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MessengerS P E L M A NSpelman WomenHeading NonprofitOrganizationsTHE ALUMNAE MAGAZINE OF SPELMAN COLLEGEVOLUME 114 NUMBER 1 WINTER/SPRING 2000

EDITORJo Moore StewartCOPY EDITORJanet M. BarstowGRAPHIC DESIGNGaron HartEDITORIAL COMMITTEEEloise Abernathy, C’86W. Christopher CasonTrisa Long PaschalWRITERSBarbara Buckley Washington, C’72Patricia Graham Jackson, C’73PHOTOGRAPHERSJo Moort StewartBud SmithSpleman ArchivesCREDOThe Spelman Messenger,founded in 1885, isdedicated to participatingin the ongoing education ofour readers throughenlightening articlesdesigned to promote lifelonglearning. The SpelmanMessenger is the alumnaemagazine of SpelmanCollege and is committed toeducating, serving, andempowering AfricanAmerican women.The Spelman Messenger is publishedtwice a year (Summer/Fall issue andWinter/Spring issue) by Spelman College,350 Spelman Lane, S.W., Atlanta,Georgia 303144-4399, free of charge foralumnae, donors, trustees and friends ofthe College. Sample copies will bemailed free to interested persons. Recipientswishing to change the address towhich the Spelman Messenger is sentshould notify the editor, giving both oldand new addresses. Third-class postagepaid at Atlanta, Georgia. Publication No.510240

MessengerS P E L M A NVOLUME 114 NUMBER 1 WINTER/SPRING 20002 VoicesKeep Moving From This Mountainby Martin Luther King, Jr.COVERSondra Rhoades Johnson, C’76,CEO of Girl Scout Council ofSt. Croix Valley is one of manySpelman women headingnonprofit organizations.See page 10.8 Books & PapersF e a t u r e s10 SPELMAN WOMEN HEADINGNONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONSby Barbara Buckley Washington, C’7218 THE NATIONAL ALUMNAEASSOCIATION OF SPELMAN COLLEGEby Paticia Graham Johnson, C’7327 Alumnae NotesBooks & PapersThe wedding of Rev. Dr. and Mrs. NormanRates is featured in the book Love Supreme.See page 8.President Audrey Manley, C’55 and NAASCPresident Pearline Adamson Davis, C’58greet alumnae at the new NAASC house.Photo: Bud SmithFormer student, the lateAnnie Alexander wholived to be 105, was anactive member of NAASC.The NationalAlumnaeAssociation ofSpelman CollegeSee page 18.1

and every generation men have envisionedsome promised land. Platoenvisioned it in his republic as a timewhen justice would reign throughoutsociety and philosophers wouldbecome kings and kings philosophers.Karl Marx envisioned it as a classlesssociety in which the proletariat wouldfinally conquer the reign of the bourgeoisie;out of that idea came the slogan,From each according to hisability, to each according to his need.Bellamy, in Looking Backward,thought of it as a day when theinequalities of monopoly capitalismwould pass away. Society would existon the basis of evenness of economicoutput. Christianity envisioned it asthe kingdom of God, a time when thewill of God will reign supreme, andbrotherhood, love, and right relationshipswill be the order of society. Inevery age and every generation, menhave dreamed of some promised landof fulfillment of freedom. Whether itwas the right promised land or not,they dreamed of it. But in movingfrom some Egypt of slavery, whether inthe intellectual, cultural or moralrealm, toward some promisedland, there is always the sametemptation: Individuals will getbogged down in a particularmountain in a particular spot,and thereby become the victimsof stagnant complacency.So, this afternoon, I wouldlike to deal with three orfour symbolic mountainsthat we have been in longenough—mountainsthat we must move out ofif we are to go forward inour world and if civilizationis to survive.First, I think wehave been in themountain of moraland ethical relativismlong enough. To dwell inthis mountain has becomesomething of a fad these days,so we have come to believe thatmorality is a matter of group consensus.We attempt to discover what isright by taking a sort of Gallup pollof the majority opinion. Everybody isdoing it, so it must be all right, andtherefore we are caught in theclutches of conformity. We’ve been inthis mountain long enough the feelingthat there is nothing absolutelyright and nothing absolutely wrong,that right is a matter of customs andtastes and appetites and what happensin a particular community.Nothing is absolutely right. To put itin sociological lingo, we follow themores of the right way.Another consequence of thismoral and ethical relativism is thatwe have developed a sort of pragmatictest for right and wrong. Accordingto this view, anything that works isall right if you can get by with it. Wedon’t talk much any more about theDarwinian survival of the fittest; it isthe survival of the slickest. Whoevercan slick his way through makes itthrough all right, according to thistheory. In a sense we are no longerconcerned about the Ten Commandments— they are not too important.Everybody is busy, as I have said sooften, trying to obey the 11th commandment:Thou shalt not getcaught. And so, according to this view,it is all right to lie with a bit of finesse.It’s all right to exploit, but be a dignifiedexploiter. It’s all right to even hate,but dress your hate up into garments“ And whenever Godspeaks, he says goforward, saying insubstance that youmust never becomebogged down inmountains andsituations thatimpede yourprogress.”Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.with Spelman PresidentAlbert E. Manley, FoundersDay, 1960.W I N T E R / S P R I N G 2 0 0 03

“True education helps us on the one hand to know truth, but morethan that it helps us to love truth and sacrifice for it. It gives us notonly knowledge, which is power, but wisdom, which is control.”of love and make it appear that youare loving when you are actuallyhating. This type of moral and ethicalrelativism is sapping the verylife’s blood of the moral and spirituallife of our nation and our world.And I am convinced that if we are tobe a great nation, and if we are tosolve the problems of the world, wemust come out of this mountain.We have been in it too long. For ifman fails to reorientate his lifearound moral and ethical values, hemay well destroy himself by the misuseof his own instrument.Now education has a great roleto play at this point. You see, educationhas a two- role function. Theone is utility and the other culture.Education must give an individualefficiency, but it must also humanizethe individual. On the one hand,education must give us the power toconcentrate, the faculty for intensivethinking; this is a basic function ofeducation. On the other hand, educationmust help us to think critically.And so education helps to liftan individual from the bondage oflegends and half truths to the unfetteredrealm of objective analysis andcreative appraisal. If an individualcan’t think critically, he really isn’teducated. Of course I’m sure all theSpelmanites and Morehouse menand Morris Brown and Clark andAtlanta University students and allthe other people present here areeducated. I’m sure that does notapply to you. So many people can’tthink critically. Thinking criticallymeans that the individual mustthink imaginatively, creatively, originally.Originality is a basic part ofeducation. That does not mean thatyou think something altogether new;if that were the case Shakespearewasn’t original, for Shakespearedepended on Plutarch and others formany of his plots. Originality does notmean thinking up something totallynew in the universe, but it does meangiving new validity to old form. In areal sense, education must help anindividual think intensively, critically,imaginatively.But this isn’t enough. Any educationthat stops at this point is a dangerouseducation. An individual thatstops at this point is a dangerous education.An individual who is properlyeducated must have more than efficiency.The proper education will notonly give the individual the power ofconcentration but worthy objectivesupon which to concentrate. It will givehim not only critical faculty for precisejudgment, but profound sympathieswith which to temper the asperityof his judgment. It will not onlyquicken his imagination but kindlehis enthusiasm for the objects of hisimagination. True education helps uson the one hand to know truth, butmore than that it helps us to love truthand sacrifice for it. It gives us not onlyknowledge, which is power, but wisdom,which is control. I am convincedthat if we are to move forward, that ifwe are to face the many problems ofour world, education must take onthis two-fold role as it has traditionallydone, and give the individual a senseof moral and ethical values along withhis efficiency, so that he will go out ofhis college classroom knowing thatthere are certain moral laws in theuniverse just as there are basic physicallaws. For in a real sense there issomething in this universe that justifiesCarlyle saying, No lie can live forever.There is something in this universethat justifies William CullenBryant in saying, Truth crushed toearth will rise again. There is somethingin this universe which justifiesJames Russell Lowell saying,Truth forever on the scaffold.Wrong forever on the throne,Yet that scaffold sways the future.And behind the dim unknownStandeth God within the shadows,Keeping watch above His own.There is even something in this universewhich justifies Greek mythologyin talking about a goddess of Nemesis.There is something here in thestructure of our universe that justifiesthe Biblical writer in saying, Youshall reap what you sow. This is alaw-abiding universe, and we mustmove out of the mountain of moraland ethical relativism that we havebeen in all too long.We must also move out of themountain of practical materialism.We have been in it long enough. I amnot speaking now of metaphysicalmaterialism the materialism whichsays in substance that all reality canbe explained in terms of matter inmotion and that life is merely a physiologicalprocess with a physiologicalmeaning. We need to move out of thatmountain also, I guess, but I am talkingabout another type of materialismnot a theoretical materialism, whichis usually confined to a sophisticatedfew, I am speaking of a practical materialism,which means living as if therewere nothing else that had reality butfame and material objects. We operate,or we live rather, in two realms, so4 S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

to speak the within of a man’s life,which is the realm of culture, and thewithout that is the realm of civilization.There is structure, which is therealm of means, and destiny, which isthe realm of ends, preliminary concernswhich are the realm of scienceand technology, ultimate concernswhich are the realm of morals andethical religion. The great danger thatfaces our civilization is that we willallow the without of life to absorb thewithin that we will allow destiny to gettied up in structure that we will allowour preliminary concerns to takeprecedence over ultimate concern. Wehave been in this mountain longenough.One of the dangers we must alwayswatch in our nation and in the systemunder which we live is known as capitalism.As you know, capitalismstresses the profit motive. Of coursecapitalism has done some marvelousthings for our nation and the world.Through this economic system wehave been able to build up the greatestsystem of production that the worldhas ever known and we have becomethe richest nation in the world. All ofthis is marvelous. But the dangerpoint is that we will become soinvolved in the profit-making andprofit-getting aspects of capitalismthat we will forget certain ends of life.There is always the danger that we willbecome more concerned about makinga living than making a life thatwe will not keep that line of divisionbetween life and one’s livelihood.And there is also the danger thatour system can lead to tragic exploitation.We must come out of the mountainand be concerned about a morehumane and just economic order.And I say, this afternoon, that we cannotsolve this problem by turning toCommunism. Communism is basedon as ethical relativism and a metaphysicalmaterialism that no Christiancan accept. I do believe that inAmerica we must use our vastresources of wealth to bridge the gulfbetween abject, deadening povertyand superfluous, inordinate wealth.God has left enough space in thisuniverse for all of his children to havethe basic necessities of life. As I traveledaround the Middle East and inIndia and Africa, I have always beenmoved and deeply concerned aboutthe poverty in those countries. Povertythere is so widespread, because thesepeople have been exploited by foreignpowers. Every time I look and noticethese conditions, I start thinkingabout the fact that in the UnitedStates of America we spend almostten billion dollars a year to store thesurplus food that we have in thenation. And I say to myself as I lookat these conditions, I know where wecan store that food free of charge, inthe wrinkled stomachs of hungrymen and women and children of Godall over the world. If the United Statesis to survive, along with all the citizensof the world, we must come outof this mountain of materialismwhich can be transformed from alegitimate individualism into arugged individualism, and we mustmove out of that into a proper concernfor all humanity and into aproper concern in our individual livesfor what I call the within of life —the realm of destiny.There is another mountain wehave been in long enough. We havebeen in the mountain of racial segregationlong enough. We all knowhow long we have been in this mountain,so I need not go back and givethe historical development of it. It isnow time for us to turn and take ourjourney toward the promised land ofintegration. In a real sense, segregationin any form is wrong. Segregationis wrong because it substitutes anI-it relationship for the I-thou relationship.Segregation is wrongbecause it relegates individuals to thestatus of things rather than takingthe high moral position of elevatingthem to the status of persons. Segregationis wrong because it assumesthat God made a mistake — andfinally, it is wrong because it stands inthe face of the great American creed“that all men are created equal andendowed by their creator with certaininalienable rights.” And so we mustgo out and say to our nation and sayto South Africa and say to the world,that we have been in the mountain ofsegregation too long and now wemust move out.Segregation is a cancer in the bodypolitic which must be removed beforeour democratic health can be realized.The underlying philosophy of segregationis diametrically opposed to theunderlying philosophy of democracyand Christianity and all the sophismsof the logicians cannot make them liedown together. We must make it clearthat in our struggle to end this thingcalled segregation, we are not strugglingfor ourselves alone. We are notstruggling only to free seventeen millionNegroes. The festering sore of segregationdebilitates the white man aswell as the Negro. We are struggling tosave America in this very importantdecisive hour of her history.This is why the student movementthat has taken place at this time allover our country is so significant. Letnobody fool you; this movement is oneof the most significant movements inthe whole civil rights struggle. For youstudents, along with other students allover the nation, have become of age,and you will no longer accept it andadjust to it. This movement says, moreclearly than was ever said before, thatsegregation cannot be maintained inthe South without leading to chaosand social disintegration. The beautifulthing about it is that you are notmerely demanding service at thelunch counter, though that is a basicpart of it. You’re not merely demandinga cup of coffee and a hamburgerhere and there. You are demandingrespect. You are saying in substance, Ifyou respect my dollar, you will alsohave to respect me as a person. Anindividual who is not concerned about“ We must alsomove out of themountain ofpracticalmaterialism.”W I N T E R / S P R I N G 2 0 0 05

“ You need not nowbow to hate, youneed not now bowto violence, foryou have nowdiscovered anotherway and anotherapproach.”his selfhood and his freedom is at thatmoment committing moral and spiritualsuicide, and you are standing upto the great determination. You havetaken up the deep groans of the century.The students have taken the passionatelongings of the ages andfiltered them in their own souls andfashioned a creative protest. It is one ofthe glowing epics of the time and Ipredict that it will win — that it willhave to win, because this demand is abasic American demand.Victor Hugo said many years ago,“There is nothing more powerful thanan idea whose time has come.” Theidea whose time has come is in theidea of freedom and human dignity.Wherever men are assembled today,whether they are in Johannesburg,Nairobi, Accra, Berlin, Atlanta, NewYork, Montgomery, or Little Rock thecry is always the same: “We want to befree.” And so, today, let men everywherejoin in this quest for freedom bymoving out of the mountain of racialsegregation. This is the mountain thatwe must leave — we have dwelt in itlong enough. On this Founders Day, ifyou forget all I have said. I hope youwon’t forget this mountain.Finally, we have been in the mountainof corroding hatred and cripplingviolence long enough. We have beenin this mountain for centuries becausemen have gone to war and they havefought numerous wars; battlefields ofthe world have been painted withblood. We know about it — we knowabout this mountain because violenceis the inseparable twin of westernmaterialism, the hallmark of itsgrandeur. We know about this mountain,we have been in it long enough. Iam convinced it we fail to move out ofthis mountain, we will be plungedinto the abyss of annihilation. Thismeans not only on the local scale; wemust move out of it on the internationalscale. There was a time whenwe fought wars and felt they were justwars. I must admit that at one point inmy intellectual pilgrimage, I justifiedwar, certainly as a sort of negativegood in the sense that it blocked anevil force, a totalitarian force. I havecome to believe firmly now that warcan no longer serve even as a negativegood because of the potential destructivenessof modern war. There was atime when we had a choice of violenceor nonviolence, but today it is eithernonviolence or nonexistence.And so the nations of the worldmust get together. In Geneva they mustget together; at the Summit Conferencethey must get together, to bringan end to the armament race, to bringabout universal disarmament and setup a sort of world police force. This is amatter of survival now. Talk about loveand nonviolence may have beenmerely a pious injunction a few yearsago; today it is an absolute necessity forthe survival of our civilization.Also in the racial struggle this isvitally important to our nation and toother nations we must come out ofthe mountain of hatred and violence.This is why I am convinced that as westand up for freedom and as we standup for justice we must always strugglewith the highest weapons of dignityand discipline. We must never useweapons of hatred and violence. Menhave thought over the years that eitherthey would have to fight their oppressionsor they would have to acquiesceand surrender. You have seen the typeof people who felt that the only way todeal with oppressions was to accept it.Sometimes you will hear somebodysinging, “been down so long thatdown don’t bother me.” That is howsome people adjust; they get exhaustedin the struggle, and they give up andthey are free — they achieve the freedomof exhaustion. Then others havefelt that the only way to deal withoppression is to stand up with violenceand get ammunition andweapons of violence to deal with anevil system and an evil opponent. Isay to you today, there is another waythat combines the best points of bothof these and avoids the evil points ofboth, and that is what we call nonviolentresistance. For here you havediscovered a way of struggle thatcombines the realistic and the idealistic;a way of struggle that combinesthe calm and courageous. You neednot now bow to hate, you need notnow bow to violence, for you havenow discovered another way andanother approach. It comes to usfrom the long Christian tradition,Jesus of Nazareth himself, comingdown through Mahatma Gandhi ofIndia, who took the love ethic of JesusChrist and made it effective as asociopolitical force and broughtabout the transformation of a greatnation and achieved freedom for hispeople.I know you are asking, “What doyou mean about this love thing —-you are talking about people whooppose you, loving people who are tryingto misuse you, seeking to defeatyou —- what in the world are you tryingto say? That is impossible! Sincethese questions are often raised, I haveto pause quite often to explain themeaning of love in this context. It isinteresting that the Greek languagecomes to our rescue and our aid at thispoint. You know in the Greek languagethere are three words for love. One iseros. Eros is a sort of aesthetic love.Plato talked about it a great deal in hisdialogue, the yearning of the soul forthe realm of the divine. It has come tous to mean a sort of romantic love; inthat sense we all know eros because wehave experienced it and we have livedwith it; we have read about it in all ofthe beauties of literature. I wouldimagine Edgar Allen Poe was talkingabout eros when he talked about hisbeautiful Annabelle Lee with a lovesurrounded by a halo of eternity. In asense Shakespeare was talking aboutEros when he said: “Love is not lovewhich alters when it alteration finds,or bends with the remover toremove: Oh no! it is an ever fixedmark that looks on tempests and isnever shaken. It is the star to every6 S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

wandering bark.” These are beautifulwords of Shakespeare’s. Theyexpress something of the meaning oflove. Then there is another word,philia, which is a sort of intimate affectionbetween personal friends. In asense, this is the sort of love that youhave for your roommate, the personsthat you like and eat dinner with andthe persons you like to talk to on thetelephone. You have this intimate feelingof love because you like them andbecause there is something that youhave in common on this level; you lovebecause you are loved. It is a reciprocallove. The Greek language comes outwith another word, agape. Agape ismore than eros. It is more than philia.It is understanding, creative, redemptivegoodwill to all men. It is a spontaneouslove which seeks nothing inreturn. Theologians would say it is thelove of God operating in the humanheart. When you rise to love on thislevel, you love men not because theyhave any particular meaning to you atthe moment, but you love thembecause God loves them. And so yourise to the point of loving the individualwho does the evil deed while hatingthe deed that he does.I think this is what Jesus meantwhen he said, “Love your enemies.” Iam very happy he did not say likeyour enemies, because it is very hardto like some people. It is hard to likesome senator who waters down thecivil rights bill in Congress; it is prettyhard to like him. It is hard to likesomebody who is bombing yourhouse, who is seeking to kill you anddefeat and destroy your children. It isdifficult to like them. But Jesus says“Love them.” And love is greater thanlike. Love is creative, redemptivegoodwill for all men. When men riseto live on this level, they come to seeall men as children of the almightyGod, and they can look in the eyes ofthe opponent and love him in spite ofhis evil deed.I believe if we will follow this way,we will be able to achieve not onlydesegregation, which will bring ustogether, physically, but also integration,which is true intergroup, interpersonalliving. I believe if we willfollow this type of love, we will go intothe new age with the proper attitude.We will not go believing in any philosophyof black supremacy, for blacksupremacy is as dangerous as whitesupremacy. God is interested merely inthe freedom of the whole human race.It is this type of love which will keepour attitudes right so that we will continueto struggle for first-class citizenship,never using second-classmethods to gain it. We will move outof these mountains that have so oftenimpeded our progress, the mountainof moral and ethical relativism, themountain of practical materialism,the mountain of corroding hatred, bitternessand violence, and the mountainof racial segregation. We will beable to build a new world, and I say toyou this afternoon as you look aheadto the days to come: Always have faithin the possibility of getting over to thepromised land. Don’t become a pessimistand feel that we cannot getthere; it is difficult sometimes, it ishard sometimes, but always have faiththat the promised land can beachieved and that we can possess thisland of brotherhood and peace andunderstanding.I do not give you this element offaith and superficial optimism. I donot stand here as a detached spectator.As I say to you this afternoon, havefaith in the future, I speak as one wholives every day amidst the threat ofdeath. I speak as one who has had tostand often amidst the surging murmurof life’s restless sea, I speak as onewho has been battered often by thejostling winds of adversity, but I havefaith in the future. I have faith in thefuture because I have faith in God andI believe that here is a power, a creativeforce in this universe seeking at alltimes to bring down prodigious hilltopsof evil and pull low giganticmountains of injustice. If we willbelieve this and struggle along, we willbe able to achieve it.Keep moving, for it may be that thegreatest song has not been sung, thegreatest book has not been written, thehighest mountain has not beenclimbed. This is your challenge! Reachout and grab it and make it a part ofyour life. Reach up beyond cloudfilledskies of oppression and bring outblazing stars of inspiration. The basicthing is to keep moving. Move out ofthese mountains that impede ourprogress to this new and noble andmarvelous land. Langston Hughessaid something very beautiful in“Mother to Son.”Well son, I’ll tell youLife for me ain’t been no crystal stair.It’s had tacks in it, splinters,Boards torn up, places with nocarpets on the floors, bare!But all the time, I’se beena-climbingon and reaching landingsAnd turning corners andsometimes going in the darkwhere there ain’t been no light.So boy, don’t you stop now.Don’t you sit down on the stepscause you find it’s kinda hard.For I’se still goin boy, I’se still climbing.And life for me ain’t been nocrystal stair.Life for none of us has been a crystalstair, but there is something we canlearn from the broken grammar ofthat mother, that we must keep moving.If you can’t fly, run, if you can’trun, walk; if you can’t walk, crawl; butby all means keep moving. •W I N T E R / S P R I N G 2 0 0 07

A NGELA B ROWN T ERRELLLanterns: A Memoir ofMentors.by Marian Wright Edelman(Beacon Press)Marian Wright Edelman — Spelmanalumna, past president of Spelman’sBoard of Trustees, founder and presidentof the Children’s Defense Fund— knows how to give credit wherecredit is due. As the nation’s leadingadvocate for children, Mrs. Edelmanwrites about the people who helpedher realize her dreams. “I did notcome into or get through life alone.Neither did you,” she writes. It’s a“Thank You” note of the first order.In the beginning, she gives tributeto her parents, who raised their fivechildren in the small segregated townof Bennettsville, S.C., and instilled inthem a sense of caring for others,using common sense and a love oflearning.“I do what I do because my parentsdid what they did and were who theywere. I first saw God’s face in the face ofmy parents and heard God’s voice intheirs as they cooed, read, told stories,and sang to me,” Mrs. Edelman writes.Books&PapersBOOK REVIEWSThroughout the book, names ofthe famous as well as unsung heroesare given credit for their influence onMrs. Edelman’s life.Of special interest to Spelmanreaders will be the chapters dealingwith Spelman and the Atlanta blackcollege community during the earlyCivil Rights Movement days.The memoirs are elegantly writtenand insightful. The book finishes with“A Parent’s Pledge and Twenty-FiveMore Lessons for Life.”No Crystal Stairby Eva Rutland. (Mira Books)Another Spelman alumna, Eva Rutland,puts a fictional spin on love andvalues in this saga of a black Americanfamily. The Carter family ofAtlanta is wrapped in its cocoon ofmiddle-class trappings, seeminglyremoved from the struggles of segregation.But Ann Elizabeth inherits toomuch of her doctor father’s compassionto be blind to the struggles ofblack people, especially those less privilegedthan her associates. The storycovers the late 1930s through 1999,following Ann Elizabeth’s life throughschool, her marriage and travels, asshe grows in awareness of the largerworld around her. It includes insightinto World War II and the TuskegeeAirmen, the desegregation of housingand other facilities across the countryfollowing the war as well as the CivilRights Movement.Ms. Rutland’s novel looks squarelyat the color and class consciousnessthat pervades the black community,and it tackles interracial relationshipsas well. There are mentions of wellknownpeople and true events woveninto this well-written and intriguingstory. While the book includes severallove stories, it also covers the strugglesand triumphs of black people in the20th century.“They’re singingsongs of love, but notfor us...”TaRessa and Calvin Stovall“Where is the Love?” sings RobertaFlack. It’s a question often asked byblack people when they look for a positivereflection of their relationshipsmirrored in the media.It’s not there.We can see at best, slapstick comedyand psyche-cutting jokes evidenced inmany television sitcoms and at worst,abuse and depravity. When there ishappy representation, critics scoff thatit’s not real.TaRessa and Calvin Stovall “getreal” in their new book, A LoveSupreme: Real-Life Stories of BlackLove (Warner Books, $23.95). A blackcouple nearing 10 years of marriage,they’ve searched out and written thetrue love stories of 20 happily marriedcouples, ranging from longtimersof 50-plus years to newlywedsbeginning their marital journey. Thecouples represent a cross-section ofage, economics, social status andprofessions. They range from highschool and college sweethearts whomarried young to some enteringmature alliances. There are firstandsecond-timers.Why this tribute to black love?“We are still starving for inspiration,examples and a sense that happilymarried love is attainable,” the Stovallswrite in the introduction. “Ourgoal is to reveal one of the best-keptsecrets of our time: that, in the midstof racism and other stresses of beingblack in America, our men andwomen are...surmounting all kindsof hurdles to build strong marriages.”The Stovalls share their ownromantic beginnings. TaRessa, fromSeattle, Washington, a writer, playwright,publicist and former PublicRelations Director at Spelman College,met journalist Calvin at the1989 National Association of Black8 S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

Journalists convention in New York.At the time, Arkansas native Calvinwas an editor in Detroit, soon tobecome assistant managing editorat The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.Their collection of storiesincludes many famous names -Congressman Jesse L. Jackson Jr.,publisher Earl Graves, Gen. ColinPowell, writer Iyanla Vanzant - aswell as everyday people you mightpass in the mall without knowing.Among these “truly great couples”are several associated withSpelman.The Rev. Dr. Norman and LauraRates, now celebrating 53 years ofmarriage, have spent 43 of them atSpelman College. Rev. Rates was collegeminister and chair of the Departmentof Religion and is now associatechair of the Department of Philosophyand Religion; Laura Ratesworked in the registrar’s office and isnow a part-time volunteer in theSpelman College Museum of FineArt. Still lovey-dovey, sharing walksand household chores together, theirexplanation for their maritallongevity is this: “We committed ourselvesto a lifetime. There was a commitmentto God also - that a promisemade is a promise to be kept.”Pearl Cleage and Zaron Burnett,Jr., took another route to marriage.Pearl, novelist, playwright andSpelman grad and teacher, andZaron share duties runningAtlanta’s Just Us Theater Company.Once married to others, their workbrought them together as friends.Pearl, a free-spirited feminist, onceclaimed “monogamy is the death oflove,” and Zaron, known as Zeke,held his own reservations aboutmarriage. But eventually they realizedthey had something reallygood going on and tied the knot.Former Spelman College PresidentJohnnetta B. Cole and Arthur J.Robinson, Jr. renewed their childhoodlove and friendship after 35years of separation. In the interim,there had been marriage, childrenand careers for each. Their courtshipresumed in 1987, just weeks followingDr. Cole’s assumption of the presidency.They were married by the Rev.Norman Rates, in Reynolds Cottage,the president’s official residence oncampus. Now teaching at EmoryUniversity, Johnnetta and Arthurdescribe their union and blending ofstyles and families as “It’s aboutcoming into, on countless occasions,a very exquisite communion.”Rachel and Freddie Cook met in1966 while he attended MorehouseCollege and she was a student atSpelman. They married in secretbecause Rachel was still a student,and they believed marriage wasagainst school rules. Freddie grew uppoor in Atlanta, while Rachel was a“Black American Princess.” But theirlove overcame those differences andmore, as Rachel supported Freddie’sentrepreneurial ventures throughoutthe years. “I guess we’ve created apretty good balance.” Rachel says.“I’m stable, consistent andgrounded, and he has brought a lotof excitement to my life.”Actress Ruby Dee, married to OssieDavis for 50 years, wrote in the foreword:“I remind myself that there’s nosuch thing as too much love....Marriageis - at its best - a process, a dailyvow, an overcoming, a tough gig, atender treat, an inspiration, an aspiration,a divine pursuit.”ANGELA BROWN TERRELL is BooksEditor for Gannett News Service inArlington, Va.Good ReadingE LOISEM. ABERNATHYThe Piano Manby Debbi Chocolate(Walker and Company)Before she became a writer, Deborah NewtonChocolate, C’76, worked as an editor of children’s books. She read so manybooks that, when time came, she found it easy to sit down and create a storybookof her own. The first book she wrote was published immediately.The Piano Man is the story of a girl’s bond with her grandfatherthrough their shared love of music. A Book of the Month Club selection, it isbased on theater stories that were told to Ms. Chocolate by her mother. Theauthor of Imani in the Belly and other award-winning tales for children,she is a member of the Children’s Reading Round Table.Time Change: New “Life” Poemsby Kupenda Auset (Joette Harland Watts)(Soulstice Publishing, Inc.)Kupenda Auset, C’89, wrote this book of poetry at a transformational timein her life. She was crossing the threshold of her 20s, embarking upon her30s, and significant life changes were going on all around her. The subjectand content of this collection of poems document this time in her life. Buther thoughts and feelings are not hers alone. They are ones with whicheveryone can identify. Love, social change, creativity, relationships, identity,womanhood and self-reflection are explored with a captivatingrhythm. Also the author of an earlier collection of poetry, Ms. Auset hasstudied under the tutelage of women writers such as Pearl Cleage, C’71,Judy Gebre-Hiwet, C’65, Mari Evans, Sonia Sanchez and former Spelmanprofessor, Gloria Wade-Gayles.Generations of Black Life in Kennesaw andMarietta GeorgiaBy Patrice Shelton Lassiter(Arcadia Publishing)After years of hearing family stories told to her by her grandmother, PatriceLassiter, C’85, began researching her family history in 1996, after the birthof her daughter. She had heard about generations of college graduates andfamily members who owned land and voted, an unusual nineteenth andearly twentieth century history for a black Cobb County family. After findinga publisher specializing in pictorial histories of American communities, shebegan searching deed and tax records and spending hours at the state andnational archives. The result is Generations of Black life in Kennesaw andMarietta Georgia, which provides documentation to support the oral storieshanded down to her by her grandmother. In addition to connecting Lassiter’sfour-year-old daughter to her family’s past, the book has garneredattention from the Cobb School Superintendent, who plans to use it as a referencebook in the school system.W I N T E R / S P R I N G 2 0 0 09

MessengerF E A T U R ESPELMAN WOMEN HEADINGNONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONSPhilanthropic Service Borne Out of a Rich HistoryB Y B ARBARA B UCKLEY W ASHINGTOM, C’72Jane Smith, C’68, President/CEO of the National Council ofNegro Women.Jane Smith, C’68 (center)as a Spelman freshmanclass officer.10The very foundation of Spelman College is reflectiveof a call to service, initially enacted by SophiaPackard and Harriet Giles, missionaries from NewEngland who, on April 11, 1881, started a schoolfor black women in the basement of Atlanta's FriendshipBaptist Church. In fact, the first student body included 11women and girls, just out of slavery, eager to learn the skillsthat would help them take advantage of opportunities tolearn to read and write for self-improvement and service.Today, Spelman women continue to labor in the worldof nonprofit organizations as they bring to society a moreefficient, generous and well-targeted allocation ofresources to those they serve. They work tirelessly, poweredby the same convictions expressed by MotherTeresa when she accepted the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize:At the end of life we will not be judged by howmany diplomas we have received, how muchmoney we have made, how many great things wehave done.We will be judged by “I was hungry and yougave me something to eat, I was naked and youclothed me, I was homeless and you took me in.”Hungry, not only for bread — but hungry forlove. Naked, not only for clothing — but naked forhuman dignity and respect. Homeless, not only forwant of a room of bricks — buthomeless because of rejection.Dr. Jane E. Smith, C’68Dr. Jane E. Smith had always expectedto attend Spelman. She chose it becauseshe knew the exposure to scholars, leadersand inspirational speakers woulddevelop her own leadership skills.“When I went to Spelman I was interestedin national leadership models,” said Dr. Smith, thefirst appointed president and CEO of the National Councilfor Negro Women (NCNW) in Washington, D.C. “And Spelmandidn't fail. From my first day there to my last day, therewere so many people that I had the opportunity to see.”In her early activist days at Spelman , she remembersjoining seven other classmates in forming Sisters in Blackness.While at Spelman, Dr. Smith won the Whitney Youngand Woodrow Wilson Fellowships and served as assistant tothe College’s president, Donald M. Stewart. She earned hermaster’s degree in sociology from Emory and her doctorateof education in social policy analysis from Harvard.“I was pleased to be part of that group (Sisters in Blackness)because we dealt with far-reaching issues that affectedAfrican Americans, both in the United States and around theworld,” she said. “I knew that Spelman could prepare mefor leadership better than any other environment. There wasno competition from gender or race. You could be anythingyou wanted to be.”Her leadership abilities attracted the attention of organizationslike INROADS, a career development organizationfor minority students, where she became the first managingdirector of the Atlanta and Detroit affiliates; the MartinLuther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, where shebecame development director; and the Carter Center, whereshe served as director of the Atlanta Project. Her appointmentin 1998 to her current post at the NCNW — a multifaceted,community-based international organization witha potential outreach of more than four million women —is a natural outgrowth of her stature as an accomplishedleader in the nonprofit arena.“The major issues facing NCNW in the past dealt withbasic rights and access,” said Dr. Smith. “Although there aresome of those issues today, they are more subtle. And indealing with them, we have to be more conscious aboutmeasuring and evaluating our outcomes. It is no longerenough just to do the right thing.”Like Dr. Smith, many Spelman alumnae have beendrawn to careers in nonprofit organizations, where they areS P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

esponsible for defining goals and adhering to an organization’smission; recruiting and retaining high-quality staffmembers, volunteers and board members; implementingfundraising drives; and developing and evaluating programs.Most were attracted to Spelman because they felt theenvironment was conducive to individual empowermentand development of their leadership skills. Indeed, themajority of these nonprofit leaders were activists on campus,serving as SGA presidents, yearbook editors, class presidents,campus organization founders, Glee Club membersand community volunteers.Dr. Herschelle Sullivan Challenor, C’61“Although going to Spelman was a continuation of a familytradition,” said Herschelle Sullivan Challenor, whosemother and four aunts attended the institution, “I alsoknew I could do things there that I wouldn’t have been ableto do at other schools.”At Spelman, Dr. Challenor, who grew up in Pittsburgh,was president of the Student Government Association. Todayshe heads the department of International Affairs andDevelopment at Clark Atlanta University, a post she tookafter having served as director of the United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).A pioneer with more than 40 years in foreign service, Dr.Challenor, who speaks fluent French, earned a Ph.D. inpolitical science from Columbia and a master’s degree ininternational affairs from Johns Hopkins. In 1978, she wasselected to open the Washington office of UNESCO, whereshe was the liaison between the UNESCO Secretariat in Parisand such intergovernmental organizations as the WorldBank, the InterAmerican Development Bank, and the Organizationof American States and the American governmentas well as the general public.The first African American woman to be appointed to thedirector level at the United Nations, Dr. Challenor remembers“what a wonderful privilege it was to work for the peopleof the world. In backstopping a group of 35 countries,you developed skills and perspectives unlike those youwould learn in any other agency.”Her memories about the value of leadership opportunities— and a commitment to attend Spelman to experiencethem — are echoed time and again by many Spelmanites,who have founded, directed and volunteered for nonprofitorganizations across the country. Among them are Spelmangraduates like Dazon Dixon Diallo, C’86, founder and presidentof SisterLove, Inc., one of the first and largest women’sAIDS organizations in the nation.Dazon Dixon Diallo, C’86With the leadership of Dazon Dixon Diallo, SisterLove hasgrown from a one-person project to an institution with a$250,000 budget, two transitional homes for HIV-positiveW I N T E R / S P R I N G 2 0 0 0women and children and seven full time staff members. Inaddition to her duties with SisterLove, she is the nationalprogram director for the Center for Human Rights Education,which specializes in women’s rights as human rightsissues. Ms. Diallo, who earned a Masters in PublicHealth/Maternal and Child Health Issues at the University ofAlabama, carries her mission of helping women makehealthy decisions and supporting those who suffer from theAIDS-related virus with educational outreach to dozens ofcollege campuses across the United States. She has alsocoordinated collaborative projects in Uganda, Egypt, China,Brazil and South Africa.“Probably our single greatest value is the knowledgebase we’ve developed in working with this critical threat tothe health of women and their families that can be used byothers seeking to create organizations in their own communities,”said Ms. Diallo.She added, “ When you work with women, you’re reallyworking with their families too, because that’s what womenare responsible for. So we help with mental and physicalcare, therapy and counseling, improving life skills, and evenjob training, if that’s what they need.” All Spelman womeninvolved in non-profit leadership stand on the shoulders ofsuch alumnae giants as Sadye Harris Powell, HS’07, SueBailey Thurman, HS’20, Mary Brookins Ross, C’28, ClaraStanton Jones, C’34 and Myra Smith Taylor, C’61.Sadye Harris Powell, HS’07*Sadye Harris Powell, who trained for a career in nursing afterleaving Spelman, went on to help found the William HarrisMemorial Hospital with her husband, Dr. C. W. Powell. Thishospital was one of the first private hospitals for blacks inAtlanta. During her lifetime of service to the community, shewas a member of Spelman’s Board of Trustees; a member ofthe Board of Directors of the Girls Club; the first life memberof the YWCA; a life member of the NAACP; and an officer inthe Women’s Auxiliary of the Atlanta Medical Society.Herschelle Sullivan Challenor, C’61(second from left) attends aninternational event at ClarkAtlanta University.Dazon Dixon Diallo, C’86* Deceased11

Mary Brookins Ross, C’2812Sue Bailey Thurman, HS’20*Given the title of “Spelman’s foremost ambassador,” SueBailey Thurman left Spelman to earn two degrees fromOberlin College, one from the Conservatory of Music andthe other from the College of Arts and Sciences. After servingon the national staff of the YWCA, she became the founderand first editor of the Aframerican Women’s Journal, theofficial publication of the NCNW, the first of her many editorialcontributions to that organization, founded by Dr. MaryMcLeod Bethune. Mrs. Thurman began many initiatives tosponsor international events to promote internationalfriendship and understanding among thousands of studentsat home and abroad during her years at Howard University.Her husband was famed theologian and philosopher Dr.Howard Thurman , who was professor of theology and Deanof the Chapel at Howard University at that time. Mrs. Thurman’sinitiatives continued in San Francisco, where thecouple worked to establish The Church for the Fellowship ofAll Peoples, and in Boston, where she founded the Museumof Afro-American History and the Sue Bailey ThurmanMuseum Exchange during her stay at Boston University.Mary Brookins Ross, C’28Mary Brookins Ross, who served as president of the fourmillionmember Woman’s Convention Auxiliary to theNational Baptist Convention, USA, from 1961 to 1995, hasbeen cited around the world for her invaluable contributionsto the Baptist denomination. President Jimmy Carter,at a state dinner in 1980, called Mrs. Ross “one of the finestwomen leaders in the world.” Her leadership has extendedto outspoken advocacy on subjects affecting Christianethics, higher education and public service. A dynamic orator,Mrs. Ross, who did graduate work at Wayne State Universityand the University of Michigan, has spoken toaudiences in London, Paris, Manila, Copenhagen, Tokyo,West Africa and India.Myra Smith Taylor, C’61*Another outstanding leader in the Woman’s Convention, theMyra Smith Taylor became editor of publications in 1973.In this capacity she was responsible for editing the NationalBaptist Woman and The Mission, the officialstudy quarterly of the Woman’s Convention.After receiving a Master of Arts degree fromthe Interdenominational TheologicalCenter in 1963, she did extensive postgraduatestudy, including a stint at theHarvard School of Divinity. At theFourth Assembly of the World Councilof Churches held in 1968 in Sweden,she attended as press representative,and in 1970 she traveled to Japan as adelegate to the Baptist World Alliance.Clara Stanton Jones, C’34As the only black and only woman to head the DetroitLibrary, the fifth largest system in the nation, Clara StantonJones worked to make the library a viable and relevant partof the community. She sent bookmobiles into inner cityneighborhoods, established Afro-American Studies Workshops,delivered book reviews on television and set up adultbook fairs. She also established Detroit’s TIP program, thecity’s major information and referral agency, and a seniorcitizen program, which is the most extensive in the nation.Among other Spelman women who have had leadershiproles in nonprofit organizations are:Marian Wright Edelman, C’60Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children’sDefense Fund (CDF), has been an advocate for disadvantagedAmericans for her entire careers. Under herleadership, the Washington-based CDF has become a strongnational voice for children and families. The Yale LawSchool graduate and former Spelman board chair beganher career in the mid-sixties when, as the first black womanadmitted to the Mississippi Bar, she directed the NAACPLegal Defense and Educational Fund office in Jackson, Miss.“We must take responsibility for putting into place theresources and bipartisan political support to get our prioritiesstraight, whether we’re talking about education, healthcare, child care, or violence prevention,” Mrs. Edelmanwrote in a recent CDF Report. “There are millions of childrenwho are depending on us — for protection, for guid-Marian Wright Edelman, C’60S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

ance, for the basic necessities. Before one more child is lost,we must muster the necessary will to make sure all of ourchildren receive the healthy and fair and safe start in lifethey require and deserve.”Bernette Joshua Johnson, C’64Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson is completing a 10-yeartermon the Louisiana Supreme Court and will run for asecond term in 2000. One of the first women to attend theLaw School at Louisiana State University, she received herJuris Doctor degree in 1969. During the sixties, Judge Johnsonworked as a community organizer with the NAACPLegal Defense and Educational Fund in New York City.During the seventies, she helped organize householdworkers to receive Social Security benefits and a minimumwage. She currently serves as chairperson of the JudicialCouncil of the National Bar Association, an organization ofmore than 1,600 African American lawyers and judges.“Our mission is to provide educational programs andcreate interaction among judges so we can share experiencessurrounding trial work,” said Justice Johnson. “This is mysixth year in leadership on the Judicial Council, and I canhonestly say that the experiences I had at Spelman helpeddevelop my confidence in speaking up and expressing myideas. My colleagues never have to wonder what I think.”Justice Johnson was the first woman elected to Civil DistrictCourt in 1984, and she was re-elected without oppositionin 1990. Her election as the first African American to siton the Louisiana State Supreme Court is recounted in whatis known as the “Chisom Seat Challenge,” an accountwhich tells of the battle to overturn a state law creating aspecial seat to create equal representation on the bench forthe predominantly black city of New Orleans.Humanities (NEH) to teach archival management to HBCUarchivists. This program, which ran for four years, providedarchival and preservation training for HBCU archival staffthroughout the U.S. and the Virgin Islands. The programalso provided funds for the colleges to develop or enhancetheir archives.In 1997, she worked with another NEH-funded HBCUinitiative designed to take the colleges she had worked withearlier to the next level, providing training in identifyingand describing archival collections. HBCU participants willultimately have standard descriptions of their major collectionsavailable on the Internet, providing increased accessto some of the richest research material in the country. Thisproject was ultimately moved to Spelman and staffed by theCollege’s archivist, Taronda Spencer, C’80. (See SpelmanMessenger, Vol. 113 No. 2)“I continue to work with HBCUs because I think that it isa way that I can make a big difference in the preservation ofAfrican American history,” she said.In addition to her work throughout the Southeast inhelping other HBCUs establish their own archives, Ms.Banks also was selected to lead the management auditreview of the National Archives and Record Administrationby the Clinton Transition Team and has recently beennamed to the Board of Trustees of the Atlanta-FultonCounty Library.Bernette Joshua Johnson, C’64Brenda Banks, C’71Brenda Banks served as past president of the Society ofAmerican Archivists and was named a Fellow of the Society,its highest honor. She has been a major contributor to theestablishment of Spelman’s archives, one of the best amongAtlanta’s colleges and universities, particularly. “Whatexcites me about being an archivist is that the work I do willensure that historical and cultural information about whowe were and how we lived will be maintained over time forgenerations to come,” said Ms.Banks.Throughout her career, she has been in a distinctminority in a field that provides authentication for writtenhistory.Last year, she was chairperson of the Society of AmericanArchivists’ Task Force on Diversity to help the professionattract minorities to archival work.In 1995, wanting to have a broader impact on historicallyblack colleges and universities’ (HBCU) archives, shetook a position funded by the National Endowment for theW I N T E R / S P R I N G 2 0 0 0* Deceased13

Greer Geiger, C’76skipping his Health Careers Summer Program and going toBoston’s New England Deaconess Hospital and doing biochemicalsynthesis in a project designed to identify patientsat risk for breast cancer, instead. Her professional trainingwhich, in addition to Harvard included the University of Californiaat San Francisco and Johns Hopkins, has involvedextensive research on corneal diseases and retinal surgery.“I really enjoy the ‘Sherlock Holmes’ aspect of retinawork, which involves a constant struggle to come up withan explanation for apparently inexplicable cases of visionloss,” said Dr. Geiger.Greer Geiger, M.D., C’76Greer Geiger is chairperson of the Ophthalmology Sectionof the National Medical Association and president of theAlabama Academy of Ophthalmology. She routinely volunteersfor public health projects and mentors countless Birminghamstudents.“Counselors and instructors at Spelman took interest inyour capabilities, sometimes those you didn’t realize youhad,” said Dr. Geiger, who earned her medical degree atHarvard. “I have followed that example when I talk to students,and I also tell them their education is the ticket tohaving choices in life.”Dr. Geiger, whose father, Gus, operated a medical practicefor many years in Atlanta, is on the Board of the JeffersonCounty Medical Society and the Health DepartmentBoard. The senior Dr. Geiger and his wife, Dorothy, were1950 graduates of Morehouse and Spelman.“I take public health related issues very personallybecause many of our patients aren’t educated about whatthey’re doing healthwise, and we’ve got to be their advocates,”she said. “The quality of care affects the quality oflife. We owe it to our patients to provide better educationabout their choices.”Dr. Geiger’s own mentor — the late Dr. Henry McBay, aMorehouse chemistry professor and teaching legend —always urged her to try more challenging experiences. LikeSondra Rhoades Johnson, C’76After taking 20 girls on an overnight visit to Zoo Atlanta,Sondra Rhoades Johnson came to a revelation that wouldlead her to a more committed involvement with Girl Scouts,whom she later served as board president in Atlanta.“The animals in the Zoo had better housing and bettermedical care than the 20 girls — who were sponsored bythe Atlanta Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 BlackWomen,” she said.Ms. Johnson, whose professional career includes managementinformation systems positions with IBM and Coca-Cola and a stint as Fulton County’s tax commissioner, hadalready developed an impressive list of volunteer activitiesbefore being chosen as CEO of the Girl Scout Council ofSt.Croix Valley (St. Paul, Minnesota). She had held boardpositions with the YWCA, the Atlanta Preservation Center,the National Black Arts Festival and Exodus Cities inSchools and memberships in Leadership Atlanta, LeadershipGeorgia and Leadership America.Her signature program with the North Georgia GirlScout Council was the Juvenile Justice Program, whichsought out those girls who had run-ins with the law andwere considered unruly by parents and teachers to see ifinvolvement in Girl Scouting would make a difference intheir lives.“We have to be able to create programs to meet theneeds of a girl, regardless of what her life situation may be,”said Ms. Johnson. “I have seen the potential of what thisprogram can be. If you’re going to have long-term change,you have to lay the foundation.”Although she only arrived in St. Paul in 1998, theDetroit, Michigan, native has raised two-thirds of the $11million capital fund campaign goal for the Council and hastaken on the co-chairperson’s role in the St. Paul AreaUnited Way agency campaign for 1999-2000.Josephine Harreld Love, C’33A child prodigy who began giving piano concerts at 12 yearsof age, Josephone Harreld Love, the daughter of noted composerand African American music scholar and former SpelmanGlee Club director Kemper Harreld, was a co-founder14S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

of Your Heritage House — now Heritage Museum of FineArts for Youth — in Detroit as a means of bringing performingarts home to children. Mrs. Love remembers thearrival of Ann Cook to head the drama department at Spelmanwhen she was in high school (she entered Spelman asa 10th grader) as the individual who inspired her love forstaging productions.“She had a wonderful drama department and involvedstudents from the other colleges (in the Atlanta UniversityCenter),” she said. “Outstanding dramatists came from allover the country during the summer to participate in theprogram.”After graduating from the Juilliard School, a leadingschool for the performing arts in New York, Mrs. Love wentacross the country giving piano concerts. It was after one ofher concerts in Detroit that she met her husband, ThomasLove, who, in addition to his private practice, was the deputymedical examiner for Wayne County. Although Mrs. Loveand colleague Gwendolyn Hogue founded Your HeritageHouse in 1969, the native Atlantan credits Dr. Love as beingher major supporter in a lifetime adventure of collectingartwork, puppets and creative toys for the hundreds of childrenwho would eventually take classes and put on performancesat the Heritage Museum.She organized clubs for youth, among them The MerryMADS (for music, art and drama society),The Mostly MusicClub and The Merry Marionettes. Starting at the DetroitUrban League, the performing arts venue and museumthen moved to the basement of the Loves’ home.“People used to come from all around to see the kidsrehearse their puppetry performances in my home,” shesaid. “We had really fine instructors. I even started a lendinglibrary so when we went to concerts, the childrenwould know the background of the performances we weregoing to see.”The Heritage Museum is now located in a three-storyhome built in the 1880s that is listed on the National Registerfor Historic Places. There is a board and full time staffthat offers programs year-round. Mrs. Love continues to beactively involved in collecting and cataloging the artwork,toys and training materials used by the performance centerand museum.Alexine Clement Jackson, C’56Alexine Clement Jackson is currently the national presidentof the YWCA of the USA. An active volunteer in the Washington,D.C., community for more than 20 years, she wasinvited to be one of 10 members of a YWCA delegation for afact-finding mission to the Middle East in 1996. She wasselected to be one of 12 American delegates to the WorldYWCA Council in 1995 in Seoul, South Korea.“When people ask me what I do, I say I’m a professionalvolunteer,” said Mrs. Jackson. “In all of my work, I find thatW I N T E R / S P R I N G 2 0 0 0Creating a Brighter Future for GirlsIsabel Stewart has been preparing for her current role – execuctive director of Girls,Incorporated – all her life. Attending all girls high school (Philadelphia High Schoolfor Girls), a women’s college (Wellesley College) and having been the First Lady at SpelmanCollege taught her the value of same-sex education.“One of the most important things I learned from the students during my 10 gloriousyears at Spelman was how important it is to be the host, to be able to invite others toyour own turf,” said Mrs. Stewart, wifeof former Spelman President DonaldStewart. “It’s very powerful.”Her mission with Girls, Incorporatedis to use programs and advocacyto help create a future filled with amultitude of prospects for her morethan 350,000 clients, which includegirls from 6 to18 at over 1,000 sitesnationwide. At least 61 percent of thegirls the organization serves belong toracial and ethnic minority groups;Isabel Stewart (right), executive director ofGirls, Incorporated.62% percent come from families earning $20,000 or less; and over half are from singleparent households, most of which are headed by women.Dedicated to helping every girl become strong, smart and bold, Girls, Incorporated,has, for over 50 years, provided vital educational programs to millions of Americangirls. Today, innovative programs help girls confront subtle societal messages abouttheir value and potential, and aim to prepare them to lead successful, independent andcomplete lives.“We’ve put together a strong board and a very focused staff that have created anambitious plan to affect the lives of one million girls annually by 2002,” said Mrs. Stewart.“We have created a powerful collective voice on behalf of girls that has made gooduse of strategic alliances.”She finds it ironic that part of that “collective voice” includes Marilyn “Penny”Jones Joseph, C’76, chairperson of the board’s resources and development committee,who was a part of the student protest group that locked up the Spelman trustees duringDr. Stewart’s selection process.“The same aggressive nature that Penny showed during college helps her get out inthe trenches and bring in support for Girls, Incorporated,” said Mrs. Stewart.Actress and political activist Jane Fonda, the catalyst for the Georgia Campaign forAdolescent Pregnancy Prevention, is co-chairperson of the organization’s girls’ rightscampaign. Herb Scannell, president of Nickelodeon, is her co-chairman.Apart from developing strong board leadership, Mrs. Stewart has been able to createpartnerships between girls and women who are community leaders to help changethings for the better in their neighborhoods.“Our program provides a great deal of clarity about what girls should expect in life,and we also have a leadership program to help them speak up,” she said. “We are veryproud of our advocacy role, which makes us a little edgier than many other groups, andthe Girls Bill of Rights gives us a strong platform to speak from.”The greatest success stories, however, are when Girls, Incorporated, annually awardscollege scholarships to 10 to 12 girls.“I remember when one young lady came to the podium and announced she wasgoing to Spelman,” said Mrs. Stewart. “That was a moment of extreme pride for me.”15

Alexine Clement Jackson, C’56,National President of the YWCAof the USA volunteered for thisbreast cancer awareness advertisingcampaign.16people are trying to be responsible for making a differencein their own communities instead of waiting on other peopleto come in and do the work.”Recently invited to talk to Harvard law students on howto incorporate activism as part of their legal practices, Mrs.Jackson noted the empowermentthat activism can give.“When you’re volunteering fora cause, you’re on the same levelas the bank president involvedwith the same cause,” she said.“You can insert yourself into asituation in a way that can bemore subtle, but also a littlemore powerful. By being anactivist you can also make surethat organizations follow theirmission.”A survivor of breast cancer,Mrs. Jackson spends a lot ofher volunteer time speakingon breast cancer awareness.“When I was goingthrough the surgery andchemotherapy, I had justaccepted a major fundraisingassignment and I startedto pull out, but I kept it,” she said. “You can’t afford to focusinward. You must keep focused on bigger things.”Mrs. Jackson’s board memberships include the CommunityFoundation for the National Capital Region, MedicalEducation for South African Blacks, the Cancer ResearchFoundation of America and the National Museum forWomen in the Arts. She also volunteers for the WashingtonBallet, the Washington Performing Arts Society and TheHospitality and Information Service (THIS) for diplomaticfamilies residing in Washington.Jan Washington Honore, C’76One of a set of Houston, Texas triplets who attended Spelman,Jan Washington Honore cannot remember a timesince leaving college when she was working to do anythingother than raise money for historically black colleges anduniversities.“I was offered an internship my junior year to work withthe Texas Association of Developing Colleges (TADC),which, at the time, was working with the United Negro CollegeFund (UNCF) and other colleges in the state to raisemoney for black colleges,” she said.She left TADC to join The College Fund/UNCF in Houstonand helped develop the now-popular UNCF Telethon in 1980.“Just being a part of an organization that helps to determinethe survival of our black colleges and seeing the UNCFdevelopment over the years has been the most exciting workI can imagine,” said Ms. Honore, who met her husband,Morris, when he moved to Houston to work on the UNCFstaff having worked for the United Way in New Orleans.Both moved to Chicago in 1995 when her husband receiveda promotion.Today, her job entails staff development and fundraisingprogram support for the Midwest region of UNCF.“The students who come through UNCF schools usuallydon’t have a lot of money, but they do have dreams,” saidMs. Honore. “I know that my work has helped to shape thefuture and the lives of kids who will be out in the world longafter I’ve gone. Fundraising isn’t easy, but it’s a challenge Ienjoy.”Ann Cox Parham, C’58Concerned that children in her Brooklyn neighborhoodweren’t being prepared in high school to enter college, AnnCox Parham started the Coalition of 100 Black Youth, determinedto make sure students got information on the PSAT,SAT and what academic courses were necessary to beaccepted into college.“They didn’t have any idea about what they needed toget ready for college,” she said. “I was shocked that it washappening in so many areas where you found at-riskAfrican American students.”Initially, the project focused on New York, Boston andAtlanta, where Ms. Parham grew up.” My big thing at thetime was providing mentoring, which wasn’t as commonplacethen as it is now,” she said. “Most of the kids we wereworking with were on a whole different track — one thatdefinitely didn’t lead to college.”Ms. Parham’s program has been absorbed into theoperations of New York City Technical College, which providedinitial funding for the project.” We had worked to getthe community involved with the college and its activities,and they supported what we were doing,” she said. “Nowthey have taken it on as an initiative that reaches out to allstudents.”Ernestine Dennis Pittman, C’68Ernestine Dennis Pittman was elected president of theAtlanta Federation of Teachers in 1998. In that position,she represents 1,800 teachers before the Atlanta Board ofEducation on issues involving policies, staff development,benefits and grievances.“It’s a seven-day-a-week, 24-hour-a-day job,” said the30-year veteran mathematics teacher. “I am the only fulltimepresident of a teacher employee organization inAtlanta.”Since taking over the presidency of the organization,Mrs. Pittman has focused more attention on the group’sinvolvement in activities to enhance the educationalS P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

achievement of Atlanta’s students. Over the summer, thegroup worked with the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Clubto provide school supplies and gift incentives (bicycles, televisionsand radios with recorders) to children who read aprescribed number of books. Another project, the A. PhilipRandolph Creative Writing Program for students from the5th through the 12th grades, will begin this school year.“Making the organization more accountable to itsmembership has opened up a whole host of things for us toget active in,” said Mrs. Pittman.Almeta E. Cooper, C’72Almeta E. Cooper is general counsel of the Ohio State MedicalAssociation (OSMA), the professional group that represents15,000 Ohio physicians, medical residents andmedical students. A graduate of Northwestern UniversitySchool of Law, she came to Spelman as a transient studenther junior year at Wells College in New York.“Spelman gave me added personal and social growthand an opportunity to be in an environment where Iwasn’t a minority,” she said. “I got a great deal of affirmationand, overall, I had an excellent undergraduate academicexperience.”Her entire career, with the exception of a brief periodafter law school, has been in the graduate medical educationand health-care system. Prior to becoming the directorof OSMA’s division of legal services, Ms. Cooper was seniorcounsel of Philadelphia’s MCP Hahnemann University,which includes the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, HealthProfessions and Public Health. Prior to that, she served asthe corporate secretary and general counsel of MeharryMedical College, a post she was recruited for by DavidSatcher, now U.S. Surgeon General.“This was a time during which Meharry was goingthrough a Renaissance, a re-engineering, a renewed commitmentto excellence,” said Ms. Cooper. “The mission ofMeharry is to serve communities of people of color as well asthe underserved, and that was personally rewarding to me.”Her experience at the American Medical Association(AMA), where she was assistant director of the Health LawDivision and legal counsel for the accrediting bodies formedical schools and graduate medical education, was particularlyattractive to Dr. Satcher.“It’s clear that accreditation is a service to the students,and ultimately to the patients, who expect high qualitymedical care,” said Ms. Cooper, who credits her parents,both of whom were social workers, with instilling in her thevalue of service. “What I have enjoyed about working in anonprofit organization is keeping the focus on servicerather than gain. But it’s clear if you’re going to survive inthe current environment, you have to combine the best ofnonprofit operations with commercial operations in orderto accomplish the mission of your organization.”W I N T E R / S P R I N G 2 0 0 0Christine King Farris, C’48Mrs. Farris is the first to admit that she is surprised at themountain of work she attempted — and completed— along the way to building a living memorial to herbrother, the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.“I didn’t realize until I looked back what kind ofleadership it took to get the job [of raising funds tobuild the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change]done. “When I was out there going to the banks,foundations and corporate offices to raise money,many times I was the only female in the room. ButSpelman prepared me because you had a sense ofself and you didn’t think anything was impossible.You just went on and moved.”Her position as treasurer and chief operations officer ofthe Center has been an ongoing task of not only raising andaccounting for funds, but also putting on summer workshopson nonviolence. “My teaching background helpedme do that,” said Mrs. Farris, who has taught in the educationdepartment at Spelman for more than 30 years.She credits her summer jobs while in college with sparkingher interest in business.“I worked at Citizens Trust Bank during the summers,and I considered majoring in business when I went toColumbia University,” said Mrs. Farris. “But I eventuallydecided to major in education, instead.”Today, Mrs. Farris contemplates what the impact of theCenter has been on her brother’s legacy.“We have built what we call a living memorial of the lifeand work of Martin Luther King, Jr. and people come fromall over the world to visit that site,” she said. “If it were notthere, I’m not sure people would have as great an appreciationfor his life.” •BARBARA BUCKLEY WASHINGTON C’72 is president ofWashington & Associates, an Atlanta-based public relationsand public affairs company.Christine King Farris, C’48.Almeta E.Cooper, C’72 .17

THE NATIONAL ALUMNAE ASSOCIATIONOF SPELMAN COLLEGE…The organization that continues to inspirewomen prepared to lead in a new centuryB Y P ATRICIA G RAHAM J OHNSON, C’73Clara Howard, HS’87, wasthe first elected president of theAlumnae Association.Prepared leadership is not a contrived notion butsimply the divine force behind the NationalAlumnae Association of Spelman College(NAASC). In order to understand the Association,one must first understand Spelman College and the“truths” that have driven Spelman women. The AtlantaBaptist Female Seminary was founded in 1881 when thefirst eleven students met with founders Sophia B. Packardand Harriet E. Giles in the basement of the oldest NegroBaptist church in Atlanta, the Friendship Baptist Church.Though the popular mythology suggested that these twowomen approached such a daunting task with only a pen,paper and a Bible, the reality of the situation was that thewomen and the students were prepared for their task. Thefounders were themselves seminary trained at the NewSalem Academy. They had been long-term educators, weremature and experienced as administrators. SophiaPackard and Harriet Giles believed in their cause — toeducate Negro girls and women. The founders hadworked, themselves, in women’s organizations whose purposeswere to help others. They had also been touched bythe great needs of the Negroes in the South. The studentswere motivated to learn, to become scholars themselves, toteach and make a difference in their families and communities.Each came to the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminarywith a certain level of determination and resolve to takeadvantage of this unique opportunity. Each came preparedto become leaders. The saying, “From those towhom much is given, much shall be required,” providedthe first expectation of these “prepared leaders.”College Seal Symbolizes ServiceWhat inspires leadership? It may well be another ingredientthat is necessary for leadership — the ethics of leadership.Educated scholars must know what inspires or motivatesone to act on that inspiration. The Atlanta Baptist FemaleSeminary was renamed Spelman Seminary in April 1884.The first graduates of the Spelman Seminary were Ella N.Barksdale, Clara Howard, Lou E. Mitchell, Adeline J. Smith,Sallie B. Waugh and Ella L. Williams. On September 22,1924, Spelman Seminary became Spelman College, nowthe oldest and largest historically black college for womenin the world. However, through a collaborative arrangementbetween Spelman Seminary and the Atlanta BaptistSeminary (now Morehouse College) , Claudia White andJane Anna Granderson became the first college graduatesin 1901. Under the College’s motto, “Our Whole School forChrist,” each prepared leader was encouraged to adopt valuesgrounded in Christian teachings. The star of servicewas the center and soul of the institutional seal. The starwas surrounded by the triangle of life which representedareas that integrated one’s life — the intellectual, spiritual18Claudia White, C’01Grover-Werden Fountain, 1927M E S S E N G E RPhotos: Spelman Archives

and industrial. The students’ daily lives were immersed in aregimented environment rooted in a strong work ethic butnever a prayer away from its spiritual founding. Inspirationalexperiences such as vespers or motivational speakerswere paired with practical teachings to help students to bewell-rounded citizens. Throughout the century, there hadbeen changes in the daily lives of the students. However,Spelman has not strayed away from the founding principlesthat was the hallmark of the institution — to developprepared leaders who followed a spiritual roadmap or, inmore simple terms, “inspired leaders.”Through examples of collaborative efforts, the developmentof Spelman College and the National Alumnae Associationof the Spelman College are inextricably intertwined.The National Alumnae Association of Spelman College(NAASC) was not born in 1976 as the articles of incorporationsuggests. In fact, the Alumnae Association began inMay 19, 1892 with the encouragement of President HarrietGiles and Dean Lucy Upton. Alumnae history beganwith the notion that Negro women could be the object andsole beneficiaries of a liberal arts education that includedthe study of Greek mythology as well as domestic skills orpractical skills such as printing. This was certainly centraland in keeping with a broader debate in education circles.But the “useful lives” alluded to in writings by thefounders was very much in keeping with an Africanproverb, “Teach a woman and you teach a nation.”To move from the education of individual women toan organization of women poised for action and pointedin a common direction was simply the next phase of theevolution of alumnae leadership. It was the seed of collaborativeleadership. The alumnae association was a uniquemodel of women’s leadership and Negro leadership. Raceand gender represented a unit through which suchwomen’s organizations could exemplify the strengths ofboth. The alumnae association could be allowed to manifestitself by drawing on the best of both attributes.A First Among Women’s OrganizationsThe Alumnae Association itself was a trend-setter amongwomen’s organizations. The first national Negro sorority,Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority did not start until 1908,almost two decades following the Alumnae Association.Even the Women’s Club of Atlanta started in 1896, a fewyears following the beginning of the Alumnae Association.Many other women’s groups were inspired to servesimply because there was a spiritual duty to do so. TheAtlanta Club of the Alumnae Association adopted themotto, “Lift as we climb,” which encouraged members to“enkindle other souls as one lamp lights another.” It mayhave been the College’s motto, “Our Whole School forChrist,” that gave the Alumnae Association its life, but itwas the adopted motto, “Lift as we climb,” that gave itbreadth and focus. A white rose and colors — white andgold — were selected to represent the Alumnae Association.And it was through that prepared and inspired leadershipthat Spelman women were able to implementcollaborative leadership efforts.The earliest available constitution and by-laws of theAlumnae Association indicated that its name was TheAlumnae of Spelman Seminary. Just from the name, onecan form an opinion — that it was the expectation thatall affiliated with the Seminary would be associated withthe Association. The alumnae themselves would drive theorganization by “promoting the interests of the school,fostering regard among the graduates and assist graduatesin procuring vocations.” Though the earliest historicalaccount of the Alumnae Association is sketchy, there issome indication in the Spelman Messenger that VictoriaMaddox Simmons, HS’88, provided leadership in the earlydays of the operation of the infant Alumnae Association.However, the first elected president of the Spelman AlumnaeAssociation was Clara Howard, H.S.’87, who servedfrom 1892 to 1923. She entered Spelman in the spring of1881, completed a certificate in the preparatory normalcourse in 1885 and in 1887 graduated from the highernormal course as the valedictorian of the first Seminaryclass. Clara Howard was a missionary in theCongo and then in South America before returninghome to Atlanta. She worked at Spelman as ateacher, hall matron and dining hall matron untilshe resigned in June 1928 due to failing health.In fact, theAlumnaeAssociation beganin May 19, 1892with theencouragementof PresidentHarriet Giles andDean LucyUpton.New York Club, 1955Atlanta Club, 1950Photos: Spelman ArchivesCleveland Club, 1944Cleveland Club, 1951W I N T E R / S P R I N G 2 0 0 019

Josephine Harreld Love, C’33,Atlanta Club, 1958Claudia White Harreld, C’01, the daughter of the founderof Morehouse College, William Jefferson White, becamethe second president of the Alumnae association in 1923.According to her daughter, Josephine Harreld Love, C’33,who was herself president of the Alumnae Association from1954 to 1959, Claudia White Harreld “became the firstalumnae secretary for the College. She prepared exhaustivealumnae records on graduates by obtaining theiroccupations and other information about alumnae.” Thisinformation was used by the institution for reports for theWoman’s American Baptist Home Mission Society.Early efforts in the development of the Alumnae Associationfocused on bringing together alumnae within localcommunities for the purpose of obtaining information onalumnae accomplishments and forwarding this data tothe Seminary. Each graduate was expected to give one dollarto support the alumnae fund which was used to purchasebooks for the library. The dollar represented the“dues” or the minimum amount each alumna “owed” toSpelman. In 1899, the Association employed one of themissionary graduates, Miss Emma B. Delany, HS’94, to domission work. On May 15, 1898, the alumni of the AtlantaBaptist Seminary and the alumnae of the Spelman Seminarycollaborated to publish a literary publication of amonthly magazine called The Athenaeum.First ReunionThe Association’s first alumnae club was comprised ofgraduates and was organized in Atlanta in August, 1914 asThe Spelman Graduates Atlanta Club. Following the customof many colleges, President Lucy Tapley suggestedclass reunions so that graduates could meet on certainfixed anniversaries. The Alumnae Association was supportiveof the idea and worked with the College to helparrange the first reunion May 1915. The proposed plancalled for each class to hold a reunion on the followinganniversaries; the first, the third, the fifth, the tenth, thefifteenth, the twentieth and every five years thereafter.Therefore for the inaugural May 1915 reunion, alumnaefrom the classes 1914, 1912, 1910, 1900, 1895 and 1890were expected to return to Spelman for class meetings.Clubs Created in the TwentiesMost of the clubs organized in the twenties were located inGeorgia and Florida. However, Chicago, Cleveland, PrairieView (Texas) and Detroit also initiated clubs. A rallying sloganwas crafted, “Wherever there are four or five graduatesor ex-students, we will start a Spelman Club.” The Packard-Giles Club in Atlanta was organized for ex-students onMarch 16, 1921. The purpose of this club was to “keep alivethe spirit of the founders by doing uplifting work.” In April,1923, the Spelman Graduates Atlanta Club gave to worthycauses like the Associated Charities. The Alumnae Associationas a whole identified goals that sparked focused effortsamong the local clubs. One such goal was to support theLibrary Endowment Fund where proceeds of the fund wouldbe used to purchase books for the library. Through theestablishment of an endowment, this fund provided a permanentsource of income to purchase books. A pageantentitled “The Star” was first produced by the Spelman GraduatesAtlanta Club to generate funds for the alumnae fund— an unrestricted annual giving effort. One of the firstrestricted fundraising efforts embarked by the AlumnaeAssociation was the Grover-Werden Fountain which wasdedicated in May 1927. The significance of this effort wasthat the fountain was the only place in the campus area thatanyone could get cold drinking water. Not only did students,faculty and staff enjoy the water but community residentscould drink from the fountain due to its easy access.In 1923, aware of the difficulty experienced by facultyin moving around the city, automobile transportation wasprovided by the members of the Spelman GraduatesAtlanta Club to visit the leading Negro enterprisesin Atlanta. The purpose of the outings was to educate thefaculty and ultimately help students to connect their studieswith the realities of the growing and prosperous Negrocommunity in Atlanta. The faculty visited the AshbyHeights community, Auburn Avenue, the Citizens TrustBank and the Standard Life Insurance Company. Between1887 and 1928, the potential pool of alumnae who couldwork within the Association had expanded due to the 1200degrees and diplomas which had been awarded by SpelmanCollege (Atlanta Female Baptist Seminary).Honors Day, 1958Photos: Spelman ArchivesThe Thirties — The Loyalty FundThe thirties revealed club development in Alabama andLouisiana. In 1933, the Packard-Giles Club purchased anew flagpole for the College. The most significant developmentfor the College as a result of the efforts of the AlumnaeAssociation was the Loyalty Fund, which was the firstreunion giving program. This was initiated by the alumnaewith the encouragement of the College. The Class of1929, at their ten-year reunion in 1939, pledged to giveannually to the College. Each class was to give during thereunion and designate the gift for the Spelman College20S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

Loyalty Fund. The Loyalty Fund early on targeted the traditionalThanksgiving Rally donations in support of thefive alumnae missionaries in Africa. Other projects fundedby the Loyalty Fund included the chimes and the lightnear Giles Hall. The Loyalty Fund was later disbanded andthe funds given to the College but annual giving by alumnaeduring reunion has continued to the present. An outrightinitial gift of $150.00 by the Alumnae Association toPresident Giles in 1909 has grown to an annual outrightgift of $25,000 by the Alumnae Association. Sixty yearslater, reunion giving by alumnae has grown to over$300,000 annually.The Forties — The WarThough the world was consumed by war in the forties, theAlumnae Association continued to support its mission of supportingSpelman. It was certainly a challenge for a liberalarts institution for women to continue to function whilethe world was at war. Many of the men were in the servicesand the women had to go to work. However, the studentpopulation at Spelman continued to thrive. The alumnaejoined the national efforts to win the war. Patriotism wasexhibited by embroidering V’s on clothing in red, whiteand blue. Citizens were asked to “Buy a stamp and helpmake the champ” through the purchase of stamps andwar bonds. Alumnae, students and faculty volunteeredregularly at the USO Centers and Red Cross service stations.They became air-raid wardens and blood donors.The College cooperated with the national initiatives andadopted an austere existence — “plainly and patriotically...economicalold-fashioned New England thrift.” Thealumnae held meetings to plan for a “Food for Victory”campaign. The campaign was to be carried out in schoolsin Georgia employing vocational and home economicsteachers. The trained teachers were disbursed to localschool districts to help others to learn the point-rationingsystems for foods and to prepare for the changes in menusand nutrition due to the impending cutbacks.Conference 2000: New Heights for a New EraJune 1-4, 2000, Washington, DCBut what of the future? What challenges will face alumnae, the NAASC and the College?What platform will be replicated? What new direction will be forged by the Alumnae Association?The national Alumni Associations of Spelman College and Morehouse College areplanning a joint conference entitled Conference 2000: New Heights for a New Era. TheSpelman-Morehouse conference is designed to challenge alumnae/i to develop creativestrategies that will be the foundation of the alumnae/i association agendas for the nextdecade. According to Pearline Davis, NAASC President, “The purpose of the Conference is toidentify and set a fresh approach for the support of the College, the Association and to eachother.” As each institution and alumnae/i association explores its existing partnerships,the Conference promises to redefine those relationships utilizing untapped resources andrevealing new creative approaches. As the practice of collaborative leadership continues toemerge, the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College will again be in the forefrontin framing the model for collaborative leadership. The foundation of the AlumnaeAssociation was laid by prepared and inspired leadership. Its strength for the future will bedetermined by the personal commitment and participation of current and future generationsof alumnae.For information on Conference 2000: (202) 584-0122Email: MSconference2Kecs.comWebsite: www.MorehouseSpelmanConf2K.comThe Fifties — The West, Midwest andNortheast Club GrowthDuring the fifties, the Midwest and Northeast areas blossomedin club development in Ohio, Indiana and NewYork. In March 1955, the first alumnae club began in California.The Alumnae Association sponsored a variety oflocal community service projects. The Atlanta SpelmanClub, which by the fifties included graduates and ex-students,began a Spelman College Founders Day annualbroadcast on WGST in 1953. The Atlanta community wastreated to musical selections by the Spelman College GleeClub and inspirational words contained in the FoundersNaoniah Williams Maise, NationalAlumnae President, 1961Atlanta Club, 1963Atlanta Club, 1967Photos: Spelman ArchivesW I N T E R / S P R I N G 2 0 0 021

“Wherever thereare four or fivealumnae or exstudents,we willstart a SpelmanClub.”Presidents of the NationalAlumnae Association of SpelmanCollege (NAASC)1892-1923 Clara Howard, HS’87**1923-1928 Claudia White Harreld, C’01**1928-1929 Manie Cohron Carter, C’02**1929-1934 Lena Miles Davis HS’06**1934-1938 Ernestine Anthony Lipscomb, C’321938-1942 Margaret Nabrit Curry, C’24**1942-1946 Gertrude Fisher Anderson, C’12**1946-1950 Julia Pate Borders, C’29**1950-1954 Ernestine Erskine Brazeal. C’281954-1959 Josephine Harreld Love, C’331959-1961 Naomah Williams Maise, C’32**1961-1968 Florence Morrison Hogan, C’31**1968-1972 Lynette Saine Gaines, C’401972-1976 Eleanor Ison Franklin, C’48**1976-1978 Helen Barnett Humphrey, C’451978-1982 Patricia Moody Sewing, C’561982-1986 Dorothy Mapp Pleasant, C’521986-1988 Ora Sterling King, C’541988-1990 Mildred Collier Walton, C’471990-1992 Gloria Watts Davis, C’601992-1996 Mary Lynne Diggs, C’771996-1998 Louise Jackson-Williams, C’731998-2000 Pearline Adamson Davis, C’58**DeceasedDay speeches. The Atlanta Spelman Club was instrumentalin the formation of a pre-school speech and hearingclinic, the only of its kind at the time. The purpose of theclinic was to identify and serve children with speech andhearing defects in hopes of helping to alleviate potentialproblems that could impede the education of childrenentering elementary school.The Sixties — The Naming ofHoward-Harreld DormThe sixties brought a time of explosive growth that yieldedseveral additional clubs to established “sister” clubs.Houston and Dallas joined Prairie View in Texas. BatonRouge joined the New Orleans Chapter. Gary joined Indianapoliswhile Northern California (Bay Area-Sacramento)joined the Los Angeles Chapter. Baltimore andPhiladelphia represented the states of Maryland and Pennsylvaniain the expansions nationally. The alumnae clubsfollowed the growth of alumnae concentration throughoutthe United States. The slogan, “wherever there are fouror five alumnae or ex-students, there will be a club,” wasnot just a rallying call, it was a reality.In May 1967, the Alumnae Association celebrated its75th Anniversary. The crowning achievement for theAlumnae Association was the naming of the Howard-Harrelddormitory in 1969 after the first two presidents of thealumnae association — Clara Howard, C’87 and ClaudiaHarreld, C’01.Photos: Spelman Archives1968 AwardsThe Seventies — The Quiet EvolutionAt the dawn of the seventies, there was a quiet evolution inthe Alumnae Association that prompted revolutionaryresults. At the heels of the Civil Rights era, the AlumnaeAssociation did some soul searching as to what its role relativeto the College would be in the future. As an organizationthat had been born and nurtured by the College, was itnow time to grow up as a self-governing entity? What facewould be presented? What were the needs of the Associationand the College at this juncture. A new organizational planwas adopted which called for middle managers who wouldcommunicate with the fast-growing clubs and provide supportto the clubs with fundraising,student recruitment andother college initiatives. Aregional structure was adoptedsimilar to the sorority modelwhere clubs were assigned toa region and supervised by aregional coordinator whomonitored the health ofeach assigned club. TheAtlanta Club, 196822S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

first regional meetings began in 1972 with the first Southeastregional in Albany, Georgia and the Great LakesRegional in Detroit, Michigan. The Alumnae Associationwas no longer arranged simply as a grouping of independentlyoperating clubs but had evolved into a whole —a network of clubs that were responsible to and for the parentorganization who in turn was responsible to and forSpelman College.New Demographics of theAlumnae PopulationBy 1970, the demographics of the alumnae populationwere changing. The first class that totaled more that 100graduates was the class of 1960. The class of 1973 boastedthe first class that was over 200 graduates. At this point incollege history, the largest percentage of the total alumnaebody was comprised of women who were less than fortyyears of age. The largest percentage of the alumnae bodystill lived in the metro Atlanta area. Yet the national AlumnaeAssociation leadership was older. There was a need fora dramatic shift in the face of the association to reflect thenew demographics of the alumnae population. The pressureto plan programs that would appeal to the diversealumnae population led to an experiment by the AtlantaClub — the YASA (Young Atlanta Spelman Alumnae).Members were limited to alumnae up to their tenthanniversary. After ten years the members were to join theAtlanta Club which was a more mature group.The YASA experiment was disbanded due to intergenerationalmisunderstandings and conflicts. The YASA membersfailed to “graduate” to the Atlanta Club. Against regulations,they chose to continue membership in the YASA. Intergenerationalconflicts were a source of tension between members.The relationship was akin to “the over-protective parent andthe rebellious, independent teenager” scenario that wasbeing replayed daily across the country. However, theincreased communication between generations led to opportunitiesfor growth of the individual members and the AlumnaeAssociation as well. Seeds sown that produced strongroots yielded beautiful foliage.There were many lessons learned from the YASA experiment.The greatest benefit was that the future leaders forthe Atlanta Club had been the same YASA alumnae whohad matured and had been properly trained as a result oftheir participation in YASA. The YASA members latermoved on to fully participate in Clubs all over the country.Younger alumnae who had honed their skills in YASAunder the tutelage of the Atlanta Club had practiced theirleadership craft by starting local chapters such as those inDecatur, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina. YASAmembers later became presidents of the Atlanta chapters inthe eighties. And in this case, as was experienced by otherwomen’s organizations, the Alumnae Association drew onits collective faith by exhibiting “guts” in trying somethingnew in order to foster growth for the good of the overallorganization. As painful as it may have been as the scriptwas unfolding, the “punch line” was worth the struggle.In its continued campaign to foster a paradigm shift inthe organization, the Alumnae Association initiated a planthat would structure an inclusive Spelman College Boardof Trustees that represented students, faculty and alumnaewho could provide input by utilizing the various constituentsin the formation of Spelman’s policies. The Boardof Trustees initiative included two positions — an alumnatrustee as well as an alumnae representative to the Board.Faculty and students would also have trustee and representativepositions. The plan called for the Alumnae Associationto be represented by the alumnae trustee position.However, though the overall constituency-based representationidea was adopted by the Board of Trustees, the planwas amended so that the president of the Alumnae Associationbecame the representative to the Board, lacking votingprivileges. Disappointed, members of the AlumnaeAssociation lobbied for the President of the Alumnae Associationto be the alumna trustee. This strategy worked forthe first alumna trustee. But there was no precedent orofficial indication that this would be the case for subsequentalumnae trustees.1976 — A Nonprofit OrganizationIn 1976, as the College was considering a new college presidentfollowing the retirement of Dr. Albert Manley, therewas the expectation that the next president of SpelmanCollege would be an African American woman. When Dr.Donald M. Stewart was appointed as the sixth president,the Association struggled to reconcile its time-honoredpromise to support the institution yet do what it knew wasnecessary. Pearline Davis, C’58, President of the AtlantaClub, was hired by the College as the Director of AlumnaeAtlanta Club, 1967Photos: Spelman ArchivesW I N T E R / S P R I N G 2 0 0 023

A Snapshot of the NAASC TodayAs the NAASC continues its professed mission to support Spelman College intothe millennium, the following active chapters provide book awards and generalscholarship assistance to students who matriculate at Spelman College.Through recruitment efforts to identify interested students, chapters haveprovided an ongoing stream of prospective students that reflect varied geographicregions . Innovative community service projects and alumnae programsthat reflect the diverse alumnae population are being initiated all overthe United States. In addition, the NAASC contributes $25,000 for annualsupport to Spelman College and in support of the NAASC-Donald M. StewartEndowed Scholarship. The following list of Chapter presidents or contact personsrepresents the NAASC of today and tomorrow, a diverse organization —as measured by geographic locations or by the spread of class years — ofalumnae who are working on behalf of the NAASC and Spelman College. Formore information, contact President Pearline Davis, NORDOM@aol.com, orPresident-elect Dr. Phoebe Bailey, C 66, plbailey@aol.com, or call the NAASCOffice at 404-755-4231.Northeast RegionCoordinator: Deidra Fryer C’84, dfryer@csc.comBoston, MA Chandra Banks-Gooding C’91Baltimore, MD Sandra D. Jennings C’96Columbia, MD Marian Rucker-Shamu C’65Delaware (statewide) Kristen Williams C’86Hampton Roads, VA Dr. Jocelyn Simpson Harrison C’86Metro Richmond, VA Kelli M. Poindexter C’85New York , NY Dawn L. Hankin C’95Northern New Jersey Stephanie L. Muhammed C’91Philadelphia, PA Connie Boswell-Robinson C’77Southern Maryland Felicia R. Lasley C’91Washington, DC Cassandra Morgan C’82South Central RegionCoordinator: Dorothy Myers Stepteau C’63 (acting)Arkansas (statewide)Deitra Austin C’95 (contact person)Baton Rouge, LA Dotty Marie Hampton C’73Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX Vicki D. Weatherspoon C’76Houston, TX Dorothea Hunter Carter C’89Memphis, TN Stephanie Green-Cole C’83Mississippi (statewide) Lillian McKinney Cooley C’55New Orleans, LA Valeria Henson-Fulton C’59Oklahoma (statewide) Brenda L. Primas C’70SoutheastCoordinator: Juanita Law Barnes C’73 jbarnes@unf.eduAlbany, GA Dr. Joyce Allen Clairborne C’70Athens, GA Thelma Hurley C’46Atlanta, GA Stephanie Bush C’68Augusta , GA Demetrice Allen C’80Birmingham, AL Carolyn Bailey Collins C’56Charlotte, NC Sandra Wilson Drakeford C’83Chattanooga, TN Dr. Charlotte Stinson Garth C’54Columbia, SCMary Lynn Diggs C’77 (contact person)Columbus, GA LaNora Emziah C’68Decatur, GA Janice Turner C’85Huntsville, AL Tawnya Plummer C’95Jacksonville, FL Flora Feggins-Peterson C’72Miami-Dade, FL Dr. Karen Moore C’80Middle Georgia Donna Smith Palms C’73Montgomery, AL Lisa Sims Stewart C’75Nashville, TN Darlene Abernathy-Neely C’93(contact person)Orlando, FL Irene Derry Gibson C’74Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, NC C.T. Woods-Powell C’75Savannah, GA Sharon Ellis Bussey C’86South Florida Kwanza Clay, C’92Tallahassee, Fl Dr. Gloria Price Holmes C’71Tampa, Fl Dorothy Bell C’70Winston-Salem/Greensboro, NC Denise Hartsfield C’76Far West RegionCoordinator: Laura Burton Odem C’68 (acting) lodem@co.la.ca.usDenver, CODorothy L. Peay C’59 (contact person)Hollywood/San Fernando Valley, CA Gia Ramos C’95Las Vegas, NV Kim Bailey C’86Los Angeles, CA Laura Burton Odem C’68Phoenix, AZ V. Letecia Hughes C’85Sacramento, CA Ann Thomas Braxton C’39San Diego, CA Olga Cook Charles C’66(contact person)San Francisco/Oakland, CA Gail M. Atley C’83Seattle, WA Dr. Patricia White Chatard C’62(contact person)Great Lakes RegionCoordinator: Robin Burton-Leverette C’78Chicago, IL Georlette R. Peavy C’86Cincinnati, OH Faith Cargile C’90Cleveland, OH Kathy Watson Carter C’77Columbus, OH Cheryl Wyatt C’94Detroit, MI Sylvia Glenn Simmons C’74Indianapolis, IN Prethenia Kent-Jones C’57Madison, WI Renae Murphy C’94Minneapolis, MN Tara Leigh Buckner C’87(contact person)St. Louis, MO Renee Wilford Gates C’75InternationalBahamasSpencer Dean C’95 (contact person)24S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

Affairs. This move helped to bridge an emerging nonprofitorganization with a College under new leadership.The Association leadership knew that the Associationmust position itself to reduce its dependence on the Collegeyet increase its financial strength and clout by puttingitself in the position to obtain independent funding. Theresult was the incorporation of the National AlumnaeAssociation of Spelman College in 1976 as a 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization as orchestrated by Henrietta Turnquest,C’68, who was the attorney of record for the incorporation.The NAASC was to be a separate corporate entitywhose defined role was to support Spelman College yetwhich would be self-governing. This led to a shift in theimage of the Association. It was clear that this step was achange in the relationship between NAASC and the College.A new NAASC logo was designed and a new imagewas launched. However, the future nature of the newalumnae association was yet to be revealed.The separation was not intented to put the NAASC atodds with the Institution. According to the constitution, theDirector of Alumnae Affairs, an employee of the College,was to be the vice-president of the NAASC. Therefore, theCollege would always be aware of the NAASC plans. TheNAASC could present annual reports to the Board ofTrustees. Annual meetings, as required by the articles ofincorporation, would be held on campus in May. PresidentStewart initiated a fundraising campaign that included theNAASC. All of these efforts were carefully planned to answerthe question whether the NAASC was still true to its organizationaland collegiate roots and promises. The differencewas that the NAASC was laying a foundation for the nextmillennium — to clarify roles and identify and communicateneeds — and it was orchestrating a plan of action utilizingcollaborative leadership to meet those needs.Programmatic Initiatives —The SASE ProgramThe College faced pressing challenges in the seventies —lowered applications (which threatened the student population),financial pressures and the need for diverse studentexperiences to help students to move beyond the traditionalsocial work, teaching and business careers. TheCollege launched an outright effort to attract students inthe sciences for the purpose of producing more scientists,doctors and researchers. The Association responded by collaboratingwith the Admissions Office to recruit studentsfor Spelman. In 1976, armed with a manual for alumnae,the Admissions Office held recruitment training sessions totrain alumnae on the latest methods in recruiting students.The NAASC worked with the Office of Career Planning,and the Spelman Alumnae-Student Externship(SASE) was started. This program paired alumnae withstudents for a career exploration experience during springbreak. Two separate corporate entities — Spelman Collegeand the NAASC — were collaborating to meet the needs ofthe students and the Institution.NAASC Scholarships and AwardsThe eighties were the years of visibility and image buildingfor the newly incorporated association. Alumnae wereawarded the first NAASC Hall of Fame Awards and MeritAwards. The College recognized several long-term activeAlumnae Association members by naming lounges in theDonald and Isabel Stewart Living Learning Center. TheNAASC established the Donald M. Stewart Endowed Scholarshipwhich provided annual scholarships to students.The National Emergency Student Loan Fund was establishedwith contributions from the Baltimore, Columbia,Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles Chapters. To date, morethan thirty students have borrowed from the EmergencyLoan Fund. The Glee Club had been touring nationally fordecades, the newly organized Spelman College JazzEnsemble (1987) began touring nationally with the assistanceof the anchor chapters — the Detroit and theNorthern New Jersey Chapters. The NAASC, in conjunctionwith the New York Chapter, created its first national raffle,which netted $35,000 for the College. In 1981, the NAASCcreated a Landscape Planning Committee that workedwith the School of Environmental Design at the Universityof Georgia to develop a campus beautification campaignfor Spelman.Dorothy Pleasant (right),NAASC President ,1982-1986New Jersey Club in the 80’sPhoto: Jo Moore StweartNAASC Meeting, 1980Photo: Jo Moore StweartPhoto: Spelman ArchivesW I N T E R / S P R I N G25

Scholarships, Prizes andAwards Day 1995Outgoing and incoming NAASC Presidents, 1996Official lease signing for Alumnae House, October, 1998State Marker for Centennial CelebrationDuring the nineties, several collaborative projects werecompleted — the national service project with the Children’sDefense Fund, a joint fundraiser by students and theNAASC to restore the Grover-Werden fountain to workingorder and the opening of the first campus-based NAASCoffice in Manley Center in December 1991 under the firstAfrican American woman president, Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole.In 1998, under an initiative of the first alumna president,Dr. Audrey F. Manley, Spelman leased some off-campusproperty to the NAASC to make possible association programmingin the Atlanta community, to house currentrecords and soon to set up the office of the first executivedirector of the NAASC. The NAASC Centennial Celebrationwas held in 1992. A Georgia state marker was placed at theentrance of the campus near the Dorothy Shepard Manleyresidence hall. This was the first time ever that a statemarker was given byGeorgia to recognize agroup of people asopposed to an event orplace. The NAASC, byproviding enough documentationto the Stateto prove that the alumnaeshould be recognized,was responsiblefor making this a reality. It certainly was an appropriaterecognition of the alumnae commitment to a century ofservice. During 1992, the NAASC reached its highest membershipbase of 1302 members. Chaptersformed in the nineties, such as Huntsville andthe Bahamas, are being led by SpelmanPhoto: Bud SmithPhoto: Spelman ArchivesPhoto: Bud SmithOpening of theAlumnae House,1998Photo: Bud Smithalumnae who graduated within the past five years. Visionaryalumnae tried bold fund-raising efforts like those ofthe Los Angeles and the Hollywood/San Fernando Chapters.The $50,000 proceeds funded the Los Angeles AreaChapters Endowed Scholarship.Major Giving —A New Step in Alumnae GivingSelected leaders and members within the NAASC wereamong the alumnae targeted for leadership in the SpelmanCampaign, Initiatives for the ’90s. For the first time,alumnae were specifically asked to provide major gifts of$10,000. They were also asked to provide bequests to Spelman,or establish charitable gift annuities or trusts. Theseindividual alumnae exhibited their faith and stepped up tothe plate by establishing alumnae as a new major financialresource stream for Spelman College. It is with this newimage of alumnae and, again, the unwavering support ofthe Alumnae Association that Spelman could confidentlystep into the next millennium.As with any association as seasoned as the NAASC, thestate of even this dynamic organization fluctuates. Assome chapters die, others are born to provide an infusionof life to the Association. New experiments are tried, othersare blocked. All of these circumstances give life and breathto the NAASC. It is necessary for the NAASC to question itsexistence, affirm its purpose, dispose of practices that areineffective but always be reminded of its original purposefor over one hundred years. “The Alumnae of SpelmanSeminary,” now the “National Alumnae Association ofSpelman College” was born to promote the interests of theschool and to assist alumnae in assisting each other. Ifthat mission is in fact accomplished, then the Spelmanmotto, “Our Whole School for Christ,” will also be manifestedthroughout the world.Members who are a part of the National Alumnae Associationof Spelman College know that they are daily nurturedas Spelman’s prepared leaders who are “inspired toserve”. They step into the millennium not afraid to buildbridges of collaboration between yesterday’s, today’s andtomorrow’s leaders among other diverse organizations.However, they know that they can come back to the NAASCand Spelman College to be replenished and to find theenergy to continue. This awareness is truly a lifelong benefitto alumnae.•Patricia Graham Johnson, C’73, a partner of Howell &Johnson, a firm specializing in the inventory of privatecollections, is currently working on a book manuscript onthe life of her father, the late Reverend John H. Graham.Formerly, Ms. Johnson served Spelman for fifteen years asan acting director of admissions, the director of AlumnaeAffairs, and a planned giving officer for the College.26S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

Alumnae NotesSister to Sister:TEloise Abernathy, C’86 (right), Directorof Alumnae Affairs, conversedwith Anne Thomas Braxton, C’39,President of the Sacramento (CA)Area Chapter of the National AlumnaeAssociation of Spelman College(NAASC) during a chapter gathering.here is power in partnership.The individual andcollaborative histories ofthe Office of AlumnaeAffairs and the National AlumnaeAssociation of SpelmanCollege (NAASC) offer evidenceof this truth. Each is independent ofthe other, yet each depends on theother to maximize the promise andpotential of Spelman alumnae.In his book, A LegacyContinues, Dr. Albert E.Manley described theAlumnae Office as an“essential link” betweenSpelman College and itsgraduates. As director ofthe Office of AlumnaeAffairs, I assure you thatthe staff is committed toserving the College’s morethan 9,500 addressablealumnae represented in 49 statesand 22 countries. Our goal is to supportthe sacred mission of SpelmanCollege - to educate women wholead and serve. We aim to offer programsand services that will contributeto the lifelong learning andwell being of Spelman women. Weare confident in our ability to fulfillthis goal, for it is not ours alone. It isa responsibility that we respectfullyshare with the National AlumnaeAssociation of Spelman College(NAASC).The NAASC is comprised of organizedchapters and alumnae advocateswho have made the decision totake full advantage of the rights andprivileges bestowed upon them asgraduates of Spelman College. Theyhave enlisted to serve on the “frontlines” of the alumnae experiencethrough membership and involvementwith the organization thatstands as the official collective voiceof Spelman alumnae.My work on behalf of the Collegefinds me in many places. And whereverI go, there are chapters andmembers of the Association. LastMarch, for instance, President Manleyand I spent a wonderful day inthe company of the SacramentoChapter during an event held onthe campus of the University of California,Stanislaus. I then went on toshare with the Los Angeles Chapterat the annual Jazz ScholarshipBrunch. In May, information andsisterly love were abound when theDetroit Chapter welcomed PresidentManley, Taronda Spencer, C’80,College archivist, and me for a chapterreception and College update. InNovember, members of the Collegestaff attended the Second AnnualNew York Scholarship Gala hostedby the New York Chapter, inpartnership with the MorehouseCollege Manhattan Alumni Association.And we beam with pride at thelove and support exhibited throughthe friendraising and fundraisingefforts of chapters like Birmingham,Chicago, Columbus(Ga.), Hollywood, Huntsville,Northern New Jersey andWashington, D.C. to name only afew. And we are fortunate to returnhome to the Atlanta and DecaturChapters.Partaking in the whole of thealumnae experience requires muchof those who desire to remain inclose kinship with the Spelmanlegacy of excellence. As a new agebegins, our accountabilityand respectability asalumnae will depend lesson our words and more onour deeds. I must take thisopportunity to thank youfor all that you do for ourbeloved alma mater. And Iextend special applausefor your willingness to goall the way by also supportingthe efforts of theNational Alumnae Association ofSpelman College.As you forge your distinct role asan alumna, the Alumnae Affairsstaff and the leadership of the NAASCare available to assist you.I encourage you to stay in touchwith Spelman College. Please sendupdates, information and feedbackto the Office of Alumnae Affairs, 350Spelman Lane, SW, Box 304, Atlanta,Georgia 30314-4399, or e-mail meat eabernat@spelman.edu. We lookforward to hearing from you!In Sisterhood,Eloise M. Abernathy, C’86Director of Alumnae AffairsW I N T E R / S P R I N G 2 0 0 027

Alumnae Notes1936Berdie Wallace RobinsonPersonal Achievement: Celebrated her 83rdbirthday with family, friends and many ofher Spelman sisters on Thursday, November11, 1999 at Woodland Ridge Assisted LivingFacility in Smyrna, Georgia.1943Johnnie Hunter FoxworthPersonal Achievement: Presented the firstBessie Hunter Memorial/Les Treize Scholarshipduring the Greater Bridgeport AreaFoundation Awards Program. Establishedin 1997, the scholarship is given in honor ofher mother.1952Gwendolyn Mitchell DardenPersonal Achievement: Elected president ofthe National Association of Bench and BarSpouses Inc. In addition, she was honoredby Women Looking Ahead magazine asone of the most influential women in theState of Georgia.Evelyn Turner FordProfessional Achievement: Selected toreceive the City of Valdosta award for hercontributions in education during the JuneteenthCelebration, Saturday, June 19, 1999at Peyton Park Lake in Valdosta, Georgia.The award pays tribute to retired teachersfor their continuing efforts toward educationaldevelopment in the African Americancommunity.1954Ora Sterling KingProfessional Achievement: Director of theM.Ed. Program via Distance Learning atCoppin State College. She was also namedin Who’s Who Among America’s Teachersfor 1999.1955Yvonne Park CatchingsProfessional Achievement: Artwork was onexhibition at the Charles Wright Museumof African American History in Detroit,Michigan during May and June of 1999.The show was entitled Yvonne Parks CatchingsPaintings - A Retrospective - Landscapes,Social Issues, Wash Pots, ScrubBoards, Clothes Lines and Genealogy.Audrey Forbes ManleyProfessional Achievement: Featured in theOctober 1999 issue of Ebony Magazine inthe article “New Black College Presidents,”as the eighth president of Spelman College.1956L. Rita DixonProfessional Achievement: Gave the sermonat the Spelman vesper service on October10, 1999 in Sisters Chapel. She is an administratorin the Presbyterian USA ChurchGeneral AssemblyGwendolyn Gilley-ConleyPersonal Achievement: Received a 1999Spelman College Board of Trustees CommunityService Award, presented duringOpening Convocation on August 26, 1999.She was also the speaker for the occasion.Professional Achievement: A celebrationwas held in honor of her retirement asExecutive Director of Metro Atlanta Respiteand Developmental Services, Inc. (MARDS),a nonprofit agency created to address thecare and supervision needs of children withdevelopmental disabilities. She founded theorganization in1986.1958Claire Greene CrooksMarried: A reception was held on Saturday,September 11, 1999 at the Carter PresidentialCenter in honor of her marriage to Dr.Ira E. Harrison, a Morehouse College alumnus.1960Marian Wright EdelmanProfessional Achievement: Speaker for SpelmanConvocation on November 18, 1999. Asigning session for her new book, Lanterns,followed.1962Patricia Johnson PaceProfessional Achievement: Gave the sermonat the Spelman vesper service on October31, 1999 in Sisters Chapel. She is Pastor ofMoore’s Chapel United Methodist Church inCarrollton, Georgia.1966Beverly Guy-SheftallProfessional Achievement: Speaker for SpelmanConvocation on October 21, 1999.Marilyn O’Bryant RobinsonEducation: Received a doctorate in HumanServices Administration from the Universityof Sarasota in Florida in May 1999.Professional Achievement: Selected toreceive a fellowship to participate in the1999 Harvard University Program for SeniorExecutives in State and Local Governmentat the University’s prestigious John F.Kennedy School of Government. Currently,she is director of the St. Louis CountyDepartment of Human Resources.1968Jane E. SmithPersonal Achievement: Speaker for theAnnual Women’s Day Celebration at AllenTemple A.M.E. Church in Atlanta, Georgiaon Sunday, October 24, 1999.1969Laura English-RobinsonProfessional Achievement: Gave a FacultyRecital on Saturday, November 6, 1999 inSisters Chapel. The recital was dedicated tothe memory of Dr. Grace Boggs Smith, apast chair of the Spelman College Departmentof Music. Ms. English-Robinson, asoprano, is a voice instructor at Spelman.1970Yvonne JacksonProfessional Achievement: As the new SeniorVice President, Human Resources, Organizationand Environment at Compaq, she isresponsible for the company’s worldwidehuman resources functions and environmentalpolicies and procedures.1972Almeta E. CooperProfessional Achievement: Hired as GeneralCounsel for the Ohio State Medical Association(OSMA). In this position, she will serveas the chief legal officer for the professionalorganization representing 15,000 Ohiophysicians, medical residents and medicalstudents.A. Elaine McNair GilbertProfessional Achievement: Gave the sermonat the Spelman vesper service on October24, 1999 in Sisters Chapel. She is anordained elder in the New Beginning FullBaptist Gospel Church.Kathleen McGhee-AndersonProfessional Achievement: Her play, Oakand Ivy, was a production for the Winter1999 season of Arena Stage. She is a consultingproducer of the series, Any DayNow, for Lifetime Television.1973Kathleen Jackson BertrandPersonal Achievement: Selected to participatein a panel discussion on benefits of theSpelman experience during the October1999 meeting of the Spelman College Boardof Trustees.Fleda Mask JacksonPersonal Achievement: She and her husband,Duane, celebrated their 25th weddinganniversary with a ceremony and receptionon Saturday, December 11, 1999 at EbenezerBaptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.1974Monica Anderson ChatmonProfessional Achievement: Elected assistantvice president & branch manager ofRegions Bank in Birmingham, Alabama.1975Sandra Farragut-HemphillProfessional Achievement: Selected by theYWCA of Metropolitan St. Louis to beinducted into the prestigious Academy ofLeaders in recognition of her achievementsin the workplace. Judge Farragut-Hemphillwas appointed Associate Circuit Judge of the21st Judicial Circuit in 1991, the first AfricanAmerican appointed to the Circuit Courtbench in St. Louis County.Amelia Hamilton-MorrisProfessional Achievement: Chief CommunicationsOfficer in the Office of the CityManager, Public Information Office, DesMoines, Iowa.Brenda C. SilerProfessional Achievement: Director of PublicRelations for the American Speech-Language-HearingAssociation (ASHA), theprofessional and scientific organizationserving 96,000 speech pathologists andaudiologists.1976Deborah Newton ChocolateProfessional Achievement: Author of ThePiano Man, a children’s Book-of-the-Month Club selection, published by Walker& Company.Debra Gardner MorrisPersonal Achievement: Selected as one often recipients of the “Unsung Heroines”Award presented by the Metropolitan AtlantaCoalition of 100 Black Women on Saturday,July 31, 1999. She was recognized for hervolunteer work with Planned Parenthood ofGeorgia, where she serves as Chair-elect ofthe Board of Directors and has been a volunteercounselor on the Planned Parenthoodof Georgia’s evening counselinghotline.Denise Stephenson-HawkProfessional Achievement: AppointedProvost at Spelman in August of 1999. Hermost recent position was chair of theDepartment of Physics at Clark Atlanta University.1977Zenobia HikesProfessional Achievement: Appointed VicePresident and Dean for Student Affairs atSpelman in August of 1999. Her most recentassignment was Assistant to the Vice Presidentfor Student Life at the University ofDelaware.28S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

NewsmakersPick up a magazine — be it Black Enterprise, Essence, Time orNewsweek — or skim a newspaper — perhaps The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The St. Louis Post or your favorite local daily - and chancesare you will find some reference to or mention of Spelman College andits alumnae. Women who are making noise, making waves, makingmarks, making decisions and making a difference in the world. We continueour alumnae “makers” segments in this issue with Newsmakers.Let it be known that as alumnae continue to make news, theSpelman Messenger is determined to report it.A historic photograph of MelbaMoore Carter, C’49, appears on theMay/June 1999 cover of SocialEducation,the official journal of the NationalCouncil for the Social Studies. The photographcaptures Carter on a 1961picket of Rich’s Department Store inAtlanta. She was protesting the store’srefusal to hire black clerks.The 1999 Best of Atlanta issue of AtlantaMagazine featured May 22, 1901, the occasionof Spelman’s first college commencement,as one of “the moments that shapedAtlanta’s soul.” The first two college graduates,Claudia White (Harreld)and Jane Anna Granderson, arepictured.The September 11-18, 1999 editionof The Reporter announced 15thAnnual Brunch and Biennial Celebrationof The National Political Congressof Black Women, Inc. (NPCBW)where Christine King Farris, C’48,was slated to be honored as a LivingLegend.Alexine Clement Jackson, C’56, is featured in a national advertisementcampaign by America’s Pharmaceutical Companies. The full-pageadvertisement, which has appeared in publications such as Newsweek,focuses on Jackson’s 12-year triumph over breast cancer. She attributesthis to the work of pharmaceutical researchers and their quests for bettermedicines and cures. (See photo on page 16.)Spelman women are about business, as documented in issues of BlackEnterprise. In the May 1999 issue, Sylvia H. Cordy, C’67, president ofCordy & Co., a public relations and training firm with offices in Denverand Maryland, offers tips on building media relations (Black Enterprise,“A TV guide for Entrepreneurs”). Marjorie Whigham-Desir, C’80,corporate issues editor for Black Enterprise, is the writer of an articleprofiling the B.E. Auto Dealer of the Year, “Bigger is Better,” appearing inJune 1999. The magazine reserved its August 1999 “Powerplay ProfessionalSpotlight” for Jerri Devard, C’79. The profile focuses onDevard’s impressive and varied career track in the area of marketing,and her unique ability to make strategic transitions from one businessto the next.Who wouldn’t expect to find Spelmanwomen on the pages of the magazine for“today’s African American woman?” Thepoignant story of Scherryl JeffersonHarrison, C’69, a prosecutor of abusersof women who was herself experiencingabuse, is told in “HerToughest Case,” an article appearingin the August 1999 issue ofBlack Enterprise magazine. TheSeptember 1999 Essence issueincludes a segment on actressAnika Hawkins, C’95, showingoff the season’s hottest hairstyles.Sherri McGee, C’87, offersinsight on how top celebrities relaxand renew in the October issue. Inthe same issue, the latest book of Marian Wright Edelman, C’60,Lanterns: A Memoir of Mentors, is reviewed. Latanya RichardsonJackson, C’72, her husband actor Samuel L. Jackson, and daughter,Zoe, adorn the cover of the lastEssence of the 1990s. They exploretheir trials and triumphs as a familyin the midst of the Hollywood.Finally, you should know thatSpelman women are behind thescenes at Essence as well. MeeraBowman Johnson, C’94, isAssociate Art Director, NicoleMcKenzie, C’98, is AssistantManager of Sales and Promotionand Ava Williams, C’88,is an editorial intern.Dazon Dixon Diallo, C’86, is featured in the October/Novemberissue of Ms. magazine for her work in the area of HIV/AIDS and reproductivehealth. Dazon founded SisterLove, now the oldest and largestfull-service HIV/AIDS organization for women in Georgia, which provideseducation, housing and support services for those at risk for orinfected by the virus.W I N T E R / S P R I N G 2 0 0 029

1978Pamela Sanders EllisBirth: Daughters, Zapporah Sarah and AnyaEllis, born on December 31, 1998.Professional Achievement: Appointed March5, 1999 to the Maryland Board of Examinersof Optometry by Governor Parris Glendeningfor a term ending in 2002. Shereceived a doctoral degree from the PennsylvaniaCollege of Optometry in 1984.Camille LewisProfessional Achievement: Appointed VicePrincipal, Wilson’s Classical School HighSchool, Long Beach, California.Education: Received a Masters Degree inCurriculum and Administration fromNational University in Los Angeles.Cynthia Neal SpenceProfessional Achievement: Appointed AcademicDean at Spelman, where she has beena valued member of the Spelman facultyand staff since 1981. She most recently heldthe position of Associate Academic Dean.1980Deborah Johnson MitchellProfessional Achievement: Named the1999-2000 Atlanta Public Schools Teacherof the Year.1981Tanya Jones GrantProfessional Achievement: Named assistantdirector in the Office of Human Resourcesat Sinclair Community College, effectiveMarch 1, 1999. As director, she is responsiblefor management of staffing, performancemanagement and the positionclassification process of the College. Shealso serves as the Equal EmploymentOpportunity officer for the College, responsiblefor areas related to diversity and legalcompliance.1982Patricia BlackwellProfessional Achievement: Owner of “Fromthe Heart,” a collection of unique handmadeand mass produced art cards. Contacther at P.O. Box 130225, Ann Arbor, Michigan,48113-0225 to order special occasionand holiday cards.Gracie M. HutchersonProfessional Achievement: Appointed to theposition of interim director of the MarianWright Edelman Child Development Centerof Spelman College.1983Alfredia Shelton WingateBirth: Son, Ernest Wingate, IV, to her andher husband, Ernest III on July 29, 1999.Ernest IV weighed 6 lbs., 1 oz. and was 20inches long.1984Rosalind Gates BrewerPersonal Achievement: Promoted to VicePresident of Woven Fabrics Business atKimberly-Clark, giving her responsibilityfor her own sector. This position makes herthe first African-American female officer inthe history of the company.Annette Davis JacksonMarried: Thomas LaMarr Jackson on Saturday,July 24, 1999 at Eastminster PresbyterianChurch in Stone Mountain, Georgia.Margarethia G. EllisPersonal Achievement: Became the “FirstLady” of Macon, Georgia when her husband,Jack Ellis, was elected mayor of thecity, making him the city’s first black chiefexecutive officer.1985Deborah E. JohnsonMarried: Daniel H. Hoover on Saturday,November 27, 1999 on Hilton Island, SouthCarolina.Professional Achievement: Her artworkappeared in “Fat,” an exhibition exploringbody image, in May 1999. Her paintingswere also part of the 1999 Nexus Biennial,“Celebrating Local Figures,” a thoughtprovokingroundup of metro Atlanta artists.Annette Byrd TurnerBirth: Daughter, Lindsay Allison, born onJune 12, 1998 in Atlanta, Georgia.Cheryl Lewis VowelsBirth: Son, Robert (Robbie) Clifford Vowels,III on February 23, 1999.1986Debbie Marable ClementsProfessional Achievement: Accepted a communicationsposition at NCR in DaytonOhio in the area of Global Operations Support,Sales Process and Quality Communications.Dazon Dixon DialloMarried: Elimane Amadou Diallo on Saturday,September 11, 1999 at Camp JohnHope in Fort Valley, Georgia.Anna PonderEducation: Received a Ph.D. in PoliticalScience from Yale University.Professional Achievement: A Bill Bradley forPresident staff associate, she is the personaland traveling aide to Ernestine SchlantBradley, wife of the presidential candidate.Patrice McWherter PyeMarried: Albert C. Pye, Jr. on Saturday, June26, 1999 at Mt. Zion Missionary BaptistChurch in East St. Louis, Illinois.1987Karen Burns-HillBirth: Daughter, Madison Nicole Hill, bornon May 16, 1999 in Atlanta, Georgia to herand husband Victor.Melanie Grant JonesBirth: Daughters Sinclair Alyssa and MadisonLeigh born Thursday, September 23,1999 to her and husband, Tyree, and theirproud brother, Conner.Cynthia SteedProfessional Achievement: Joined RichmondGoodwill as a Job Retention Specialist.Her responsibilities include serving as aliaison between the YWCA and RichmondGoodwill under a new program, ProjectIndependence, designed to provide employmentservices to women who have been victimsof domestic violence.1988Joi Bostic HollowayBirth: Son, Kenneth Wesley Holloway, bornon July 27, 1999, 20 inches long and weighingin at 6 lbs., 13 1/2 oz.Jacquelyn Jones NanceMarried: Fred Nance on April 25, 1999 inShaker Heights, Ohio, in a ceremony performedby the mayor of Cleveland, MichaelR. White. The bride is a planned giving officerfor The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.The groom is a partner at the internationallaw firm of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, LLP.Professional Achievement: Recently electedto the Board of the Ohio Council ofFundraising Executives. She is also the current,and youngest ever, president of theCleveland Chapter of Northeasterners, Inc.and a Board member of the Northeast OhioChapter of the Susan G. Komen Breast CancerFoundation.Brett Savage-SimonBirth: Son, Richard Jordan Simon. born onAugust 8, 1999 in Freeport, New York, 20inches long and weighing 7 lbs.1989Nefatiti Richardson AndersonBirth: Daughter, Nefatiti Khya Anderson,born on May 16, 1999 to her and her husband,Richard. The baby weighed 7 lb. andwas 19 inches long at birth.Kupenda Auset (Joette HarlandWatts)Professional Achievement: Announced therelease of Time Change: New “Life”Poems, her second volume of poetry, publishedby Soulstice Publishing , Inc., P.O.Box 491557, Atlanta, Georgia 30347-1557,ISBN# 0-9658783-1-7.Cherie Bluncson DotsonProfessional Achievement: Named coordinatorof the University of Delaware’s Networkof Undergraduate CollaborativeLearning Experiences for UnderrepresentedScholars (NUCLEUS). Her responsibilitiesentail advising students who have a stronginterest in biology, chemistry, biochemistry,medical technology, physics and computerscience.Kyra Stinson HarveyPersonal Achievement: Speaker for SpelmanConvocation on September 9, 1999.She was also selected to participate in apanel discussion on benefits of the Spelmanexperience during the October 1999 meetingof the Spelman College Board ofTrustees.Sheronda Youngblood MintonProfessional Achievement: Assistant Directorof Development and Alumni Relationsfor the Goizueta Business School of EmoryUniversity.1990Robin Hurley BrownEducation: Graduated from the Universityof Maryland, Robert H. Smith BusinessSchool with an MBA. and a Master of Sciencein Information Systems in May, 1999.Married: Lt. Jeffrey Carlton Brown, USN, onJanuary 9, 1999 at Metropolitan A.M.E.Church in Washington, D.C.Gretchen Cook-AndersonMarried: Thomas Anderson on June 19th,1999 in an outdoor ceremony with anindoor reception at the Argyle Country Clubin Silver Spring, Maryland.Cindy Catlett FontenotMarried: Louis Fontenot, Jr. on March 1,1997. The groom is a Morehouse graduateof the Class of 1989. The couple lives inPortland, Oregon.Professional Achievement: Promoted to anew position at NIKE, Inc., in sports marketing,in charge of a catalog for fitnessinstructors. She has been with the companysince 1994 holding positions in public relationsand women’s basketball sports marketing.Askhari Johnson Hodari (CarlissJohnson)Education: Received a Ph.D. in psychologyfrom Howard University in May 1999.Robyn Brady InceMarried: William Charles Ince on Saturday,July 10, 1999 at First African MethodistEpiscopal Church, Kansas City, Kansas.Professional Achievement: Assistant VicePresident, Educational Grantmaking andPartnerships, Deutsche Bank AmericasFoundation, New York, New York.30S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

NewsmakersA Spelman alumna was among15 outstanding corporate professionalselected to receive a 1999CareerFOCUS Eagle Award.Yvonne R. Jackson, C’70, issaluted in the November/December1999 issue of CareerFOCUS for “triumphantlybalancing her professionaland community leadership.”Ms. Jackson is currently Senior VicePresident, Human Resources, Organizationand Environment at Compaq inHouston, TX and a member of the SpelmanCollege Board of Trustees.In industry and professional publications, Brenda C. Siler, C’75, wasrecognized as one of the country’s 12 leading African Americans in PublicRelations by PR Week in its February 22, 1999 issue. With more than 20years’ experience in communications and nonprofit/association management,Siler is director of public relations for the AmericanSpeech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Greer L.Geiger, M.D., ‘76, is the sole subject of a recent GreaterBirmingham Edition of M.D. News, a business and lifestylemagazine for physicians. Geiger is an ophthalmologist specializingin retina surgery and the medical management ofretinal diseases, a field in which there are very few AfricanAmerican women. In addition to private practice, she is presidentof the Alabama Academy of Ophthalmology and chairof the National Medical Association Ophthalmology Section,among other professional memberships. (See page 14.)The Baptist Standard and Texas news sources covered the graduation ofCassandra A. Jones, C’79, the first African American woman to receivea doctor of philosophy degree at Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary inFort Worth, Texas. Her degree is in the area of administration.Even on the World Wide Web, Spelman alumnae are making their presenceknown. The St. Louis Post on-line publication, found at www.postnet.com,offers a captivating Arts & Entertainment Special Report, “TheDenise Thimes Story.” This indepth,five-part series finds aPost reporter and a photojournalistfollowing actress andsinger Denise Thimes, C’84,as she travels from her St. Louishome to spend time in NewYork City in an effort to grabhold of her dream to performon Broadway. In addition to theW I N T E R / S P R I N G 2 0 0 0series of articles, you can also access story photographs, as wellas listen to excerpts from Thimes’ performances. And inAugust 1999, a creative profile on Kim Stinger, C’93 couldbe found at www.hallmark.com, the Web site of Hallmark. Inthe profile, Stinger shares her thoughts as editor of the company’ssummer promotion of the Certainly Lord card line,which captures the beliefs and spirit of African Americanfaith.Although the Spelman scope is an international one,more than one-third of the College’s 9,500 alumnae liveand work in metropolitan Atlanta and Georgia. So, asstudents, faculty and staff bring greater recognition tothe College from within the gates, the achievements ofalumnae attest to the worthiness of our mission in the surroundingcommunities. In August, Teree Caldwell-Johnson, C’78,made headlines when she was the top candidate for Fulton County Manager,a position she ultimately decided not to accept. In September, NewJersey native Karen Calloway Williams, C’88, was profiled in TheAtlanta Journal-Constitution “Arts & Books” section when she came totown with the stage production of Riverdance. She is the first female todo the production number,“Trading Taps.” DeborahJohnson Mitchell, C’80,was named the 1999-2000Atlanta Public SchoolsTeacher of the Year. The subjectof a touching article inthe CITYLIFE section of theThursday, October 7, 1999 editionof The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Mitchell is alanguage arts, mathematicsand science teacher at Slater Elementary School. She rose to the top of adynamic group of 91 other teachers, and won out over the top middleand high school teachers. She has been named a CNN Teacher of theMonth and an Atlanta Braves Teacher of the Year. And in November,Juanita Blount-Clark, C’74, was called a “builder,” a “problemsolver” and an “energetic innovator” in news reports upon being nameddirector of the division of Family and Children Services by Georgia GovernorRoy Barnes.The Clayton Neighbor profiled community activist Gail Davenport,C’70, in the People section of the Wednesday, December22, 1999 edition. A resident of Clayton County, Georgia for morethan 40 years, Davenport is lauded for her many efforts on behalfof her community. Among other involvements, she is presidentand founder of the Concerned Black Citizens’ Coalition of ClaytonCounty, which organizes voter registration drives and spearheadsthe Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration in Clayton County.31

Loree D. JonesProfessional Achievement: Appointed ExecutiveDirector of the African Studies Association(ASA), the largest scholarly associationfor the study of Africa in the world. She ischarged with bringing leadership anddemocratic administration to the growingbody of U.S. scholars of Africa.Willette Robertson-CrowderProfessional Achievement: Completed herresidency training in internal medicine atMt. Carmel Medical Center in Columbus,Ohio in 1999. She is now in private practice.1991Rita Sinkfield BelinMarried: Reverend Henry Allen Belin, III onSaturday, August 28, 1999 at Saint PaulAfrican Methodist Episcopal Church,Atlanta, Georgia.Janee Cornelison CampEducation: Received a degree of Juris Doctorfrom the Ohio State University College ofLaw in May 1995.Married: Daryl Franklin Camp, a 1991graduate of Morehouse College, on April 4,1998 at Lincoln Heights Missionary BaptistChurch in Cincinnati, Ohio.Lisa C. JenkinsProfessional Achievement: Joined the WestmorelandMedical Center, part of the Tri-County Medical Corporation in Montross,Virginia. Her appointment was made by theHealth Resources and Services Administration’sNational Health Service Corps(NHSC). Prior to joining the NHSC in September,she completed her family practiceresidency at Ghent Family Practice in Norfolk,Virginia. She earned an M.D. in 1996from Morehouse School of Medicine.1992Krishna FosterPersonal Achievement: Selected to Participatein a panel discussion on benefits of theSpelman experience during the October1999 meeting of the Spelman College Boardof Trustees.Erica D. SaxbyProfessional Achievement: Appointed AssistantProfessor in Department of Family,Community and leadership Development atThe University of Tennessee at Knoxville.1993Kimberly Rice BennekinBirth: Son, Asa Rishon Bennekin, born June19, 1999, 19.5 inches in length and weighing8 lbs., 6.6 oz.Jessica CarterEducation: Currently enrolled in theJD/MBA program at Duke University, fromwhich she anticipates graduating in 2002.Professional Achievement: Spent the summerof 1999 as an associate at Morgan,Lewis & Bockius, LLP in Washington, D.C.Germayne CrowProfessional Achievement: Co-author of thearticle, “The Invisible People,” on issuessurrounding homelessness which appearsin the Fall 1999 edition of Pastoral Forum(pp. 20-21), a publication of the PastoralInstitute in Columbus, Georgia, where sheis a practicum student.Amy Espy-SmithMarried: David Smith on April 17, 1999 inColumbus, Ohio.Lori Paschal PattonMarried: Harold O. Patton on October 7,1999 in Jackson, Mississippi.Professional Achievement: Teacher withJackson Public Schools in Jackson, Mississippi.Deanna RogersProfessional Achievement: Selected asTeacher of the Year at New Prospect ElementarySchool, in Fulton County, Georgia,for the 1999-2000 school year. She was alsonamed a finalist for the Fulton CountyTeacher of the year. She was one of threefinalists named from among 40 eligible elementaryschools, after a process thatincluded a nine-page essay, an interviewand classroom observation.Monica Willis-CampbellEducation: Received a D.D.S. from the Universityof Michigan in 1998.Married: Wendell (Trey) Campbell, III,D.D.S., a 1993 Morehouse graduate.1994Alicia Barney DuckMarried: Glenn Edward Duck, Jr. on Saturday,July 3, 1999 in Erie, PennsylvaniaMeera Bowman JohnsonMarried: Mat Johnson in Philadelphia,Pennsylvania on June 11, 1999.Professional Achievement: Associate ArtDirector at Essence magazine.Janie Orrington-MyersEducation: Received the degree of Doctor ofOsteopathic Medicine from the PhiladelphiaCollege of Osteopathic Medicine onSunday, June 6, 1999.1995Loren ComptonEducation: Pursuing an MBA degree, fulltime,at The Wharton School of the Universityof Pennsylvania. She anticipatesgraduating in 2001.Eva V. GastonEducation: Received an M.D. degree fromBaylor College of Medicine in Houston,Texas on May 25, 1999. She was alsoaccepted into the pediatrics residency programat Baylor.Liliet GriffithEducation: Received a Master of Divinitydegree, with a certificate in Black ChurchStudies, from Emory University in May 1999.Professional Achievement: Joined the staffof The Fund for Theological Education asreceptionist and office assistant.Tawnya Plummer LaughinghouseMarried: Scott Alan Laughinghouse onDecember 6, 1998 at the Oakwood CollegeSeventh Day Adventist Church in Huntsville,Alabama.Shameka Hunt McElhaneyPersonal Achievement: Her marriage toAlenka McElhaney at the Addison OaksConference Center in Rochester, Michigan,was featured on the Society World page ofthe October 4, 1999 issue of Jet magazine(p.29). The bride is a medical student at theMorehouse School of Medicine, while thebridegroom is a financial analyst for KPMG,LLP, and a graduate of Morehouse College.Morrissa Marshall RiceBirth: Daughter, Taylor Brije Rice, born onOctober 27, 1997Education: Received a Masters Degree inHealth Administration from Hofstra Universityin May 1999.Married: George Edward Rice, III, a 1995Morehouse graduate, on August 21, 1999.The couple resides in Toledo, Ohio.Professional Achievement: Manager ofEnvironmental Services for the NorthwestOhio Developmental Center in Toledo, OhioAyanay Ferguson SmithPersonal Achievement: Her marriage toTorrey Smith, a Morehouse College alumnus,was featured on the Society World pageof the July 5, 1999 issue of Jet magazine.The bride is pursuing a Ph.D. in clinicalpsychology at Georgia State University. Thegroom is a clerk with the Connecticut StateCourt of Appeals.1996Marisa A. J. HallEducation: Graduated from the F.W. OlinGraduate School of Business at Babson Collegeon May 15, 1999. She is the first Spelmanstudent to graduate from theSpelman/Babson Access Partnership.Professional Achievement: Working in electroniccommerce and as a lecturer at theBermuda College, she has been appointedto the E-Commerce Advisory Board for theBermuda Government.Johnita MizelleProfessional Achievement: Promoted to theposition of vice president with The WilliamsCapital Group, LLP, New York, New York.Marla Posey-MossEducation: Graduated from the H. JohnHeinz III School of Public Policy and Managementat Carnegie Mellon University inMay 1988 with a master’s degree in PublicPolicy and Management.Married: Carlton J. Moss, Jr., a 1995 Morehousegraduate, on August 22, 1998 inCleveland, Ohio.Personal Achievement: Serves as correspondingsecretary for the Baltimore Chapterof the National Alumnae Association ofSpelman College (NAASC).Professional Achievement: A Governor’sPolicy Fellow for the State of Maryland inthe Department of Business and EconomicDevelopment within the Economic Policyand Legislation Office.1997Darlene A. ScottEducation: A second-year student at VirginiaCommonwealth University, where sheis pursuing a master of fine arts in creativewriting, with a specialty in poetry.1998Kaia AndersonProfessional Achievement: Her new company,Look Beyond Marketing, debuted atthe V103 For Sisters Only Expo, held August7 & 8, 1999 in Atlanta. The company providesimages of the African American experiencethat defy negative stereotypes, andoffers alternative avenues to gain experienceand exposure in the modeling and fashionindustries. You may contact the company atKAIA2@aol.com for information.Monica C. FarmerEducation: Chosen to receive a GraduateCouncil Fellowship to The University ofAlabama for the 1999-2000 academic year.The most prestigious and competitive graduatefellowships at the University, theseawards are given to students with the highestacademic and scholarly qualifications.One of 62 graduate students awarded a fellowshipfor the year, she is pursuing a master’sdegree in industrial engineering.1999Melissa Kyser SamuelMarried: William Don Samuel, Jr. on Saturday,September 18, 1999 at Piedmont Parkin Atlanta, Georgia.32S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

In Memoriam1920Eleanor Cotton JanuaryReal-estate investor, philanthropist andvolunteerDied: September 21, 1999Services: September 25, 1999, Chapel of theChimes, Oakland, California.Eleanor Cotton January received certificatesin dressmaking, millinery and cookingwhen she graduated from SpelmanSeminary in 1920. Throughout her lifetime,she showed her love and support ofSpelman as an advocate and leading donor.She was featured in the Winter/Spring 1998issue of the Spelman Messenger, in thearticle “Living Longer and Better,” for herexample of remaining active at the age of101. She was 103 years old at the time of herpassing.1932Rubye Louise Sampson WalkerRetired English and Latin teacher in theBaltimore school system, avid bridge player,bowler and world travelerDied: June 8, 1999Services: June 19, 1999, Grace PresbyterianChurch, Baltimore, MDRubye Louise Sampson Walker wasvaledictorian of the Spelman College Classof 1932. A native of Quitman, Georgia, shewas also a graduate of the SpelmanSeminary, which her mother, Louella GarySampson, had also attended.Rubye Louise Sampson Walker, C’32 isshown with members of her family, includingher quadruplet great-grandchildren.1937Leolive Watts TuckerRetired educator and civil rights activistDied: December 13, 1999Services: December 19, 1999 at CommunityChurch of New York, New York, New YorkIn 1948, Leolive Watts Tucker beganteaching in the NYC public school system in1948 where she worked for more than 40years. She was at the forefront of schoolintegration. Her professional longevity wasparalleled by her activism in the New Yorkcommunity and beyond. She was an officerof the Harlem Branch of the NAACP andhosted a talk show where she onceinterviewed Malcolm X. For many years sheworked closely with Harlem civil rightsattorney Percy Sutton. Mrs. Tucker wasactive in national and pan-Africanintegration, traveling to Ghana, Nigeria andEgypt in such efforts. In 1961, she foundedthe 20th Century Creators, a Harlem artists’coalition.1939Zelma Thomas PetersRetired West Point High School counselorDied: March 31, 1999 in Troupe, GeorgiaServices: April 6, 1999 at Emanuel ChapelC.M.E. Church, West Point, Georgia1941Ruth Redmond HallRetired jewelry store business owner,member of the Washington, D.C. Chapter,NAASCServices: February 23, 1999 at PeoplesCongregational Church in Washington,D.C.1942Lois H. WrightRetired elementary school teacherDied: November 30, 1999Services: December 3, 1999, DawsonMortuary Chapel, Atlanta, Georgia1944Jeanne M. SpurlockFormer Spelman student and recipient ofan honorary degree in 1984, retired officialof the American Psychiatric Association andan advocate for children and minorities inthe area of mental healthDied: November 25, 1999 in Washington,D.C.1949Elizabeth Cassandra WilliamsRetired librarian, Spelman College ReunionvolunteerDied: July 19, 1999Services: July 23, 1999, Shrine of theImmaculate Conception, Atlanta, Georgia1952Gracie Coleman WhiteRetired teacherDied: November 29, 1999Services: December 3, 1999, Hoosier UnitedMethodist Church, Atlanta, Georgia1953Gloria Glenn JonesRetired health educator, church musicianDied: September 1999Services: September 25, 1999, Shiloh BaptistChurch, Jonesboro, Georgia1955Joan Farris McTeerMental health care professional, SpelmanCollege Reunion volunteerDied: September 1, 1999Services: September 4, 1999, FriendshipBaptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia1956Christine Thrasher GlennWife, mother, retired educator, communityvolunteer and devoted church memberDied: January 8, 2000Services: January 15,2000 at MarylandAvenue Baptist Church, Chicago, Illinois1964Patricia Washington ClementDaughter, sister and mother of Spelmanalumnae, entrepreneur, church and communityvolunteerDied: December 30, 1999Services: January 4, 2000 at FirstCongregational Church, Atlanta, Georgia1967Wilma Curry JacksonAttorney, community volunteerDied: January 5, 1999Services: January, 9, 1999, HartfordMemorial Baptist Church, Detroit, MichiganWilma Curry Jackson used her life to give toothers. It was her unquestionablecommitment to everything in which she wasinvolved that drew people to her. Her work onbehalf of Spelman College and the DetroitChapter of the National Alumnae Associationof Spelman College was no different. She wasa committed alumna and a member of afamily with anearly andimpressiveSpelman legacythat began in1901 with hergrandmother,Eppie Mann Wilma Curry Jackson, C’67Wilder, whoattended Spelman Seminary, and continueswith her niece, India Phipps, of the Class of1999.1970Vivian Yvonne Greene-GantzbergAuthor and associate professor of Germaniclanguages and literatureDied: July 2, 1998 in Silver Spring, MD1972Millicent Gayle Mitchell-PeterkinChurch and community volunteerDied: Tuesday, August 18th, 1998 at SouthFulton Medical Center, Atlanta, Georgia.Services: August 26, 1998, the Chapel ofChristian Love Baptist Church, Atlanta,Georgia.1979Darrion “Pam” BullockWife, mother, Fulton County assistantsolicitor, church deaconDied: July 20, 1999Services: December 29, 1999 at pleasantGrove Baptist Church, Marietta, GeorgiaPhyllis A. StansellLaw professional, mother, church andcommunity volunteer.Died: July 20, 1999Services: July 24, 1999 at Mt. Ararat BaptistChurch, Jacksonville, Florida1980Gina Arnette AranzulloLogistician, member of the NationalAlumnae Association of Spelman CollegeDied: August 12, 1999Services: Brown Funeral Home, Eatontown,New Jersey1982Linda Renee CrewsHigh school teacherDied: October 6, 1999Services: October 9, 1999, Valhalla MemoryGardens, Huntsville, Alabama

Non-Profit Org.U.S. PostagePAIDAtlanta, GeorgiaPermit No. 1569SPELMAN COLLEGE350 Spelman Lane S.W.Atlanta, Georgia 30314Revival of the SpiritThe Campaign for the Renovationand Preservation of Sisters Chapel.