Loveville Loves the Bears

J. Blaine Somerville III has deep roots in rural St. Mary’s County, Maryland, and an enormous family tree of alumni of Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan State. Somerville, who earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at Morgan in 1992, is owner of Somerville Insurance Agency in his hometown of Loveville. He is also a youth athletics coach, a former high school teacher and a former Assistant Director of the Honors Program at Morgan, where he worked for his mentor, Clayton Stansbury, Ph.D., from 1993 to 1997. Somerville and his extended family have farmed their own land in Loveville for generations. One of his paternal great grandfathers and a great grand uncle donated land to a land trust with the county to have a school for Black students established on the family farm. Education, since then, has been “a huge deal” for the family, he says, and the Somervilles and Morgan have benefited mutually from that high priority.

“Morgan has become a person to me. It is a living, breathing thing,” says Somerville, as he reflects on the friendships he made as an undergraduate with peers such as Edwin

Johnson, Ph.D., now Special Assistant to the Provost at the University. But his words apply just as well to his Morgan kin.

‘A Family Tradition’

Blaine’s mother, Charlotte Somerville, graduated from Morgan with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 1975 and had a long, impactful career as a guidance counselor at Leonardtown High School, in St. Mary’s. One of his paternal uncles, Douglas Somerville, Sr., left Morgan a year later with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and had a successful career with the District of Columbia government and as owner of the construction company where he still works in retirement, DFS & Associates. Blaine’s father, Joseph Blaine Somerville, Jr., was also a Morgan alum: the first of the family to attend the University, he left without a degree after marrying Charlotte and after Blaine III was born. He passed away in 2020.

Two of Blaine III’s three younger siblings are Morgan graduates: his sister Karla Somerville-Swales earned her bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at Morgan in 1995 — the same year Blaine received his MBA from Morgan

— then went to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) to earn her Ph.D. as the first graduate scholar of that university’s renowned Meyerhoff Scholars Program. She does contractual work now, in chemistry. Her sister Shahza Somerville Dozier arrived at Morgan in 1996 and left with her Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2000, before she also earned her Ph.D. as a Meyerhoff Scholar at UMBC, in Neuroscience. She is a medical writer and regulatory affairs specialist now for a clinical operations company in the pharmaceutical industry. Blaine’s cousin Douglas Somerville, Jr., and Douglas’ sister Kellie are graduates of Morgan, too. Kellie, of the Class of 2018, has taken her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration to a major utility company, where she is a supervisor and work planner. Douglas, Jr., earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2001 and is working as a supervisor for a large energy firm. Another cousin, Martyna Somerville, graduated from Morgan with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 2014 and now works as a contractor for the Department of Defense. Her brother Corey Somerville and cousins Victor Taylor and Michael Taylor II are Morgan grads also, in the Class of 2007. And yet another Somerville cousin, D’Andre Miller, earned a Bachelor of Science in Multi-Platform Production at Morgan last December.

“Morgan is close to all of our hearts,” says Shahza, who adds that her brother Blaine was a major influence on her decision to become a Bear. “…It’s a family tradition and legacy to some degree, meaning it’s almost expected that we enroll and are involved (on campus) and enjoy watching others in the family go to Morgan.”

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Close Calls

As strong as it is, the Somervilles’ higher education tradition has had a few shaky moments. As a high school senior and outstanding scholar-athlete who had been the only Black student in many of his classes, Blaine III came close to choosing another university. With full scholarship offers in hand from Ivy League and other predominantly white institutions, he had settled on the University of Maryland, College Park. His mother’s former professor, Dr. Stansbury, offered him a full scholarship to Morgan’s new Honors College, but Blaine turned it down immediately. Appeals from his mother and father to consider Morgan fell on deaf ears, but his football coach was more effective.

“He said, ‘Morgan State University has taken care of your family. And now you think you’re too good for it?.... It’s obvious that’s where you need to go,’ ” Blaine recalls. “This white man told me to go to Morgan. I said, ‘Well, I’ll go for a semester, and if I don’t like it, I can always transfer…. I’m 52 years old. I’ve been happily married to the same woman for it’ll be 30 years in November, and Morgan State University by far is the greatest decision I’ve ever made. Morgan made me understand who I am and who I’m supposed to be.”

Blaine’s uncle Douglas had a similar experience.

“I was scheduled to go to a white university. I had no intention of going to any Black school. I had the opportunity to go anywhere I wanted,” says Douglas, whose K–12 education was at predominantly white schools. But his mother and his brother Blaine intervened, “and in protest I went to Morgan. The deal was, if I went one year and I didn’t get into trouble and I was OK, I could then go to whatever school I wanted.”

“Man, after that one year, I couldn’t think about going anywhere else….” Douglas says. “I don’t even know how to say this: I didn’t know that I wasn’t Black. Morgan taught me that there were things that I needed to be aware of and that I was Black and should be proud of being Black…. All of that taught me that when I left Morgan, I could do anything. It crystallized a personality that I would never have had, had I gone to school anywhere else.”

World-Class Preparation

Like the other Morganites in her family, Shahza praises the education she received at Morgan.

“The program I was in at UMBC was actually a tri-campus program, so I got to attend classes and participate in a lot of the activities at College Park; UMB, which is the medical and dental school…; and UMBC,” she explains.

“All three of those had very rigorous academic programs, and at all three, many people that came in the same cohort with me had a difficult time keeping up with the coursework and completing the programs. I never had that problem, meaning, academically, I was well prepared. So that says a lot, I think, about the level of education that I got from Morgan.”

The Somerville contingent of Morgan alumni is still growing, Blaine reports. His cousin Taylor Vaughn Nelson is an Applied Liberal Studies major headed for graduation this May, and his goddaughter, Kaela Dothard, is an Applied Liberal Studies major in the Class of 2024.

Blaine and Douglas, Sr., say they’re doing all they can to continue adding to Morgan’s student and graduate rolls. Douglas says he and his wife have given financial help to students at Morgan and other HBCUs for decades and that he promotes the University constantly. For Blaine’s part, he says he’s continuing the volunteer recruitment he has done since the 1990s.

“I moved back home to teach because there were so many kids I went to high school with who didn’t go to college. And I said, ‘Morgan can help these people,’ ” Blaine says. “Half of my county went to Morgan during those six, seven years I taught, because I sent them. Morgan is all I talk about.” n

Cornish Chapter Reaches $1-Million Scholarship Milestone

On Jan. 14, the Howard L. Cornish Metropolitan Baltimore Alumni Chapter reached a major fundraising milestone at its 2023 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Breakfast! In raising $52,500 in scholarships, the chapter reached the $1-million mark during the 36th iteration of the event.

Scholarships were awarded to 20 deserving Morgan State University students. Six of the scholarships were awarded as memorials to Chapter members who made their eternal transitions during 2022: Margaret C. Ogle, ’46; Dr. Leah G. Hasty, ’52, ’66 and ’92; Shirley F. Reason, ’59; Marian R. Finney, ’60; Donald Tynes, Sr., ’65; and Patricia M. Burns, ’76.

Anthony C. McPhail served as the Event Chairman for the Scholarship Breakfast this year. Carole A. Jeffries is the Chapter President. Sina Gebre-Ab, Morning News Anchor for WJZ-TV 13, was the event’s Mistress of Ceremonies.

Baltimore County Chapter Pitches in for Health and Wellness

A health expo hosted by MSUAA’s Baltimore County Chapter, in partnership with LifeBridge Health, brought approximately 500 participants to the Randallstown Community Center, in Randallstown, Maryland, on April 22. The event was part of an ongoing effort to meet the health and wellness needs of residents in northwest Baltimore County and the surrounding communities. Physicians and other medical professionals conducted blood pressure screenings, blood sugar and cholesterol checks and risk assessments for chronic conditions. They were also on hand to answer questions and give brief presentations that included an exercise demonstration. Tables and displays represented various service lines of Northwest Hospital and other community partners, and volunteers distributed informational handouts about diseases and health conditions and how to prevent or manage them.

Commitment to Mission Grows in Chicago

The Chicago Alumni Chapter remains steadfast in its commitment to the National Treasure. In 2022, the Chapter awarded two $1,500 scholarships to Chicago area students enrolled at Morgan for the 2022–23 academic year and hosted a “Back to School” festivity for local area Morganites. The Chapter continues to promote Morgan State University through participation in local college fairs, such as the 100 Black Men College Scholarship Fair, the Chicago Football Classic HBCU College and Career Fair, the National Association of Admissions Officers College Fair and the Silas Purnell College Fair. The chapter’s presence on Facebook and Instagram serves to showcase the group’s activities as well as the major events occurring on campus.

The Chicago Alumni Chapter continues to move forward in the Chicagoland area in service to its beloved alma mater.

Fundraising and Recruitment Are Happening in Houston

The Greater Houston Area Alumni Chapter’s fall/winter activities were popping, with its Double Good Popcorn Fundraiser last October and its meet-up at Studio Movie Grill to view the movie “Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever,” last November. Chapter members promoted Morgan at multiple college fairs in 2022, the last at the Bay Area Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s annual “Rep Your Alma Mater” college event, in December. Students there were provided with information about Morgan academic degrees, MSU student life and Baltimore.

Since the New Year, the chapter has held a virtual general body meeting in January that included alumni from the Dallas Fort Worth area and attended NBA HBCU night with the Houston Rockets in February. Other events attended by chapter members included an HBCU College Fair in Houston on March 4 and three MSU choir performances in Texas later that month. General body meetings are upcoming, on May 9 and Sept. 26.

If you live outside of Greater Houston and the surrounding area, no problem! Chapter membership is open to all alumni in good financial standing with the Morgan State University Alumni Association. General body meetings are held quarterly and are conducted through an online virtual platform. For more information, email GreaterHoustonArea.Chapter@alumni.morgan.edu.

Howard County Chapter’s Innovation Brings Success

With new talent arriving constantly, the Howard County Alumni Chapter started 2023 with a bang. Processes are becoming more computerized, and as a convenience to chapter members who are not check writers, the finance team has even integrated PayPal to pay chapter dues, etc.

The Membership Committee is pushing to increase the chapter’s numbers, an initiative that has led to a 20% increase in the membership total.

The Scholarship Committee has reviewed and revamped its forms and processes and received applications for this year’s scholarships via the chapter’s website, msuaa-hc.org, through April 1.

A Black History Fair in Columbia, Maryland, in February was an opportunity for the chapter to proudly display and convey information about Morgan and recruit chapter members as well as students for the University. Fundraising continues to be a priority for the chapter. Another “Let’s Give Something Back Campaign” surpassed its goal of $10,000, and the chapter’s annual Caribbean Day Party brought a crowd of financial supporters to Kahler Hall in Columbia on April 15.

As COVID restrictions are slowly being eased, the New Jersey Chapter has resumed its busy schedule of activities. The highlight, so far this year, has been the panel discussion hosted by the chapter on Feb. 4, during the INVESCO QQQ HBCU Legacy Classic at the Prudential Center in Newark. Moderated by Morgan alumna Claudia Ruffin, the discussion was centered on “African-American Female Achievement in Sports Management,” with MEAC Commissioner Sonja Stills and three Athletic Directors, Dena Freeman-Patton from Morgan State, Alecia Shields-Gadson from Delaware State and Paula Jackson, Ph.D., from Hampton University, as participants. They each discussed their educational and professional journeys in breaking the glass ceiling in the male-dominated field and challenging racial and gender bias. The event was attended by alumni and friends from New Jersey, New York. Pennsylvania and Maryland as well as Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver and former Councilwoman Bessie Walker, who presented the panelists with Newark City Council Resolutions recognizing their achievements. The panelists also received Certificates of Appreciation and Recognition from NCBW 100 of Bergen and Passaic Counties.

Northern Virginia Chapter Recruits Students in Loudoun County

Virginia

Chapter participated in the eighth annual college fair at Tuscarora High School, in Leesburg, Virginia, last October. The evening was designed to expose the school community to the many options made available by attending an Historically Black College or University. The event brought recruiters from many HBCUs under one roof. Loudoun County, located 45 minutes west of Washington D.C., has the highest median household income in the U.S. and some of the most dynamic students in the nation. Many of these students have resources to attend schools outside of Virginia but do not receive much information about HBCUs. The goal of the chapter was to build a stronger connection between Morgan and local Loudoun County schools to attract minority students.