May 2021
A newsletter for students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends
A small step back toward normality Class of 2021’s rite of passage guided by pandemic protocols Graduation exercises returned to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s William P. Hytche Athletic Center May 14 after a year’s hiatus. The university awarded 284 degrees in a “modified, in-person” ceremony and a smaller, more intimate crowd to adhere to COVID-19 prevention protocols. UMES navigated the 2020-21 academic year without halting classes or closing, thanks to a robust virus-testing program and a hybrid class schedule that blended in-person and online instruction. UMES held two “virtual” graduation ceremonies in 2020. Earning a UMES degree takes perseverance, and the Class of 2021 added resilience to the equation. Melody J. Newman, an outgoing 30-yearold originally from Baltimore, toiled off and on for more than a decade to complete work on her undergraduate degree in English. “It brought tears to my eyes to find
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Boren Fellowship Recipient
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Hard Hat Ceremony at UMES
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Social Justice Event Graduation cont.
out we were going to have an in-person commencement,” Newman said. “I am fully prepared to take on the world and whatever I have coming next.” Angelica Maria Garcia (top right) of El Monte, Calif., the first in her family to graduate from college, earned her bachelor’s degree in applied design with a concentration in commercial photography. Cheered on by her adult daughter, Garcia, 48, wants “to tell people’s stories visually.” She’s among 11 people offered a coveted spot in a graduate program at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “I’m not only an artist,” she said, “I want to be an activist, too.” Zachary J. Seiler of Stevensville, Md., has a job lined up after receiving his bachelor’s degree in aviation science. He’s headed to New London, Conn. where he’ll enter officer candidate school with a goal of flying U.S. Coast Guard helicopters. “I’ve had an awesome experience here
Page 5 Student Perspective
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Beautification at UMES
– nothing but good things to say about the university,” said Seiler, a member of the Richard A. Henson Honors Program who graduated with “highest honors.” Gabrielle Christian (page 4) of Elkridge, Md., a community college transfer student who made the UMES dean’s list, delivered the student commentary.
“I did not give up on myself when I did not go to (a four-year) college straight out of high school,” the hospitalitytourism management major said, adding “I was able to grow as a person by attending UMES.” She said she auditioned to speak at commencement because she thought would resonate with peers “to keep following their dreams.” The first graduate to accept a degree grew up on the campus and crossed the stage in a building bearing her late
Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Archiving at UMES
Creative Writing
Teachers of Promise Faculty/Staff News
CLASS OF 2021 / continued on page 4
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Remembering Jesse T. Williams
Page 11 Page 12 Athletics
Family Affair
2 The Key / May 2021
School News
Destination Japan: Nylah McClain is first UMES student to win a Boren Fellowship Nylah McClain was captivated as a child by Japanese comic books and graphic novels – manga – as well as anime, the term used to describe a unique style of animation. McClain had no way of knowing at age seven it would lead 16 years later to a year of study in the Land of the Rising Sun. The Fort Washington, Md. native is among 124 American college students awarded a Boren Fellowship for the 2021-22 academic year, and a first for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The fellowship carries a $25,000 stipend to spend a year in “language immersion.” McClain earned a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in environmental science in May 2020 and was a member of the Richard A. Henson Honors Program. “For Nylah to be the first UMES recipient of a Boren Fellowship is truly transformative, for her and for our school,” Dr. Michael Lane, the honors program director, wrote in an April 16 memo announcing the honor. McClain “is proof positive that UMES students can compete for – and win – nationally prestigious awards of this caliber,” Lane said, “and … has cleared the skies for future Hawks to soar toward their own goals around the world.” The fellowship is named for a former U.S. senator from Oklahoma, the principal author of legislation that created the National Security Education Program, which focuses on building ”a broader and more qualified pool of U.S. citizens with foreign language and international skills.” The graduate of Oxon Hill High School, a science and technology magnet school in Prince George’s County, gravitated to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore because it was a historically black institution in a bucolic setting and offered a career path to become an environmental scientist. As a secondary school student, McClain studied Italian. UMES, it turns out, offers academic course credit through its Foreign Language Instruction Center in Japanese. McClain seized the opportunity and spent two semesters as a senior under the tutelage of center director Phillip Broussard. “Nylah-san (the name I use to call her in Japanese class) is an extremely determined, diligent and motivated student,” Broussard
said. “These are all of the traits needed to learn and master a new language, particularly a difficult language like Japanese.” In a mandatory essay required by the Boren Fellowship application, McClain wrote, “How languages change and develop has always been of interest to me. This desire to understand others and how they communicate will aid in how I prepare to approach others overseas. I want to be viewed as confident, but polite.” “While I’m sure I can get the polite part down, I am quite introverted and approaching others can be difficult for me,” McClain’s essay said. “Because Japanese culture is quite polite, being immersed by the culture will make me more comfortable.” The 23-year-old currently is a firstyear student in UMES’ marine-estuarineenvironmental sciences graduate program. “One of my career goals is to educate the public on how marine ecosystems interact with and are impacted by humans and how humans are affected in turn,” McClain’s Boren application essay says. McClain received the Boren Fellowship award news electronically in mid-April. “Everyone is very proud of me,” McClain said. “I’ve always talked to them about going to Japan, but it always seemed out of reach” financially. In return for the yearlong fellowship, McClain committed to pursuing work with the federal government where language skills can be put to practical use.
Anime artwork by Martha Opiyo (UMES ’19)
School News
The Key / May 2021
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“Hard Hat Day” a hit with UMES supporters The university provided invited guests a sneak peek at its new classroom building
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore marked the half-way point of construction on its newest classroom building April 30 with “Hard Hat Day,” an event that substituted for a groundbreaking ceremony cancelled a year ago by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. When the $90 million structure is completed (in 2022), the School of Pharmacy currently spread among six buildings, will be consolidated under one roof and feature state-of-the-art laboratories for training and pharmaceutical research. University leaders envision the three-story building being the first of two phases to create an allied health sciences complex on the east side of campus. UMES offers eight such programs, including graduate degrees in physical therapy and physician assistant studies and undergraduate instruction in exercise science and rehabilitation services, which longrange planning recommends be clustered together to foster greater collaboration. It was a sentiment emphasized in remarks by UMES President Heidi M. Anderson and her boss, Dr. Jay Perman, chancellor of the University System of Maryland. Because of COVID-19 mitigation protocols, UMES organized a low-key, invitation-only event that included a small gathering of university supporters and elected officials, including state Sen. Mary Beth Carozza (R-Worcester) and Del. Sheree Sample-Hughes (D-Wicomico), speaker pro tem of the Maryland House of Delegates. “You are well aware of the healthcare professionals’ shortage we have here on the Eastern Shore and the state of Maryland,” SampleHughes said, turning to five current UMES pharmacy students sitting socially distanced on the front row. “We need you.”
It was a theme repeated by an appreciative parade of speakers invited to participate in the celebration. Afterwards, guests -- donning hard hats -- toured the first floor of the structure with 125,000 gross square feet across College Backbone Road from the university’s Engineering and Aviation Science Complex, which opened in 2016. UMES launched its Doctor of Pharmacy program in 2010 under former President Thelma B. Thompson, who enlisted the late state lawmaker, D. Page Elmore, as an ally to help the university secure mandatory approvals and funding to create the graduate program. Dr. Carolyn Elmore, his wife, traveled from Florida to attend the event and sentimentally shared that she wished he had lived to see the fruition of one of his favorite constituent service projects. In its first 10 years, UMES’ pharmacy school has produced some 440 licensed pharmacists -- and most recently six doctorates in pharmaceutical science. One Ph.D. graduate is engaged in promising research to create a reliable test that hopefully will help physicians shape an early treatment regimen for patients starting to exhibit COVID-19 symptoms. Dr. Brandy Inkrote Taylor, an alumna who graduated in 2015, said the new building “is quite impressive. When I was here, people really didn’t know there was a pharmacy school at UMES.” “It’s encouraging to hear that the university sees the value in having the various health professions’ students working together,” she said. “It’s so important.”
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Social Justice Event
Democracy demands civic engagement Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford wraps up UMES’ ‘20-21 social justice series Boyd K. Rutherford challenged a UMES audience to be pro-active in shaping the future of the nation’s democracy. His remarks were delivered as part of the university’s social justice symposium. “We need more people to be civically engaged,” Maryland’s lieutenant governor said, adding, “You don’t need to be a crank” to be heard. In a broad-ranging, hour-long talk April 29 on “The Future of Democracy,” Rutherford pointed out the cyclical nature of political and social turmoil the nation has endured since its founding. If pundits are troubled about the current direction of the country -- especially in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol -- Rutherford is less so. Yet, from his front-row seat as a Black Republican serving in the executive branch of a state that tends to lean Democratic at the ballot box, he does see challenges. Schools, he said, should rethink how they present “basic civics” education and place more value on teaching that subject across primary and secondary levels. He even suggested colleges and universities would be wise to do the same – at least for freshmen. Rutherford said today’s political turmoil underscores the guiding principle of the framers of the U.S. Constitution, who strove to “form a more perfect union.” “We’re a representative democracy and a constitutional republic,” he said. “We have a set of rules in place set out by
the constitution,” which he noted “is a guard rail to protect … minorities.” Well-informed citizens, Rutherford said, have to work harder to discern fact from fiction because of the cataclysmic shift in the way information is disseminated. In their heyday a century ago, he noted, the political bent of newspapers as the dominant source of current events was well known to readers. “There’s a bias in a lot of media (today) that’s undisclosed,” Rutherford said. Social media, in particular, plays an oversized, sometimes distorted role. “It can rev up crowds … rabble rousers, which can lead to a situation like what we had on Jan. 6” in Washington, he said. “Information flows so quickly without being checked (and) it causes these challenges.” “How do we overcome these challenges with division and angry rhetoric and how do we address that?” he asked. “Make sure you are civically engaged,” Rutherford said, “particularly you students … you are going to be (the) people of influence.” It is informed citizens’ responsibility “to make sure when bad speech or inaccurate speech” emerges to counter it “with facts.” And don’t be reluctant to “push back on your own viewpoints” as well, he said. “You need to understand where to go, and help other people understand where they need to go to get redress,” Rutherford said. “Participate at all levels … that’s what I hope you all will do as you continue with your lives.”
CLASS OF 2021 / continued from cover
father’s name. Pamelia Hytche-Hunter received a traditional neck drape, a “hood,” signifying she completed her doctoral degree work in organizational leadership, finishing a 40-year journey. At age 66, Hytche-Hunter became the last of Deloris and UMES President William P. Hytche’s three children to join the ranks of UMES alumni. She considered pursuing a doctorate at the University of Texas in 1981, but put it off because of time-consuming family obligations as a mother of two and the spouse of a Baptist pastor. “At that time, I was the only child … who did not attend the greatest institution in America, which for my father is the University of Maryland Eastern Shore,” Hytche-Hunter said. State lawmaker Sheree L. Sample-Hughes, speaker pro tem of the Maryland House of Delegates, delivered the commencement address. Dr. John B. King Jr., the nation’s 10th U.S. Secretary of Education under former President Barack Obama, received an honorary degree in public service.
Student Perspective
The Time for Change is Upon Us
The Key / May 2021
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There comes We have progressed, a time when we, as evolved, beyond the moral characters with superficiality of merely ever-evolving means of taking actions as they language through which are. Instead, we must By Jaylah Easter to communicate, must examine those outcomes, examine our definition and examine their reasoning, implementation of such and determine whether a language. verdict has been rendered It is a time when the because it was deserved, or paradigm of society shifts because social and political and, so, the ways in which pressure demanded it. we communicate and It is not, then, whether express ourselves must the guilty verdict in the change accordingly. Floyd murder is an act of The trial of Derek ‘justice’ but, rather, how Chauvin in the murder the context of this case can of George Floyd is one of be related to its outcome. those times. We must command the Responses to the Floyd same scrutiny, the same murder, caused when thenintegrity, when evaluating officer Chauvin kneeled on and judging cases of his neck for nine minutes every level, regardless of and 29 seconds on May 25, their social and political 2020, resulting in Floyd’s consequences. We must subsequent asphyxiation resist assigning such and death, were merely terms as ‘justice’ to those media through which an outcomes, unless we are already-burning inferno of unequivocally certain that a outrage at racial inequality could be expressed. verdict was passed entirely in and of its own nature. Frustration and suspicion, stemming from the lack of convictions Otherwise, we risk setting a standard for justice to be achievable in prior cases of excessive police brutality against Black Americans, only for those cases that are high-profile, widely televised and tractionlaid the foundations for the unprecedented scale of the response to able. We risk diluting and ambiguating the word ‘justice’, robbing it of Floyd’s murder. any meaning at all because we refused to allow its meaning to adapt Following the incident, protests erupted throughout the United alongside us. States, in response to the loss of yet another Black American to police Now that such a time is upon us, we must decide what our violence, and around the world, where people of color and minorities response to Chauvin’s conviction will be. I felt a conflicting mixture in other countries could identify with the sentiment of a police force of relief and dissatisfaction when I heard of the conviction. Relief rampant with racial prejudice and a tendency for excessive brutality. because a murderer had received due process and been convicted The relevance of the murder in its nature and execution meant accordingly. Dissatisfaction because if a guilty verdict could be that the engagement of the trial of Chauvin was international. With this reached in this case, why hadn’t it been reached in the countless political, social, and societal influence on the verdict of such a wellothers? known case (a factor that, sadly, was so often missing in the cases of The words to remember now are “We must.” We must decide other Black American victims of police brutality), it is possible to argue whether we will change our language and embrace this period of the outcome of the verdict was never in question. adjustment or if we will remain stagnant and allow the true meaning It is understandable, then, that when a guilty verdict in a case of of a word to die simply because we were too complacent to reexamine police brutality against Black Americans, especially one as high-profile and reflect. as the trial of Chauvin, is reached, it is equated to justice. Because the Jaylah Easter is a sophomore in the Richard A. Henson archetype of our society is malleable and conducive to change, so, Honors Program majoring in engineering. She is a Louis Stokes however, must be our definition and association of the term ‘justice.’ Alliances for Minority Participation scholar and a peer volunteer No longer should justice be claimed simply if a guilty verdict is in the university’s writing center. reached, if a perpetrator is convicted.
School News
6 The Key / May 2021
Curb appeal
UMES students pitch & execute a campus beautification project
(L-R) Audacious Douglas, Dutch Harbour and Tyler Ward
UMES student leaders, some wearing two hats as members of Greek social organizations, partnered with the university’s physical plant in mid-April to tackle a landscaping project in the shadow of John T. Williams Hall. Visitors and employees who park adjacent to the venerable administration building will now be greeted as they step onto the Academic Oval by a flowering (white) dogwood and a weeping red Japanese maple flanked by white gardenias and two versions of coral bells, both flowering perennials. A quartet of vintage rose bushes, existing tulips and daffodils and nine Celtic pride Siberian cypress shrubs are also part of the mix. Purple petunias were added for the 2021 growing season. Student Government Association President Michael Amo credits James Webb, the SGA’s vice president, with challenging peers to embrace a meaningful campus beautification project. Webb said current student leaders are motivated by “leaving a legacy.” “We felt like we’ve done the campus clean-ups,” Amo said, “and we wanted to do something that we could point to that would set an example.” Added Webb: “we hope this will inspire other students to show pride in our campus - and show the administration we can handle projects like this.” They settled on a well-trodden path near the shuttlebus stop between Williams, Waters and Hazel halls. Over the past several years, a raised bed became overgrown with native plants and weeds, and a few years ago, was altered aesthetically when a winter storm destroyed a centerpiece tree. Amo and Webb found Jicola Sturgis, the university’s physical
Jamal Gregory, left, and Jordan Rouse
plant director, receptive to their overture of pitching in with a grounds beautification project. Webb and Amo, juniors who also are members of Phi Beta Sigma, said the participating student groups budgeted $200-to-$300 and the university put in roughly another $1,000 to make the project happen. Under the watchful eye of new UMES grounds supervisor Dutch Harbour, about a dozen students spent several hours removing old growth, then returned after physical plant workers excavated tree stumps to make way for the new plantings. “It’s certainly a breath of fresh air to have students come out, show some interest in how the campus looks, and make a difference,” Harbour said. He said he was impressed by students’ enthusiasm and “leadership.” Nasya Goodman, a senior who heads the Zeta Phi Beta chapter that also had sorors involved, said she signed on because “I thought it was something nice to do – unique, different. Planting a garden seemed more rewarding than just picking up trash.” Webb, whose landscaping experience until now had been limited to “cutting grass,” said he envisioned the landscaping project as a way for students “to give back and showcase what’s best about the UMES community.” Amo said “we hope to show that it is possible that with a little creativity and hard work, it’s possible to make a difference.” The landscaping project was completed with the application of mulch, and the arrival of petunias from the commercial growers. Meanwhile, Amo and Webb said they also have another beautification project in the works for the other side of campus that they hope will be well-received by students when classes resume next fall.
UMES History
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A journey back in time
A trio of undergraduates get an up-close look at UMES’ history Three undergraduates -- two who are May 2021 graduation guy that excites me.” candidates -- took a crash course this spring in the University of Newspaper clippings from the 1960s that chronicled thenMaryland Eastern Shore’s colorful history and were paid for the Maryland State students engaged in civil rights protests in Princess privilege of doing so. Anne caught Wilson’s eye. The Institute of Museum and Library “It’s good to know our alumni were Services, an independent federal agency involved,” she said. that supports the nation’s libraries, When Wilson came upon an original awarded UMES a $50,000 grant a year black-and-white image of Martin Luther ago that is now being used to reorganize King Jr., the May 1959 commencement and modernize its archives. speaker, she had a one-word reaction: Because the undertaking is labor“Wow!” Same when she saw pictures of intensive, funding was set aside to jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald on campus. compensate student-interns to comb Lynn was startled by protest articles through Frederick Douglass Library’s that reported authorities used fire hoses special collection room, laying the and dogs for crowd control. groundwork for making old records and Lynn also was fascinated by images memorabilia more accessible to scholars, of the campus’ physical appearance students and the curious. -- photos of buildings no longer Sophomore Ashane J. Beckford in existence, or still standing but and seniors Ayanna E. Lynn and transformed. Whitni O. Wilson emerged as the top A newspaper clipping Lynn came choices from a deep pool of applicants. across using the word Negro resonated Wilson studied criminal justice; Lynn with her because of its obsolescence -was a human ecology major specializing and put into perspective the importance in dietetics; Beckford is a student in the of preserving those snapshots of a difficult Department of the Built Environment, era for alumni. formerly construction management and Beckford, who is from Jamaica technology. where “football” is what Americans call All three brim with enthusiasm when soccer, said “it took me a few days” to discussing their experiences. comprehend the role college football “It was kind of overwhelming at first,” played on campus from post-World War Beckford said. “But I II until the 1970s. got the hang of it and He’s hopeful the now there’s a sense of university will invite accomplishment. It’s him to return to his made me more patient.” archive-intern post Beckford said he’s this fall. enjoyed examining Dr. Arlisha memorabilia donated Norwood, a history by the family of Charlie professor who joined Sifford, the first Black the UMES faculty this golfer to compete on the academic year, signed PGA tour. on to be part of the L-R) Ayanna Lynn, Dr. Arlisha Norwood, Sharon Brooks, Whitni Wilson, and Wilson said she has archive organization Ashane Beckford photographed in the Frederick Douglass Library. come to appreciate the project because “I challenge of organizing important papers in special archive boxes, wanted to get an idea of what was in this (special collections) room.” sorting through old black and white photos and cataloging one-of-aNorwood previously taught at Howard University, which she said kind items like signs and old trophies. provided insight into the importance of preserving unique aspects of “I’ve learned so much about this university I didn’t even know,” the history of a historically black institution. Wilson said. “I knew about the people who excelled, but it’s the little “I’ve learned that everything is important,” Norwood said.
8 The Key / May 2021
School News
To Soar Along
Imprint in print Approaching the eve of college graduation. Mind full of thoughts yet to be realized, grand imaginations. This university has given me my wings. Now the campus, its brick buildings fade away. I will carry lessons learned here with me everyday. When I look out the window of the cockpit And see the big world below my heart will know, the people there have shown me where to go. Friends, classmates, professors have guided me this far, and will continue to guide me as I soar under our star. I need never worry when stepping into the sky, for UMES has taught me to fly. Dakota Ward of North East, Md., graduated May 14, 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in aviation science.
By Dianne Pearce
The EPIC book project is a venture I launched at UMES when I began teaching Introduction to Creative Writing in 2019. Because I also run an independent publishing company, the idea of a book series to showcase the work of the talented UMES creative writing students was a way for me to give back to my community. UMES is a special college, and I truly enjoy working with my students. I love giving young writers the chance to see their work in print for the first time. Since UMES doesn’t have its own literary magazine, the EPIC project provides a nice opportunity for the students, most of whom are not writing majors, to experience what it’s like to have their work published, and to explore the evolution of a creative writing piece from inception to publication. The class includes weekly guided journaling, explorations of published work by some of the best creative voices, and a live meeting with a current African-American author. The students also workshop their pieces by reading them aloud and providing constructive feedback to each other. The title, EPIC, was chosen while the first volume of manuscripts was being collected in 2019. Following the completion of the first collection and the enthusiasm expressed by the students, I decided to produce a book during each subsequent semester, retaining EPIC as the series title. The cover is designed to resemble a leather-bound journal; the primary color of the cover changes with each new volume. The books are available in print and Kindle format and are priced at cost. They’re available on amazon.com. Whenever a volume is completed, the students are given a one-time chance to download the Kindle version at no cost. They also receive a PDF copy of the book. No student is required to purchase the book, but it will remain available on Amazon should they (or others) desire a paperback or digital copy–and it’s a professional asset for their resumes. The fall 2020 edition of EPIC was submitted to the Delaware Press Association’s annual communication awards competition (because my publishing company is located in Delaware). It won an honorable mention in the Best Collection of Short Stories category. Considering the collection competed against multiple anthologies featuring the work of many seasoned authors, I think the students should be very proud of the win. I’m certainly proud of their accomplishments, and I love reading their work. Mrs. Pearce is an adjunct instructor in UMES’ Department of English and Modern Languages.
Faculty/Staff News
The Key / May 2021
Hawks recognized as
Tyrone Sampson
Hannah Ennis
Tatiyana Johnson
Erica Lewis
Tiffany Hastings
Zoe Jackson
2021 Md. Teachers of Promise Tyrone Sampson, Hannah Ennis, Tatiyana Johnson, Erica Lewis, Tiffany Hastings and Zoe Jackson are teacher candidates recognized as Maryland Teachers of Promise (TOP). The Maryland Department of Education program is an educational institute offering a mentor- protégé environment during the transition period from senior class student to teacher. The program runs from April to September. The majors of Hawks participating in the program include social studies education, art education, family consumer science, and special education. “Our professional education programs prepare professionals who are reflective, innovative, value diversity and are effective. Our candidates are professionals who are dedicated and committed to excellence and have specialized knowledge and intensive academic preparation. They continuously reflect on and evaluate their practices and demonstrate a willingness to make changes that enhance student growth and learning,” said Dr. Richard Warren Jr., the Richard F. Hazel Professor of Education, on the students’ performance and the impact of their training at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
UMES Employee of the Month: Virginia Heath Congratulations to Virginia Heath, the first to be recognized as UMES’ Employee of the Month for the month of May. Under the leadership of President Heidi M. Anderson, this new program aims to recognize employees in one, or more, of the following categories: Exceptional Contribution to the Institution and/or Unit to Which Employee Belongs, Outstanding Service to Students, Extraordinary Public Service to the University or Greater Community, Effectiveness and Efficiency, and Inclusion, Multiculturalism, and/or Social Justice. The employee of the month receives a one-time monetary bonus, a certificate signed by the president, his/her photo on the wall, and is automatically entered to win Employee of the Year. Since 2014, Heath has been the administrative assistant in the Department of Engineering and Aviation Sciences. She was nominated in the category of “outstanding service to students” and her nomination package came with letters from the Dept. Chair, a faculty member and 10 students. She was hailed as going above and beyond for students, including being available to ensure students had access to the labs and materials needed for their projects despite the threat of COVID-19. She also enlisted the help of her church community by getting necktie donations for the students to look professional during their participation in a conference held on campus.
Dr. Lombuso Khoza is among 35 higher education professionals selected to participate in the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ 2021 Emerging Leaders program. The program prepares early- to mid-career academic and administrative staff to advance to administrative roles with greater responsibility and oversight. The program sessions will be held virtually from April to November in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Khoza is a professor in UMES’ Department of Human Ecology and interim director of UMES’ Center for International Education.
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School News
Remembering Jesse T. Williams Sr. 10 The Key / May 2021
Alumnus, athlete, ambassador at-large
Jesse T. Williams Sr., the personification of the school-spirit slogan “Hawk Pride” that bonds current and future alumni to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, died Sunday, April 25. He was 81. A 1962 graduate of then-Maryland State College, Williams had a successful career in corporate America in an era when Fortune 500 companies had few Blacks in management. He worked for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, rising through the ranks to become a vice president and elected officer. Williams cherished his alma mater’s role in shaping his life. After graduation, he and his wife lived in the Midwest -- Illinois, Kansas, Michigan and Ohio -- before settling in Delaware when he retired. President Heidi M. Anderson recalled ”Jesse Williams was one of the first alums I met upon my arrival in September 2018. He epitomized Hawk Pride with his unwavering dedication to his alma mater.” Returning to Delmarva afforded Williams an opportunity to visit his beloved UMES often. At 6-feet 8-inches, he was not difficult to spot. “Seeing Jesse walk on campus was like seeing a mighty oak move with grace, power and strength,” said Dr. James White, president of UMES’ National Alumni Association. After the state of Maryland restructured its public college
governance system, Williams became a charter member of UMES’ Board of Visitors when it was formed in 1997 and became the advisory panel’s inaugural chairman, a post he held for nearly two decades. Williams hailed from Philadelphia, a renown high school hoops hotspot, and came to Princess Anne in the fall of 1958 principally to play basketball. His on-court exploits and unselfishness as an alumnus in giving his “time, talent and treasure” -- a favorite saying he delivered to encourage support for UMES -earned him recognition in 2015 by having the William P. Hytche Athletic Center’s basketball floor named in his honor. He regaled those he met with colorful yarns about early 1960s’ college life of a student-athlete at a historically black institution. He lived in Somerset Hall, when it was a dormitory, and roomed with the late David Riddick, a legendary Philly prep basketball star who died in 2020. Perhaps Williams’ most endearing story was about meeting Vernetta Elizabeth Brittingham of Berlin, Md., when they crossed paths in the administration building while waiting to secure monthly meal passes. It was Oct. 3, 1959. Just before Christmas three years later, they married.
As Williams grew more comfortable in his role as the Board of Visitors’ chairman, he carved out a role for himself as the university’s unofficial ambassador at-large. When a student approached with a question a decade ago about why the university didn’t have a pep band, Williams made the first donation toward a campaign he spearheaded to purchase new instruments that helped revive jaunty music in support of the university’s basketball teams. Williams was honored in 2013 with a “Living Legacy” award from his fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma, in recognition of a half-decade of service and commitment to the organization’s ideals. The university awarded Williams an honorary doctorate of humane letters in December 1998. He was inducted in the university’ athletics hall of fame in 2004.
Athletics
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Revolt of the Black Athlete: Then and Now By Langston O. Frazier With the world of sports ever more present in our day-today lives politically – from the Black Lives Matter movement to advocating for voting rights – “Is this what we would call a ’revolt’”? That’s the question Dr. Terry Anne Scott, based her virtual guest lecture: ”Revolt of the Black Athlete: Then and Now,” a presentation that was a part of UMES’ year-long social justice symposium series. Scott, an associate professor of American history and Director of African American studies at Hood College in Frederick, Md., focused on: • How the intersection of race and sports has existed as a microcosm of macro social and political issues, challenges, triumphs. • Why and how were – are – Black athletes criticized for their political consciousness (and) social activism? • How does the concept of “staying in one’s place” factor into a discussion related to athletes and activism? • Why were – are – their actions considered a revolt? • Why is their voice powerful and necessary? For example, under the heading ’Identity and Consciousness’ Scott explained about how the famous American sociologist W. E. B. DuBois lived most of his life burdened by a “triple consciousness” by being Black, American and an athlete. Dr. Scott aimed to tell her UMES audience the importance of protest back then related to athletes and how it affects today’s social movement. History, she said, is repeating itself but just in a new form. When it comes to the ’concept of place,’ three-time basketball Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens had the most challenging time because he was a national figure on the basketball court in the mid-1960s. Wilkens felt he couldn’t even be accepted in his everyday life by society as a Black man. This caused a revolt because Black athletes could play in professional sports leagues but were not taken seriously in his era for their views on politics and social injustices – much the same today.
During the question-and-answer session, a student asked: “What steps must athletes continue to take in order to see effective change regardless of level?” “It’s all about engagement and mentorship,” Scott said. “It’s all of our responsibilities to take care of our fellow man.” What I took away from the seminar is that education is critical, and the power of sports is more than just a game. Dr. Scott noted that HBCU students could continue to make a positive change on campus and in the greater community because history shows that students at HBCUs led the charge you have done for many years. We have to look back at our leaders from sports, politics, and other fields to find inspiration. Scott holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago.
Langston O. Frazier graduated May 14, 2021 with a degree in PGA golf management. He plans to pursue a master’s degree in broadcast journalism at the University of Maryland this fall.
Four generations of Hytches: (L-R) Patrice Hunter, spouse Jamison Hytche Hunter, Dr. Pamelia Hytche-Hunter, pastor Jimmy Hunter and the Hunter grandchildren pose alongside the late William P. Hytche Sr.’s statue following spring 2021 commencement. Dr. John B. King Jr. (shown right of President Anderson) joins his grandmother (class of 1894) as an alumnus of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore as an honorary degree recipient for his life’s work as an educator.
The Key / May 2021
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