williams ......... novey0519@yahoo.com

Robin Kingsberry-Harvey robirenata@aol.com

Dr. Felicia Jackson-Bridgewater fabridge@bellsouth.net

Kimberlee Wilson Mander ......... 30reasons2@gmail.com

Dominique Mitchell daliciamitchell@gmail.com

Dawn Ambrose dawnambrose@hotmail.com

Adrienne Hawkins ............... adrienne.hawkins@gmail.com

Nia Wilkes purpose326@gmail.com

Tahira Ali Liburd tahira.n.ali@gmail.com

Thais K. Meadows ............... thais.k.meadows@gmail.com

Lesean Robinson robinsonlasean@yahoo.com

Oprah Martin .................. oprah.martin14@alumni.morgan.edu

Daniel Gibson daniel.gibson19@alumni.morgan.edu

Class of 1974 to Celebrate Its Golden Anniversary!

Class of 1974, this is just a friendly reminder about your big, upcoming event! In May 2024, your class will celebrate its 50th Anniversary Reunion on Alumni Day, at the 121st Annual Alumni Awards and Class Reunion Luncheon. Information about upcoming activities and events will be sent by email, so please be sure the Office of Alumni Relations has your updated contact information, especially your email address, or you may miss all the fun. Call (443) 885-3015 or email alumni@morgan.edu with your updated information. See you in May!

Class of 1949 Gears Up for Its 75th Anniversary

Attention, all members of the Class of 1949! Please contact the Office of Alumni Relations by calling (443) 885-3015 or emailing alumni@morgan.edu. Your classmates Mary Elaine Proctor Blackwell and Genester Nix Miller would like to hear from you regarding preparations for your upcoming 75th Anniversary Reunion in May 2024.

Ready to Party Like It’s 1999?

The Class Agents for the Class of 1999 have been hard at work, planning for the 25th Anniversary Reunion celebrations in 2024! During a planning meeting held virtually in May, class members were presented with suggestions for activities to take place from April 2024 through Homecoming 2024, and the Gift Giving Campaign that will run from July 1, 2023, through April 30, 2024, was discussed.

Volunteers are needed to assist with fundraising and the planning of events.

If you are interested in attending and/or volunteering at the 25th Anniversary Reunion, please send your name, email address and telephone number to the Class of 1999 by email to morganalumni1999@gmail.com.

HELP US STAY CONNECTED!

Please let us know of any changes to your profile, including your name, address, telephone, email, etc. You may notify us by email at alumni@morgan.edu, by telephone at (443) 885-3015 or through our Online Community (www.alumni.morgan.edu).

We would also love to know of any other MSU alumni who are not receiving our mailings. Please check with your MSU family members and friends, and call or email us if you hear of any missed connections.

In addition to housing your profile, the Online Community provides important alumni information and updates. Please log on regularly!

Morgan Class of 1973

The Magnificent Marching Machine is going to France!

MSU’s Marching Band has accepted an invitation to participate in the 80th Anniversary Commemoration of D-Day: The Battle of Normandy and the Liberation of France. The Magnificent Marching Machine will be the first HBCU band to perform at this annual event, which will take place on June 6, 2024.

This will be an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a first international experience for many of the students in the band. And, as you can imagine, it comes with a substantial cost. Please assist in making this dream opportunity happen by supporting the Band Fund.

Our goal is to raise $300,000 toward the band’s costs for the six-night, seven-day trip to France by March 31, 2024. A matching gift has already been secured, but we have to reach our fundraising goal to receive it.

Please give today, to help the Magnificent Marching Machine represent your alma mater, and the nation, at this historic event!

Payments can be made online at, https:// givetomorgan.org/msuf-magnificent-marchingmachine, or make your check payable to MSU Foundation and mail it to: MSU Foundation, Inc. P.O. Box 64261, Baltimore, MD 21264-4261

Please include “MSU BAND FRANCE” in the memo section of your check.

Morgan Alum’s Community Service Earns U.S. Presidential Honor

Congratulations to community activist, author, inspirational speaker and entrepreneur Katrina Little-Shaw of the Class of 1986, who was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Community Service from President Joe Biden in July! Dr. Little-Shaw, who has an honorary doctorate in Christian Leadership from Cornerstone Christian University, is CEO and Founder of MANE – Mammograms Are Not Enough Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing breast cancer awareness. A media professional with more than 20 years’ experience, she is also Top Lead Legislative Ambassador in her Congressional District for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and Co-chair of the Network’s Black Volunteer Caucus.

Dr. Little-Shaw earned a Bachelor of Science in Telecommunications from Morgan and is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She resides in Baltimore with her husband, Warren Shaw.

Support the Band’s Historic Trip to Normandy, France

Dr. Katrina Little-Shaw

Choir

Fall/Winter 2023–2024

Visit www.msuchoir.org for the latest information.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Indianapolis Colts

Sept. 24, 1 p.m., M&T Bank Stadium, 1101 Russell St., Baltimore, MD 21230

Concert at Berea Temple Seventh Day Adventist Church

Sept. 30, 4 p.m., 1901 Madison Ave., Baltimore, MD 21217

Performing Arts Convocation

Oct. 5, 11 a.m., Murphy Fine Arts Center, 2201 Argonne Dr., Baltimore, MD 21218

Concert at Beth El Congregation

Nov. 1, 11 a.m., 8101 Park Heights Ave., Pikesville, MD 21208

Concert at Asbury United Methodist Church

Nov. 4, 6 p.m., 87 West St., Annapolis, MD 21401

Founders Day Convocation

Nov. 9, 11 a.m., Murphy Fine Arts Center, 2201 Argonne Dr., Baltimore, MD 21218

Concert at Bethany Baptist Church – Newark

Dec. 3, 4 p.m., 275 W. Market St., Newark, NJ 07103

Washington Monument Christmas Lighting

Dec. 7, 6 p.m., 699 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21201

“Christmas with Choral Arts” Concert

Dec. 5, 7 p.m., The Baltimore Basilica, 409 Cathedral St., Baltimore, MD 21201

Annual MSU Choir Christmas Concert

Dec. 10, 4 p.m., Murphy Fine Arts Center, 2201 Argonne Dr., Baltimore, MD 21218

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Scholarship Breakfast

Jan. 13, 2024, 8 a.m., Morgan State University Student Center

Dr. Eric Conway, Director

Arts

Events – Fall/Winter/Spring 2023–2024

Calendar is subject to change. Visit www.murphyfineartscenter.org for the latest information.

Through Dec. 8 Black Artists of D.C. Exhibit, James E. Lewis Museum of Art

Sept. 23 “This Is Jesus” A Worship Concert, starring Steven Curtis Chapman, Jordin Sparks, Jordan Smith, Gilliam Concert Hall

Oct. 19–22 Theatre Morgan presents “For Black Boys Who Have Considered Homicide When the Streets Were Too Much,” Turpin-Lamb Theatre

Oct. 26–29 Theatre Morgan presents “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf,” Turpin-Lamb Theatre

Nov. 2–5

Dorothy P. Stanley Dance Festival and Dance Baltimore’s 25th Anniversary, Gilliam Concert Hall

Nov. 7 College of Liberal Arts’ and School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences’ 25th Anniversary – MSU Opera Retrospective, Gilliam Concert Hall

Nov. 8 College of Liberal Arts’ and School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences’ 25th Anniversary – Storytelling Event, Recital Hall

Nov. 12 College of Liberal Arts’ and School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences’ 25th Anniversary – MSU Musical Theatre presents “Celebrating a Journey,” Gilliam Concert Hall

Nov. 16–19 Opera@Morgan presents “The Brilliance of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,” Recital Hall

Nov. 17 “Nice and Nasty” Comedy Show, starring D.L. Hughley, Nate Jackson, Joe Torry and Kelli Kelz, Gilliam Concert Hall

Nov. 19 U.S. Navy Band Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Summit, Gilliam Concert Hall

Dec. 2 “The Magnificent Marching Machine” MSU Marching Band Show, Gilliam Concert Hall

Dec. 8 MSU Musical Theatre Fall Showcase, Turpin-Lamb Theatre

Dec. 10 MSU Choir Christmas Concert, Gilliam Concert Hall

Dec. 16 Ballet Nouveau School presents “A Nutcracker Suite,” Turpin-Lamb Theatre

Dec. 20 Samara Joy – A Joyful Holiday, featuring The McLendon Family, Gilliam Concert Hall

March 3 Singing Sensations Youth Choir, Gilliam Concert Hall

April 11–14

April 28

MSU Musical Theatre presents “The Color Purple,” Gilliam Concert Hall

MSU Symphonic Band Concert, Gilliam Concert Hall

May 5 MSU Choir Spring Concert, Gilliam Concert Hall

May 11

MSU Jazz Ensemble Concert, Gilliam Concert Hall

June 15 Ballet Nouveau School Spring Recital, Turpin-Lamb Theatre

CARL J. MURPHY FINE ARTS CENTER

Gilliam Concert Hall

Turpin-Lamb Theatre

James E. Lewis Museum of Art

Homecoming 2023 Homecoming Football! Saturday, Oct. 7 Bears vs. Seawolves, Hughes Stadium

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

Homecoming Host Hotel

The Hotel Indigo Baltimore 24 W. Franklin St., Baltimore, MD 21201 (410) 625-6200

(Pet-Friendly Hotel)

Other Options

The Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Baltimore 550 Light St., Baltimore, MD, 21202 (410) 234-0550

SOLD OUT

Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel

200 E. Pratt St. Baltimore, MD 21202 (410) 547-1200

Marriott Harborplace Hotel 700 Aliceanna St. Baltimore, MD 21202 (833) 391-1462

MSUAA Business Meeting

Friday, Oct. 6, 2023, 11 a.m. Meeting will begin promptly and will be held in the University Student Center Theater, first floor.

39th Annual Homecoming Gala

Friday, Oct. 6, 2023, 8 p.m.

Martin’s West, 6817 Dogwood Rd., Baltimore, MD 21244

18

Volleyball

NECROLOGY Deceased MSU Alumni, Faculty, Staff & Students ‘Gone But Not Forgotten’

Lovic McDonald Beasley, ’68 ........

Frederick Keith Biddlecomb, ’74

Dr. Samuel Robert Billups, Jr., ’91

Mr. Donald L. Brown, ’92

Martin B. Brown, Esq., ’75

Ronald Joseph Cage, ’69

Delores Fraser Cave, ’52

Cattie Ruth Chisolm (Former Staff)

Charles T. Collins, ’63 ..............

Dr. La Moyne Mason Matthews Cooper, ’51

Joan Marie Ruff Cummings, ’68

Frank R. Cutko, ’76

Toni Bowman Davenport, ’81

Sarah Allen Dawson, ’49

Dr. Joseph Carroll Dorsey, ’70

Lilstyne W. Dowhite,

Deborah M. Gibson, ’75.

Iris B. Gray, ’74

Michael Larkin Green, Sr., ’68

Dr. Robin Jean Hailstorks, ’76

Clyde William Hatcher, Jr. (Former Staff) .................

Dr. Marcia Henson-Coakley, ’74

Richard Lee Herring, Jr., ’00

Marshall Jackson, ’51

Honorable

E. Johnson, Jr., ’69

Nannie Modell Quarles Jones, ’76

Victor Maurice Julien, ’62

Bernita Rae Mister Kane, ’59

E. Kave, ’56

Dr. Doris Jean Levi, ’49

*This list includes notices received on or before Aug. 8, 2023. Any notices received after that date will be published in the next issue of Alumni News.

Word Search

Famous Names of the National Treasure

Let’s Build: All the names listed at the bottom of this page can be found on Morgan’s campus. Find them in the Word Search puzzle below! First, last and middle names may or may not be together, may be diagonal and/or backwards and may overlap. The first 10 readers to submit completed puzzles to alumni@morgan.edu will receive a prize. Submission must be received by Oct. 31.

Famous Names of the National

BENJAMIN BANNEKER

FRANCES HARPER

BANNEKER

MARTIN JENKINS

SOJOURNER TRUTH

CLARENCE BLOUNT

DWIGHT

TALMADGE HILL

THURGOOD MARSHALL

IDA CUMMINGS

DWIGHT OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES

GEORGE MCMECHEN

CALVIN AND TINA TYLER

EARL GRAVES

EDWARD HURT

PEZAVIA O’CONNELL

H ARPER H ARRIE T

HARRIET TUBMAN