Morgan Magazine 2008 Issue Vol. 1

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MORGANM A G A Z I N EMORGANM A G A Z I N E

Opportunity-Givers—Calvin and Tina Tyler

INS

IDE

:

Morgan’s Miss Maryland

MSU Hosts Republican Debate

Coach and Player: A Tale of Two Heroes

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choir concerts: Please contact sponsor or venue regarding ticket information.

Feb 14 10:00 AM matinee; Sun., Feb 17 4:00 PM—Gianni Schicchi; An English opera in one act written by Giacomo Puccini;Directed by Vincent Dion Stringer; Presented by the MSU Opera Workshop; Tickets: Students/Seniors: $7; General: $10

Feb. 16 8:00 PM, Feb 17, 6:00 PM—The Power, The Passion, and The Pulpit; play from Lamar Hill; Visitwww.livebythepen.com;Tickets: $30, $25, $20

Feb. 22-23 4:00 PM—“Kiddie” C.A.T.S. Performing Arts Series: Spencer “Spinny” Johnson, former member of the HarlemGlobetrotters, in “Motivational and Inspirational Basketball Skills”; Tickets: $11; For group sales, call 410-433-5383

Mar 14-15 4:00 PM—“Kiddie” C.A.T.S. Performing Arts Series: Sankofa Dance Theatre - “Women’s Drum Talk” Tickets: $11Mar 25, 30 A new play by Tyler Perry Apr. 3, 6, 10, 13—The Great Mac Daddy; Play; Directed by David M. Mitchell; Written by Paul Carter Harrison; presented by

Theatre MorganApr. 20, 6:00 PM—Symphonic Winds; Annual Concert of the MSU Symphonic Band; Melvin N. Miles, ConductorApr. 26 7:00 PM—Teens Count Fashion Battle, Area high school multi-faceted fashion showMay 4 4:00 PM—MSU Choir Annual Spring Concert; Dr. Eric Conway, ConductorMay 10 10:00 AM–6:00 PM— “Kiddie” C.A.T.S. Performing Arts Series: Theater Festival will give young artists the opportunity

to showcase their talents to a citywide audience. Call Cash Hester: 410-433-5383May 10 8:00 PM—MSU Jazz Band; Annual Concert of the MSU Jazz Band; Melvin N. Miles, Director

murphy fine arts center events: Please call 443-885-4440 for more information • www.murphyfineartscenter.org

Feb. 1 8:00 PM—Concert for Smoot Theatre, Parkersburg, WVFeb. 7 11:00 AM—Founders Day Convocation in Gilliam Concert Hall, Morgan State UniversityFeb. 16 8:00 PM—“Free to Sing” Concert at Strathmore Hall, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, MD 20852-3385Feb. 19 7:00 PM—Frostburg State University Concert in Frostburg, MDFeb. 22 8:00 PM—Montgomery Community College, Pottstown, PAFeb. 24 4:00 PM—Christ Presbyterian Church, 2323 Old Hickory Blvd, Nashville, TN 37215Mar. 9 4:00 PM—Class of 1950 sponsored concert at Celebration Church, 6080 Foreland Garth, Columbia, MD 21045Mar. 13 11:00 AM—Women's History Month Convocation in Gilliam Concert Hall, Morgan State UniversityMar. 15 6:00 PM—Miracle Temple Seventh-Day Adventist ChurchMar. 27-30 Spring Tour—Concert at the Island Center for the Performing Arts in St. Croix March 28 and Concert at Reichhold

Center for the Arts in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands March 29Apr. 3 11:00 AM—Honors Convocation, in Gilliam Concert hall, Morgan State UniversityApr. 5 8:00 PM—Carnegie Hall Performance with St. Lukes Orch., New York, NY & Bobby McFerrin, Conductor Apr. 9 8:00 PM—Delaware State University Concert, Dover, DEApr. 18 8:00 PM—Danville Concert Series Danville, VAApr. 19 8:00 PM—The Prizery, South Boston, VAApr. 20 3:00 PM—“Let My People Go” Performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DCApr. 27 4:00 PM—Philadelphia Chapter of the Alumni Association, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Penilyn Pike and Trewellyn

Ave., Penilyn PA 19422May 4 4:00 PM—Annual Spring Concert at MFAC, Baltimore, MDMay 10 3:00 PM—Smithsonian American Arts Museum, Washington, DCMay 18 10:00 AM—MSU Commencement, Baltimore, MDMay 25 3:00 PM—Garrett County Arts Festival Concert, McHenry, MD

Save � activities� events� schedules 2008datethe

alumni event:Apr. 28 4:00 PM; MSUNAA Philadelphia Alumni Chapter presents the MSU Choir; Bethlehem Baptist Church, Penllyn and

Dager Roads, Spring House, PA 19477; Contact – Wilhelmina D. Stevenson, President (Tickets will be available in 2008)May 17 The 68th Annual Alumni Awards and Class Reunion Luncheon; All classes ending in “3” and “8” will celebrate their

respective anniversaries. Please call the Alumni Relations office at 443-885-3015 for more information.

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Alumni and Friends,

With a productive and rewarding year behind us, Morgan State University moves forward into2008 with a bright outlook and clear expectations for the future. To know the potential of what liesahead for this great institution, simply take a look back at some of the exciting moments to takeplace recently on our campus.

The cover story, “Opportunity-Givers,” profiles Calvin and Tina Tyler, the MSU alumnus and hisspouse responsible for the inspiring stories of the “Tyler Scholars.” This group of Morgan studentsis making the most of the Tylers’ generosity, sense of mission and belief in the University.

The Tyler Scholars are just one of the many success stories born from our recently completed cap-ital campaign, “New Horizons: The Campaign for Morgan State University.” With your support, theUniversity continues to aggressively explore and pursue resources to provide access and opportu-nity for Morgan students.

In this edition, you will also read compelling features on Roderick Wolfe and head football coachDonald Hill-Eley, heroes in Morgan athletics and life at large; Michael Cryor, ’68, Maryland’s newDemocratic Party chair; Shana Powell, who was recently crowned Miss Maryland; Deanna Ikhin-mwin of Morgan’s Office of Community Service; and others. Their stories are just a few examplesof the impact Morgan State is having throughout Maryland and around the world.

Our new Program in Latin America and the Caribbean, directed by Dr. M’baré N’Gom, is broad-ening the horizons of Morgan students and faculty with knowledge of the African Diaspora outsidethe U.S. And we remember the late Dr. Sandye McIntyre — a name well-known and honored bymany — who laid the foundation to internationalize MSU’s curriculum by establishing Morgan’srenowned Fulbright Program more than a half-century ago.

All of these stories make interesting reading and should add to your enjoyment of Morgan Magazine.

Sincerely,

Earl S.RichardsonPresident

M O R G A N M A G A Z I N E

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Vice President forInstitutional Advancement

Cheryl Y. [email protected]

Director of Public Relations andCommunications

Clinton R. [email protected]

Assistant Director of PublicRelations

Jarrett L. [email protected]

Morgan Magazine is published by the Division of Institutional Advancement of MSU foralumni, parents, faculty, students and prospective students. Morgan Magazine is designedand edited by the Office of Public Relations. Opinions expressed in Morgan Magazine arethose of the individual authors and are not necessarily those of the University. Unsolicited manu-scripts and photographs are welcome, but will be returned only if accompanied by a stamped,self-addressed envelope. Letters are also welcome.

Correspondence should be directed to: Morgan Magazine, Morgan State University, 1700 E.Cold Spring Lane, Truth Hall, #109, Baltimore, MD 21251 • 443-885-3022 office • 443-885-8297 fax • [email protected]

Morgan State UniversityMagazine

Volume I 2008

M O R G A N M A G A Z I N E S T A F F

T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s

A Circle ofCaringMorgan’s Officeof CommunityService

Banneker-DouglassMuseumDedicates ItsLibrarySylvia GaitherGarrison, ’47

The NewStudent andCommuni-cationsCentersNew CampusFacilities GarnerRave Reviews

EmptyPodiums,MegaSuccessMorgan Hosts RepublicanDebate

A Legacy ofCourageSoper Library’sParren J. MitchellRoom

22 23 24 26 28

AlumElectedMarylandDemocraticParty ChairMichael Cryor,’68

A ChristianWriter BringsHistory AliveMargaret Pagan,’63

MSU’s FirstCapitalCampaignExceeds Its Goalby $6.2M

Expandingthe African-AmericanVillageLatin Americanand CaribbeanStudies Program

Morgan’sAmbassadorDr. Sandye JeanMcIntyre II

CoachDonald Hill-Eley &RoderickWolfeA Tale of TwoHeroes

12 13 14 16 18 19

Letter from thePresidentEarl S.Richardson

A MorganDaughter IsMissMarylandShana Powell

Opportunity-GiversCalvin and TinaTyler

The MostSuccessfulGala…EverMSU Gala XXIII

Homecoming2007Parade andGame

Publications Manager

Ferdinand [email protected]

Art Director (Magazine Design)David E. Ricardo

[email protected]

Sr. Graphic Designer

Andre [email protected]

Photographer(Magazine Cover)

P. A. [email protected]

CommunicationsAssistant

Rachel [email protected]

ContributingPhotographer

John Moore

Contributing Writers

Eric Addison

Rasheim T. Freeman

Wiley A. Hall, 3rd

Rachel Irving

Siobhan Leftwich

Lynette Locke

D'Nese L.A. Moore

Donna M. Owens

Charles Robinson III

Christina Royster-Hemby

Bisa Williams

TylerStoryPage 4

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“The support system at Morgan State ...has made this experience twice asrewarding and meaningful.”

— MSU Senior Shana Powell, Miss Maryland 2007

community and charity events of all kinds on behalf of theorganization, from riding in a parade to supportingresearch for sickle cell anemia. I have a deep respectfor the Miss Maryland pageant,” Powell says.

Powell works with the Music Undergraduates ServingEducation (MUSE) program, which brings college stu-dents majoring in musical studies into public schoolsas volunteers, to provide or enhance music educationprograms. Her work as Miss Maryland has made heralready busy life all the more challenging, sheadmits, but Powell says the experience is alsobuilding up and honing her physical, mental andspiritual strength. MSU’s academic excellence andrich musical legacy have been a tremendous helpto her growth as a student and performer, shesays. Within the nurturing atmosphere of Morgan,Powell says she “truly feel(s) like a daughter” of theschool, because everyone does what they can to seeher succeed.

“The support system at Morgan State has allowed me tocontinue in my studies here along with my duties as MissMaryland, which has made this experience twice asrewarding and meaningful,” she adds.

Powell says artists should define success for themselves.

“The possibilities for succeeding in doing what you love arefar more extensive than just for becoming a ‘star’ — and also far more rewarding,” she says.

Meet Morgan student Shana Powell, Miss Maryland 2007. Powell, a senior from Bowie, Md., was selected from 20 other con-testants in June to represent the state in the 2008 Miss America pageant, which will be held in Las Vegas, Nev., in January. ARegents Scholar of the Honors Department at Morgan State University, our new Miss Maryland is pursuing a bachelor of finearts degree in vocal performance and is focused on a career in the opera.

Powell, who is accustomed to receiving recognition as a soprano with the world-renowned Morgan State University choir,says winning the Miss Maryland crown in the 72nd annual pageant was an especially big honor, and a large responsibility.Along with the title and $9,000 scholarship she received from the Miss America Organization, there is the dignity of the posi-

tion and the demands of a year’s commitment to public appearances and speaking.

“Serving as Miss Maryland has given me the great opportunity and experience of taking part in

A Morgan Daughter Is Miss Maryland


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By Lynette Locke

Shana

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Opportunity-Givers

Calvin and Tina Tyler with their pet dog, Toby.

By Donna M. Owens


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Calvin andTina Tyler

HelpScholars

with TheirDollars and

Sense ofMission

2002, THE COUPLE DONATED A HALF-MILLIONDOLLARS TO MORGAN; ANOTHER $500,000FOLLOWED IN 2005. A $1–MILLION GIFT WASANNOUNCED THIS YEAR, MAKING THE TYLERS’DONATIONS THE LARGEST FROM INDIVIDUALDONORS IN THE SCHOOL’S HISTORY.InIn

Tyler Scholars (left to right) Omari Koram, Byron Selby, Breana Fleming andRandolph Brown pose with Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Tyler, who have sponsored thestudents’ undergraduate study at Morgan.

Helping needy, deserving studentsattend college is something that res-onates deeply with Calvin E. Tyler Jr.,’65, a retired senior executive withUnited Parcel Service (UPS). He and hiswife, Tina, are native Baltimoreans andformer high-school sweethearts.

Today, they’re nationally known phi-lanthropists who have given millions toeducational and other causes, espe-cially those that help at-risk youth. Andtheir giving to Morgan State University,including the establishment of anendowed scholarship in their name, hasput them in the top tier of MSU sup-porters.

“We recognize the need, and (we)have the capability to help,” says Mr.Tyler, who spoke from the couple’shome in Danville, California. They alsohave a home in Las Vegas, Nevada.“Things aren’t getting better for blackyouth. Someone needs to step up. Ifnot us, then who?”

Tyler studied business administrationat Morgan from 1961 through 1963, butcould not afford to complete hisdegree.

“I was the first in my family to go tocollege,” explains Tyler. “While I enjoyedmy studies, I was not able to beinvolved in activities on campus,because I was working the whole time,”he says of his multiple jobs, includingthe night shift at B&O Railroad.

Disappointed at having to cut hisformal education short, Tyler wasnonetheless determined to succeed. Helaunched his career at UPSas a driver in 1964, at atime when the companywas in its infancy.

“It was brand new in Bal-timore,” he recalls. “I wasone of the first 10 drivers.”

Tyler worked hard and steadilyclimbed the corporate ladder.


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Upward at UPSIn 1966, two years after coming aboard, Tyler went into

management at age 23. A decade or so later, he wasleading a district in Omaha, Neb. In 1982, he was namedthe company’s first African-American vice president ofoperations, running the West Coast region.

“The company has a good record of promoting womenand minorities,” says Tyler about UPS. “They believe inhard work and having employees invest in the company.”

To that end, Tyler began to purchase small shares ofcompany stock through an employee incentive program.It wasn’t easy, especially with a growing family.

“My wife and I put off a lot of things — fancy clothingand cars — but our sacrifices paid off,” he says, creditinghis wife with holding down the home front as they andtheir two sons relocated to different states to advance hiscareer.

“We moved 10 times after leaving Balti-more,” notes Tyler. “It was tough attimes, but I think it made me abroader person, with no geographicbiases. Life is never a straight line….It's a big world out there.”

Tyler retired as senior vice presi-dent of operations in 1998, thefirst African-American tohold that position. In1991, he waselected to theUPS board ofdirectors. He hasalso been amember of thesenior com-mittee responsible

for day-to-day management of the company.Along the way, Tyler mentored up-and-coming execu-

tives, many of them African-Americans.“When I retired, I was most proud that the gentleman

who replaced me used to work for me,” he says, addingthat he tried to lead by example. “People who set goalsand are persistent are the ones who do the best in thelong run.”

In 2004, MSU awarded him an honorary doctorate. “It’s not a disgrace to be knocked down, but you can’t

stay down,” Tyler says. “In this country, everybody’s got ashot at fortune. If you do your very best, you’re generallysuccessful in life. But you have to do your very best.”

The Tylers’ MissionThe Tylers have been supporting Morgan for nearly a

decade. Each year, typically in April, the couple returns totheir hometown andvisits the sprawlingNortheast Baltimorecampus for the univer-sity’s annual donorluncheon.

“We have lunch withthe students. We visitthe dorms,” says Mr.Tyler. “The school is veryimpressive, all of the

changes,” he says,noting that Morgan’slongtime president,Dr. Earl Richardson,“is doing a fantasticjob.”

The Tylers’ gift is

MSU President Earl S.Richardson (center) thankingCalvin Tyler for his generousscholarship support.

Calvin Tyler (bottom left) as a 26-year-old manager, posing with co-workersin front of an historic UPS fleet vehicle in Baltimore, Md.

Calvin Tyler (2nd from right)at age 10, posing with hismother and two brothers attheir home in Baltimore, Md.

Tina and Calvin Tyler ontheir 25th wedding anniver-sary.

Calvin Tyler receiving anhonorary doctorate fromMorgan in 2004.

TylersM O R G A N M A G A Z I N E

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among several sizable contributions that wealthy alumnihave made to Morgan State, one of the nation’s oldesthistorically black universities.

Endowed scholarships and other gifts have far-reaching implications for any institution, but for apublic, urban university like Morgan, with stu-dents from a broad spectrum of academic, socialand economic backgrounds, the need is espe-cially great.

"We have a mission to bring in everyone whoqualifies, and we have our share of honors stu-dents," says Cheryl Hitchcock, the university's vicepresident for Institutional Advancement. "Wealso have many students in need. About95 percent of our students receivesome type of financial aid, most ofthem federal loans and state grants.So the Tylers’ gifts are especiallyhelpful to us.”

Her office, which oversees devel-opment (fundraising), publicrelations and alumni affairs,works closely with donorssuch as the Tyler family andwith the university’s finan-cial aid office. Ultimately,financial aid officers selectthe recipients of need-basedscholarships.

Pride in GivingTyler Scholars must meet certain financial criteria

and be residents of Baltimore City. Initially,recipients had to be graduates of public highschools, but now private school students arealso eligible. The minimum GPA requirement

has been raised from 2.5 to 3.0.Hitchcock hopes the Tylers will inspire

Morgan’s vast alumni base and othersupporters to demonstrate their owncommitment to the university. She says

donors can take pride in knowingthat a gift to Morgan helps the

university provide a qualityeducation to young menand women.

Meanwhile, Calvin andTina Tyler can be proudtheir family’s generosityhas enabled a newgeneration of students topursue their hopes anddreams.

Does it make him proud?“It absolutely does,” says

Mr. Tyler. “Nothing feels asgood as giving.” ��

“WE RECOGNIZETHE NEED, AND(WE) HAVE THECAPABILITY TOHELP.”

— Calvin E. Tyler Jr.

“Tyler Scholars,” as theyare known, receive scholarshippackages that cover full tuition and

fees, with some assistance to buybooks. Work-study is available toassist with on-campus housingcosts. To date, the scholarshipshave enabled five students toattend Morgan.

Growing up in a rough BaltimoreCity neighborhood, one of thosestudents, Byron Selby, witnessedthe perils of poverty, crime andhopelessness.

“I am the product of a single-parent, underprivileged home,”says the 22-year-old senior, who ismajoring in sociology and criminal

justice. “It was me, my mom andmy brother. There were a lot ofstruggles.

“When I got this opportunity, Iran away with it,” says Selby, whojuggles his studies, football prac-tice and a work-study position inthe Office of Student Affairs.Equally busy off campus, he makestime to mentor youth at nearbyWinston Middle School and an areajuvenile detention center.

“Morgan has opened my mind,”says Selby, who is slated to grad-uate in May 2008. “Being in col-

lege has been a whole new world.It has given me the opportunity tolearn so many new things. I haveenjoyed every moment at Morgan.”

Selby, a starting quarterback forMorgan’s football team, knew thatsports and education were histicket to a better life. That’s why heis so grateful to Morgan alumnusCalvin E. Tyler Jr. and his wife Tina,who established an endowedscholarship fund in their name tohelp disadvantaged Baltimore Citystudents.��

— Donna M. Owens

Ticket to a Better Life

Tyler Scholar Byron Selby,MSU Starting Quarterback


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MSU’s 23rd Annual Gala gained the distinctionof being the most successful scholarship fund-raising effort in the history of the event.Headed by new MSU Foundation ChairmanPeter C. Harvey, the gala attracted more than1,160 attendees, hosted its first live auction andraised more than $100,000. Corporate sponsor-ship revenues totaled $51,500.

Gala XXIII was attended by Baltimore’s newly elected mayor, the Honor-able Sheila Dixon, and a host of other dignitaries, including: the Honor-able Catherine E. Pugh (MSU ’73, ’77), Maryland state senator, 40th Dis-trict; the Honorable Verna L. Jones, Maryland state senator, 44th District;the Honorable Joan Carter Conway, Maryland state senator, 43rd District;Jeanne D. Hitchcock, Esq. (MSU ’68), secretary of appointments, MarylandOffice of Governor; and Black Enterprise magazine Founder and PublisherEarl G. Graves Sr. (MSU ’57) and his wife, Barbara.

The Most Successful Gala…Ever


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Friday, October 12, 2007 | Martin’s West

Morgan ForeverForever Morgan

Dinner

Dancing

L ive Auct ion


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Homecoming Parade07

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The Game!Scoring on their first drive, the Golden Bears thrilleda record crowd of 14,987 at the Morgan-Howardhomecoming football game held at Hughes Stadium.

Running back Devan James rushed for 19 of his 73yards in overtime to help set up a 23-yard, game-winning field goal by James Meade, as the Bears fin-ished off Howard 36-33.

The homecoming game was Morgan’s first overtimewin of the season and the second time the Bearshave handed an overtime loss to Howard. MSU quar-terback Byron Selby (a Tyler Scholar; see story onpage four) finished with one of his best perform-ances of the season, completing 11 of 20 passes for216 yards. Morgan’s offense made another home-coming memorable, as it churned out 430 total yards.

Homecoming Game07

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Morgan Alum Elected MarylandDemocratic Party Chair

If you ask Michael Cryor, ’68, about his journey fromMorgan State University honors student to his currentposition as chair of the Maryland Democratic Party, theveteran political and community activist immediatelyproduces a list of mentors that includes everyone fromhis hardworking, blue-collar parents to the late Con-gressman Parren J. Mitchell (’50).

A native of Baltimore City, Cryor grew up in the oldEastwood Park neighborhood. With his appointment inMay, he has become the nation’s only African-Americanstate party chair — Democratic or Republican.

“I was always interested in human nature,” says Cryor,who has a master’s degree in psychology from MontclairState University. “I always wanted to know what gov-erned people’s motivations.”

His innate curiosity, fueled by encouragement fromhis parents, led him from Baltimore City College toMorgan State University, where he majored in psy-chology.

“As a first-generation college student, it was veryimportant to me to do well,” he says. Ironically, healmost dropped out of Morgan to play professionalbaseball, but Morgan’s vibrant community was far tooseductive.

“When I got to Morgan, I found myself in the midst ofso many bright, talented people,” Cryor says. “It was socompetitive that you felt you had to succeed.” He recallsspending afternoons debating the issues of the day withclassmates who went on to become judges, lawyers,doctors and media personalities. In the late 1960s,Morgan produced more Fulbright scholars than anyother university in the country. “It was definitely aheady time,” he recalls with a smile.

“Morgan prepared me for a range ofoptions,” says Cryor. “Most of all, it pre-pared me to accept the responsibility ofleadership.”

After graduation, Cryor enrolled ingraduate school in New Jersey, wherehe juggled a psychology career withmanagement of local political cam-paigns. He returned to Morgan after receivinghis master’s and served as an associate dean andlecturer in the psychology department. In the 1980s,he worked for former Congressman Parren Mitchell, andin 1985, he ran Michael Barnes’ congressional campaign.He has also run campaigns for Sen. Joseph Biden ofDelaware, been a consultant for major corporations andserved 10 years as cohost of WJZ-TV’s “On Time,” one of

Baltimore’s longest-running public affairs programs.Cryor maintains close ties to Morgan. He is an active

alumnus, as is his wife, Erica, MSU Class of 1969. Erica iscurrently serving as Morgan’s director of Development. Thecouple met while attending MSU.

Cryor and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley have a longhistory together. Cryor was cochair of the “BaltimoreBelieve” campaign and has served as the governor’sadvisor for the past seven years. And Gov. O’Malley hasnothing but praise for the man he handpicked to run theMaryland Democratic Party.

In addition to working to galvanize Maryland Democratsfor the 2008 election, Cryor is committed to working withthe governor to make college tuition affordable to studentsacross the state.

“For my generation, learning and school seemed to be away out,” says Cryor. “I want to work toward making highereducation a possibility for every Marylander.” ��

AlumniProfile

By Siobhan Leftwich


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Margaret Pagan, ’63A Christian Writer Brings History Alive

AlumniAuthor

Even as a blue-beanie-wearingfreshman in 1959, Margaret D. Paganwas a keen observer of the zeitgeist.Whether spending hours with otherMorgan State College students deep inthe stacks of the library, hitting thebooks in her dorm room at HarperHouse or rushing across campus to getto classes on time, Pagan was keenlyaware that accepting Morgan’s aca-demic scholarship had given her boththe means and the opportunity to con-tinue to excel academically. But thisformer high school valedictorian andtransplanted small-town girl also notesthat Morgan’s community of scholarsoffered many inspirational “extras,”including sky-high ideals; endlessexpectations of exemplary behavior,dress and demeanor; and a distinctlydignified sense of place.

“I loved being a Morganite in theearly ’60s,” she remembers. “Morganpresented the high-styled world mymother had always told me about. Thecampus and grounds were beautifuland meticulously maintained. Beingaround all those well-educated peoplewas inspiring, and everyone looked sobeautiful while doling out wisdom. Themale professors wore suits and ties.The women dressed in suits and worehigh heels, jewelry and makeup. Oneteacher was known for dragging hermink stole across campus.”

“It was thrilling…simply thrilling,”Pagan says, “to see and hear scholars ofsuch eloquence and elocution read and

expound on literature in the theater ofthe classroom.”

Leaping Race BarriersAfter leaving Morgan with a degree in

English and the will to write profession-ally, Pagan was fortunate to find a race-barrier-breaking dream job with a smalladvertising copywriting firm. Her on-jobexperiences there proved excellenttraining for what became her careeremployment with the Social SecurityAdministration. During her 27 yearswith the SSA, where she became one ofthe few black professional writers,Pagan built a good life — includingmarriage to a minister, Pastor Carl E.Pagan of the Urban Bible FellowshipChurch in Baltimore; two children; andadditional studies at Johns HopkinsUniversity. But, no matter what orwhere, she always wrote: as editor ofSocial Security’s first national newsletterand as a freelancer for local magazinesand newspapers, with special interestsin African-American history.

Writing PrayerfullyPagan’s big break as a novelist had a

direct connection to alma mater. WhenDr. Margaret Anne Reid, a Morgan Stateprofessor and alumna, was asked torecommend a writer for a Fisk Univer-sity project to profile notable blackAmerican women, she immediatelysuggested her friend and Morgan class-mate, Margaret Pagan. After receivingthe assignment to profile Katherine Fer-

guson, Pagan quickly learned that thelittle-known educator and woman offaith had had a life of tremendousaccomplishment. Above and beyondsurviving the cruelty of slavery withadmirable fortitude, “Katie” Fergusonhad established a Sunday School, ahome for homeless children of all racesand a successful baking/catering busi-ness that earned her freedom andfinancial independence.

Pagan expanded her research find-ings into her first book, “More Than aSlave: The Life of Katherine Ferguson.”The success of that book — now avail-able at libraries and bookstores nation-wide — led to a recently releasedsequel, “The Fulani Girls,” whichexpanded the stories of two slave girlswho made brief appearances in “MoreThan a Slave.” Both books providepitch-perfect accounts of the mentaland spiritual toll of slavery, and bothfocus on spiritual transcendence.

Now retired from the Social SecurityAdministration, Pagan edits the Journalof African-American History in HowardCounty, Md., and is a multitaskingmarvel of a church first lady, in additionto being a skilled Scrabble player and adoll collector. Morgan State is still animportant part of the life of this pridefuland engaging alumna. She was a fea-tured author at Morgan’s 67th AnnualAlumni Awards and Recognition Lun-cheon in 2007. ��

By D’Nese L.A. Moore


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MSU’s FirstCapitalCampaignExceeds Its Goal by $6.2M

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newhorizonsT H E C A M P A I G N f O Rmorgan

S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y

F U N D I N G P R I O R I T I E S

Scholarships and Need-Based Financial Aid $ 9 million

Unrestricted Endowment $ 8 million

Athletic Programs $ 5 million

Alumni House $ 3 million

TOTAL CAMPAIGN GOAL $25 million

CAMPAIGN RESULTS $31.2 million

Presents:

SCHOOL— OF THE —MONTHA U G U S T , 2 0 0 6

withVictor Vanacore

Conducting

TheBaltimoreSymphonyOrchestra


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At $6,532 for state residents and $14,438 for students fromout of state, Morgan State University’s tuition is the third-lowest among public colleges in Maryland. Even so, hun-dreds of Morgan students withdraw each semesterbecause of financial hardship.

"Maryland's public colleges tend to have higher tuitionrates than many other schools in the country," notesCheryl Y. Hitchcock, MSU vice president for InstitutionalAdvancement. "And tuition costs continue to rise."

The Morgan community’s desire to mitigate this hard eco-nomic reality gave rise to Morgan’s first capital campaign.Named “New Horizons: The Campaign for Morgan StateUniversity,” the five-year effort — launched in 2002 with aconcert by Ray Charles at the Murphy Fine Arts Center —had a goal of raising $25 million. Most of the money was toenhance Morgan’s endowment and need-based financialaid. Other funding priorities included faculty and programdevelopment, support for athletic programs and the reno-vation and maintenance of the Alumni House.

By the end of New Horizons on this pastMay 31, the campaign had surpassedits goal by raising $31.2 million.Approximately 40 percent of thefunds came from corporatedonors, another 40 percent fromnot-for-profit foundations and 20percent from MSU alumni andfriends, Hitchcock says. The twolargest individual donations came inearly from Morgan alumni and gave abig boost to the campaign: $1.5 million from Horizoncochairs James and Linda Gilliam and $1 million fromCalvin E. and Tina Tyler.

The New Horizons campaign enabled Morgan to signifi-cantly increase its endowment from $2 million to $20 mil-lion. The University also launched its Planned Givingcampaign, and one alumnus, Marsha Evans Holmes, Classof ’71, gave Morgan a $1.3-million insurance policy.

IT’S ALLABOUT W

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DOOHosted by Ms.Martha Reeves of

Martha Reeves &The Vandellas

www.givetomorgan.com

20%

40%

40%

Corporations

Foundations

Individuals

Events:May 12, 2002 Ray Charles ConcertApril 10, 2003 Annual Scholarship LuncheonMay 12, 2003 Annual Golf TournamentOctober 17, 2003 Homecoming GalaApril 1, 2004 Annual Scholarship LuncheonMay 10, 2004 15th Annual Golf TournamentOctober 15, 2004 An Evening with Bill Cosby and the MSU ChoirOctober 22, 2004 Homecoming GalaMarch 31, 2005 Annual Scholarship LuncheonMay 9, 2005 16th Annual Golf TournamentOctober 14, 2005 Homecoming GalaMarch 30, 2006 Annual Scholarship LuncheonMay 8, 2006 17th Annual Golf TournamentAugust 2006 Tom Joyner School of the Month Sky Show at Constitution HallOctober 20, 2006 Homecoming GalaMarch 15, 2007 Annual Scholarship LuncheonMay 14, 2007 18th Annual Golf TournamentJuly 28, 2007 It’s All About the Doo Wop

25 Million24 Million23 Million22 Million21 Million20 Million19 Million18 Million17 Million16 Million15 Million14 Million13 Million12 Million11 Million10 Million9 Million8 Million7 Million6 Million5 Million4 Million3 Million2 Million1 Million

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31.2 Million

goal


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In Brazil, where roughly half of the popula-tion claims African roots, the country’s firstblack-owned television station was launchedin 2005. TV da Gente (The People’s TV)debuted not in Salvador da Bahia, thenorthern city in the state with the highestconcentration of people of African descent inBrazil today, but in the ultra-urbane, southerncity of São Paulo, the country’s financialcenter and economic engine, and home totwo million Afro-Brazilians.

Afro-Costa Ricans are only three percent oftheir nation’s approximately four millionpeople. Until 1949, Costa Rica’s blacks wererestricted by law to living only on theCaribbean coast of the country. Nonetheless,black Costa Ricans have consistently attainedhigher education standards than the nationalaverage and can be found in leading profes-sions throughout the nation today. Most ofthis minority group traces its ancestry to10,000 workers hired from Jamaica to helpbuild the Atlantic Railroad and to a subse-quent wave of immigrants hired to work thebanana plantations.

Facts such as these — not common knowl-edge in the U.S. — are about to be the dailydiet of a new academic program at MSU. InJuly, the University, through its World Lan-guages and International Studies Department,announced the creation of the Program in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean (LACAS). Conceivedas a complement to the current African-Amer-ican Studies and Africana Studies Programs,LACAS enriches Morgan’s academic arsenal ofprograms across all disciplines that examineAfricans in the Diaspora, and it inches theUniversity closer to establishing a full-blownDepartment of Africana Studies.

In addition to teaching the subjects foundin traditional Latin American studies pro-grams across the nation, the LACAS program

Expanding theAfrican-AmericanVillage By Bisa Williams

MSU’s NewLatin Americanand CaribbeanStudies Program


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Machu Picchu, Peru, the lostand sacred city of the Incas. Universidad Nacional de Educacion,

Huancayo, Central Andes, Peru, 2005.

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will focus on the African Dias-pora in Latin America and theCaribbean, directing studentsand faculty to delve deeperinto the understanding ofwhat exactly it means to be anAfrican-American.

Redefining ‘America’M’baré N’Gom, Ph.D.,

director of the program, saysLACAS is part of the Univer-sity’s efforts to internation-alize and globalize studies atMorgan State. When devel-oped to its full potential,LACAS will not only executeits primary task of educatingthe Morgan undergraduatebut will also expand thetraining opportunities andexpertise of Morgan faculty,enrich MSU’s library holdingsand archives, provide contin-uing education opportunitiesfor the greater Baltimore com-munity, and expand andcreate new teaching exchangenetworks between MSU anduniversities throughout thehemisphere.

Dr. N’Gom, a soft-spoken graduate ofthe University of Dakar and of the Sor-bonne, speaks with cool intensity andearnestness about the program. Hisunabashed goal is to broaden students’awareness of the diversity of the Amer-icas and the role of Africans on this sideof the Atlantic.

“Whenever Morgan students say‘America,’ they think of the UnitedStates,” he explains.“ ‘America’ as a con-

cept is something that has been nearlyappropriated by the U.S. ‘The Caribbean’is considered in primarily tourism terms,and Latin America is reduced to ani-mated discourse on the threat of cheaplabor from Mexico. Through LACAS, weseek to dispel those stereotypes and tobuild a solid foundation in internationalstudies.”

Dr. N’Gom stresses that LACAS will notneglect the meat and potatoes of main-stream Latin American Studies programs,

that is, the pre-colonial, indige-nous civilizations and the polit-ical and economic effects ofpost-colonialism. He emphasizes,however, that LACAS will focuson the African Diaspora in theregion.

“Many students, whether theyare African-American, CaribbeanAmerican or African, are simplyunaware of the history ofAfricans in the hemisphere,” hesays.

Besides history, the LACASProgram will look at the fields ofgeography, economics, commu-nications, political science, soci-ology and anthropology, philos-ophy and religion. The baselinecontext for the studies, ofcourse, is Mother Africa.

“We are very conscious of com-parative analysis,” stressesHakeem Ibikunle Tijani, Ph.D.,assistant director of the program.“We cannot forget ‘the Home-land.’ ”

Faculty FocusAn important feature of the LACAS Pro-

gram is its dual objective of educatingfaculty along with students. Dr. N’Gomhas carefully structured the program toencourage faculty to pursue researchprojects in the U.S. and participate inteacher exchange and study abroad pro-grams with universities in Latin Americanand the Caribbean.

Faculty members teaching in theLACAS Program will also be invited toparticipate in development training semi-


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Dr. M'baré N'Gom

On the road to Pisaq (Sacred Valley of the Incas,Southern Peru) with two Quechua speaking hosts.

Morgan State University Fulbright-Hays program inPeru with educators from MSU and Central Maryland.

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Morgan State University has a long tradition of preparing its studentswell for global citizenship, a fact that can be attributed largely to thework of the late Dr. Sandye Jean McIntyre II. Dr. McIntyre (Sept. 18,1923–Oct. 8, 2006) was distinguished professor of ForeignLanguages at MSU and director of the Morgan Fulbright Programuntil his retirement in 1988. In November, the Morgan State familyhonored his legacy by dedicating the Founders Day Convocation tohis memory.

Dr. McIntyre’s life was framed by scholarship and internationalaffairs. After serving in the U.S. Army as a translator in France dur-ing WWII, he earned his B.A. in French from Johnson C. SmithUniversity in 1947 and a master’s in French and Romance languagesfrom Western Reserve University in 1948. Armed with his degrees,Dr. McIntyre came to Morgan in 1948 as an instructor of Romancelanguages. In his first years at the University, he founded the award-winning Cercle Français student organization and began MSU’sinvolvement in the new Fulbright Program, which was established tosend U.S. students abroad for study and increase mutual under-standing between Americans and people around the world. Dr.McIntyre received Morgan’s first Fulbright Scholarship in 1951,becoming the first African-American to receive a Fulbright to France.

Today, Cercle Français still exists, and the Morgan FulbrightProgram, under the direction of Dr. McIntyre’s associate, Dr. CarleenLeggett, remains the proudest among HBCUs, the most successful inthe state and among the best in the nation, with 117 FulbrightScholars in its history. During his career, Dr. McIntyre receivedFulbright Scholarships to study in Israel, Senegal, Mali, Gambia andLiberia, as well as France. An international diplomat in his own right,he was named honorary consul of the Republic of Senegal in 1970.Locally, he continued the mission of cultural awareness by servingin leadership positions with the Association of Foreign Consuls inMaryland and the Consular Corps of Baltimore.

In Dr. McIntyre’s obituary, his son, Sandye J. McIntyre III, quoted thisby Sir Thomas Browne: “Live unto the Dignity of thy nature, andleave it not disputable at last, whether thou hast been a man…” Apowerful summary of a man who lived, as he would say, with the“intensity of purpose.” ��

Morgan’s AmbassadorDr. Sandye Jean McIntyre II

By Rachel Irving, ’05


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nars. In these six-hour, intensivecourses, faculty can enjoy the luxury ofbeing students again in a postdoctoral,tutorial-like, guest lecturer setting, withleading scholars and experts fromaround the country. They will then beencouraged to incorporate their newknowledge into courses in the currentcurriculum or create new courses fortheir departments. Dr. N’Gom’s ulti-mate goal is to add 22 new courses tothe University, and eventually heintends to seek the University’sapproval to establish a major inAfricana Studies.

Professors N’Gom and Tijani andHelen Harrison, Ph.D. of MSU’s WorldLanguages and International StudiesDepartment wrote the proposal forLACAS, which is funded by a U.S.Department of Education Title VI grant.The DOE has committed $169,000 forthe first three years of the program. Theadvisory board of LACAS is interdisci-plinary, and Dr. Harrison is its cur-riculum committee chair.

Dr. N’Gom’s aspiration throughLACAS is to develop at Morgan a poolof cutting-edge academicians who willprovide students with a comprehensivecurriculum of study that prepares themfor any field of work she or he chooses.

“We are training young people tobecome politicians, presidents, diplo-mats, doctors and engineers,” Dr.N’Gom comments. “We want them tobe well-informed and used to the ideaof the competitiveness of the world.” ��

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By Rasheim T. Freeman

Coach Donald Hill-Eley& Roderick Wolfe

A Tale of Two HeroesM O R G A N M A G A Z I N E

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Gazing at the faces of the MorganState University Hall of Fame, on thewalls of the renovated Talmadge L. HillField House, it’s easy to envisionanother name in the pantheon ofheroes, one that belongs not onlybecause of athletic accomplishmentsbut because of the athlete’s heart anddetermination. That name is RoderickWolfe.

Strolling past the hall of famers,Wolfe barely glances at the wall or thereporter at his side. At 6’4”, he walkstall among his classmates. But despiteappearances, he is comfortable in hissurroundings. The time has passedwhen he walked constantly looking overhis shoulder.

“Coming from where I came from,people (at Morgan) don’t understandwhy I just keep it moving. Sometimes Idon’t hear people speak to me, becauseI’m just looking at where I’m going tobe in class. I just don’t want to getsidetracked,” Wolfe says.

Wolfe’s rearing on the wrong side ofthe tracks is well known now. His risefrom homelessness to Holmes Hall waschronicled by the Baltimore Sun in Sep-tember. And he was recently featuredalong with Morgan State UniversityHead Football Coach Donald Hill-Eleyon national television, as part of the“CBS Evening News” focus on Americanheroes.

“I’m not worried about the nationalattention,” says Wolfe, a seniormajoring in sociology. “… It mightbring some more attention from peoplewho will say, ‘Oh, there’s Wolfe. Did youhear about him?’ But, that is nothingcompared to what I’ve been through.”

Lights in the DarkWolfe’s father died of AIDS when

Roderick was 12. His mother, in and outof drug rehab, would succumb to thedisease by the time Wolfe was 19.Homeless, living in his car, with his par-ents gone and his siblings scatteredthroughout Baltimore, Wolfe remained

in high spirits and trained insatiably,counting on football to bring himthrough.

During his senior year at EdmondsonHigh School, he got up as early as 5:00a.m. to run wind sprints, training in thedark so he could see the lights ofdowntown Baltimore and imagine him-self living in the city’s posh InnerHarbor. When his teammates showedup for practice, Wolfe would already bethere, sweating and silent. Most didn’tknow he was homeless, so theyassumed he was crazy.

Wolfe thought his 13 touchdownsthat season would do all of the talkingnecessary to earn him a scholarship.But no college recruiters noticed him.The soft-spoken Wolfe was as hard tofind as the front door of his house. Thatis when he met coach Hill-Eley.

“I didn’t even know he was a footballplayer,” says Hill-Eley. “I met him in agrocery store…. This skinny kid came

up to me, slightly dingy, clothes every-where, and introduced himself.”

That first impression in 2003, how-ever, was all coach Hill-Eley needed. Hesaw something in Wolfe’s eyes that hecould connect with, something thattook the manicured, clean-cut coachback to rural Suffolk, Va., where he wasraised one of 15 kids in a three-bedroom house. The truth is, Hill-Eleysaw himself in Wolfe’s eyes.

“The instant he looked at me andsaid, ‘Just give me a chance. I won’t letyou down or waste your time,’ I knewthen that there was a place for him onthis football team, even if it wasn’t atwide receiver,” says Hill-Eley.

He gave Wolfe a full scholarship.

Building CharacterWolfe has had a home at Morgan

ever since. This season, to date, he issecond on the team in yards and totalcatches (20), and he leads the team in

“Not only with Rod but with all of my90 kids, I tell them, ‘Don’t let yourtalent outshine your character.’ “

— Coach Donald Hill-Eley


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“If it wasn’t for coach I wouldn’t be where I am right now. He predicted all of this for me.” — Roderick Wolfe (below)

touchdown grabs (three) for the year.Wolfe helped coach Hill-Eley to moreconsecutive winning seasons (two)than Morgan had in the previous 25years.

But, things weren’t always so goodbetween the two, Wolfe admits: “Iwould still wear my jeans real baggy onthe yard. (I’d) be late for meetings, belate to class. So me and Coach Hillwent through it for a bit. He had to tellme what the expectations were like atMorgan.”

After Wolfe was involved in back-to-back, law-breaking traffic incidents,coach Hill-Eley had had enough. Hedrove Wolfe back to his old neighbor-hood and told him to get out.

“Do you see what you’re going backto? Do you see your future?” Hill-Eleydemanded. “…If this is what you want,then tell me now, because I can dropyou off.”

After that day, the two never had

another problem, Hill-Eley says.“Not only with Rod but with all of my

90 kids, I tell them, ‘Don’t let yourtalent outshine your character. And I’mnot even talking about football. I’mtalking about the man you need to beoff the field,’ ” the coach says.

Bottom to the TopThe son of parents addicted to drugs

and alcohol, Hill-Eley, 38, knows verywell the path often traveled by his stu-dent-athletes. But, he doesn’t allow hisplayers to remain angry about theirchildhoods.

“The only real thing I want them todo is to use football as a vehicle tograduate. That’s what they will keepwith them for the rest of their lives,”says Hill-Eley, who has raised theteam’s graduation rate to 61 percent inthe six years he has been head coach.

“If it wasn’t for coach I wouldn’t bewhere I am right now. He predicted all

of this for me: graduation, a possibleNFL career and even national atten-tion,” says Wolfe, who also has beenapproached by the media about writinga book about his life.

“I would call the book ‘Me: Bottom tothe Top,’ ” Wolfe says. “And if it wereever made into a movie, then my themesong would be ‘A Change Is GonnaCome,’ by Sam Cooke.”

Wolfe pulls out his shiny, new iPod toprove he actually listens to the ’60ssoul icon. The song’s lyrics seem auto-biographical, says Wolfe, because likethe river in Cooke’s famous song, hehas been running ever since he was 17.

But, other than from defenders on afootball field, Wolfe isn’t running any-more. He has found hearth, home anda father figure at Morgan State Univer-sity. He doesn’t look over his shoulderanymore.

It was a long time coming. ��


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A Circle of CaringMorgan’s Office of Community Service

As Morgan State University’s directorof Student Activities in the mid-1980s,Deanna V. Ikhinmwin issued a chal-lenge that became permanent policy:Student groups wanting to reserve theMcKeldin Center Ballroom for partiesfirst had to perform community servicehours on campus or in the NortheastBaltimore neighborhoods near MSU.

Ikhinmwin’s challenge to the studentorganizations stemmed from an urgentrequest from the community for posi-tive young adults. Officials from Mary-land’s juvenile justice system were alsocalling, searching for volunteers to workas mentors with their growing popula-tion of young ex-offenders. The childrenneeded guidance and programs thatwould provide a safe, stimulating envi-ronment away from negative influences.

So Ikhinmwin created Morgan’s Officeof Community Service, where shebecame director, the position she stillholds today. Begun in 1993, the Officeis now a strong community force thattouches approximately 1,200 childrenper year in grades K–12. The 50 Morganstudents who serve as volunteer coor-dinators are confident about increasingthese children’s likelihood of academicand lifelong success through the

Office’s 15 mentoring and tutoringprograms.

KUUMBA, which means “creativity” inSwahili, was the first of the 15 pro-grams. Exclusively for adolescent maleswhen it was established, KUUMBA nowmentors teens of both genders andoperates an annual summer camp.Some of the other Office of CommunityService programs are Brother-to-Brother, which helps male high schoolstudents in Baltimore City; JAHOD, foradolescent females attending citymiddle schools; and Campus Pals,which gives elementary and middleschool students the opportunity tolearn about Morgan and other Histori-cally Black Colleges and Universities.The Office also organizes a yearlyKwanzaa celebration that has drawn asmany as 1,200 children in past years.

Ikhinmwin attributes the success ofthe Office of Community Service to theMorgan students who helped create itlong ago and those who carry the torchtoday. In the early days, she says, chil-dren told their friends about the pro-grams and kept coming back, becausethey felt someone genuinely cared forthem.

“(These MSU students) gave of their

time for free. You have to really careabout something if you do that,” Ikhinmwin says.

For her, proof recently came in theform of a young Morgan student whotold Ikhinmwin she enrolled at Morganbecause of the caring she had felt inKUUMBA some 10 years earlier.

“She came to my office and saw a pic-ture of a young man who had workedwith KUUMBA. She recognized him andsaid she was a child of KUUMBA,”Ikhinmwin says.

And that student wasn’t the only one.She told Ikhinmwin about five moreyouth who had directly benefited fromthe program — including a park rangerand a police lieutenant.

“Listening to parents who were gen-uinely searching for positive opportuni-ties to help their children is how pro-grams developed in the Office ofCommunity Service,” Ikhinmwin says.“Nobody wanted to be bothered withat-risk youth when we first started ourtutoring and mentoring programs.

“So the Community Service programsat Morgan were unique and different,and the children who attended couldfeel that,” she concludes. “We blazedthe trail.” ��

By Christina Royster-Hemby, ’93


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Close by the halls of power in the Maryland state capital,Annapolis, yet another Morgan State alumna has given almamater reason to be proud.

On Oct. 27, the Banneker-Douglass Museum, the state’sofficial repository for African-American history and culture,held a dedication program to name its library and archivesin honor of Sylvia Gaither Garrison, Morgan Class of ’47. Gar-rison, the museum administrators say, was “the centralforce” behind the establishment of the library and was, ineffect, the museum’s first librarian.

Garrison was born in 1927, a member of two of the firstfamilies of Queenstown, a community founded by African-Americans in Anne Arundel County, Md. A brilliant student,she graduated from Anne Arundel’s Wiley H. Bates HighSchool at age 15 and chose to attend Morgan, where shecontinued her exemplary scholarship, began her lifelong

What’s in a Name?

Banneker-DouglassMuseum Dedicates ItsLibrary to a Morgan Alum

participation in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and was namedMay Queen. After graduation from Morgan with high honors,she returned to Anne Arundel County, where she taughtFrench at the high school level.

As a teacher, she remained a student at heart, and in 1963won a Fulbright Scholarship to study French at the Sor-bonne. The next year, she earned her master’s in secondaryeducation and curriculum, and three years later addeda library certification. She worked as a media spe-cialist and library resource person in thecounty school system and in 1978 receivedtwo appointments: to the Maryland Reviewand Evaluation Center at the Anne ArundelCounty Board of Education, and to the Mary-land State Department of Education, whereshe was named a resource person. This year,she completed a 35-year tenure on theAnne Arundel County Public Library Boardof Trustees.

Garrison brought her great talent anddeep experience to the Banneker-DouglassMuseum in 1984, the year of its opening,taking a volunteer job conceptualizing andmanaging the museum’s first library. Thelibrary was closed in August 2005 for the

museum’s expansion and was reopened at the recent namingdedication, which Garrison attended.

The Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library is now operated byJoni L. Jones, Ph.D., Garrison’s niece, who became librarian-archivist in February. In the past, the facility was usedmainly by the museum staff and by independentresearchers with special interests. But Dr. Jones plans to

make it a greater resource for the general public, forsuch activities as researching family history,

learning grant proposal writing and holdingbook club meetings.

Dr. Jones and her seven siblings grew up onQueenstown Road a few doors from her aunt.

“My aunt has always been passionateabout connecting people with ideas,” shesays. “When we were kids, she took us tolibraries and museums, where we weresometimes the only African-Americans. Weoften went to her house to do our home-work, using her library. She was the firstperson I knew who had a full set of the Ency-clopedia Britannica.”

“My aunt remembers her time at Morganfondly,” Dr. Jones relates. “She still says it wasa great time.” ��

By Eric Addison


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Sylvia Gaither Garrison, ’47

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On the third floor of MSU’s MontebelloComplex, the photographs and drawingson the walls outside Peeter Kiik’s officedocument the University’s expansion andrenewal over the past 140 years.

Kiik has been director of Morgan’sDepartment of Design and ConstructionManagement since 2000, four years afterthe department was established. It is hisjob to manage the architects, architecturalengineers, designers and constructioncontractors working on the University’scapital projects, he says, by melding theminto a team and establishing expectationsof excellence.

About his own role on the team, headds, “If you hire competent people, weedout the ‘wannabes’ and challenge theteam to do its best work, you end up cre-ating something that not only meets theUniversity’s needs but also looks great.”

MSU’s current Capital Projects Updateincludes five projects worth $87,164,000now under construction and six projects

with a total cost of $89,655,000 that arenow being designed. These numbers, Kiikadmits, represent more work than hisdepartment was ever designed to accom-modate. But the work schedule and itslack of down time are business as usual inhis field, he says. With a short 30 yearsbetween new construction and major ren-ovation of a facility, there’s always work tobe done.

‘Bang for the Buck’Among the major projects recently

placed on his mental schedule for renova-tion three decades from now are the $37-million Morgan State University StudentCenter and the $22-million MSU Commu-nications Center, which opened in Mayand June of 2006 , respectively.

“I think we’ve given the University what Iconsider to be ‘bang for the buck,’ ” Kiiksays about these new facilities. “We chal-lenged the team to rise above the minimalstandards to give us outstanding work

everyone can be proud of.”A walk through the buildings bears him

out.The Communications Center, located

between MSU’s Engineering Building andChinquapin Run, is spacious and well-lit.And the walk to the building — along thenew pathway from the academic quad andacross the new bridge over the Chin-quapin — is calming and provides a senseof campus continuity, just as planned.Once inside the building, one wants tostay. The staircases are wide, the layout islogical, and rooms are easy to find.

“It’s a wonderful building,” says Pro-fessor Keith Mehlinger, director ofMorgan’s Digital Media Center and asso-ciate professor of the Film, Television andMultimedia Writing Program. “It’s a won-derful opportunity to bring studentstogether into a space that’s well-designedfor 21st century, technology-driven mediaprograms.”

Morgan’s New Student andCommunications Centers


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By Eric Addison

New CampusFacilities GarnerRave Reviews

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Night and DayFloyd E. Taliaferro III is director of the

new Student Center, on the former siteof Soldiers’ Armory. A Morgan alumnus,class of 1974, he began working forMSU as recreation manager fourmonths after graduation, about thesame time the old McKeldin studentcenter opened. He later became assis-tant director then director of McKeldin,a post he held for 20 years.

His voice brightens as he remembersthe old building in its early days andlists its amenities.

“It was the newest thing on the MSUcampus,” he says. But he adds that,“No, I don’t miss it. There were somemissteps in the design: The lightingwas poor. The stairwells and hallwayswere narrow. There were no true loungeareas, and when you came into thebuilding, it was like, ‘OK, where do I gofrom here?’ ”

The old building was originallydesigned to overlap Welcome Bridgeand have a dome over it, but theproject ran out of funds, Taliaferro says.The result was a “discontinued venue”half its intended size.

“Still,” he adds, “we made the best ofit for more than 32 years.”

He gives the new facility rave reviews.“This time, the University got it right,”

Taliaferro says. “This is a true studentMecca that also has features for facultyand the outside community.

“When you walk into it, it’s likewalking into a mall,” he explains. “Youhave the bookstore; a movie theaterthat can also be used for other things,such as lectures; computers; a sweetshop; a food court; a copy center; flat-screen monitors everywhere; a full-fledged Ticketmaster office; ballrooms;myriad meeting rooms. It’s totally wire-less, and then there’s the parking

garage attached.“We’re still moving in,” he says with

a laugh. “We still have things on order.As things come in, the students say,‘There can’t be anything else, Mr. T.!’And then more comes in. Within thenext six months we should be fullyoperational.”

“Coming from McKeldin Center tohere was like moving from night today,” he concludes. “The design works.It makes sense.”

Which is just as Peeter Kiik wouldhave it.

“The students are our clients,” hesays. “When we’re designing andbuilding a facility, we say, ‘Is this some-thing I would like my kids to walkthrough?... Let’s look at this to see ifthere’s something we can do better.’ ” ��


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Empty Podiums,Mega SuccessMorgan Hosts the Republicans at ItsSecond National Presidential ForumBy Charles Robinson III

“It was a thrill to be in the room with someone who hadthe potential to be president.”— MSU Junior Allen Stith

BALTIMORE — How many excusescan you make up to skip a presidentialdebate? Scheduling and fund raisingtopped the list for four Republicanfrontrunners who opted not to appearat the “All-American PresidentialForum” on PBS, which was moderatedby Tavis Smiley and hosted by MorganState University. But critics, includingRepublicans, say it was a missedopportunity.

“I’m embarrassed,” said formerArkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Gov.Huckabee was one of six Republicancandidates, including Sen. Sam Brown-back of Kansas, Rep. Duncan Hunter ofCalifornia, Ambassador Alan Keyes,Rep. Ron Paul of Texas and Rep. TomTancredo of Colorado, who stoodbehind podiums and took questions inthe Gilliam Concert Hall of MSU’s Carl J.Murphy Fine Arts Center. Four others— former New York City MayorRudolph Giuliani, former Massachu-

setts Gov. Mitt Romney, Sen. JohnMcCain of Arizona and former Sen. FredThompson of Tennessee — were no-shows, but their podiums remained onthe stage.

Former Maryland Lt. Gov. MichaelSteele, who introduced the candidatesto the audience, echoed a sentimentexpressed by several prominentRepublicans.

“There is a lack of appreciation (from)those currently running on the Repub-lican ticket,” Steele opined. “Appearingat this venue is important. It’s unlikeany other primary event.”

The lead-up to the event was filledwith questions about who would andwould not attend. Smiley — the well-known television and radio talk showhost and community activist —couched the controversy in terms ofequal opportunity: “No one should beelected president of this country in2008 if they ignore people of color,”

said Smiley. “If they want to be presi-dent of all America, they need to speakto all Americans.”

This was the second time the Univer-sity hosted a nationally broadcastforum featuring potential nominees forpresident. The Democratic presidentialcontenders came to Morgan for a sim-ilar forum in 2004.

Inside the auditorium was a who’swho of black America, including thepresident and CEO of the NationalUrban League, Marc Morial; former U.S.Surgeon General David Satcher; syndi-cated radio show host Tom Joyner, whogave the opening remarks; andrenowned African-American scholarCornell West, Ph.D.

Questioning the six candidates werePulitzer Prize-winning journalist CynthiaTucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitutionnewspaper, Juan Williams of NationalPublic Radio and Ray Suarez of PBS’“The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.”


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The questions covered a variety oftopics. The candidates were quizzedabout the war in Iraq, statehood forWashington, D.C., reaction to theSupreme Court’s recent decision tostrike down school desegregationplans, and how to address illegal immi-gration, among other issues.

The candidates were politelyreceived. For MSU junior Allen Stith,the debate was a chance to see politicsup close and personal.

“It was a thrill to be in the room withsomeone who had the potential to bepresident,” he said. Stith wasimpressed with how the Republicancandidates responded to the ques-tions, calling it “great feedback to anAfrican-American audience.”

Natlie Brown from Atlanta was sur-prised to see “no dodging on certainissues.” Brown believed leaving thepodiums empty sent a message:“Focus on the people who are here.”

Urban League President Morial, whohad his share of debates as the formermayor of New Orleans, asked rhetori-cally about the no-shows, “What wasthere to fear? They could have learnedsomething.” He expressed some dis-appointment in the format of thedebate, saying, “It didn’t allow forfollow-up.”

Back in the media room housed inMorgan’s Hill Field House — withtables lined up wall to wall in anticipa-tion of a flood of local, national andinternational press — the candidatesdid their best to convince skepticaljournalists of the viability of their pres-idential candidacies. The room wastwo-thirds full, but the ample mediaprovisions proved Morgan up to thechallenge of hosting a national event.

The auditorium where the candi-dates sparred with each other andthe journalists was also more thanadequate.

“…Morgan has now hosted twopresidential forums (Democratic andRepublican). I think that’s unprece-dented…for an HBCU,” Morial com-mented. “Isn’t it time for the majorparties to think about bringing an(official) presidential debate to ablack college?”

To get to that next level of official,party-sanctioned events, the Univer-sity would need to be part of the dis-cussion with the Commission on Presi-dential Debates. The commission wascreated to help formalize the selectionof sites for the debates, which are nor-mally held at college campuses acrossthe nation. ��


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A Legacy of CourageSoper Library’s Parren J. Mitchell RoomBy Wiley A. Hall, 3rd

“A lot of my students may not have heard about Parren Mitchell…. But they look at the sheer volume of material, and they can’t help but be curious.”— James Jenkins, Head Reference Librarian, Soper Library

Permanent Select Committee on Small Business, U.S. House of Representatives, June 1973


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MSU LIBRARY SERVICES DIRECTOR KAREN ROBERTSON REMEMBERS VISITING PARREN J.MITCHELL’S CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE IN WASHINGTON, D.C., SHORTLY AFTER HE PLEDGED TODONATE HIS MEMORABILIA TO MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY.

“HE HAD PLAQUES MOUNTED EVERYWHERE EXCEPT ON THE CEILING,” ROBERTSON RECALLS.THE MARYLAND SEVENTH DISTRICT CONGRESSMAN, WHO DIED ON MAY 28, 2007, RECEIVED

MORE THAN 1,200 AWARDS AND CITATIONS THROUGHOUT HIS 16 YEARS OF PUBLIC SERVICE. MANYOF THOSE AWARDS — ALONG WITH NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS AND EVEN OIL POR-TRAITS — NOW OCCUPY SEEMINGLY EVERY SQUARE INCH OF SPACE IN THE PARREN J. MITCHELLSEMINAR ROOM AT SOPER LIBRARY; EVERYWHERE, IN FACT, EXCEPT THE CEILING.

Robertson says the library long agolost count of the number of items ondisplay. It’s simplest to say there area lot.

“Anyway, whatever the count, it keptchanging because (Rep. Mitchell) keptreceiving awards even after he retired.He kept a hammer in his office for justthat purpose.”

In one sense, Mitchell’s legacycannot be confined to four walls.Known in some circles as the father ofminority business enterprise, Mitchell’slegacy might be said to exist whereverenterprising young black men orwomen are able to build a businessfree of the roadblocks that hinderedtheir grandparents.

In another sense, the sheer volume ofthe items provides a stunning visualillustration of Mitchell’s impact.

‘Who Is This Guy?’“Students come in, look

at all the photos andplaques on the walls andask, ‘Who is this guy?’ ”says James Jenkins, thehead reference librarian atSoper, who teaches a sem-inar in the Parren MitchellRoom. “A lot of my stu-dents may not have heardabout Parren Mitchell….But they look at the sheervolume of material, and they can’t helpbut be curious. I’d say this room defi-nitely is a good way of keeping hislegacy alive.”

Adds Robertson proudly, “It’s a pri-mary example of the achievement of aMorgan graduate and former facultymember.”

Mitchell was a slight man with anoften gentle and unassumingdemeanor. Yet speaker after speaker athis funeral service described him as a

warrior, a man of passion and fire andcommitment. In a frame on a wall ofthe seminar room, a 1977 WashingtonPost newspaper clipping bears theheadline, “One of God’s Angry Men.”

For those who knew him, Mitchellwas both.

Record of ServiceParren Mitchell was a member of one

of the country’s most prominent civilrights families, dubbed the “blackKennedys” for their extensive record ofservice. His brother, Clarence MitchellJr., helped shepherd the major civilrights legislation of the late 1950s and1960s as the NAACP’s principal lobbyistand was known as “the 101st senator.”Parren Mitchell’s sister-in-law, JuanitaJackson Mitchell, was the longtimehead and legal counsel of the Maryland

NAACP.Born in Baltimore in

1922, Mitchell graduatedfrom Morgan in 1950 andearned a master’s degreefrom the University ofMaryland. He served as acommissioned officer inthe U.S. Army duringWorld War II and receivedthe Purple Heart.

Before his election toCongress, Mitchell servedthe administrations of Bal-

timore Mayors Theodore R. McKeldinand Thomas J. D’Alesandro III, andMaryland Gov. J. Millard Tawes. He waselected to the U.S. House of Represen-tatives from Baltimore's Seventh Dis-trict in 1970, after a contentious pri-mary battle against Samuel Friedel thatwas decided by 38 votes. Friedel hadheld the seat since 1952.

Mitchell served eight terms beforestepping down in 1986 to be runningmate to former Maryland Attorney Gen-

eral Stephen Sachs in Sachs’ unsuc-cessful bid for governor.

Mitchell also served as a politicalmentor to former congressman andformer NAACP President KweisiMfume, and Rep. Elijah E. Cummings(D-Md.), who now represents the Sev-enth. Mfume, who also represented heSeventh Congressional District, is aMorgan alumnus and serves along withCummings on Morgan’s Board ofRegents.

‘True Servant Leader’While in Congress, Mitchell fought

for legislation requiring local govern-ments to set aside ten percent of fed-eral contracts for minority firms.

“He helped shape and define an era,”Mfume told The Associated Press afterMitchell's death. “He wasn’t just goingup against a doctrine. A lot of times hewas going up against the government,and that required a special courage. Hehad the heart of a lion.”

“Throughout his life, CongressmanMitchell dedicated himself to openingthe doors to opportunity for all Ameri-cans,” said Cummings in a preparedstatement. “He was a true servantleader, never concerning himself aboutfame or fortune but, rather, devotinghimself entirely to uplifting the peoplehe represented.”

Mitchell maintained an office at theseminar room at Soper after he retiredfrom Congress, until finally slowed byfailing health.

Robertson says the new library willhave a seminar room dedicated toMitchell’s memory when it openssometime next semester, although theexhibits on display will not be quite asoverwhelming. Plans call for displaycases where exhibits can be placed onview on a rotating basis, Robertsonsays. ��


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Documents

Morgan Magazine 2008 Issue Vol. 1