Morehouse Magazine Commencement 2013 Commemorative Issue

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f e a t u r e s129TH COMMeNCeMeNT addreSS

Though rain poured on thousands of onlookers and more than 500 happy members of the

class of 2013, the words of President Barack Obama brought some to tears as he spoke about

the responsibilities of the newly minted Morehouse Men.

LeaViNG LeGaCieS, eMbraCiNG fuTureS

At the end of the 2012-13 academic year, a number of Morehouse faculty, staff and admin-

istrators stepped down from their posts after years of dedicated service to the College.

deTerMiNed TO fiNiSH

Commencement was a special day for dorian Joyner Sr. ’13. He not only completed a lifetime

goal of graduating from Morehouse—a two-decade task filled with health and life obstacles—

but he watched as his son, dorian Jr., received his degree, too.

C o m m e n C e m e n t 2 0 1 3 I C o m m e m o r a t I v e I s s u e 1 moreHouse maGaZIne

ON THe COVerPresident Barack Hussein Obama receives the Honorary doctor of Laws. Photo by ron Witherspoon.

d e p a r t m e n t s 32 IN THe NeWS

34 INSIde THe HOUSe

36 ON THe fIeLd ANd COUrT

38 ALUMNI NeWS

Building Forever Capacity Give online at giving.morehouse.edu

“We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character—

that is the goal of true education.”Martin Luther King Jr. ’48

Morehouse College has always been committed to producing leaders who will change their communities, the nation and the world. Not only do Morehouse students receive a rigorous liberal arts education, but also an awakening to their capacity for integrity, compassion, civility and leadership.

p r e s i d e n t ’ s m e s s a g e

What gives us the audacity?

magine what a man named Barack Hussein Obama had to believe about himself in order to run for the presidency of the United States

of America. What personal affirmations did he repeat to himself? How much study? How much belief? How many long hours of soul-searching?

As he alluded during Commencement in May, this “tall, skinny guy with the funny name” had to first grapple with profound issues of identity and self-worth, and an under-standing of how the world viewed him before he could come forth with any degree of confidence about winning an elected office, let alone the presidency.

In other words, he had to right his personal house before he could aspire to the White House.

Now let’s turn to our ’House. What do we—Morehouse alumni, administrators, fac-ulty, staff and students—have to believe about ourselves before we can claim with full-throated confidence that we will be a college of unprecedented preeminence in character, capital and intellectual prowess? Just what gives us the audacity to truly believe that our small HBCU will be among the best learning institutions in the nation and the world?

I believe that if a tall, skinny guy with a funny name—and, may I add, brown skin—can be president, then all things are within our reach.

The operative word here is reach. Our community must reach, stretch and stridently push against boundaries of conventional thinking and practices that confine us to a limit-ed self-view, stifle us with dysfunction, restrict our possibilities and impede our progress.

As you see bold changes coming our way, understand that this is the climate to be bold. Any lesser stance could leave our beloved institution vulnerable and weakened by economic conditions that are now battering and may soon close colleges and universities nationwide.

We are grateful that we have a new Morehouse Man, President Obama, to thank for a powerful example of self-determination after which our institutional determination can be modeled. His life and the miracle of his presidency teach us that achieving the impos-sible begins with having the audacity to believe—followed closely by the indispensable audacity to reach beyond your grasp.

And to Morehouse and her ideals,

John Silvanus Wilson Jr. ’79

“We are grateful

that we have a new

Morehouse Man,

President Obama, to

thank for a power-

ful example of self-

determination after

which our institu-

tional determination

can be modeled. His

life and the miracle of

his presidency teach

us that achieving the

impossible begins

with having the

audacity to believe...”

I


Building Forever Capacity Give online at giving.morehouse.edu

We are proud to mark the 100th anniversary of the naming of Morehouse College in 1913 in honor of Henry L. Morehouse, the corresponding secretary of the Northern Baptist Home Mission Society. For more than a century, thousands of our graduates have made strides in industries ranging from ministry to medicine, from arts to athletics, living up to a world-recognized distinction: Morehouse Man.

Morehouse College gratefully acknowledges every alumnus and student whose leadership and contribution to local, national and global communities serve to make our good name even better.

Our name means the

world to us…

“Morehouse challenges us to have a social conscience. When you think this way, you can’t help but to want to make a positive impact on the world, as well as positively infl uence others.”

-James Bernard Pratt Jr. ‘13

MOreHOUSeM a G a z i N e

e d i t o r ’ s n o t e s C o m m e n C e m e n t 2 0 1 3 I C o m m e m o r a t I v e I s s u e

John Silvanus Wilson Jr. ’79President

Garikai Campbell Provost and Senior Vice President

for Academic Affairs

Phillip Howard ’87Vice President for

Institutional Advancement

Toni O’Neal MosleyExecutive Editor and

Director of Public Relations

Vickie G. HamptonEditor

add Seymour Jr.

Communications Writer

STaffIn the News Elise DurhamClass Notes Julie Pinkney TongueAdministrative Assistant Minnie JacksonWeb Services LaDonna Johnson Kara Walker

CONTribuTOrSPhotographers David Collins Wilford Harewood Taun Henderson Billy Howard Philip McCollum Add Seymour Jr. Ron WitherspoonGraphic Design Glennon Design Group

Morehouse Magazine is published by Morehouse College, Office of Communications, Division of Institutional Advancement. Opinions expressed in Morehouse Magazine are those of the authors, not necessarily of the College.Letters and Comments: Letters must be one typed page in length and signed. Please include complete contact information. Send to: Morehouse Magazine Editor, Morehouse College, Office of Communications, 830 Westview Dr., S.W., Atlanta, GA 30314 e-mail: [email protected]: 404-215-2729

Change of address and Class Notes: http://giving.morehouse.edu/NetCommunity

Morehouse College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Atlanta University Center consortium of four schools. Morehouse does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, handicap, or national or ethnic origin in the recruitment and admission of its students, in the administra-tion of its educational policies and programs, or in its staff, as specified by federal laws and regulations.

‘House Speaker

e didn’t know when, but we knew it was inevitable. The

first African American president of the United States would

most certainly come to Morehouse College.

Likewise, we didn’t quite know what to expect in his Commencement

2013 speech—frankly, he had most of us at “hello”—but we knew it would

be something we would never forget.

Even so, we never quite expected President Barack Obama to share so openly. He drew on his own

experiences to give advice to the class of 2013 that transcended rhetoric and was real and relatable. He

got personal, giving us never-before-shared vignettes of his trials, fears and regrets.

I like to think that President Obama felt at home at our ’House, where we develop and celebrate black

male aspiration and achievement like no other institution on God’s green planet. That when he came

to the philosophical birth home of Martin Luther King Jr. ’48, he felt a familial obligation to talk about

how he made it over. That, with family, he could have a heart-to-heart with his younger brothers

eager to test their mettle and strut their swag.

This Commemorative Commencement issue of Morehouse Magazine features President Obama’s

speech in its entirety. There isn’t an accompanying feature story on Commencement, as we normally

do—so in case you missed it, it rained torrents, and 527 young scholars became brothers for life.

Make that 528, because the President became an official Morehouse Man when the College presented

him an honorary Doctor of Laws.

Here’s one thing we did know: he was family all along.

Sincerely,

Vickie Griffin Hampton

Editor

W


President Barack Hussein Obama

I have to say that it is one of the great honors of

my life to be able to address this gathering here

today. I want to thank dr. [John Silvanus] Wilson

for his outstanding leadership, and the Board of

Trustees. We have Congressman Cedric richmond

and Sanford Bishop — both proud alumni of this

school, as well as Congressman Hank Johnson. And

one of my dear friends and a great inspiration to us

all — the great John Lewis is here. We have your

outstanding mayor, Mr. Kasim reed, in the house.

To all the members of the Morehouse

family. And most of all, congratulations to this

distinguished group of Morehouse Men —

the Class of 2013. >

II have to say that it is one of the great honors of II have to say that it is one of the great honors of

my life to be able to address this gathering here Imy life to be able to address this gathering here

today. I want to thank dr. [John Silvanus] Wilson Itoday. I want to thank dr. [John Silvanus] Wilson

for his outstanding leadership, and the Board of Ifor his outstanding leadership, and the Board of

Trustees. We have Congressman Cedric richmond ITrustees. We have Congressman Cedric richmond

moreHouse maGaZIne 6 C o m m e n C e m e n t 2 0 1 3 I C o m m e m o r a t I v e I s s u e

1 2 9 T H C o M M e n C e M e n T a D D R e s s

deLIVered BY

President Barack Hussein Obama



moreHouse maGaZIne 8 s p r I n G 2 0 1 3

I have to say that it’s a little hard to follow — not dr. Wil-son, but a skinny guy with a funny name. Betsegaw Tadele — he’s going to be doing something. I also have to say that you all are going to get wet. And I’d be out there with you if I could. But Secret Ser-vice gets nervous. So I’m going to have to stay here, dry. But know that I’m there with you in spirit. Some of you are graduating summa cum laude. Some of you are graduating magna cum laude. I know some of you are just graduating, “thank you, Lordy.” That’s appropriate because it’s a Sunday. I see some moms and grandmas here, aunts, in their Sunday best — although they are upset about their hair getting messed up. Michelle would not be sitting in the rain. She has taught me about hair. I want to congratulate all of you — the par-ents, the grandparents, the brothers and sisters, the family and friends who supported these young

men in so many ways. This is your day, as well. Just think about it — your sons, your brothers, your nephews — they spent the last four years far from home and close to Spelman, and yet they are still here today. So you’ve done something right. Graduates, give a big round

of applause to your family for everything that they’ve done for you. I know that some of you had to wait in long lines to get into today’s ceremony. And I would apologize, but it did not have anything to do with security. Those graduates just wanted you to know what it’s like to register for classes here. And this time of year brings a differ-ent kind of stress — every senior stopping by Gloster Hall over the past week making sure your name was actually on the list of students who met all the graduation requirements. If it wasn’t on the list, you had to figure out why. Was it that library book you lent to that tri-fling roommate who didn’t return it? Was it dr. [Tobe] Johnson’s policy class? did you get enough Crown forum credits?


I want to congratulate all of you ... who

supported these young men in so many ways.

“

”

On that last point, I’m going to exercise my power as president to declare this speech sufficient Crown forum credits for any oth-erwise eligible student to graduate. That is my graduation gift to you. You have a special dispensation. Now, graduates, I am hum-bled to stand here with all of you as an honorary Morehouse Man. I finally made it. And as I do, I’m mindful of an old saying: “You can always tell a Morehouse Man — but you can’t tell him much.” And that makes my task a little more difficult, I suppose. But I think it also reflects the sense of pride that’s always been part of this school’s tradition. Benjamin Mays, who served as the president of Morehouse for almost 30 years, understood that tradition better than anybody. He said — and I quote — “It will not be sufficient for Morehouse College, for any college, for that matter, to produce clever graduates — but rather honest men, men who can be trusted in public and private life — men who are sensitive to the wrongs, the sufferings, and the injustices of society and who are willing to accept responsibility for correcting (those) ills.”

It was that mission — not just to educate men, but to cultivate good men, strong men, upright men — that brought community leaders together just two years after the end of the Civil War. They assembled a list of 37 men, free blacks and freed slaves, who

would make up the first prospective class of what later became Morehouse College. Most of those first students had a desire to become teachers and preachers — to better themselves so they could help others do the same.

A century and a half later, times have changed.

But the “Morehouse Mystique” still endures. Some

of you probably came here from communities where

everybody looked like you. Others may have come

here in search of a community. And I suspect that

some of you probably felt a little bit of culture shock

the first time you came together as a class in King

Chapel. All of a sudden, you weren’t the only high

school sports captain, you weren’t the only student

council president. You were suddenly in a group of

high achievers, and that meant you were expected to

do something more.



Now, graduates, I am humbled to stand here with all of you as an

honorary Morehouse Man. I finally made it.

“

”



That’s the unique sense of purpose that this place has always infused—the conviction that this is a training ground not only for individual suc-cess, but for leadership that can change the world. dr. King was just 15 years old when he enrolled here at Morehouse. He was an unknown, undersized, unassuming young fresh-man who lived at home with his parents. And I think it’s fair to say he wasn’t the coolest kid on campus — for the suits he wore, his classmates called him “Tweed.” But his education at More-house helped to forge the intellect, the disci-pline, the compassion, the soul force that would transform America. It was here that he was introduced to the writings of Gandhi and Thoreau, and the the-ory of civil disobedience. It was here that pro-fessors encouraged him to look past the world as it was and fight for the world as it should be. And it was here, at Morehouse, as dr. King later wrote, where “I realized that nobody—was afraid.” Not even of some bad weather. I added on that part. I know it’s wet out there. But dr. Wilson told me you all had a choice and decided to do it out here anyway. That’s a Morehouse Man talking. Now, think about it. for black men in the ’40s and the ’50s, the threat of violence, the constant humiliations, large and small, the uncertainty that you could support a family, the gnawing doubts born of the Jim Crow cul-

ture that told you every day that somehow you were inferior, the temptation to shrink from the world, to accept your place, to avoid risks, to be afraid—that temptation was necessarily strong. And yet, here, under the tutelage of men like dr. Mays, young Martin learned to be unafraid. And he, in turn, taught others to be unafraid. And over time, he taught a nation to be unafraid. And over the last 50 years, thanks to the moral force of dr. King and a Moses generation that overcame their fear and their cynicism and their despair, barriers have come tumbling down, and new doors of opportunity have swung open, and laws and hearts and minds have been changed to the point where someone who looks just like you can somehow come to serve as president of these United States of America. So the history we share should give you hope. The future we share should give you hope. You’re graduating into an improving job market. You’re living in a time when advances in technology and communication put the world at your fingertips. Your generation is uniquely poised for success unlike any generation of African Americans that came before it. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have work—because if we’re honest with ourselves, we know that too few of our brothers have the opportuni-ties that you’ve had here at Morehouse. In troubled neighborhoods all across this country—many of them heavily African Ameri-can—too few of our citizens have role models to

But [King’s] education at Morehouse helped to forge the intellect, the discipline, the compassion, the soul force that

would transform America.

“

”


MAJORSBusiness Administration

Political Science

Biology

Kinesiology / Sports Studies / PE

English, Economics, Psychology (Tied)

GRADUATE SCHOOLSColumbia University

Harvard University

Emory University

Georgia State University

Stanford University

EMPLOYERSJPMorgan Chase

Wells Fargo

State of New York Excelsior Jobs Program

Macy’s

Teach For America

TOP

5CL

ASS

OF 2

013 5MAJORS5MAJORS 5GRADUATE SCHOOLS5GRADUATE SCHOOLS 5EMPLOYERS5EMPLOYERS



guide them. Communities just a couple miles from my house in Chicago, communities just a couple miles from here —they’re places where jobs are still too scarce and wages are still too low; where schools are underfunded and violence is pervasive; where too many of our men spend their youth not behind a desk in a classroom, but hanging out on the streets or brooding behind a jail cell. My job, as President, is to advocate for policies that generate more opportunity for everybody — policies that strengthen the middle class and give more people the chance to climb their way into the middle class. Policies that create more good jobs and reduce poverty, and educate more children, and give more families the security of health care, and protect more of our children from the horrors of gun violence. That’s my job. Those are matters of public policy, and it is impor-tant for all of us — black, white and brown — to advocate for an America where everybody has got a fair shot in life. Not just some. Not just a few. But along with collective responsibilities, we have individual responsibilities. There are

some things, as black men, we can only do for ourselves. There are some things, as More-house Men, that you are obliged to do for those still left behind. As Morehouse Men, you now wield something even more powerful than the diploma you’re about to collect — and that’s the power of your example. So what I ask of you today is the same thing I ask of every graduating class I address: Use that power for something larger than yourself. Live up to President Mays’s challenge. Be “sensitive to the wrongs, the sufferings, and the injustices of society.” And be “willing to accept responsi-bility for correcting (those) ills.” I know that some of you came to Morehouse from communities where life was about keeping your head down and looking out for yourself. Maybe you feel like you escaped, and now you can take your degree and get that fancy job and the nice house and the nice car — and never look back. And don’t get me wrong — with all those student loans you’ve had to take out, I know you’ve got to earn some money. With doors open to you that your parents and grandparents could not even imagine, no one expects you to take a vow of poverty.

As Morehouse Men, you now wield something even more

powerful than the diploma you’re about to collect — and that’s the

power of your example.

“

”



But I will say it betrays a poverty of ambition if all you think about is what goods you can buy instead of what good you can do. So, yes, go get that law degree. But if you do, ask yourself if the only option is to defend the rich and the powerful, or if you can also find some time to defend the powerless. Sure, go get your MBA, or start that business. We need black busi-nesses out there. But ask yourselves what broader purpose your business might serve, in putting people to work, or transforming a neighborhood. The most successful CeOs I know didn’t start out intent just on making money—rather, they had a vision of how their product or service would change things, and the money followed. Some of you may be head-ed to medical school to become doctors. But make sure you heal folks in underserved communi-ties who really need it, too. for generations, certain groups in this country—especially Afri-can Americans—have been desperate in need of access to quality, affordable health care. And as a society, we’re finally beginning to change that. Those of you who are under the age of 26 already have the option to stay on your parent’s health care plan. But all of you are heading into an economy where many young people expect not only to have multiple jobs, but multiple careers. So starting October 1st, because of the Afford-able Care Act—otherwise known as Obamacare —you’ll be able to shop for a quality, affordable plan that’s yours and travels with you—a plan that will insure not only your health, but your dreams if you are sick or get in an accident. But we’re going

to need some doctors to make sure it works, too. We’ve got to make sure everybody has good health in this country. It’s not just good for you, it’s good for this country. So you’re going to have to spread the word to your fellow young people. Which brings me to a second point: Just as Morehouse has taught you to expect more of your-selves, inspire those who look up to you to expect more of themselves. We know that too many young men in our community continue to make bad choic-es. And I have to say, growing up, I made quite a few myself. Sometimes I wrote off my own failings as just another example of the world trying to keep a black

man down. I had a tendency some-times to make excuses for me not doing the right thing. But one of the things that all of you have learned over the last four years is there’s no longer any room for excuses. I understand there’s a common fraternity creed here at Morehouse: “excuses are tools of the incompetent used to build bridges to nowhere and

monuments of nothingness.” Well, we’ve got no time for excuses. Not because the bitter legacy of slavery and segregation have vanished entirely; they have not. Not because racism and discrimination no longer exist; we know those are still out there. It’s just that in today’s hyperconnected, hypercompetitive world, with millions of young people from China and India and Brazil—many of whom started with a whole lot less than all of you did—all of them entering the global workforce alongside you, nobody is going to give you anything that you have not earned. Nobody cares how tough your upbringing was. Nobody cares if you suffered some discrimi-nation. And moreover, you have to remember

But I will say it betrays a poverty of ambition if all

you think about is what goods you can buy instead of what

good you can do.

“

”



that whatever you’ve gone through, it pales in comparison to the hardships previous generations endured — and they overcame them. And if they overcame them, you can overcome them, too. You now hail from a lineage and legacy of immeasurably strong men — men who bore tremendous burdens and still laid the stones for the path on which we now walk. You wear the mantle of frederick douglass and Booker T. Washington, and ralph Bunche and Langston Hughes, and George Washington Carver and ralph Abernathy and Thurgood Marshall, and, yes, dr. Martin Luther King Jr. These men were many things to many people. And they knew full well the role that racism played in their lives. But when it came to their own accom-plishments and sense of purpose, they had no time for excuses.

every one of you have a grandma or an uncle or a parent who’s told you that at some point in life, as an African American, you have to work twice as hard as anyone else if you want to get by. I think President Mays put it even better: He said, “Whatever you do, strive to do it so well that no man living and no man dead, and no man yet to be born can do it any better.” And I promise you, what was needed in dr. Mays’s time—that spirit of excellence, and hard work, and dedication, and no excuses—is needed now more than ever. If you think you can just get over in this economy just because you have a Morehouse degree, you’re in for a rude awakening. But if you stay hungry, if you keep hustling, if you keep on your grind and get other folks to do the same — nobody can stop you. And when I talk about pursuing excellence and setting an example, I’m not just talking

[Mays] said, ‘Whatever you do, strive to do it so well that

no man living and no man dead, and no man yet to be born

can do it any better.’

“

””


about in your professional life. One of today’s gradu-ates, frederick Anderson — where’s frederick? fred-erick, right here. I know it’s raining, but I’m going to tell about frederick. frederick started his college career in Ohio, only to find out that his high school sweetheart back in Georgia was pregnant. So he came back and enrolled in Morehouse to be closer to her. Pretty soon, helping raise a newborn and work-ing night shifts became too much, so he started tak-ing business classes at a technical col-lege instead—doing everything from delivering newspapers to buffing hospital floors to support his family. And then he enrolled at More-house a second time. But even with a job, he couldn’t keep up with the cost of tuition. So after getting his degree from that technical school, this father of three decided to come back to More-house for a third time. As frederick says, “God has a plan for my life, and He’s not done with me yet.” And today, frederick is a family man, and a working man, and a Morehouse Man. And that’s what I’m asking all of you to do: Keep setting an example for what it means to be a man. Be the best husband to your wife, or your boyfriend, or your partner. Be the best father you can be to your children. Because nothing is more important. I was raised by a heroic single mom, wonderful grandparents — made incredible sacrifices for me. And I

know there are moms and grandparents here today who did the same thing for all of you. But I sure wish I had had a father who was not only present, but involved. didn’t know my dad. And so my whole life, I’ve tried to be for Michelle and my girls what my father was not for my mother and me. I want to break that cycle where a father is not at home, where a father is not helping to raise that son or daughter. I want to be a better father, a better husband, a better man.

It’s hard work that demands your constant attention and frequent sacrifice. And I promise you, Michelle will tell you I’m not perfect. She’s got a long list of my imperfections. even now, I’m still practicing, I’m still learning, still getting corrected in terms of how to be a fine husband and a good father. But I will tell you this: everything else is unfulfilled

if we fail at family, if we fail at that responsibility. I know that when I am on my deathbed someday, I will not be thinking about any particular legislation I passed; I will not be thinking about a policy I promoted; I will not be thinking about the speech I gave, I will not be thinking about the Nobel Prize I received. I will be thinking about that walk I took with my daughters. I’ll be thinking about a lazy afternoon with my wife. I’ll be thinking about sitting around the dinner table and seeing them happy and healthy and knowing that they were loved. And I’ll be thinking about whether I did right by all of them.

Frederick Anderson ’13


Everything else is unfulfilled if we

fail at family, if we fail at that responsibility.

“

”


So be a good role model, set a good example for that young brother coming up. If you know somebody who’s not on point, go back and bring that brother along — those who’ve been left behind, who haven’t had the same opportunities we have — they need to hear from you. You’ve got to be engaged in the barbershops, on the basketball court, at church, spend time and energy and presence to give people oppor-tunities and a chance. Pull them up, expose them, support their dreams. don’t put them down. We’ve got to teach them just like what we have to learn, what it means to be a man — to serve your city like Maynard Jackson; to shape the cul-ture like Spike Lee; to be like Chester davenport, one of the first people to integrate the University of Georgia Law School. When he got there, nobody would sit next to him in class. But Chester didn’t mind. Later on, he said, “It was the thing for me to do. Someone needed to be the first.” And today, Chester is here celebrating his 50th reunion. Where is Chester davenport? He’s here. So if you’ve had role models, fathers, brothers like that — thank them today. And if you haven’t, commit yourself to being that man to somebody else. And finally, as you do these things, do them not just for yourself, but don’t even do them just for the

African American community. I want you to set your sights higher. At the turn of the last century, W.e.B. duBois spoke about the “talented tenth” — a class of highly educated, socially conscious leaders in the black community. But it’s not just the African American community that needs you. The country needs you. The world needs you. As Morehouse Men, many of you know what it’s

like to be an outsider; know what it’s like to be marginalized; know what it’s like to feel the sting of discrimina-tion. And that’s an experience that a lot of Americans share. Hispanic Americans know that feeling when somebody asks them where they come from or tell them to go back. Gay and lesbian Americans feel it

when a stranger passes judgment on their parenting skills or the love that they share. Muslim Americans feel it when they’re stared at with suspicion because of their faith. Any woman who knows the injustice of earning less pay for doing the same work — she knows what it’s like to be on the outside looking in. So your experiences give you special insight that today’s leaders need. If you tap into that experience, it should endow you with empathy — the understanding of what it’s like to walk in somebody else’s shoes, to see through their eyes, to know what it’s like when you’re not born on 3rd base, thinking you hit a triple.


So be a good role model, set a good example for that young brother coming up.

“”

Matthew Moore ’13receives congratulations.

C o M M e n C e M e n T 2 0 1 3


And I will tell you, Class of 2013, whatever success I have achieved, whatever positions of leadership I have held have depended less on Ivy League degrees or SAT scores or GPAs, and have instead been due to that sense of connection and empathy — the special obliga-tion I felt, as a black man like you, to help those who need it most, people who didn’t have the opportunities that I had — because there but for the grace of God, go I. I might have been in their shoes. I might have been in prison. I might have been unemployed. I might not have been able to support a family. And that motivates me.



Leland Shelton ’13

It should give you the ability to connect. It should give you a sense of compassion and what it means to overcome barriers. So it’s up to you to widen your circle of con-cern—to care about justice for everybody, white, black and brown. everybody. Not just in your own community, but also across this country and around the world. To make sure everyone has a voice, and everybody gets a seat at the table; that everybody, no matter what you look like or where you come from, what your last name is—it doesn’t matter, everybody gets a chance to walk through those doors of opportunity if they are willing to work hard enough. When Leland Shelton was four years old—where’s Leland? Stand up, Leland. When Leland Shelton was four years old, social services took him away from his mama, put him in the care of his grand-parents. By age 14, he was in the foster care system. Three years after that, Leland enrolled in Morehouse. And today he is graduating Phi Beta Kappa on his way to Harvard Law School. But he’s not stopping there. As a member of the National foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council, he plans to use his law degree to make sure kids like him don’t fall through the cracks. And it won’t matter whether they’re black kids or brown kids or white kids or Native American kids, because he’ll understand what

they’re going through. And he’ll be fighting for them. He’ll be in their corner. That’s leadership. That’s a Morehouse Man right there. That’s what we’ve come to expect from you, Morehouse—a legacy of leaders—not just in our black community, b ut for the entire American community. To recognize the burdens you carry with you, but to resist the temptation to use them as excuses. To trans-form the way we think about manhood, and set higher standards for ourselves and for others. To be successful, but also to understand that each of us has responsibili-

ties not just to ourselves, but to one another and to future generations. Men who refuse to be afraid. Men who refuse to be afraid. Members of the Class of 2013, you are heirs to a great legacy. You have within you that same courage and that same strength, the same resolve as the men who came before you. That’s what being a More-house Man is all about. That’s what being an American is all about.

Success may not come quickly or easily. But if you strive to do what’s right, if you work harder and dream bigger, if you set an example in your own lives and do your part to help meet the challenges of our time, then I’m confident that, together, we will continue the never-end-ing task of perfecting our union. Congratulations, Class of 2013. God bless you. God bless Morehouse. And God bless the United States of America. n

That’s what we’ve come to expect from you,

Morehouse—a legacy of leaders—not just in our

black community, but for the entire American community.

“

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1 2 9 T H C o M M e n C e M e n T

The ValedictoryBETSEGAW TADELE ’13

…We shall remember this day. donning our gowns, straightening our caps, circling our necks with various representations of the excellence of our four-year journey, marching proudly across a campus we have come to know and to love so well—Oh, we shall remember this day! We came in as freshmen—marching together to be welcomed to the ’House, marching together to orientation sessions, marching together to divisional meetings, and advisement sessions, and finally to that infamous Parents Parting Ceremony, where we said goodbye to our childhood and girded up our loins to engage the challenges of becoming a man. Today, as graduating seniors, we came into this place—again marching together, brother to brother — but this time to leave to go our separate ways, to blaze new trails, to ford new streams, to chisel new stones into masterpieces that will leave the places where they stand better than we found them.

We shall remember this day. As we leave to go out into a world that is sure to test our mettle, scrutinize our strong academic preparation, and challenge our resolve to lead lives, not for our own aggrandizement, but for service to others. for we are world-changers because we do not hesitate to recognize that, though the world has come a long way, we still dare to imagine a better world free of poverty, free of corruption, free of social ills, free of debilating disease, and free of man’s inhumanity to man. We dare to imagine a world where we are literally reaching for the stars. We dare to imagine a world where we can all live harmoniously with one another. And, yes, we dare to imagine a world where brotherhood and sisterhood characterize all human relationships.

We will remember this day. Because our parents and guardians, our teachers and our mentors, our role models and our trailblazers made it possible for us to achieve and encouraged us to excel in arenas never engaged before. Today, we must say THANK YOU!

We will remember this day. Because this Commencement, this glorious day of celebration and exultation gave us the rare opportunity to be among the few graduates anywhere who will remember who was their Commencement speaker 50 years from now!

We can never forget that on this day, we, the men of the 2013 graduating class of Morehouse College, were privileged and honored to hear words of indescribable inspiration from one who demonstrates every day that there is no IMPOSSIBLe and there is no UNBeLIeVeABLe and there is no UNACHIeVABLe if you have the audacity to HOPe—words lived out every day by President Barack Hussein Obama! It is this daring attitude, this willingness to challenge the naysayers and the dilatants that will take us, members of the dynamic Morehouse College graduating class of 2013, to places never dreamed before—all because we came to an institution called Morehouse College, all because we came to a place that enabled us to grow, develop, achieve, believe, and excel. And for this, our hearts will forever sing:

Holy Spirit, Holy SpiritMake us steadfast, honest, true,

To old Morehouse and her ideals,And in all things that we do.

Thank you. n

1 2 9 T H C o M M e n C e M e n T


Editor’s Note: Because of inclement weather, President John Silvanus Wilson Jr. ’79 was not able to deliver his charge to the class of 2013. We are pleased to publish the President’s Charge so that they, as well as all of our readers, can be inspired by President Wilson’s inaugural charge to the graduating class.

hroughout Morehouse his-tory, yours will always be a most special class – the class whose Commencement

speaker was the first African American president of the United States, Barack Obama. Many did not BeLIeVe that would ever happen! This being the first commencement of my presidency of Morehouse College, I considered very carefully what I might commend to you as my charge to this class. My initial instinct was to share with you how the most sacred and enduring emblems of Morehouse – the candle, the mystique and the crown – have continued to influence my life. I thought I might encourage you to trust all of the ways they might influence your life, as well. But, in the end, I decided to set all of that aside and tell you about a person-al experience. And if you can get a tenth of the value I got from this, then my charge to you will have been a success! In 1992, I traveled to Africa four times as a Kellogg fellow. On one of these trips, a colleague, Sulayman Clark, and I visited Johannesburg, South Africa. And while there, we decided to go by the office of the ANC, the African National Congress. This was after Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990, but before he was elected president of South Africa in 1994. A woman on the ANC staff gave

us a tour. When we returned to her office, I said: “It sure would be nice to meet Mr. Mandela.” Instead of the kind of response one might expect in a situation like this – “I’m sorry, Mr. Mandela is quite busy…” – she said, “Oh, well let me see what he’s doing.” She dialed his num-ber. He answered. She said: “I have a couple of African American educators here on a tour. They’re hungry. If you want, we can go and get some food, come by, and all eat together.” There was a brief silence while she listened to his response. Then she said, “Great! We’re on the way!” She took us to a place that sells fried fish. We bought some food and drove to Nelson Mandela’s house. And there he was – the iconic leader of South Africa’s anti-apartheid move-ment – opening his front door and invit-ing us into his home. We spent several hours together

talking and eating fish. And we took a few pictures with him, which are among the personal items I treasure most. By the time it was clear that our visit was coming to an end, I felt com-fortable enough to ask Mr. Mandela the burning question that had been on my mind for years. “How?” I asked him. “After 27 years in prison – and four straight years in solitary confinement – how did you keep from going crazy? How did you stay strong?” Nelson Mandela looked me in the eye and with more conviction than I have ever seen on the face of any man, he said, “I believe.” I started to say exactly what you are thinking right now – “Mr. Mandela, you believe what?” But before I could get that ques-tion out, he said, again – simply, firmly – “I believe!” I got it. That was all I really needed. I think that is all you really need, too. And so, my charge to you – the members of the Morehouse College class of 2013 – is this: In order to get great things done in this world, you had better believe! Always believe. BeLIeVe IN GOd!Believe in yourselves.Believe in your intelligence and character.Believe in your vision and values.Believe in your hopes and dreams.Believe you can make a difference in the world. Believe that with the way you live your life, you can light that Morehouse candle, exude that Morehouse mystique, and you can grow tall enough to wear that cov-eted crown that dear Old Morehouse holds over our heads! n

President’s Charge to the GraduatesDR. JOHN SILVANUS WILSON JR. ’79

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B a C C a l a u R e a T e 2 0 1 3

Olusegun Abayomi Idowu ’12 “God looked around at all that he had made and looked at his home, with all of its splendor. And God said, ‘I am lonely still.’ God thought and the thought until he thought up the thought, ‘I’ll make me a man.’ “four years he spent perfecting his craft until he shaped it in his own image. He dressed this man in the black garb of angels and place on him a cap as a crown. And then into the man he blew the breath of man, and God said, ‘I’ve made me a man – a Morehouse Man.’” “Through all the challenges that each semester has placed on your shoulders… look at where you are today and how far you have come. But despite all of this, I can’t allow you to become complacent… Come Monday morning, all celebrations must cease.” “But to those who can hear me today, I say be of good courage. don’t be afraid for we are sending good men, brave men, strong men, dedicated to saving this world.”

Anthony Mark Miller ’11 “An irrefutable fact in history, and I say without fear of contradiction, is that people of color and logic have never been friends.” “Logic is our kryptonite. Logic is what told the slave to take comfort in his lot… Logic is what told King not to dream. Logic is what told Mays not to rebel. Logic is what told Obama not to hope.” “… but because logic and people of color are not friends, slaves are now free. Kings are still dreaming. Hope is still happening and resurrections are still amongst us. And I’m so sure that resurrection is amongst us because I’m looking at 500-plus resurrections in this room.” “When logic whispered in your ear and said, ‘It’s no longer worth it,’ your soul responded and said, ‘But I believe.’ And as Morehouse Men, this is what makes us who we are.”

The Rev. Kevin R. Johnson ’96 “Indeed, if we are really honest with ourselves, that’s what’s wrong today in many of our communities. We have more people acting like chicken than eagles.” “… The entire process to produce an eagle may last more than 12 months. In other words, it takes some time to produce greatness, but anybody can be a chicken.” “… When we reflect upon our contributions to America and read about great men and women of our history, we must confess that it takes time to produce greatness… All I’m trying to get you to see, my Morehouse brothers, it takes time to produce greatness!” “So brothers, I have one question for you this afternoon: Are you ready? I said, Brothers, are you ready? Then I dare you to stretch out your limbs and begin to flap your wings… My Morehouse brothers, I dare you to become God’s eagles!” n

raditionally, the Baccalaureate Service is the final spiritual service for the men of the graduating class before

they become Morehouse Men. The year 2013 is marked with a number of significant remembrances and

celebrations. It is the 100th anniversary of the name change from Atlanta Baptist College to Morehouse College and

the 35th anniversary of the founding of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. In commemoration of these

milestones, this year’s service featured three presentations: a distinguished alumnus gave the baccalaureate sermon and

two recent alumni offered baccalaureate hermeneutics to the graduating class. Following are excerpts from each speech.

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Graduates are seated on Century Campus

President Barack Obama is hooded by Board Chairman Robert C. Davidson Jr. ’67

Mary Spivey ’33 is oldest graduate

Placing the U.S. Presidential Seal

Congratulating graduate


Recognition of a deceased graduate

Three Morehouse presidents: Robert Franklin ’75, Roy Keith ’61 and Walter Massey ’58

Alumni pose for a photo

President Wilson’s first year conferring degrees

A soggy celebration


Leaving Legacies

Embracing FuturesAlumni form a corridor as the class of 2013 marches to Century Campus.

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CCommencement marks one of the most highly anticipated transitions

in our lives—from college life to the real world. And for several veteran

Morehouse administrators, faculty and staff members at the College, the

2013 Commencement marked an equally anticipated transition, this one

from a long, prolific career to a well-deserved retirement.

With more than 267 years of combined service to Morehouse College, this

group of devoted individuals has poured a lifetime into educating, inspiring and

mentoring generations of Morehouse Men. Morehouse salutes each of their

remarkable contributions to our community and, by extension, the world. read

more about how four of our Morehouse Legacies are embracing the future.

Willie BourdaDeputy Chief of Police

14 years

Phyllis BentleyDirector of Academic Operations

37 years

Vernon WorthyChief of Police

16.5 years

De-Ting WuAssociate Professor of Mathematics,

24 years

Credit iS dUe: Morehouse salutes the following faculty and staff for their years of dedicated service.

Leaving Legacies

Profiles by Add Seymour Jr. Portraits by david Collins

Joseph AgeeChair of Modern Foreign Languages

38 years

Embracing Futures



ImoreHouse maGaZIne 28 C o m m e n C e m e n t 2 0 1 3 I C o m m e m o r a t I v e I s s u e

INSIde THe OffICe Of Academic Affairs, there are three rows of photos of all of the past provosts for the College. The last one is of Willis B. Sheftall Jr. ’64. Had he had his way, Sheftall’s photo never would have been there. “If you had asked me when I was coming here whether I wanted to be an administrator or not, I would have said ‘no’” he said. “I wouldn’t have been hesitant about that. It just wasn’t an aspiration that I had.” Having three times served as Morehouse’s provost (1999 to 2005; 2007-11 and 2012-13) and once as acting president (2013), Sheftall now sees his move into administration as answering his alma mater’s call to service, for which he says he has always been proud to do. Sheftall has long been a respected economist with a particular interest in the economics of higher education, local public finance and U.S. economic history. He’s served on boards of institutions such as fisk University, American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business, Junior Achievement of Georgia, Atlanta’s Piedmont Hospital, and SOLINeT (Southeastern Library Network). He also served on the Atlanta Mayor’s Council of economic Advisors. He taught at Alabama State University and Georgia State University before returning to his alma mater to teach in 1974. He became chairman of the department of economics at Hampton University in 1981 and later dean of Hampton’s School of Business. Sheftall returned to the classroom in 1986 when he came back to Morehouse as a professor of economics, and also as the

Charles Merrill Chairman of the department of economics. Along with first becoming provost in 1999, he also served in other administrative capacities at the College, including special assistant to the president with oversight responsibilities for institutional advancement and budgeting. No matter what he was doing, student development remained a primary focus for Sheftall. Teaching is the first love

for the Macon, Ga., native. “Watching young men develop into full manhood is one of the truly exciting experiences that you have here at Morehouse,” he said. “I have now almost third-generation students. I have the father whom I taught and then the son, and now I have the grandson. Certainly, I have the grandsons or grand nephews of classmates I was in undergraduate school with. That’s what I’m going to miss – the day-to-day interaction with these young guys and watching them grow up.” for a pragmatic academic, even Sheftall admits there is some undefined part of the Morehouse experience that has made his time at the College special. “I’m a hard-boiled economist,” he said. “I’m not one of those people who believes a lot in mystery. But there is some magic that occurs here. We can talk

about what we do with respect to 90 percent of the experience a student has here. We can say this is what he’s doing. He takes this course; this is the outcome we expect. But it’s about 10 percent magic. That’s the mystique. That’s critical. It’s not just the icing on the cake. It’s more like the icing throughout the cake. That Morehouse mystique is real, and I think its one of the things that sets us apart.” n

Willis B. Sheftall Jr. ’64

‘I made a conscious choice to come back to Morehouse’By ADD SEYMOUR JR. Inside the Office of Academic Affairs, there are three rows of photos of all of the past provosts for the College. The last one is of Willis B. Sheftall Jr. ’64. Had he had his way, Sheftall’s photo never would have been there. “If you had asked me when I was coming here whether I wanted to be an administrator or not, I would have said ‘no’” he said. “I wouldn’t have been hesitant about that. It just wasn’t an aspiration that I had.” Having three times served as Morehouse’s provost (1999 to 2005; 2007-11 and 2012-13) and once as acting president (2013), Sheftall now sees his move into administration as answering his alma mater’s call to service, for which he says he has always been proud to

‘There is some magic that occurs here’ Willis B. sheftall Jr. ’64

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JOHN WILLIAMS ’69 reMeMBerS times when he has traveled to europe or Africa and he heard someone calling his name. “It’s not unusual,” he said. “I’d look up and say to myself, ‘There’s a Morehouse student.’” That is the situation Williams, the retiring dean of the division of Business Administration and economics, envisioned when he became the division’s dean in 1982. He wanted Morehouse business students to be as global as the other students they would encounter in graduate business schools. “I joined Morehouse and the academy for the primary purpose of contributing to the finance education of Morehouse students,” he said. “When I returned here to teach in 1976, there was not a finance program. for that matter, we had to even teach them how to say finance. It’s not fI-nance, it’s fi-NANCe, because it was founded in the east. “If you think financial literacy is low in our community today, imagine what it was like in the 1970s to talk about a young black man heading to Wall Street to work for multinational banks.” Williams, who has written a number of textbooks for collegiate finance programs, prided himself then on building a department that taught students many of the finer points – such as the technical language – of finance and business. “The thing about finance and minorities, at least those from our communities, is even if they were interested in studying finance in graduate school … when they got there they often changed their majors,” he said. “Why? They did not understand the language and jargon of finance. It wasn’t so much they couldn’t conceptualize what the professors were talking about. They were talking about the benches, the leverage, the risk and returns. Unless you had exposure like our students to those paradigms in undergraduate schools, you felt like you were in a foreign language class.” By the 1980s, Morehouse became one of the nation’s top historically black college feeder schools for graduate business

programs at places such as Wharton, Northwestern and Harvard. And Williams made sure Morehouse graduates were just as prepared as students from larger schools. “We were trying to make the point—do not categorize us,” Williams said. “don’t suggest what you expect out of our students because of the hue of their skin and curl of their hair. I was very proud of that. But mostly, the students were proud because they

could say that they were from a quality institution. “I never want any student whom I’ve taught to think there are limits in terms of his possible achievements, or to assume that somehow he’s not as capable as students from the Ivy League,” Williams said. “don’t think small. This is the school of the rev. Martin Luther King Jr. ’48. There are no limits.” In time, Williams has seen some of his former students become successful enough to attempt huge leverage buyouts, manage pension funds for companies and even earn so much on Wall Street that they take leaves of absence to figure out what it all means. Williams also has stressed to men of Morehouse that they need to give back when they become Morehouse Men. “You haven’t completed your task as a Morehouse graduate until you can make contributions to society and to make things better for those who were not able to attend

Morehouse,” Williams said. “Their charge is to make a contribution. We have to make a difference.” In retirement, Williams plans to do more research in economic-base analysis and software engineering. He also looks forward to visiting some of his favorite places, mainly southern france. But what has been accomplished in the division of Business Administration and economics at Morehouse will not be far from his mind. “I’m just very pleased with all the accomplishments. Successful students are the real wages a professor works for. That’s my legacy.” n

‘Don’t think small’John Williams ’69

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WHeN ANNe WIMBUSH WATTS came to Morehouse as a young professor in the late 1960s, students could hardly believe she was old enough to be an instructor. Now 42 years later as Watts closes out her Morehouse career, former and present students she guided, mentored and taught call her “Mother Morehouse.” The students she has touched believe Watts has carved out a unique niche at Morehouse, where she represents much of the College’s ceremonial soul. When young men and their families first got to Morehouse, she had new freshmen shouting at the top of their lungs about how they were going to make their families proud. And then when they prepared to leave the College, she has been the narrator for 10,000 people who watched the senior class march through campus towards the Commencement stage. In the years in between, Watts has helped shape their academic and creative voice, both oral and written. for example, she spent weeks preparing young men for the anticipated introductory presentations of the Bennie and Candle Award recipients during the “A Candle in the dark” gala. And Watts was instrumental in putting together the Otis Moss Oratorical Contest each year. Then there are the special events such as a few presidential inaugurals, along with a visit from President Barack Obama. It is her love of teaching and working with students both in and out of the classroom that Watts is most proud of. Her teaching career started not long after she graduated from Grambling State University, where she was her class valedictorian, and completed her graduate degree. Watts and her new husband had just moved to Atlanta for a job he had here. She was looking for employment. She got a job offer – from Morris Brown College. “I said ‘I’d better respond,’” she said. “Then I got a letter from the english department chair at Morehouse. I had been recommended by

Atlanta University president Thomas d. Jarrett. He knew me and he knew the work that I could do. He recommended that they hire me. I was interviewed and I was hired. I turned down the job at Morris Brown and the rest is history.” It didn’t start so easily though, she said. Her first day teaching at Morehouse was filled with nervousness as she stared into a sea of young men. “I wanted to be a master teacher,” she said. “I saw robert Brisbane’s

classes and Wendall Whalum’s classes packed with students and their chairs hanging out the door. I wanted to know what they were doing, so I would stand outside the door and listen. “But I’m new and it’s the first few weeks of school… I didn’t know that you don’t give papers back at the beginning of a class. Because I didn’t know that when they were ready to go, they are ready to go … I lost control of my class. “I went home and I was troubled. And I said this could go on forever. I saw the master teachers and I saw them engage students, and though I was a female, I knew I could engage them that way, too. “The next day… I said, ‘everybody close your books and take out a piece of paper.’ I had to outsmart them. I gave them a pop quiz. I sat there and graded them. f. f.f.f. And I passed them back. They said, ‘This is not fair.’ I said, ‘Who said life is fair?’ The next class period, I did the same thing. “By this time, the A students are troubled because that GPA is sliding

down. And I said, ‘Now are you ready to learn?’ They said, ‘Yes, ma’am.’ ‘Well, I’m ready to teach.’ After that, we got along very well. I had passed the test.” As she reaches the final days of her Morehouse tenure, those students and many others afterwards– some who have even started their own Anne Wimbush Watts facebook fan page – are likely to agree that she passed that test and many others over the years. “It’s been a good journey,” she said. “There are times when I’ve gotten angry at students. But then there will be that one student who will raise his hand in class and say something so deep and profound and you say, ‘that’s why I sing.’” n

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‘It’s been a good journey’anne WimBush Watts

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JIN 1961, CASON HILL ’53 figured he would teach a year or so at Morehouse and then maybe go back to his postal job or teach in the public school system. It didn’t turn out that way. “I didn’t have any idea that I’d be here a second year,” Hill said. “I came here as a replacement. After the first year, I went back to my civil service postal job that summer, but then I came back in September and did another year. I started taking courses at Atlanta University towards my Ph.d. After I got that, there was no turning back.” Hill has become an institution at Morehouse, where he has taught english – and done a number of other jobs at the same time – for 50 years. Of the current Morehouse faculty, only Tobe Johnson, professor of political science, has been at the College longer. Hill was honored in 2012 for at least 20 years of distinguished teaching service to Morehouse. He, along with former english professor Jocelyn Jackson, received a Special recognition/Service Award. Hill, a native of LaGrange, Ga., never envisioned a half-century career at Morehouse. “I taught in the Atlanta school system, but then we had the war in Korea and I got drafted in december that year,” he said. “After I got out of the Army and went to get my old

job back, well, I didn’t get it back. That’s why I worked as a postal clerk.” While working at the post office, Hill earned his master’s degree at Atlanta University and planned on becoming a public school principal. But an AU dean talked him into applying for a teaching opening at Morehouse. Then president, Benjamin e. Mays, hired Hill at a

Morehouse that was much smaller than it is today. “everything south of robert Hall was not here,” Hill said with a laugh. Mays also asked Hill to be the one-man Communications Office for the College, where he edited and wrote stories about Morehouse and pitched them to local and national media. By 1979, Hugh Gloster, Mays’ successor, urged Hill to become editor of the CLA Journal, a position that Hill held until he retired in May. In 2012, the Journal awarded Hill its Presidential Award for 33 years of service. “editing is just something I have a knack for,” he said. “It’s just something I’ve always done.” And Hill also continued what he has always loved: teaching. “The best thing for me is the reason why I came here in the first place – to teach young

men and associate with my colleagues. I guess you can say it’s in my blood.” n

‘There Was No Turning Back’Cason hill ’53


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Morehouse in the NeWS

Commencement 2013 became

an international, history-making

media event when President

barack Obama was named

commencement speaker. There

were more than 4,000 media

stories filed about the historic

day. Commencement was

featured in every media platform,

from national newspapers to the

television late night talk shows.

following are highlights of

Commencement coverage.

Media Research CenternetWorKs hYPe oBama’s ‘PoWerful’ CommenCement sPeeCh; set asiDe more than fiVe minutes of air timeABC, CBS and NBC touted President Obama’s Commencement address at Morehouse College in Atlanta on their Sunday evening and Monday morning newscasts, devoting a total of five minutes and 14 seconds to the “powerful speech,” as NBC’s Tamron Hall labeled it on Monday’s Today. On Monday’s CBS This Morning, Norah O’donnell saying, “I think it’s one of those speeches that will be looked at over the years.” Lester Holt played up the president’s “voice of experience” on Sunday’s NBC Nightly News, and said, “…the president is sharing in a way we rarely hear him.”

USA TodayoBama: there’s no lonGer time or eXCuses for BlaCK menThe president connected his own path to the White House to the work of King and other African-American leaders of that generation. But Obama also conceded that at times as a young man he wrongly blamed his own failings “as just another example of the world trying to keep a black man down.”

CNN Around the WorldCNN anchors Suzanne Malveaux and Michael Holmes spoke with immediate past SGA president Anre’ Washington and newly commissioned officer Adam Starks about what it felt like to hear President Obama deliver the Commencement speech during their graduation.

The New York TimesoBama urGes GraDs to set the eXamPleThe president tied dr. King’s journey to his own, speaking in forthright and strikingly personal terms about his struggles as a young man with an absent father, a “heroic single mom” and the psychological burdens of being black in America. He also issued a challenge to the graduating class, imploring the young men of the nation’s only historically black, all-male college, to be responsible family men, set an example and extend a hand to those less privileged than they are.

Theroot.com PresiDent oBama DeliVers sPeeCh at morehouseBarack Obama arrived in Atlanta on a rainy Sunday to be with a friendlier crowd after a rough week in Washington to become the first sitting president to deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College.

Media Research Center


The Associated PressoBama enCouraGes morehouse GraDs to serVe othersSynopsis: President Obama, in a soaring commencement address on work, sacrifice and opportunity, told graduates of historically black Morehouse College yesterday to seize the power of their example as black men graduating from college and use it to improve people’s lives.

The Huffington Post/The Associated PressoBama morehouse CommenCement sPeeCh asKs GraDs to helP those Who neeD it mostSpeaking in personal terms as he often does when addressing predominantly black audiences, particularly of black males, the nation’s first black president also spoke intimately of his desire to be a better father to daughters Malia and Sasha than his absent father was to him, and to be a better husband to his wife, Michelle. He told the graduates to pay attention to their families, saying success in every other aspect of life means nothing without success at home.

TheGriomorehouse GraDs ‘ProuD’ to Witness historiC oBama CommenCement sPeeCh Synopsis: Peppering his speech with light-hearted humor, Obama emphasized the importance of not only academic success but

a willingness to serve the powerless and give back to underserved communities.

Chicago TribunehonorarY DeGreePresident Barack Obama adjusts his tie before receiving an honorary doctor of Laws at the graduation ceremony of the class of 2013 at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, May 19, 2013.

On Leadership: The Washington PostPresiDent oBama’s GraDuation sPeeCh at morehouse ColleGe The highlight of the weekend was President Obama‘s moving and personal remarks at Morehouse College, the historically black men’s college in Atlanta. In a speech that touched on race, fatherhood, manhood and leadership in far more personal terms than is typical for the president, Obama spoke about the obligations of the graduates before him—the responsibility of being a father and husband, the responsibility he and other successful black men have to other young African American men behind them, and the responsibility of making a greater contribution to society.

“MSNBC with Craig Melvin”In an eight-minute segment, John Silvanus Wilson Jr., president of Morehouse College, and new Morehouse graduate Leland Shelton

share their reactions to President Obama’s commencement address there with MSNBC’s Craig Melvin.

“PoliticsNations with Al Sharpton”Al Sharpton and Melissa Harris-Perry discuss the message behind President Obama’s speech to Morehouse, including the criticism that his speech evoked race too often.

“CBS This Morning”Anchors Charlie rose and Norah O’donnell discuss President Obama’s speech, saying he delivered a direct message to the all-male, all-black audience and that the speech will be looked at over the years.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC)during his opening monologue, late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel compared his commencement address with President Obama’s to the students of Morehouse College and, in a humorous fashion, explained why the “Live” host will never be president.

“The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” (NBC)Jay Leno joked about President Obama’s new jobs policy during the opening monologue of his show the Tuesday after Commencement, saying that the president told the Morehouse graduating class their futures were bright unless, of course, they want jobs. n

t started with an unexpected phone call. President John Silvanus Wilson Jr. ’79 had been on the job for only three weeks

when he got a phone call from Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to President Barack Obama. The President was requesting to be the College’s Commencement speaker, she said. “When the President of the United States calls, you say ‘yes,’” President Wilson said later. “In a year when there are so many significant anniversaries and celebrations, it was an honor to add President Obama’s historic visit to Morehouse to the list.” In the year that marks the 100th anniversary of the College being named Morehouse; the 150th anniversary of the emancipation Proclamation; and the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. ’48 delivered the iconic “I Have a dream Address”—the first African American president of the United States was coming to Morehouse. It seemed history itself was calling.

Positioning the TeamIn the first conversation with the White House Advance Team, the team’s director, Peter Selfridge, encouraged Morehouse to plan Commencement as a celebration for the graduates and their families. That meant the unmatched pageantry of the Morehouse Commencement would not be compromised. The African drummers, the alumni corridor, the sacred venue of Century Campus, would all remain intact. Chief of staff Karen Miller and media relations manager elise durham were tapped to lead the Morehouse team, with durham serving as the main point of contact for the White House and overall logistics for the President’s visit. Also on the team were Anne W. Watts, chair of the Baccalaureate and Commencement Committee; Vernon Worthy, Morehouse Police Chief; and James Smartt, director of event Support Services. “While I’ve planned many significant

events and worked with high-profile personalities and political dignitaries, working with the President of the United States was clearly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said durham. for the first time in Morehouse Commencement history, crowd logistics professionals were hired and every one of the 10, 000 audience members had to have a ticket, as well as pass through electronic screening devices. Additionally, the 170 faculty members in the processional and nearly 70 members of the platform party submitted to additional security requirements so that they could be within arms reach of the President (ArP). “Given the sensitive information needed for the background checks, we relied on Human resources to help make the process as smooth as possible, without compromising

personnel information,” said Miller. Two weeks later, the first campus walk-through was set with four Atlanta-based Secret Service agents, including Harry McLaughlin, a 1995 graduate of Morehouse. Also in attendance was Maju Varghese, a senior member of the White House advance team, who traveled separately from Washington. Besides discussing the standard protocols around a presidential visit, the Morehouse team was told to brace for up to 300 media outlets from around the globe—and possibly 150 media who travel as the National Press Corps.

Preparing for the Presidentduring the week of Commencement, advance teams from Washington arrived, including the main White House Advance Team and the White House Communications Agency (led by Col. Kevin Mitchell, another Morehouse alumnus) to lay secure phone and Internet lines on campus. A room called the POTUS Hold was transformed into a mobile oval office, where special phones were installed in case President Obama needed to conduct official business on campus. Changes to the ceremony—most of which would be undetectable to the audience—were debated, decided, and sometimes changed again, like the stage seating and the processional route.

Elise Durham, media relations manager, leads the team on a tour.


insidethehouse

IWhen hIsTory CAllsBehind the scenes of hosting the President of the United states

by the Numbers17 MiLeS of fencing erected

around the campus perimeter

100 SPaCeS blocked off in the parking deck to secure line of sight

to the Presidential motorcade

300 Media professionals on risers built specifically for them

4,000 Media hits on Commencement


insidethehouse

orehouse College forensics team continued its climb into the nation’s upper tier of collegiate

debating after bringing home three national titles during 2012-2013. Those results follow a successful 2011-2012 season in which they finished 16th nationally. This comes from a program that is in the midst of resurgence after debating at Morehouse waned in recent years. “This year’s team versus last year’s team has grown considerably,” said Kenneth Newby ’97, director of the Morehouse College forensics Program and the team’s coach. “We have largely the same students when it comes to varsity, but they’ve grown. They aren’t the same debaters. They are better.’ Newby’s debaters won two championships at the Pi Kappa delta Nationals and another at the Novice Nationals, where they finished first place overall. The team also finished first overall in the Georgia Parliamentary debate Association State finals for the third consecutive year and won first place overall in the Southeast regional debating Championship, which was hosted by Morehouse in february 2013. Newby, a debate team member when he

was a student, was presented the Brightest Star Award at the Pi Kappa delta Nationals in recognition of his contributions to the art of persuasion. Two Morehouse debaters, seniors Chris fortson-Gaines and Byron Granberry, were nominated as All-Americans this year. The team also was the only squad from a historically black college or university to compete in the World Universities debating Championships in Berlin, Germany, in december. Out of 400 teams from 82 countries, the debate team finished in the top half of the field, just missing the final rounds. Team members were seniors Chris fortson-Gaines, Nicholas Bacon, Austin Williams, Byron Granberry, Kevin Porter, Jameel Odom, franklin Kwame Weldon, Anthony Voss; junior Malcolm McCullough; sophomores emmanuel Waddell, Curtis O’Neal and raheem Cooper-Thomas; and freshmen rami Blair, rodje Malcolm, ralph Jean and dorian Kandi. The team’s volunteer assistant coach is derrick reed ’12. “They’ve gotten better through a lot of hard work and discipline and practice and I’m really proud of their accomplishments,” Newby said. n

M

sPeAKInG UPForensics resurgence Continues as Morehouse Debaters earn Three national Championships

The 2012-13 Morehouse College Forensics Team with Coach Kenneth Newby ’97 (far left).

By Add SeyMOUr Jr.

“There were things that we planned to do that we could not do this year,” said Anne Watts, chair of the Baccalaureate and Commencement Committee. “We were told to be fluid and not fixed because there would be changes; there would be restrictions.” “There were a lot of moving parts this year,” added James Smartt, director of event Support Services. “With all of the security measures and added staging, we had to work hard to make sure we would accommodate our 10,000 guests.”

Weathering the StormAs the Commencement hour drew near, driving rain, thunder and lightening caused major concern. Secret Service reported a cloud-to-ground lightening strike just 30 miles away. The inevitable question came: What if an electrical storm erupted on campus? The Secret Service was assured that the program was accelerated to get quickly to President Obama’s speech. Once at the podium, the President would not be interrupted. And, so, history was made. “It gave all of us pride to know that we could plan for and execute hosting the most important man on the planet,” said Chief Vernon Worthy of the Morehouse College Campus Police department. “And we did it mostly with our own folks. The Secret Service was with him every step of the way, but as the day-to-day folks, I think our crew did a magnificent job.” n


onthefieldandcourt

2013 MOREHOUSE MAROON TIGERS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

SEPTEMBER

7th Howard University Washington, D.C. 3:30 p.m. (3rd Annual Nations Football Classic) 14th Lane College Jackson, Tenn. 2 p.m.21st 16th Annual Chicago Football Classic Chicago 4 p.m.28th Edward Waters College B.T. Harvey Stadium 7 p.m.

OCTOBER

5th Clark Atlanta University B.T. Harvey Stadium 7 p.m.12th Tuskegee University Columbus, Ga. 3 p.m. (79th Annual Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic)19th Albany State University Albany, Ga. 2 p.m.26th Benedict College (Homecoming) B.T. Harvey Stadium 2 p.m.

NOVEMBER

2nd Fort Valley State University Fort Valley, Ga. 6 p.m.9th Kentucky State University Frankfort, Ky. 2 p.m.

THe MOreHOUSe COLLeGe athletics program continues its dominance of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, winning the 2013 SIAC Commissioner’s All-Sports Award. It’s the fifth time in six years that Morehouse has won the award. The award, based on a point system, goes to the SIAC school that achieves the most overall success in all of the conference sports during the school year. The Maroon Tigers athletic program won conference championships in track and field and cross country, and had runner-up finishes in tennis, golf and basketball. n

Morehouse Wins sIAC All-sports Award for Fifth Time in six years

By add SeYMoUR jR.

NOW THAT fOrMer Morehouse basketball player Andrae Nelson ’13 has graduated cum laude in political science from the College, he plans to attend law school. But not before he gives professional basketball a shot. Nelson is a 6’ 6” post player who led Morehouse to a 20-8 season and the SIAC east division title. He averaged 12 points and nearly nine rebounds per game, and was named to the All-SIAC first team for the second consecutive year. Nelson, last season’s preseason Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference preseason Player of the Year, was picked up for the 2013 July summer league by the National Basketball Association’s Orlando Magic. Then Nelson, whose father is of Jamaican descent, was picked to play for the Jamaican National Team for the rest of the summer. former NBA All-Star Jay Vincent coaches that team. Jamaica will compete in the fIBA Americas Championship from Aug. 30 to Sept. 11 in Caracas, Venezuela. Nelson will play with the Jamaican team until NBA preseason camps begin in October, when he hopes to sign with a team. “everyone has been impressed with Andrae both on the court and off the court,” said Morehouse head basketball coach Grady Brewer ’80. “Whenever he has talked to NBA teams, he’s gone in with a suit on and is very polished. NBA officials don’t always get that from players. Andrae really represents what we are doing here with Morehouse basketball, on the court and off the court.” n

Andrae nelson ’13 Pursues nBA, law school Waits

Andre Patillo ‘79 (left) accepts the Commissioner’s Cup from SIAC Commissioner Greg Moore.

Andrae Nelson ’13

s p r I n G 2 0 1 3 37 moreHouse maGaZIne

Jerome singleton ’11 Part of World record relay team in World Championships in france

Jerome Singleton ’11 continues his stellar career in the track and field world, being part of a world-record relay team and winning a bronze medal in the 2013 International Paralympic Committee World Championships in Lyon, france.

Singleton was part of the gold medal winning U.S. mens 4x100-meter T42-46 relay team that finished their race in 40.73 seconds, smashing the previous record of 41.78 set by a South African team in 2012. Singleton, the defending world champion, finished third behind Jonnie Peacock and richard Browne in the T44 100 meters race. Singleton was born without a fibula in his right calf and had his leg amputated below the knee when he was 18 months old. He became a heralded high school athlete in Greenwood, S.C., before coming to Morehouse. Singleton, an engineering major who was in the dual degree program, was a member of the flying Maroon Tigers track and field team when he learned about the paralympic movement.

morehouse Wins siaC all-sports award for fifth time in six Years

The Morehouse College athletics program continues its dominance of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, winning the 2013 SIAC Commissioner’s All-Sports Award. It’s the fifth time in six years that Morehouse has won the award. The award, based on a point system, goes to the SIAC school that achieves the most overall success in all of the conference sports during the school year. The Maroon Tigers athletic program won conference championships in track and field and cross country, and had runner-up finishes in tennis, golf and basketball.

track and field team Wins eighth straight siaC title and team academic ChampionshipBy Add SeYMOUr Jr. The Morehouse Maroon Tigers track and field team finished 2013 as the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s top team on the field and in the classroom. They continued their dominance of the SIAC as they won their eighth consecutive conference track and field championship on April 20 at B.T. Harvey Stadium. It was the Maroon Tigers track and field program’s 13th conference title over the last 18 years. The Maroon Tigers, who finished far ahead of Albany State and Stillman in the team competition, were led by sophomores Jeremy Blue and Nicholas Hall, along with senior Karlton Mitchell. Blue was named the meet’s most valuable performer after winning the discus throw and finishing second in the javelin throw. Hall was second in both the 5000-meter run and 10000-meter run and third in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Mitchell was second in the 1500-meter run and the 3000-meter steeplechase and fourth in the 800-meter run. The squad also topped the SIAC in the classroom as they earned the 2013 SIAC Track and field Academic Team Championship. Of the athletes who have the top 14 grade point averages in the SIAC, seven of them are Morehouse student-athletes. Hall, a business administration major, had a 3.91 grade point average, the highest among track and field athletes this year. Others on the All-Academic Team are:

- Joshua Manley-Lee, sophomore, mathematics, 3.68- Blake Bufford, senior, biology, 3.54- Terrance White, senior, physics, 3.46- Arvon Amisial, senior, kinesiology, 3.46- Kasahun Neselu, junior, biology, 3.45- Karlton Mitchell, senior, psychology, 3.44

By add SeYMoUR jR.


T R A C K A N D F I E L D

He MOreHOUSe MArOON TIGerS track and field team finished 2013 as the Southern

Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s top team on the field and in the classroom. They continued their dominance of the SIAC as they won their eighth consecutive conference track and field championship on April 20 at B.T. Harvey Stadium. It was the Maroon Tigers track and field program’s 13th conference title over the last 18 years. The Maroon Tigers, who finished far ahead of Albany State and Stillman in the team competition, were led by sophomores Jeremy Blue and Nicholas Hall, along with senior Karlton Mitchell. Blue was named the meet’s most valuable performer after winning the discus throw and finishing second in the javelin throw. Hall was second in both the 5000-meter run and 10000-meter run and third in the 3000-meter steeplechase.

Mitchell was second in the 1500-meter run and the 3000-meter steeplechase and fourth in the 800-meter run. The squad also topped the SIAC in the classroom as they earned the 2013 SIAC Track and field Academic Team Championship. Of the athletes who have the top 14 grade point averages in the SIAC, seven of them are Morehouse student-athletes. Hall, a business administration major, had a 3.91 grade point average, the highest among track and field athletes this year. Others on the All-AcademicTeam are:• Joshua Manley-Lee, sophomore, mathematics, 3.68• Blake Bufford, senior, biology, 3.54• Terrance White, senior, physics, 3.46• Arvon Amisial, senior, kinesiology, 3.46• Kasahun Neselu, junior, biology, 3.45• Karlton Mitchell, senior, psychology, 3.44 n

JerOMe SINGLeTON ’11 continues his stellar career in the track and field world, being part of a world-record relay team and winning a bronze medal in the 2013 International Paralympic Committee World Championships in Lyon, france. Singleton was part of the gold medal winning U.S. mens 4x100-meter T42-46 relay team that finished their race in 40.73 seconds, smashing the previous record of 41.78 set by a South African team in 2012. Singleton, the defending world champion, finished third behind Jonnie Peacock and richard Browne in the T44 100 meters race. Singleton was born without a fibula in his right calf and had his leg amputated below the knee when he was 18 months old. He became a heralded high school athlete in Greenwood, S.C., before coming to Morehouse. Singleton, an engineering major who was in the dual degree program, was a member of the flying Maroon Tigers track and field team when he learned about the paralympic movement. n

Jerome singleton ’11 Part of World record relay Team in World Championships in France

Track and Field Team Wins eighth straight sIAC Title and Team Academic Championship

T

The Morehouse Flying Maroon Tigers celebrate after winning the 2013 SIAC championship.

moreHouse maGaZIne 38 s p r I n G 2 0 1 3

alumninews

THIS PAST MAY, I celebrated my 20th reunion. As I participated in the weekend’s activities, I remembered my last moments on Morehouse’s campus as a student. I am sure that at some point after your graduation, you have done the same. You stood in that infamous graduation line-up, as equal parts anxiety and excitement hastened your heartbeat to breakneck speed. You listened to each name be called and did a mental high five when you heard the names of your classmates and comrades. You shifted from foot to foot. You waited … until your name was called, too. do you remember? You turned your tassel. You were declared a Morehouse Man. You celebrated and you looked toward the future like an adventurer gearing up for his next big trip. You had plans. You had promise. You had ambition. You had a burning love for Morehouse College. do you remember? Somewhere along the way, life did what it often does. It tired some of us. It jaded some of us. It frustrated some of us. It made some of us forget. We forgot about our ambitious selves. We misplaced our plans. We broke our promises to us. We convinced ourselves that our dreams were no longer possible. We let our love for dear Old Morehouse become a thing relegated to the college years. We became complacent in the commitments that once gave us joy. Over the past few years, though, something happened. The leadership of our country started to look more like us, and we asked ourselves if the impossible was possible after all. Our nation’s level of entrepreneurship grew among African Americans, our political prowess increased, and our pursuit for the American dream hastened. Our alma mater began to change, our Alumni Association began to change. The Association began to direct its scholarship efforts towards helping seniors graduate so that no student would be denied their crown. There is change all around. In May of this year, President Obama, the leader of the free world came to Morehouse College, and he had this to say: “That’s what we’ve come to expect from you, Morehouse — a legacy of leaders — not just in our black community, but for the entire American community. To recognize the burdens you carry with you, but to resist the temptation to use them as excuses. To transform the way we think about manhood, and set higher standards for ourselves and for others. To be successful, but also to understand that each of us has responsibilities not just to ourselves, but to one another and to future generations. Men who refuse to be afraid. Men who refuse to be afraid.” His visit – his words – touched a place inside thousands of Morehouse alumni across the world. His call to accept our responsibility for future generations echoed the entreaties of many before him who love Morehouse as much as you once did. He helped them to remember. He helped you to remember. So, now what? What do you do now that the fire is catching once again? You tend it. You add kindling to it. You stoke it so that it grows and burns and glows with enough intensity to warm everyone around you. So, that’s my constant and earnest challenge to you: burn. Get on fire for Morehouse College once again. Get on fire for your dreams again. Burn toward your future again. Whether that means that you take a new course, become a big brother or travel abroad, you can do something to keep the fire of purpose burning in your personal life. And, as for dear Old Morehouse, you can always come home. Join the Alumni Association. Give back to your alma mater at whatever level is comfortable for you. Come to upcoming Alumni Action Summit sessions to help vision the future of Morehouse and to enlist and empower the alumni leadership to collaborate with the College. A German poet once said, “Keep true to the dreams of your youth.” As you readied yourself to walk across that graduation stage so many years ago, what were your dreams? What did you dream for your life? for your college? Now’s the time to recapture those dreams. Keep true, my brothers, keep true to dear Old Morehouse and her ideals, and in all things that you do. In the spirit of dear Old Morehouse. n

Kevin r. McGee ’93, President Morehouse College Alumni Association

“Get on fire for

Morehouse

College once

again. Get on fire

for your dreams

again...Whether

that means that

you take a new

course, become

a big brother or

travel abroad, you

can do something

to keep the fire of

purpose burning in

your personal life. “

national alumni association president’s message


Rekindling Your Support for Morehouse

alumninews


By Add SeyMOUr Jr.

TOPe fOLArIN ’04, Morehouse’s third rhodes scholar, has earned another huge honor: the 2013 Caine Prize for African Writing for his short story, “Miracle.” The Caine Prize, which has been awarded annually since 2000, is considered Africa’s top literary award. “Miracle” appeared in the 2012 edition of Transition magazine, which is published by Harvard University’s W.e.B. duBois Institute for African and African American research. The story is set in an evangelical Nigerian church in Texas where the congregation has gathered to witness the healing powers of a blind pastor-prophet. religion and the gullibility of those caught in the deceit that sometimes comes with faith rise to the surface as a young boy volunteers to be healed and begins to believe in miracles. “Winning the Caine Prize has been an incredibly gratifying experience,” folarin said. “I’ve been writing in anonymity for years. I don’t have a creative writing degree, and I’d never taken a creative writing class when ‘Miracle’ was published. It was just me and my laptop. I’m pleased that so many people have read ‘Miracle,’ and that people are interested in my story.” folarin was presented with his award and cash prize on July 8 at the University of Oxford, where he did his rhodes studies. n

Roy Keith Jr. ’61, Morehouse’s Eighth President, Named President Emeritus

Lamell McMorris ’95 honored by Washington Government Relations Group

Morehouse Rhodes Scholar Tope Folarin ’04 Wins Top African Literary Prize

To read “Miracle,” go to http://www.caineprize.com/pdf/2013_folarin.pdf.

LAMeLL MCMOrrIS ’95, a government affairs expert and entrepreneur, has recently received several noteworthy distinctions. This May, he was appointed chairman of the National diversity Advisory Council (NdAC) of the American red Cross. In October 2013, he will join the board of trustees for Miles College in Birmingham, Ala. Additionally, McMorris was presented the President’s Award for Career Achievement at the Washington Government relations Group’s (WGrG) Tin Cup Awards’ fourth annual dinner. McMorris is founder and CeO of Perennial, a Washington, d.C.-based family of businesses that provides government, public, and community affairs services for fortune 500 companies, national nonprofits, trade associa-

tions, and public-sector clients on a wide range of public-policy issues. The WGrG—a non-partisan, indepen-dent, volunteer associa-tion founded to enrich the careers of African American government relations professionals—annually bestows its award to individuals who have embodied excellence in leadership, service and professionalism in government affairs. Cited for his instrumental work in open-ing doors of opportunity through inclusiveness, and for his advocacy for diversity, access and inclusion in the profession, McMorris accepted the award alongside the d.C. area’s top business leaders, legislators and public policy experts. n

rOY KeITH Jr. ’61, Morehouse’s eighth president, has been named president emeritus, which is the College’s highest honor. during his tenure from 1987 until 1994, there were a number of notable accomplishments. The College’s endowment increased to more than $60 million, more than tripling what it had been just 20 years before; establishment of the College’s signature scholarship fundraiser, the “A Candle in the dark” Gala and construction of the Nabrit-Mapp-McBay science building, the Thomas Kilgore Jr. Campus Center, Hope Hall and two residence halls. Additionally, Morehouse became the nation’s first historically black college or university to produce an African American rhodes Scholar when Nima Warfield was named in 1994. Keith is currently chairman and CeO of Summit Management Group, LLC, and chairman of BLOC Global Services Group, LLC. He previously served as managing director of Almanac Capital Management. Prior to Almanac, Keith served as a partner with Stonington Partners, a private equity fund. Prior to this, he held the position of chairman

and chief executive officer of Carson Products Company, a publicly traded company, from 1995 to 1998 and served as chairman from 1998 to August 2000, when the company was acquired by L’Oreal. Keith took Carson public on the New York Stock exchange and the Johannesburg Stock exchange in 1996. The company’s Personal Care Products are sold throughout the United States, the Caribbean, europe, Brazil and Africa. In 1975, Keith was appointed chancellor of the Massachusetts Board of Higher education, becoming the first African American to hold such a position in American higher education. He also served as an associate dean and assistant professor of education and urban studies at dartmouth College. Keith serves on two private sector boards: Wells fargo Advantage funds and Virtus Mutual funds. Honorary doctors of Law have been conferred upon him by Bowdoin College and dartmouth College. n


Dorian Joyner Sr. ’13 (left) graduates with his son Dorian Joyner Jr. ’13

By doRian joYneR SR. ‘13

rom the time I applied for admission to Morehouse College to the day this past May when I graduated, nothing about my Morehouse experience has seemed normal.

first, after receiving scholarships to several institutions, I found out Arthur, my best friend, was going to apply for admission at Morehouse. So I applied, too. But Arthur never applied. His father, a Virginia Union University graduate, told Arthur that he could attend Morehouse, but a check to cover tuition would go to Virginia Union. I decided to come to Morehouse anyway. It was the first time I saw so many black students in one location, and all were upwardly mobile. I was at the top of my high school class, but now I was amongst others who were like me. I will never forget walking around the Atlanta University Center and seeing people whom I admired. My first month, I saw the rev. Jesse Jackson, who had just finished his campaign for president. I attended a concert in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel with jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, who had just won Grammy awards. I ate at Pascal’s restaurant where I saw civil rights icon Andrew Young. I heard Julian Bond ’71 and Maynard Jackson ’56 speak. I knew I was in a special place. I majored in both religion and psychology and had a minor in business. Classes were challenging and the professors were so interesting as they gave information far beyond what was in books. I had the pleasure of taking music classes under dr. Wendell P. Whalum and religion courses with roswell f. Jackson. I got involved in student government every year and served on the SGA my sophomore through senior years. during the first Martin Luther King Jr. National Holiday, Coretta Scott King asked me to serve as the co-chair for colleges/universities. I participated in anti-apartheid protests (my oldest son, dorian Jr., was born five minutes after Nelson Mandela was eventually released from a South African prison). I even gave approval to an up-and-coming film director and alumnus, Spike Lee ’79, to place his posters on campus for the premiere of his first film, “She’s Gotta Have It.”

F

TheroadTaken

I was the first person in the AUC who had a computer -- an Apple 2e with two disc drives. It helped me start a business my freshman year, Joyner’s enterprises Typing Service, which was the only next-day typing service in the AUC. I made $22,500 that year. Not bad for a freshman. By 1988, I had met my future wife. I also decided to take time off from school to explore my newfound computer interest with the intent of returning in a year. I began consulting, working on some significant projects and making a lot more money. At the same time, my wife and I started a family. The years began slipping by. I was doing well, but I wanted to return to Morehouse. Yet the timing never seemed right. I even took a picture of the stage after my brother, edward, graduated from Morehouse in 1997. I put it up on my dream board as a reminder to finish at Morehouse. I eventually worked for a law firm and became interested in law. I wanted to become an attorney or judge. Since Georgia has a program called the Hope Grant, which allows a person to get an associate’s degree for free, I first earned a paralegal degree and then, in 2009, decided it was time to come back to Morehouse. I read an article in Morehouse Magazine in 2010 about a father who returned to Morehouse and graduated a year before his son. When I registered for classes in 2010, I was determined to do the same. By then, the campus had changed. It was greener. You could have gourmet meals in Chivers dining Hall. everyone had laptops and there was Wi-fi. Campus life was

very different, but I managed to blend in. It was always funny to see students’ reaction when they heard my name. They’d ask if I had a son attending or they’d say there was a student who looks like me. Of course I acknowledged he was my son, but again, my goal was to come out the year before he did. However in 2011, I received news that I had prostate cancer. dealing with cancer treatments and still trying to meet my clients’ schedules meant I had to cut back to one class. I finished the treatments in 2012 and was able to resume a full class load. But that put me on track to graduate with my son instead of a year before him. So in 2013, the Joyner family has had a big year. It is my 25th wedding anniversary. My mother turned 80 and was able to see her son and grandson graduate from Morehouse. Now all of her children are college graduates. I was able to graduate with my son as the nation’s first black president delivered the Commencement address. And my youngest son graduated from high school and will attend Morehouse as part of the honors program, with the goal of becoming a doctor. I’m now planning to take law school and graduate school admissions exams with a goal of entering graduate school in 2014 to pursue the Jd and MBA. Needless to say, my life has been a whirlwind of surprises, and Morehouse has been at the forefront. I will always love and cherish this amazing institution and her ideals. n


Determined to FinishThe years began slipping by … I took a picture of the stage after my brother, Edward, graduated from Morehouse in 1997. I put it up on my dream board as a reminder to finish at Morehouse.


alumninews

2013 Gathering of Men R e u n i o n C l a s s e s

1953 1958

1943 1948

1963 The Golden Tigers

19

78

19

83

19

98


alumninews

1 9 7 3

1 9 6 8

1 9 7 3

alumninews


20

03

19

98

20

08

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93

Documents

Morehouse Magazine Commencement 2013 Commemorative Issue