Fall 2008 (Vol. 119 No. 2) Text (PDF) - Spelman College: Home

THE ALUMNAE MAGAZINE OF SPELMAN COLLEGEVOLUME 119 NUMBER 2 FALL 2008

A Choice to Change the WorldS P E L M A NMessengerEDITORJo Moore StewartCOPY EDITORJanet M. BarstowGRAPHIC DESIGNGaron HartEDITORIAL COMMITTEEEloise A. Alexis, C’86Cindy Brooks Baumgardner, C’90Dineo A. Brinson, C’94Joyce DavisTomika DePriest, C’89Kassandra Kimbriel JolleyRenita MathisKenique Penn, C’2000WRITERSMae Gentry, C’73Denise McFallLorraine RobertsonAngela Brown TerrellPHOTOGRAPHERSCindy Brooks Baumgardner, C'90Wilford HarewoodCurtis McDowellFurery ReidJ.D. ScottBud SmithSpelman ArchivesJo Moore StewartJulie Yarbrough, C’91The Spelman Messenger is published twice a year(Summer/Fall and Winter/Spring) by Spelman College,350 Spelman Lane, S.W., Atlanta, Georgia30314-4399, free of charge for alumnae, donors,trustees and friends of the College. Recipients wishingto change the address to which the SpelmanMessenger is sent should notify the editor, givingboth old and new addresses. Third-class postage paidat Atlanta, Georgia. Publication No. 510240CREDOThe Spelman Messenger, founded in 1885, is dedicated to participating in the ongoingeducation of our readers through enlightening articles designed to promote lifelonglearning. The Spelman Messenger is the alumnae magazine of Spelman College and iscommitted to educating, serving and empowering Black women.

MessengerS P E L M A NVOLUME119, NUMBER 2FALL 2008Contents2 VoicesSpelman Blends Old and New Voices toChange the WorldCOVER8 J. Veronica Biggins, C’68:A Profile of Power With GraceB Y D ENISE M CFALLCOVER PHOTO BY J.D. SCOTT11 Black Women in Politics:Red, White & Spelman BlueB Y M AE G ENTRY14 Alumnae Notes4 Books & PapersBook Reviews & Book Notes14 Sister-to-Sister Letter15 Alumnae Achievement Awards16 Alumnae Notes17 Take Note!30 Reunion 200838 In Memoriam

Spelman Blends Old andTHE SPELMAN HYMN (1934)W ORDS AND M USIC BY E DDYE M ONEY S HIVERY, C’34VoicesSpelman, thy name we praiseStandards and honor raise.We’ll ever faithful beThroughout eternity.May peace with thee abideAnd God forever guideThy heights supreme and true.Blessings to you.Eddye Money Shivery, C’34PHOTO: JO MOORE STEWARTThrough years of toil and painMay thy dear walls remain.Beacons of heavenly light,Undaunted by the fight.And when life’s race is won,Thy noble work is done,Oh God, forever bindOur hearts to Thine.2S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

New Voices to Change the WorldA CHOICE TO CHANGE THE WORLD (2008)W ORDS BY S ARAH S TEPHENS, C’2007M USIC BY D R . KEVIN J OHNSON AND S ARAH S TEPHENS, C2007C HORUSIt’s my choiceAnd I choose to change the worldIt’s my voiceAnd I’ll speak with pride and courageI’ll be the change I wanna seeI’ll scream out loud and sayIt’s my choiceAnd I choose to change the worldV ERSE O NEWhy put off for tomorrowWhat I can do todayWhy wait for anotherWhen I can pave the wayNo matter how young or oldI hold the power of changeRather large or small, few or allMy choice remains the sameB RIDGEThe change begins todayWith every choice that I makeSpelman look around and seeWhere the changes need to beEnd povertyFighting overseasAnother dies from a diseaseEnd hypocrisyStarving on the streetsAnd no one does a single thingC HORUSIt’s my choiceMake a choiceWhat’s your choice?It’s my choiceAnd I choose to change the worldC HORUSV ERSE T WOWithin this institutionWe are women of changeThe shoulders that we stand uponNever received applause or famebut in their honor I will liveEach day better than beforeAnd show just how it takes a choiceTo change yourself and so much moreC HORUSPHOTO: JULIE YARBROUGH, C’91F A L L 2 0 0 8Sarah Stephens, C’20073

Books&PapersBOOK REVIEWSA NGELA B ROWN T ERRELLTo the Break of Dawn:A Freestyle on the HipHop Aestheticby William Jelani Cobb(New York University Press)What is hip-hop? Ask a hundred peopleand you’ll get that many answers.But while we’re wondering, the beatgoes on. While it’s been praised,examined, ridiculed, condemned,copied, globalized, commercialized,funeralized and resurrected, thegenre’s still evolving some 30-plusyears later. William Jelani Cobb, anoted cultural writer and history professorat Spelman College who hailsfrom the New York borough ofQueens, an early epicenter of the hiphopquake, is offering understandingof the musical art form as an aesthetic,“not necessarily a social movement,”Cobb writes.Cobb’s approach in this 200-pagevolume focuses on the MC, or Master ofCeremonies, who “moves the crowds.”“Every MC raps, but notevery rapper is an MC…. Toavoid confusion, I use the termrapper as a general referenceto hip hop vocalists – and MCwhen I mean to connote thatspecific brand of verbalmarksmen who were forgedin the crucible of the streetjam, the battle, and the offthe-top-of-the-domefreestyle,” Cobb writes. Henotes that some MCs arealso rappers, “meaningthey have managed to existwithin the commercialarena while maintainingtheir integrity as artists.”In Break of Dawn, Cobb comparesthe roots of hip-hop with theblues, jazz, R&B, and other musicthat evolved from the trials and tribulationsof the African Diaspora. Heexamines the spiritual, literary andstreet culture influences evidenced inthe lyrics by the artists. But most ofall, he gives credit to the genius of somany musicians/poets of the genre.The names are there: Grand MasterFlash, Queen Latifah, PublicEnemy, MC Lyte, Notorious B.I.G.,Tupac, LL Cool J, Lauryn Hill, MosDef, Common and Nas, toname just a few. I foundmyself remembering themusic that my childrenhelped me to understand,and I nodded my head to animaginary beat as I readCobb’s lyrical prose. WhileCobb’s research is scholarly,his knowledge of hip-hopwill help the reader to betterunderstand why hiphopis here to stay.Taking AfterMudearBy Tina McElroy Ansa ,C’71(DownSouth Press)She’s back. The super-controllingmatriarch-gone-madMudear, whograced Tina McElroy Ansa’s secondnovel, Ugly Ways (published in 1993),reappears – after death, mind you –in this sequel, Ansa’s fifth novel. Notsurprising, as followers of her Southern-basednovels are aware, crossingthe lines into the spirit world is nothingnew for this best-selling author,whose Baby of the Family, The HandI Fan With, and You Know Better, areall filled with haunting spirits reluctantto give up their earthly ways. Nowriter today does better in bringing upold African American folklore andmaking it sound real in our contemporarylives.In Ugly Ways, readers were introducedto the three Lovejoy sisters –Betty, Emily and Annie Ruth, whogrew up in the shadow of their overpoweringmother, Esther MudearLovejoy. In one day, Mudear had4S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

turned from being a wife and caringmother to a self-centered eccentric whoslept all day and wandered about hergarden all night, not feeding, clothingor cleaning her family, but leaving allthe housekeeping duties and growingup details in the hands of the youngdaughters caught under her weirdspell. If that wasn’t bad enough, wheneverMudear spoke to her daughters, itwas always to deprecate their accomplishments,never to praise.Following her death, the three hadbeen trying hard to release themselvesfrom her supernatural influence, withlittle success. Even at Mudear’s funeral,she seemed to pull the girls in with heras they leaned over her coffin, nearlytoppling it.Would they ever escape?Now, six months after the funeral,the sisters are reunited in their hometownof Mulberry, Ga., where only theoldest, Betty, has settled successfully.The youngest, Annie Ruth, is expectinga baby girl and has come home toroost. Middle sister Emily is back tryingto put her shattered life together again.But as they try to shake loose fromthe past, strange things happen:“Then, it seemed that slowly afteronly a couple of weeks, Mudear hadslivered back into their thoughts andconversation, like a garter snake at agarden party.“None of the girls said it. But theyall knew it. Mudear was as much withthem half a year after her death as shehad ever been.”The question is, why? And then, asthey say, the fun begins.This novel marks the debut ofAnsa’s new publishing company,DownSouth Press. She has the uniqueability to tell stories that make youlaugh, learn, and get the shivers all atthe same time. Here’s hoping her nextnovel won’t be so long in coming.Seen It All andDone the RestBy Pearl Cleage, C’71(One World/Ballantine Books)Just when you think you’re going tohelp somebody, you discover it’s youwho needs rescuing. That’s the themeof Pearl Cleage’s latest book in whichexpatriate actress Josephine Evansrushes from her beloved Paris hometo Atlanta to help save her granddaughterin distress, whose life isgoing awry.But, is she running away fromher own troubles – she fears beingreplaced by a younger rival – to anAmerica she left behind long ago tofind fame and fortune?Living and working in Europe foran adoring audience was a total contrastto what Josephine had foundwhen she started out inthe racially discriminatingtheater world in the UnitedStates. She was the toast ofFrance and looked with disdainat any efforts to enticeher back to the states.Now, cautiously back inthe United States, our heroinefinds that home ain’t like itused to be. And maybe, justmaybe, there’s peace and purposeawaiting her in this seasonof her later years.Anchored in Cleage’s favoredAtlanta neighborhood of the WestEnd, also the scene of her previousnovels Some Things I Thought I’dNever Do, Babylon Sisters andBaby Brother’s Blues, Seen It Allreintroduces some old friends andweaves in new ones, all with seamlessskill.Thinking she will increase herretirement nest egg by selling the oldfamily homestead she inherited,which is now in a state of disrepair,Josephine finds instead a new role toplay in saving a neighborhood fromthe clutches of real estate speculatorshell-bent on “urban removal” at theexpense of the homeowners.The ensuing battle helps oldfriends, new ones, granddaughterZora and Josephine find out who theyreally are and what values are mostimportant.As always, playwright, poet, andnovelist, Cleage sets the stage for anintriguing and fun adventure lacedwith social issues, personal growthand, most of all, love.F A L L 2 0 0 8 5

Ida: A Sword Among LionsBy Paula J. Giddings (Amistad)Subtitled Ida B. Wells and the Campaign AgainstLynching, Paula Giddings’ scholarly tome is athoroughly researched, enlightening biography ofthis crusading journalist and activist of the late19th and early 20th centuries. It was a dauntingtask to collect information on Wells, since over theyears much of her work and contributions havebeen lost, scattered or ignored by white historiansand Black civil rights organizations. Determinedto gather enough material to produce this volume,Giddings, a former visiting professor at SpelmanCollege who is now a professor in Afro-AmericanStudies at Smith College, combed through countlessBlack press articles, minutes of meetings andWells’ own diary, along with books by others relatingto the period. From this, the author has beenable to paint a cohesive picture of African Americanlife in the United States, as well as a view ofthis woman with strong ideals, a short temper,religious convictions and Victorian attitudes.Against the dual odds of racism and sexismfacing African American women, Wells took astand against the epidemic of lynching in theUnited States. Thousands of Black men, womenand children faced white mobs intent on carryingout this brand of lawless, brutalizing murder.Because of political and social attitudes of leaderswho sought to distance themselves from the notorietyof lynching, true statistics have been hard tocome by. But, according to a 2002 report in Timemagazine, “between 1882 and 1968, at least 4,742African Americans were murdered that way.”Born of slave parents in 1862 in Holly Springs,Miss., Wells was orphaned at age 16, took over thecare of five younger siblings, attended Rust College,and worked as a teacher. Eventually, she got ateaching position in Memphis and moved therewith her sisters while her brothers went to live withrelatives. When discriminated against during atrain ride and not allowed to ride in the “ladies’car,” Wells sued the railroad and eventually won.She wrote anti-discrimination and anti-lynchingarticles, started her own newspaper and, finally,was exiled from her home because of deaththreats. She continued to travel around the countryto crusade for justice. Eventually, she marriedRobert Barnett, a Chicago-based businessman,and continued her traveling and writing evenwhile carrying along her nursing child. She hadtwo sons, a daughter and two stepsons.Wells-Barnett never let up her tirade againstinjustice, even when emerging male-dominatedorganizations and some whitewomen-led groups usurped her antilynchingcrusade as their own orrefused to give her credit for her pioneeringwork. Wells-Barnett wasslighted by some of the great leadersof the time, including Booker T.Washington, W.E.B. DuBois andMary Church Terrell; however,Wells-Barnett continued her work,including forming political andsocial awareness havens for southernAfrican American women whomigrated to the North. She died in1931, determined to the end toeducate the world about the contributionsof African Americansto world culture and history.Giddings has given thisunsung hero her due.The African AmericanWoman Golfer: Her LegacyBy M. Mikell Johnson (Praeger)When M. Mikell Johnson, Ph.D., discovered thatmost of the history of African American golfers hadbeen written by men about men, she took on themission to “document the existence of any AfricanAmerican women associated with golf on an amateuror professional basis.”This groundbreaking volume offers detailedinformation about golf, Black golfers, their strugglesand especially how some women golfers weregiven credit many times only as supporters andmanagers of their golfing men, despite havingtheir own skills. For example, you might readmore about the management skills of Rose Elder,as she helped her former husband Lee Eldertoward playing in the Masters Tournament. Whatyou probably won’t know, however, is Rose Elderheld her own as an amateur competitor in theUnited Golfers Association, which was the minorityanswer to the PGA.Althea Gibson, most recognized for her tennisprowess, was also a powerful golfer and the firstBlack woman to join the LPGA, which launchedher professional golf career. Gibson, who died in2003, was posthumously inducted into the 2005Inaugural African American Golfers Hall of Fameand the National Black Golf Hall of Fame in 2007.Dr. Johnson, a golfer for more than 30 years,used her experience and skills as a major cancer6S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

science researcher to put together this book ofinformation, complete with statistics, history,resources, photographs, bibliographies andbiographies, to enlighten us on the invaluablecontributions African American women golfershave made to open opportunities for others.These were women who fought long and hardfor the civil rights of Black golfers – both men andwomen – to be able to play and compete in all arenas.In 1937, two major women’s golf clubs wereformed: Wake Robin Golf Club in the Maryland/D.C./Virginia area and the Chicago Women’s GolfClub. Each was instrumental in crusading againstdiscrimination and opening more opportunitiesfor African Americans. Many more such associationsfollowed.Since those early days, Black women nationwidehave continued to participate, teach, compete,and integrate the world of golf.Help! I’m a Newlywed…What Do I Do Now?By Lorraine Sanabria Robertson(30 Miles Media)You’re getting married and you think you knoweverything. NOT! Listen, Sister, there will be dayswhen you wonder what you’ve gotten yourselfinto, even though you love your spouse dearly.This book, subtitled Wife-Saving Advice EveryNew Bride Must Know to Survive the First Yearof Marriage, is the product of author LorraineRobertson’s own hectic adjustment to marriage,and she wants you to know you are not alone.Need help? Don’t know where to go? This bookgives suggestions, often with a sense of humor, ontopics including After the Wedding: How to Adjustand Communicate; For Better or For Worse: TacklingChange, Fear and Newlywed Jitters; LivingTogether: Sharing Space and Staying Sane; Sex?Sex. Sex!: The Newlywed Myths; Money: BalancingLove, Marriage and the Checkbook; and even achapter for husbands to help them deal with thenewness of marriage.Now, for those who have been married longer,this gem of a book can serve as a reminder of howto keep the glow of being newlywed, or better, howto offer this advice to a new bride in your midst.Robertson , former Spelman College assistantpublic relations director, is a freelance writer andpublic relations consultant. She’s the founder ofwww.AskWifey.com, where you can go to find outhow other wives are handling challenges andshare information. After being married eightyears, she writes, “I love my husband, I love beingmarried – and I’d love to keep it that way. … I’mnot only trying to help you, but to help myself, too.There’s nothing wrong with not knowing what todo in your marriage, but there is something wrongwith not finding out!”Letters to a Young Sister:Define Your DestinyBy Hill Harper (Gotham Books)It had to happen. No way was Hill Harper, authorof the award-winning Letters to a Young Brother:MANifest Your Destiny, going to get away with notoffering his spin on growing up to the sisters.That’s just what this book is about: advice onhow to mature with self-confidence and a positiveattitude on life. It’s not just Harper, star of TV’sprime-time show, “CSI: New York,” giving a malepoint of view to young, African American women.But to answer questions sent to his e-mail address,he enlists a number of well-known and highlyrespected women and men, including: Nikki Giovanni,Michele Obama, Eve, Gabriel Union, TavisSmiley, Blair Underwood, and Ciara just to mentiona few.Since the publication two years ago of his bookfor young men, Harper has been flooded withqueries from the sisters. He writes in the introductionhow, during a book signing in Atlanta, oneyoung lady left him a message: “In your book, youtalk about young men being the ‘newest perfectmodel’ and being ‘unreasonably happy.’ Pleasetell us sisters what is good about us…”Harper writes that he began to wonder, wheredo girls get their advice? “In a time when nearlytwo-thirds of ethnic girls are raised in fatherlesshouseholds, where do those girls get their selfesteem?How do they develop healthy, platonicrelationships with men? When do they get to heara loving supportive male voice?”In this volume to young sisters, Harper andfriends answer e-mailed questions sent in coveringsuch subjects as education, money, sex, relationships,parents, health, wellness, self-images andovercoming obstacles, all in a non-preachy, noholds-barredway. Through it all, however, is theconstant encouragement to young women to beproud of themselves and to follow their dreamswithout fear.Harper’s book to the brothers has receivedacclaim from educators, parents, community andspiritual leaders. We can expect this one for the sistersto achieve the same success.ANGELA BROWN TERRELL is a writer and editor based inColumbia, Maryland.F A L L 2 0 0 87

MessengerF E A T U R EPHOTO: J.D. SCOTT8S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

B Y D ENISE M C F ALLIn contemporary culture, there is a growingpropensity for friends and strangers alike to referto our most vital and visible citizens by only a singlemoniker. To earn one’s place among theseone-named icons is a tall order, as the roster is limitedand lists only the names of those who have acquiredextraordinary recognition for having aspired to andreached the very highest levels of service and success.In Atlanta, the short list includes the likes of “Veronica,”as in J. Veronica Biggins, C’68. From her days as aSpelman student, through her successful career in banking,a prestigious stint in the Clinton administration andher role as a senior partner at the executive search firmsof Heidrick & Struggles and Hodge/Neiderer/Carianai/Lindsay (HNCL Search), Ms. Biggins’s reputation loomslarge as a consummate professional, civic leader andSpelman alumna.The only daughter among Jacqueline and AndrewWilliams’s three offspring, Ms. Biggins religiously donnedPeter Pan-collared white blouses, navy blue jumpers andbrown oxfords to attend parochial school in Greensboro,N.C. , until 11th grade; then, according to her, she gladlytransferred to public school. Today, as a practicing Episcopalian,“a Catholic Lite,” she confesses with a wry smileand a hearty laugh, she insists that her moral values,ethics and sense of discipline are firmly rooted in the faithtradition in which she was raised.Veronica Biggins arrived at Spelman in 1964. “Myfather, a former dean of academic affairs at the School ofMechanical Engineering at North Carolina A&T, had thesame goals for me that he had for my brothers. He wantedme to experience the best education and character developmentpossible, to benefit from an education that wouldprepare me for facing the world. He wanted Spelman ,and I wanted Spelman. For as long as I can remember,there was never any other college choice for me, or for myfamily,” claims Ms. Biggins.Her arrival on campus was during a period of deepcivil unrest. Just like many of her classmates, she hadcome to Spelman with a mission: to make a difference, tostand tall, to “tower over mediocrity.” By the time shegraduated in 1968, this period had become one of themost turbulent times in U.S. history, providing her with aglobal perspective that transcended the mighty gates ofSpelman College.Even to the casual observer, Veronica Biggins emergesas a study in power with grace – a change agent of vaststrength and influence with a patina of elegance andrefinement. A striking woman by all accounts, with herglistening, signature silver hair, she stands head andshoulders above most, both in physicalstature as well as in the many contributionsshe continues to make to improvethe quality of life for her adopted city ofAtlanta and her beloved alma mater,Spelman College.As co-chair of the College’s upcomingcomprehensive fundraising campaign ,she has, once again, embraced a formidableprofessional and financial goal.This campaign to further secure Spelman’splace among the nation’s top liberalarts colleges is yet another challengeto which Ms. Biggins, fueled with boundlessenergy and imagination, has fullycommitted herself with the quiet resolveand profound dedication for which she isbest known.Viewed by her admirers as a woman ofgreat power, she, however, rejects thenotion outright. “The day you actuallybelieve you have power is the day you’rein big trouble,” she cautions. “You mayhave influence, but even that is fleeting.”Nonetheless, she is widely known and revered for her abilityto “change the water,” just like the coffee beans ofwhich she spoke during her 2007 Founders Day address:“If you’re like a coffee bean in boiling water, you don’twilt or fall apart when things are at their worst. You getbetter and change the situation around you. When thehours are the darkest and trials are at their greatest,you find the strength to elevate to another level. Youchange the water!”Despite her lofty career, on her long list of priorities,family is, unquestionably, No. 1. Married to Atlanta MagistrateJudge Franklin Biggins, whom she met while ingraduate school, she talks about her life partner with asense of love and admiration one seldom hears, particularlyfrom those who have experienced more than threedecades of marriage.“It’s all about time,talent and treasure,”she explains, whenquestioned about thesource of her motivation.“I try to involve myself inthose things I enjoy – inthings I can learnsomething from or givesomething to. I see myselfas an idea person, and Isimply do what I can do,give what I can give.”F A L L 2 0 0 89

Black Women and Politics:Red, White and Spelman BlueB Y M AE G ENTRY, C’73For more than 127 years, Black women and in particularSpelman sisters have been in the vanguardof American political life, leading the struggle forequality while bearing the burden of belonging to two disenfranchisedgroups.In 1851, African Americans were still in bondage whenabolitionist Sojourner Truth spoke at the Women’s RightsConvention in Akron, Ohio. Addressing the assembly ofWhite women whose quest for voting rights excluded theirBlack counterparts, she pointedly asked, “Ain’t I a woman?”Another Black woman activist, journalist Ida B. Wells-Barnett, also believed in the power of the ballot. Sheattended the 1909 meeting of the Niagara Movement, theprecursor to the NAACP, and was a staunch suffragist,marching in 1913 for women’s voting rights. In 1928, shesought election as a delegate to the Republican NationalConvention.In 1920, Black women finally gained the right to vote –some 50 years after Black men were extended that privilege,though violence and Jim Crow laws prevented AfricanAmerican men and women from fully exercising thoserights. Since then, and especially following the enactmentof the Voting Rights Law in 1965, they have become fullyengaged in the body politic as voters, strategists, lobbyistsand elected and appointed officials.In 1968, Shirley Chisholm of New York became the firstBlack woman elected to Congress. In 1972, she became thefirst woman and the first African American to make a seriousbid for the Democratic nomination for president. Inthe spring of 1985, she was a scholar-in-residence at SpelmanCollege. A noted feminist, she believed, “I am a victimof oppression based on race and sex.”Another trailblazer, Barbara Jordan of Texas, was thefirst African American woman from the South to serve inthe U.S. House of Representatives. An eloquent advocate ofequality and justice, she gained national prominence in1974 as a member of the House Judiciary Committee duringthe Watergate hearings and in 1976 as keynote speakerat the Democratic National Convention.Chisholm and Jordan inspired other African Americanwomen to become politically active, including Barbara Lee,congresswoman from California, and Eleanor Holmes Norton,who represents the District of Columbia in Congress.Spelman has recognized the achievements of AfricanAmerican women activists for more than three decades. In1977, when the college began awarding honorary degrees,the first of two recipients was PatriciaRoberts Harris, who was then U.S.Secretary of Housing and UrbanDevelopment. Shirley Chisholm andEleanor Holmes Norton received honorarydegrees in 1982. Coretta ScottKing, founder of the Martin LutherKing Jr. Center for Nonviolent SocialChange in Atlanta, received one in1984, and 10 years later an honorarydegree was granted to Carol MoseleyBraun of Illinois, the first Blackwoman elected to the U.S. Senate.As a group, African Americanwomen have been “very effective,” saidDavid Bositis, senior political analystwith the Joint Center for Political andEconomic Studies in Washington, D.C.“When you look at the Black vote inrecent elections, Black women are 60percent of the Black vote,” he said.“They’ve been especially important tothe Democrats.”In 2002, the the Joint Center for Political and EconomicStudies issued its “Report on Black Elected Officials.” Thereport found that “of the states with a significant numberof Black state lawmakers, Black women constitute thelargest proportions of state representatives in TennesseeSpelman has recognized theachievements of African Americanwomen activists for more thanthree decades. In 1977, when thecollege began awarding honorarydegrees, the first of two recipientswas Patricia Roberts Harris, whowas then U.S. Secretary of Housingand Urban Development.F A L L 2 0 0 811

The National Political Congress of Black Women wasorganized in 1984 to promote the educational, political,economic and cultural development of Black women.The first National Assembly ofthe National Political Congressof Black Women was held atSpelman, in 1985.12(53.8 percent), Illinois (46.7 percent), Georgia (40.6 percent),and Florida (40 percent). Georgia (54.5 percent),Ohio (50% percent), and Virginia (50 percent) have thelargest proportions of Black women among state senators.”Historically, Black women formed organizations andalliances to collectively engage in the political process.In 1935, educator and presidential adviser MaryMcLeod Bethune founded theNational Council of NegroWomen to harness the power ofBlack women’s organizations.In 1998, Spelman alumna JaneE. Smith took over as head ofNCNW following the retirementof Dorothy L. Height, who hadled the organization since 1957.(Smith is currently executivedirector of the Center for Leadershipand Civic Engagement atSpelman College.)The National Political Congress of Black Women wasorganized in 1984 to promote the educational, political, economicand cultural development of Black women. It formerchair, C. DeLores Tucker, was at the forefront of efforts to haltthe music industry’s demeaning of Black women.Marian Wright Edelman, C’60, a Spelman graduateand former chair of the board of trustees, directed theNAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund in Jackson,Miss., and in 1973, she founded the Children’s DefenseFund to advocate for the disadvantaged. Edelman has saidshe was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. when he spoke inSisters Chapel at Spelman.Spelman alumna Alisha Thomas Morgan, C’2000, whowas elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 2002, wasalso affected by her campus experiences. As a student, shewas active with the NAACP and its efforts to stop anti-affirmativeaction legislation at the state Legislature, where shenow represents Cobb County, Ga.Morgan said one of her professors, a state legislatorand fellow alumna Henrietta Turnquest, C’68, helped herunderstand how the legislative process works. AlthoughMorgan was a student activist, she said she realizes nowthat “You can do all the organizing on the outside, but ifyou don’t have people on the inside, you’re not very effectiveand you can’t be very successful when it comes topublic policy.”Today, African American women’s choices to changethe world have never been more evident. The 2008 Democraticpresidential contest offered them a stark contrastbetween race in Barack Obama and gender in Hillary Clinton.A nationwide survey commissioned by LEADS of nonwhitefemale Democrats confirmed the findings of othernational polls that show Black women more likely thanother nonwhite women to support Obama over Clinton.As a group, African American women were crucial toObama’s early primary victory in South Carolina. Manybelieve media mogul Oprah Winfrey and Atlanta MayorShirley Franklin’s endorsement of Obama’s candidacy galvanizedBlack women voters who previously had concernsabout his safety or his ability to win.“And just look at Black women’s involvement at highlevels of the political process,” said Bositis, “ If you look atHillary Clinton’s campaign, you have Mignon Moore andMaggie Williams, who were at the top ranks of Hillary’scampaign.“If you look at Obama, Valerie Jarrett is his money person.And the fact is nobody, not even George Bush, raisedmoney like Barack Obama.”Gina McCauley’s blog “What About Our Daughters”deals with Black women’s issues. She cites statistics thatshow Black women are more likely to head single-parenthouseholds, suffer greater health disparities and be disproportionatelyaffected by the economic downturn.“We should be getting more from the process,” she said,criticizing South Carolina voters for not extractingpromises from the candidates. “I think by the time the nextpresidential election comes around, the Black women whoare [blogging] are going to come together as a 527 or aPAC. We’re going to be a lot more assertive in the process,and we’re going to demand more than a catfish dinner anda gospel music concert.”MAE GENTRY, C’73, is retired from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she spent 23 years as a writer and editor.She holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University’sMedill School of Journalism.S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

POLITICAL HIGHLIGHTS TIMELINE1870 The 15th Amendment gives former slaves the right to vote.1920 The 19th Amendment gives women the right to vote.1936 Mary McLeod Bethune named director of the Negro division ofthe National Youth Administration under Franklin D. Roosevelt,becoming the first Black womanto head a federal government office.1965 Voting Rights Act passes.1968 Shirley Chisholm is the first AfricanAmerican woman elected to the U.S.House of Representatives.1976 Barbara Jordan is the first woman andthe first African American to deliver the keynote address at theDemocratic national convention.1977 Patricia Roberts Harris becomes the first Black female cabinetmember when she is appointed Secretary ofthe Department of Housing and Urban Development.Alumnae Mabel Murphy Smythe,named U.S. ambassador to the Republic ofCameroon.1978 Herschelle Sullivan Challenor, C’61, becomes director of theUnited Nations Organization for Education, Science, Cultureand Communications Liaison Office in Washington, D.C.1983 Spelman hosts the first National Conference on BlackWomen’s Health, which givesbirth to the Black Women’sHealth Project. Coretta ScottKing successfully lobbiesCongress and President Reaganto declare MartinLuther King Jr.’s birthday afederal holiday.1985 The first National Assemblyof the National PoliticalCongress of Black Women is held at Spelman, with ShirleyChisholm as chair and C. Delores Tucker as vice-chair.1987 Ruth A. Davis, C’66,named consul generalin Barcelona,Spain. (In 1992, shewas appointed ambassadorto the Republicof Benin.)PHOTO: WILFORD HAREWOODPHOTO: JO MOORE STEWART1992 Carol Moseley Braun becomes first Black woman elected to theU.S Senate. Johnnetta B. Cole, the first Black woman to serveas president of Spelman College, is named to President-ElectBill Clinton’s transition team.1993 Spelman alumna Aurelia Brazeal, C’65, named U.S. ambassadorto Kenya. Mary Frances Berry becomes chair of the U.S.Commission on Civil Rights. Hazel O’Leary joins PresidentClinton’s cabinet as Secretary of Energy.1994 J. Veronica Biggins, C’68, appointed assistant to PresidentClinton and director of presidential personnel.1997 Alexis Herman sworn in as the nation’s 23rd Secretary ofLabor and the first African American to head the department.2000 Donna Brazile named campaign manager for Gore-Lieberman2000, becoming the first African American to lead amajor presidential campaign.2001 Kiron K. Skinner, C’81, co-authors book Reagan, In His OwnHand: The Writings of Ronald Reagan that Reveal His RevolutionaryVision for America.2005 Condoleezza Rice becomes the firstBlack woman Secretary of State.2007 Former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinneyannounces her run for president onthe Green Party ticket.2008 Maggie Williams named chief of staff for Hillary Clinton’spresidential campaign.ALUMNAE OFFICIALS: PAST AND PRESENTAnnie Brown Kennedy, C’45, First African American woman electedto the North Carolina General AssemblyCaptain Sheila L. Chamberlain, C'81, elected first military pilot toserve at the national level of the Tuskegee Airman, Inc.The Honorable Heather McTeer Hudson, C'98, Mayor, Greenville,MississippiJudge Carole Catlin Smitherman, C'73, Municipal Court, Birmingham,AlabamaFormer Senator Gail Davenport, C’70, Georgia State Senate fromthe 44th District (Clayton & Henry Counties)Judge Daphne Walker, C’94, Chief Magistrate, Clayton County, GeorgiaJudge Geronda Carter, C’93, Superior Court, Clayton County, GeorgiaJudge Brenda Hill Cole, C’63, State Court of Fulton County, GeorgiaJudge Bernette Joshua Johnson, C’64, Associate Justice, LouisianaSupreme CourtJudge Zenora Mitchell Rankin, C’76, Associate Judge, SuperiorCourt of the District of ColumbiaF A L L 2 0 0 8 13

Alumnae NotesSister to Sister:WITH CHANGE, THE JOURNEY CONTINUES …What an exciting year 2008 has been as we celebrate the 127th year of our greatinstitution. On April 11, 2008, we honored the founders by celebrating our lineage ofeducated and accomplished women and reaffirming that this is not only our time, it isour choice to change the world. The world as we know it is changing, evolving andmoving forward at a rapid pace. We are in a period of transition — fascinating andexhilarating times both individually and collectively. Two years ago, you embraced meas your new director of alumnae affairs. I accepted theopportunity and challenge to serve you as leader during apivotal time in Spelman’s history. I must say, it has been arewarding journey. However, the journey for me must nowcontinue beyond the Spelman gates. I have made thedecision to focus more attention on two alumnae-in-waiting,my young daughters Brooke and Hannah, while reengineeringmy professional career.I, like many of you, have been a part of Spelman forgenerations. I remain excited about the College’s past, present and future.However, it goes without saying that Spelman’s success is tied directly to us —the alumnae. Our history and tradition have been previously established and madesolid for each of us. We are the keepers of the story. We are the ambassadors of change.We must continue to write Spelman’s history for the generations to come. For Brookeand Hannah’s mom, the journey will continue with the fifth generation making achoice to change the world. Not only will I leave with all the Spelman passion andenergy I had when I arrived, but also with appreciation for my good fortune to haveserved each of you.Your loyalty to this great institution will continue to inspire me more each day. Forthat, I am confident we will build a better Spelman together … proudly, confidentlyand with conviction. All good things…Most sisterly,Cindy Brooks BaumgardnerDirector, Alumnae AffairsPHOTO: JULIE YARBROUGH, C’91PHOTO: CINDY BROOKS BAUMGARDNER, C'9014S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

SPELMAN COLLEGE ALUMNAE ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS2008RECIPIENTSAchievers 2008 (as listed below) surround President Beverly Daniel Tatum.PHOTOS: JULIE YARBROUGH, C’91F A L L 2 0 0 815

ALUMNAE NOTESHS 1888Selena Sloan ButlerPersonal: Recognized at the Selena SloanButler Celebration of a Community Leader,Civil Rights Pioneer and Child Advocate onMay 5, 2007, at the Selena Sloan Butler Parkin Atlanta.Editor’s Note:Selena Sloan Butler, HS 1888, received herhigh school diploma with the second graduatingclass. A pioneer in working for education,Mrs. Butler founded the first Blackparent-teacher association in the country,and then the Georgia Parent-Teacher Association.Following continuous work towardestablishing organizations for Black womenand working for child welfare and interracialcooperation, she was elevated to nationalfounder status of the PTA.In addition to the celebration notedabove, The Spelman College department ofeducation hosted “Closing the Gap, OpeningDoors: What Parents Can Do to Create aBrighter Future for All Students” on February15, 2008, during which a special ceremonywas held at the graveside of Selena Sloan Butler,HS 1888. There was also a rededicationrally at the park named in her honor.1937Eva Neal RutlandProfessional: Spoke at the Yolo CountyArthur F. Turner Branch Library in Sacramento,Ca. on February 24, 2008, with herdaughter, Ginger Rutland, in honor of BlackHistory Month.1944Norma Payton ReidProfessional: Honored by the NAASC, LosAngeles Chapter, for more than 28 years ofservice to the community and for leadingmany civic service organizations benefitingchildren.1946Josephine Jackson-SmithProfessional: Spoke at the worship servicesat The Eleventh Annual National BlackHerstory Conference and Awards Banquet onMarch 30, 2008, where Geronda Carter,C’93, was honored.1947Daisy Phinazee HarrisProfessional: Received the FoundersSpirit Award at the Spelman College 2008Founders Day Convocation.1949Harriet Mitchell MurphyProfessional: Received the first establishedLifetime Achievement Award from the YWCA ofgreater Austin, Texas at its 2007 PhenomenalWomen Gala. She has been listed for the lasttwo years as one of the 500 fortunate, inspirationalpeople of Austin by the Austin AmericanStatesman, the daily paper.1950Johnnie Lumpkin DavisPersonal: The scholarship fund in hername at Spelman College was featured at anevent in Atlanta on December 2, 2007.1953Jean LaRue FosterMarried: Harvey DeWitt Scott of Dayton,Ohio, November 4, 2007. They reside inAtlanta.Marion Wright EdelmanProfessional: In January 2008, Ms. Edelmanspoke at the U.S. Conference of Mayorsabout the Children’s Defense Fund’s Cradle toPrison Pipeline Campaign and what they cando to dismantle the pipeline in their communities.She also honored Dr. Martin LutherKing, Jr., and the 40th anniversary of hisdeath in her weekly Child Watch column, in aco-authored op-ed with Delores Huerta in TheTennessean and in a commemoration speechat Duke University.1961Herschelle Sullivan ChallenorProfessional: Speaker and honorarydegree recipient at the Spelman College 2008Founders Day Convocation.Gwendolyn Harris MiddlebrooksProfessional: Featured on “AtlantaVoices: The Civil Rights Movement” on PBA30, Channel 16 in Atlanta on February 14,2008. The segment also features BrendaHill Cole, C’63.1963Brenda Hill ColeProfessional: Featured on “AtlantaVoices: The Civil Rights Movement” on PBA30, Channel 16 in Atlanta, on February 14,2008. The segment also features GwendolynHarris Middlebrooks, C’61.Anne Ashmore-HudsonPersonal: Awarded the Mayor’s Arts Awardfrom the Washington, D.C. Mayor’s ArtsCouncil in March 2008. The ceremony washeld at the Kennedy Center.1964Georgianne ThomasProfessional: Introduced Georgianne’sSkin Treats on December 15, 2007, at a receptionat The Castleberry Inn in Atlanta.1965Ruby Doris Smith RobinsonPersonal: Honored at “The Celebration ofan Unsung Hero: The Life of Ruby Doris SmithRobinson, SNCC Civil Rights Leader” hostedby the Spelman College sociology and educationdepartments and Save Our ChildrenGlobal Network Inc. on November 3, 2007, inthe Cosby Auditorium on the Spelman Collegecampus. The event marked the 40th anniversaryof her death (October 7, 1967).Editor’s Note:Ruby Doris Smith Robinson, C’65, chose toleave Spelman during her sophomore year tobecome immersed in her stand for civil rights.Ms. Robinson engaged early on with the “jailno-bail”strategy to be followed by years of freedomrides and demonstrations across theSouth. She has been noted as one of the earliestlegendary figures in the Civil Rights Movement.Ms. Robinson became one of the powerful catalystsin the founding of the Student Non-ViolentCoordinating Committee (SNCC). She returnedin 1964 to complete her degree. Ms. Robinson’slegacy was recently captured in CynthiaFleming’s book Soon We Will Not Cry: TheLiberation of Ruby Doris Smith Robinson.1967Berdie Ricks HardonProfessional: Spoke at the SpelmanFounders Day Worship Service on April 6,2008, in Sisters Chapel.1968Maxine HayesProfessional: Elected to membership inthe Institute of Medicine. The formal inductiontook place in October 2007 at theNational Academies of Science in Washington,D.C.Jane SmithProfessional: Spoke at “A Taste of RoadScholar” on January 24, 2008, at the Galleriaof the Memorial Arts Building in the WoodruffArts Center in Atlanta and on April 23, 2008,in Washington, D.C. Her discussion, “FourthQuarter Leadership” highlighted personalleadership and lifelong learning. She alsoparticipated in “A Moment of Grace InterfaithPrayer Brunch” on September 11, 2007, inthe June Gary Hopps Manley Center Atrium.1971Wanda LloydProfessional: Presented Tuskegee University’s13th Ralph Ellison Lecture on April 2,2008, on the Tuskegee campus.1973Daria P. BryantProfessional: Founder of Proclaim Academy,Inc. and licensed as a minister.Fleda Mask JacksonProfessional: Appeared on the PBS series“Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making UsSick?” on April 3, 2008. Dr. Jackson wasinterviewed and shown conducting a focusgroup in the Spelman Women’s Center onthe stressors of race and gender and their illeffectson the health of African Americanwomen. Dr. Mona Phillips, C’76, andTracy Clark Washington, C’89, are alsoshown in the series.Delores L. McCollumProfessional: Awarded the 2007–2008Community Service Award by Zeta Phi BetaSorority Inc. Gamma Chapter and the 2008Educational Excellence Award by the Ohio Dr.Martin Luther King Jr., Holiday Commission.1975Janetta D. MarbreyProfessional: Promoted to first assistantprosecutor in the Mercer County Prosecutor’sOffice in Trenton, N. J.Brenda SilerProfessional: Named vice president, communicationsand marketing at the IndependentSector, effective April 29, 2008. IS,founded in 1980, is a nonpartisan leadershipforum for 600 charities, foundations and corporategiving programs committed to advancingthe common good in America and aroundthe world.1976Sheila A. JohnsonProfessional: Appointed governmentaffairs coordinator for Nassau Suffolk LegalServices Corp. She was also appointed to theboard of Child Abuse Preventative Servicesorganization where she is a volunteer workshoppresenter. Ms. Johnson attended CampObama and was an elected delegate forBarack Obama in the 2nd Congressional Districtin New York.Mona PhillipsProfessional: Appeared on the PBS series“Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making UsSick?” on April 3, 2008. Fleda Mask Jackson,C’73, and Tracy Clark Washington,C’89, also appear in the series.1977Mary Lynne DiggsProfessional: Participated in a roundtablediscussion regarding the South CarolinaDemocratic Primary that aired in January2008 on NPR. A photo and article about thediscussion was posted on NPR’s Web site on“Tell Me More, With Michel Martin” on January23, 2008.Sheila Davis KinuiProfessional: Founder and artistic directorof the New Professional Theatre. Releasedthe schedule of the 2008 season highlights,which included a writer’s festival that began16S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

Take Note!Spelman alumnae from all over the country participated in the politicalprocess as they attended both the Democratic and the Republican2008 National Conventions. Many alumnae participants at the DemocraticNational Convention are pictured above in Jet magazine, theSeptember 15, 2008 issue, as they witnessed the historical nominationof the first African American presidential nominee of a major party. Onthe opening night of the Democratic National Convention, ElderBernice King, C’85, offered remarks on the 45th anniversary of Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech given during hisMarch on Washington. Attending the Republican National Convention,Adrienne Lance Lucas, C’90, witnessed the first woman tobe nominated as vice president on the Republican ticket.Alumna Josephine Jones, HS, C’26, celebratedher 100th birthday in style, July 20, 2008, at Brett Cavalli’sCarrabbas in Atlanta. In addition to a letter fromDemocratic Presidential Nominee, Senator BarackObama, she received proclamations, a Golden Girlwatch from her Spelmansister, Gwen Page,C’58, words of appreciationfrom V-103’s FrankSki, and an assortment ofother words and goodwishes from family, churchmembers and friends. InNovember 2007, she wasfeatured in the news story,“Elderly Atlanta WomanReceives a Special ThanksgivingGift,” on Fox 5 Atlanta.Actors LaTanya Richardson Jackson, C’74, andhusband Samuel L. Jackson, with their daughter ZoeJackson, exchange student (2002-2003), celebratedwith Michelle Obama in their Los Angeles home duringtheir September campaign fundraiser which nettedover $1 million.LaTanya Richardson Jackson, C’74, performedstaged readings at The Kennedy Center in a tribute tothe late Pulitzer Prize-winning, African American playwrightAugust Wilson. She performed in Joe Turner’sCome & Gone on March 6-8 and March 30, 2008. Shealso performed in Seven Guitars on March 14-16 andApril 3, 2008.Tai Beauchamp, C’2000,beauty and style writer/editor, ishighlighted on the contributors’page of Ebony magazine, February2008, for writing the StyleQ&A for Ebony. In January 2008,Ms. Beauchamp was plucked toserve as a beauty and fashion contributorfor women’s mega-siteivillage.com. Her blog, Compacts& Vignettes is on the beauty pages.F A L L 2 0 0 817

in January 2008, with additional datesthrough May 2008. The theater also hostedtheir annual gala, an education program, TheKlucking of Hens by Carole Lockwood, andremounted their hit show, Single BlackFemale by Lisa B. Thompson from June2–22, 2008, at The Duke Theatre in New York.Deirdra YarbroughProfessional: Spoke at the Spelman CollegeFounders Day Worship Service on April 6,2008, in Sisters Chapel.1978Myrna AmosProfessional: Promoted to executivedirector of School Programs, Division of AcademicServices in Duval County PublicSchools (Florida) in July 2007.Patrice G. ColemanProfessional: Honored at the BlackWomen Film Preservation Project 11thAnnual Celebration, “The Untold StoriesLuncheon: Celebrating Those Who Tell OurStories,” on March 7, 2008, at the AtlantaMarriott Marquis Hotel in Atlanta. SherylRiley Gripper, C’72, Kathleen JacksonBertrand, C’73, Patricia GrahamJohnson, C’73, and Tomika MichelleDePriest, C’89, are board members of theorganization. Coleman was also pictured inthe article “From Madea to Mogul” in TheAtlanta Journal-Constitution published onSeptember 13, 2006.Avonne Lawson-PolkPersonal: Represented one of the TwentyPearls of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.at the Theta Zeta Omega Chapter’s first charityball, “The Ivy and Pearl Affair.” TheTwenty Pearls are the founders and incorporatorsof the sorority. Ms. Lawson-Polk representedfounder Sarah Meriwether Nutter.Cynthia Neal SpenceProfessional: Participated in the panel“The State of Young Black America: PresentHope for Future Times” on February 15,2008, in the June Gary Hopps Manley CenterAtrium on Spelman’s campus. Malu F.Fairley, C’2002, also participated in theevent.1979Vanessa CullinsProfessional: In Sisters Chapel on March20, 2008, spoke in celebration of S.H.A.P.E.Week about her journey to success andwomen’s health issues. The event was hostedby Student Health Associates and Peer Educatorsat Spelman College.1980Daphne L. SmithProfessional: Mathematician, Sr. at WellpointInc., Dr. Smith was the featured speakerat the Fourth Annual Etta Zuber FalconerLecture at Spelman College on April 22, 2008.1981Angela BensonProfessional: Participated in her first virtualbook tour with Pump Up Your Book PromotionVirtual Book Tours in December2007. The tour promoted the release of thepaperback edition of her book, The Amen Sisters(Walk Worthy Press).Kimberly Browne DavisPersonal: Committed a six-figure gift toSpelman to establish a program endowmentfor the Center for Leadership and CivicEngagement, providing funding for the KimberlyB. Davis Leaders on Leadership SpeakSeries. Ms. Davis, president of the JPMorganChase Foundation, was the inaugural speakerfor “Alumnae Voices,” a core program underthe auspices of this speaker series. The eventtook place on February 28, 2008, following anaming ceremony and reception on Spelman’scampus.Omelika KuumbaProfessional: Participated in “A Momentof Grace Interfaith Prayer Brunch” on September11, 2007, in the June Gary HoppsManley Center Atrium. She also co-choreographed“Black Nativity” by Langston Hughesfor the Spelman College Department ofDrama and Dance that took place November1–4, at the Baldwin Burroughs Theatre onSpelman’s campus. On February 28, 2008,Kuumba’s African drum and dance ensemble,Giwayen Mata, auditioned for the NBCtelevision show “America’s Got Talent” andmade it to the Las Vegas semi-finals.Sheron Covington PattersonProfessional: Delivered the message forthe Spelman College Homecoming closingworship service on October 21, 2007, in SistersChapel.Valita Sellers QuattlebaumProfessional: Hired by New HanoverCounty Schools in Wilmington, N.C., to serveas public relations director. The announcementran in the Wilmington Star News andStarNewsOnline.com on November 1, 2007.Kiron SkinnerProfessional: Interviewed by JudythPiazza for The Student Operated Press inNovember 2007. Dr. Skinner is the editor ofTurning Points in Ending the War Cold(Hoover Press), a collection of essays byAmerican and Russian statesmen and scholarson events that led to the end of the coldwar. She is also co-author of Strategy ofCampaigning: Lessons from Ronald Reaganand Boris Yeltsin (University of MichiganPress, 2007).1982Michelle MathewsProfessional: Facilitated a two-day strategicplanning retreat for Spelman College todiscuss the overall direction for the strategicplanning process.1983Shawnee Daniels-SykesProfessional: Delivered the keynoteaddress for the annual Martin Luther King Jr.Prayer Service on January 21, 2008, sponsoredby the Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee.The title of the address was “I Am Sickand Tired of Being Sick and Tired: HealthCare, Is It a Right or a Privilege?”1984Rosalind Gates BrewerPersonal: Hosted an event featuring theJohnnie Lumpkin Davis [C’50] ScholarshipFund at Spelman College on December 2,2007, in Atlanta, where President BeverlyDaniel Tatum made remarks.Denise ThimesProfessional: Continued her internationalimpact as a jazz vocalist with a performanceat The White House on Valentine’sDay. Joining her in the show were Washington,D.C. musicians Robert Redd on piano,Herman Birney on bass and Lenny Robinsonon drums. She is planning to release the CD,Denise Thimes Live in the Lou.Aubyn Elaine ThomasProfessional: Appointed senior vice presidentof marketing services by Macy’s Inc. Inher new role, she will be responsible for drivinggrowth and service excellence for Macy’sfinancial services businesses.1985A.J. JohnsonProfessional: Participated in a free Allievent, filled with education and inspirationthat offered tools to help people lead healthierlifestyles and lose weight gradually, held inAtlanta at Atlantic Station on October 19-21,2007.Jennifer WaltonProfessional: Spoke at the SpelmanFounders Day Worship Service on April 6,2008, in Sisters Chapel.1986Dazon Dixon DialloProfessional: Held the Mother HouseGrand Opening and Housewarming Partygiven by SisterSong Women of Color ReproductiveHealth Collective and SisterLove Inc.on January 23, 2008, in Atlanta. It was theopening of the first feminist center for womenof color in Atlanta.1987Stephanie AdamsProfessional: Appointed as the CACIInternational Inc. project manager responsiblefor CACI’s delivery on the Veterans HealthInformation Technology Task Orders. Sheassumed both contract and financial managementof CACI’s subcontract with TCAssociatesand will be the CACI technical lead onthe Software Engineer Institute Tools implementationteam.Tonyia West JohnsonEducation: Received doctorate in educationfrom Nova Southeastern University onMarch 31, 2007. She was also appointed as anadjunct faculty member at Argosy Universityin Atlanta in December 2007.1988April BarnettProfessional: Owner and operator ofA.B.’s Fuzzy Babies, a professional pet- andhome-sitting service. In April 2007, April Barnettappeared in a leading role as TamikaWhite in the mockumentary film “ClosingEscrow,” opposite Cedric Yarbrough andWendi McLendon-Covey of the hit televisionseries “Reno 911.” “Closing Escrow” is nowavailable on DVD. Barnett also wrote the playHappy Accidents, which premiered at PlayhouseWest School and Repertory Theater.Katrina Evans-DobbsMarried: The Rev. Ashley Leon Dobbs inMay 2007.Personal: Moved to Atlanta in June 2007.Professional: Received title of regionaldirector of physician services for ProvenaHealth in Chicago and 13 other outpatientfacilities.Esther Yiyi LamnyamProfessional: Published the book, LoveUnder The Kola Nut Tree: What City MomsDidn’t Tell You About Creating FulfillingRelationships (Author House) in November2007.Jacquelyn NancePersonal: Named Arthritis FoundationCommunity Leader of the Year, 2006.Debra Mae WhittenPersonal: Ordained elder in the UnitedMethodist Church, June 2007.Brucetta WilliamsProfessional: Opened Meridian Restaurantand Bar in Washington, D.C., as one ofthe proprietors.1989Tomika DePriestProfessional: Elected to the board of theBlack Women Film Preservation Project, anAtlanta-based organization that honors Blackfilmmakers and others working in the industryand provides scholarship support for studentspursuing the field. BWFPP was founded bySheryl Riley Gripper, C’72. Ms. DePriestwas also recognized for five years of service atSpelman College.Cathy HamptonProfessional: Appointed vice president,general counsel and secretary for RARE HospitalityInternational.18S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

Take Note!June Dobbs Butts, C’48, was featured in the April 2008issue of Atlanta magazine, dedicated to the legacy of Dr.Martin Luther King Jr., “King – 40 Years Later.” Ms. Dobbsparticipated in “The Funeral,” a behind-the-scenes story ofKing’s funeral, an oral history by Rebecca Burns. ElderBernice King, C’85, is also featured in the piece. Ms.Dobbs is also featured in the Sunday Living section of the January6, 2008, issue of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in thearticle, “The Black Elite, Who’s In? Who’s Out? Who Cares?”Carol Ann Miller, C’62, is also pictured in the article.The Atlanta Journal-Constitutionran the cover stories, “A Writer’sChange of Course, Tina McElroy AnsaTakes on Publishing to Keep ReachingFans” and “She Chooses HerOwn Way,” in the Arts & Books sectionof the Sunday, March 23, 2008,issue on author and publisher TinaMcElroy Ansa, C’71. The articleshighlight the launching of hernew publishing company, Down-South Press, and the release of herfifth novel, Taking After Mudear,released in April 2008. Mrs. Ansaalso talked with Peter Walsh onOprah & FriendsRadio on XM Radio onOctober 12–14, 2007,and was featured in theGeorgiaTrend article,“Georgia’s PowerWomen,” in the February2008 issue.In the September 10, 2007issue of the Jet article“Blacks read more than Whites, Hispanics, poll,”Ms. Ansa was quoted during the National BookClub Conference in Chicago, saying “I think itwas always a myth that Black people didn’t read.It’s just that [the industry] didn’t publish anythingthat Black people wanted to read.”Former student Esther Rolle(attended in 1942) was featuredin the article “Gone But NotForgotten” in the January 28, 2008,issue of Jet magazine. Ms. Rolle, whodied in 1998, was remembered byformer cast mates from the hit televisionseries “Good Times.”Rosalind GatesBrewer, C’84,and Spelman Collegetrustee, was featuredon the cover ofthe July/August 2008third anniversaryissue of Pink magazine,and in the article“Can the Top Women ofWal-Mart Save Its Soul?”F A L L 2 0 0 819

Darralynn Hutson-BryantProfessional: A pop culture journalist,event organizer, film and television producer,documentarian and independent filmmaker,Mrs. Hutson-Bryant has most recently writtenfor The Source Magazine, Upscale, Vibe andTrace magazine.Patricia Lawrence KolarasProfessional: Spoke at Spelman Collegeto kick off the Spelman Women Empoweredthrough Professional Training program inOctober 2007 along with Tracey Hughes,C’90. Mrs. Kolaras is the legal counsel forRum Cake Fairy Dessert LLC.Tracey Clark WashingtonProfessional: Appeared on the PBS series“Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making UsSick?” on April 3, 2008. Fleda Mask Jackson,C’73, and Mona Phillips, C’76, arealso shown in the series.Tosha Whitten-GriggsProfessional: Publicist for Jamia Nash,singer, performer, 2008 Academy Awards.Featured in The Atlanta Journal-Constitutionand Access Atlanta Online.1990Ericka BahnerMarried: Robert Seifried on May 3, 2008, atthe Hermitage Hotel in Nashville.Mignon EspyMarried: Timothy Joseph Edwards on April14, 2007, by the Rev. Gail Williford at St.Paul’s United Methodist Church in Houston.The wedding was featured in Town andCountry magazine.Tracey HughesProfessional: Spoke at Spelman Collegeto kick off the Spelman Women Empoweredthrough Professional Training program inOctober 2007 along with PatriciaLawrence Kolaras, C’89. Ms. Hughes isthe founder and CEO of Rum Cake FairyDessert LLC.1991Jocelyn ColemanProfessional: Spoke at the Alumna 2 StudentConversation at Homecoming Convocation2007 on October 18, 2007, in SistersChapel.Cherry CollierProfessional: Spoke at the AtlantaWomen’s Network Luncheon on December 4,2007, at 103 West Restaurant in Atlanta.Dorian CrosbyProfessional: Collaborated with the Divisionof Student Affairs to host a discussion onrefugees in Georgia on February 28, 2008, inLLC II Auditorium on Spelman’s campus.Trecia HargoProfessional: Started the Saturday SweatsBoot Camp Program on October 20, 2007,through her fitness company, Results – WantThem Get Them LLC.Wendi Lynn WestMarried: David P. McMullen on September1, 2007, in Cincinnati.Jo Ester WhiteEducation: Earned her doctorate in pharmacyfrom the University of Georgia, Athens,in May 2007.1992Michele Anita HayesProfessional: Named the director ofadmissions at the University of MarylandSchool of Law, Baltimore.Michelle LeeMarried: Julian Harris on November 10,2007, in Jekyll Island, Ga.Kimberlee ScottMarried: Phillip Mayes on May 2, 2008, atSea Pines Resort in Hilton Head, S.C.Professional: Launched KAI’s QuarterlyQuips, an e-newsletter, in November 2007.1993Andrea Barnwell BrownleeProfessional: Participated in “Conversationwith the Curators,” as director of the College’sMuseum of Fine Art in association withthe exhibit “Part II of Cinema Remixed andReloaded: Black Women Artists and the MovingImage Since 1970.” The conversationtook place on February 26, 2008, in theCamille Olivia Hanks Cosby Ed.D. AcademicCenter at Spelman College. She also was aguest speaker at Hottentot to Hip Hop: TheBlack Female Body in Art and Visual Culture,the culminating event for Cosby EndowedChair Dr. Lisa Farrington, on March 28, 2008,in the Cosby Academic Center Auditorium.Geronda CarterProfessional: Honored by the Jackson-George Regional Library System and othercommunity groups in Mississippi for thelibrary’s 29th annual celebration of BlackHistory Month. She was also honored at TheEleventh Annual National Black HerstoryConference and Awards Banquet on March28-30, 2008. Josephine Jackson-Smith,C’46, spoke at the event.Maricia WoodhamBirth: Daughter, Gabrielle Michae Woodhamon April 24, 2007 in Montgomery.1994Keisha Davis BerkleyBirth: Son, Malcolm Miles Berkley on July17, 2007.Judith Crocker BillingsleyProfessional: Named by the State ofSouth Carolina Department of Juvenile Justiceas social worker of the year.Nadra DanielMarried: Louis Lord (Morehouse, Class of1994) on November 24, 2007, in Atlanta.Kamili DawsonProfessional: Invited to join the partnershipof Seyfarth Shaw LLP, effective January1, 2008. Ms. Dawson works out of the SanFrancisco office where she practices in thefirm’s Labor and Employment Department.Kristy HolleyMarried: Married Tyrone Rachal on September22, 2007, in Atlanta.Nikki PeoplesProfessional: Partnered with the cast of“Black Nativity” (a group of more than 30students, faculty and staff who recently performedLangston Hughes’ classic at Spelman)through her store, Chelsea Parkes ShoeBoutique, to collect 1,142 pairs of shoes forthe Soles4Souls organization that providesproper footwear to those in need worldwide.Darlene Lumpkin Stegall, C’94 coownsChelsea Parkes Shoe Boutique.Meta SmithProfessional: Wrote the novel Heaven’sFury with platinum-selling rapper 50 Cent,published by G-Unit books in January 2008.Darlene Lumpkin StegallProfessional: Partnered with the cast of“Black Nativity” (a group of more than 30students, faculty and staff who recently performedLangston Hughes’ classic at Spelman)through her store, Chelsea Parkes ShoeBoutique, to collect 1,142 pairs of shoes forthe Soles4Souls organization that providesproper footwear to those in need worldwide.Nikki Peoples, C’94, co-owns ChelseaParkes Shoe Boutique.Meka Brumfield WardBirth: Daughter, Linda Christina Ward,born in Atlanta on October 1, 2007.Monifa WatsonProfessional: Opened Chasse Dance Studioin Powder Springs, Ga. on December 15,2007. Ms. Watson is co-owner of the studio.Angela Dempsey WilliamsProfessional: Spoke at Spelman’sFounders Day Worship Service on April 6,2008, in Sisters Chapel.1995Riché BarnesProfessional: Appointed to a two-yearposition at Smith College in the Departmentof Afro-American Studies, teaching newcourses in anthropology, study of women andgender, and Afro-American studies. She alsoreceived the Marjorie Shostak Award forHumanistic Ethnography from the Departmentof Anthropology, Emory University, inMay 2007.Alia JonesProfessional: Co-produced the first allAfrican American revival of TennesseeWilliams’ Pulitzer Prize winning classic, Caton a Hot Tin Roof, on Broadway from February12 – April 13, 2008.Candace McLarenProfessional: Named president of theSterling Johnson Jr. New York Chapter of theNational Black Prosecutors Association, servingsince fall 2005.Darla MilesProfessional: Reporter for WFAA News 8,Dallas-Fort Worth. Darla joined the News 8team in December 2006.Na’Taki OsborneProfessional: Environmental LeadershipProgram senior fellow and manager, Communityand Leadership Development Programfor the National Wildlife Federation.Panelist in June 2007 with the ELP IssueForum and Networking Event.Delvida Flaherty SeneMarried: Bara Y. Sene on October 20, 2007,in New York City.Personal: Established the Delores FlahertyStudy Abroad Scholarship for Spelman studentsseeking to study abroad. The first scholarshipwill be awarded in 2008.1996Jan BrownProfessional: Selected for the “40 Under40” by the 40 Under 40 Committee in EastTennessee as an upcoming leader in businessand the community. The announcement ranin the December 16, 2007, edition of theKnoxville News Sentinel and the KnoxvilleBusiness Journal.Andrea Lewis JohnsonBirth: Son, Alexander Lewis Johnson bornin Atlanta on February 26, 2008.DeKimberlen Joneka NeelyProfessional: Former faculty, transitionedto a new position as program managerfor LEADS at Spelman College.Kenyetta Wilbourn-SnappPersonal: Named illustrious commandressof Marracci Court #32, Daughters of Isis inDetroit. The organization is an auxiliary ofthe Imperial Court Daughters of Isis.1997Tikenya Foster-SingletaryBirth: Son, Barbary Trenton Foster-Singletaryon August 11, 2007, in Decatur, Ga.20S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

Take Note!The new book of author and playwright Pearl Cleage, C’71, Seen ItAll and Done the Rest was reviewed in the April 2008 issue of Essencemagazine. The novel was also highlighted in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution article “Seen in an ATL Lens: Cleage’s New Novel Plays UpFictionalized West EndLocale.” Dr. Cleage’s playalso received media attentionin the feature “LoveSong: 7 Stages ProductionPays Homage to CorettaScott King” in the January16–22, 2008 issue of CreativeLoafing and in thearticle “Sing It Again: 7Stages’ ‘Song for Coretta’Fades Too Soon,” in theSunday Paper, January27 – February 2,2008, issue.The April 2008 issue ofEbony featured ChristineKing Farris,C’48, and BerniceKing, C’85, in “WhoControls Dr. King’sDream?” The same issueof Ebony also includedan interview with PearlCleage, C’71, alongwith a review of her newnovel, Seen It All and Done the Rest, as well as highlighting JanilleChambers, C’2008, as Miss Spelman 2007–2008 and KeraStreet, C’2008, as Miss Morehouse College 2007–2008.Extra weekend co-anchorTanika Ray, C’94,shared beauty secrets inthe December/January2008 issue of Heart &Soul magazine.Najoh Tita-Reid, C’94, graced the cover of Target Market News for itsDecember 2007 issue. The issue featured the piece “Inside Proctor & Gamble’s‘My Black is Beautiful’ Campaign” that was spearheaded by Ms. Tita-Reid.Black Enterprise magazine highlighted Kheri Holland-Tillman, C’92,in the Powerplay, On The Move section of the November 2007 issue. The piecehighlights her new position as vice president, marketing, Amstel Light andDos Equis Brands for Heineken USA.On January 18, 2008, Marina Woodruff, C’2003, rang the closing bell forNASDAQ, one of the major stock exchanges. She represented Spelman Collegeas a United Negro College Fund alumna. The ringing aired on CNBC, FoxNews, Bloomberg TV and on www.nasdaq.com.F A L L 2 0 0 821

Ayana Davis HernandezProfessional: Joined Fleishman-HillardInternational Communications as anaccount supervisor in their Raleigh, N.C.office in February 2008.Shani PetersonProfessional: Spoke at Sex Stories: TheDevelopment of a Novel, Media-Based HIVIntervention for African American AdolescentGirls, sponsored by The Minority BiomedicalResearch Support-Research Initiative for ScientificEnhancement program at SpelmanCollege. The event took place on November14, 2007, on Spelman’s campus.Mikki Harris RiceBirth: Son, Biko Harris Rice on October 19,2007 in Atlanta.Carla StokesProfessional: Contributed to the developmentof www.spelhouse.net as a designer andlaunched the social networking site in February2008.1998Katasha ButlerProfessional: Launched K Sherrie andCompany Wedding and Event Design in January2008.Kimyata ButlerPersonal: Married Darrin C. Butler on May5, 2007.Shana Word DavisBirth: Daughter, Blake Elise Davis, on January10, 2008, in Atlanta.Kenya ErvinProfessional: Writer for MahoganyVisions, a new monthly online magazine thataims to promote positive images of and forAfrican American teens and young adults,www.mahoganyvisions.com. She wrote thearticle on the Jena 6 for the first issue.Tia FullerProfessional: Featured in the article “TiaFuller Has Sax Appeal” in Denver’s Westwordon March 6, 2008. The article promoted herappearance at Dazzle on March 6 and 7 andhighlighted her career.Aisha GoensProfessional: Recipient of the MillerAward of Excellence presented at the CumminsManagement Conference (Oct. 29 –Nov. 2) to honor individuals whose work onbehalf of the company and whose core valuesreflect the spirit of J. Irwin Miller, formerchairman and CEO of Cummins.LaTiefa Alston HairstonBirth: Son, Michael Ggerad Hairston III, inDecember 2007.Professional: Held the fourth annualWalking in Excellence Spring Break CollegeTour on April 7–9, 2008, through her organization,The Village Education Endeavors.Adia HarveyMarried: John Wingfield on June 16, 2007.Personal: Quoted in WXIA 11-Alive storyon December 10, 2007, about the sociologicalimplications of Atlanta Public Schools’ decisionto ban baggy and saggy pants.Beah HatcherMarried: Percy Bell, Jr., on October 27,2007, in Asheville, N.C.Heather HendersonProfessional: Passed her bar examinationsin Maryland in December 2007.Karan KendrickPersonal: Awarded the 2008 Alpha KappaAlpha Trailblazer Award.Tashmeshia MitchellProfessional: A third-generation Coloradoanand former Denver Public Schoolsteacher recognized by the National YouthLeadership Council as an emerging leaderwho has demonstrated a commitment tomaking a difference in the lives of young people,schools and communities. She is one ofonly 22 professionals to be selected for thisdistinction.Lorraine Newton LalliProfessional: Appointed assistant dean ofstudents for the Roger Williams UniversitySchool of Law in April 2007.Jade Lambert SmithProfessional: Directed the plays “ThePurple Flower and Exit: An Illusion” for theSpelman College department of drama anddance’s 2007–2008 season. The plays openedon October 4th and ran through October 7,2007. She was also hired as the artisticengagement associate at the Alliance Theatrein Atlanta.Ann Marie Stephenson-McInnisProfessional: Appointed to a July 2008Gastroenterology and Hepatology Fellowshipposition at St. James Hospital in Chicago,Ann Marie has also completed a one-year fellowshipin gerontology at the University ofMedicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – SOMand completed an internal medicine residencyat Frankford Hospitals in Philadelphiain June 2007.1999Rebecca BrownProfessional: Promoted to lieutenant bythe Clayton County Police Department inGeorgia on November 16, 2007. She is thefirst Black female lieutenant in ClaytonCounty.Aletha CherryProfessional: Named director of the HerndonHome in the West End community ofAtlanta. The Herndon Home is a lasting tributeto the hard work and talent of extraordinaryAfrican Americans in Atlanta, and was designateda National Historic Landmark in 2000.Chekesha LiddellProfessional: Received the PresidentialEarly Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.Created as a result of President Clinton’sFebruary 1996 commission, PECASEhonors and supports the extraordinaryachievements of young professionals at theoutset of their independent research careersin the fields of science and technology.Khalisha Nicole WiggsMarried: Royce Bernard Jefferson at the IvyHouse in Inglewood, Ca. The wedding wasfeatured in Jet.2000Dana BrownMarried: Thomas L. Davenport II (Morehouse,Class of 2002) on September 9, 2007,in Chicago. The wedding was Featured in Jet.Professional: Graduated in June 2007from the University of Chicago Law School.Dana passed the Illinois bar exam andaccepted an associate position with theFinance Practice Group at DLA Piper US LLP.Kristin ClermontBirth: Daughter, Noelle Mahalie Clermonton November 3, 2007.Nykeesha DavisMarried: Chad J. Peterman on July 21,2007.Aeva Gaymon DoomesProfessional: Received the 2007–2008Substance Abuse and Mental Health ServicesAdministration Award for residents in psychiatry.Paula HarmonProfessional: Participated in an otolaryngologymedical mission trip to Malawi (easternAfrica) in 2007. She and a colleaguetraveled to Malawi to operate from July 2007through August 2007 in a country wherethere are no ENT surgeons. An article aboutPaula’s experiences was featured in the Universityof North Carolina School of MedicineDepartment of Otolaryngology/Head andNeck Surgery newsletter.April Sunset JonesMarried: Jason Payton (Morehouse, Classof 2000) on February 23, 2008, at Pine LakeBaptist Church in Stone Mountain, Ga.Gina LoringProfessional: Celebrated the release ofher new album, The Git Back, with a show atThe Temple Bar in Santa Monica, Ca., onJanuary 19, 2008.Marta SanchezProfessional: Featured at the SpelmanCollege Honors Program and Office of UndergraduateStudies event, Sponsored Workshopswith Marta Sanchez, on April 2–3, 2008.Erika StallworthEducation: Traveled in February andMarch 2008 to Thailand to conduct researchon “U.S. Ratification of the Hague Conventionon Inter-country Adoption – Analyzingthe Situation in Conjunction with the Hague,Compliant Thailand” in places such as thePattaya Orphanage and Chulalongkorn University,Chiang Mai and Phuket in accordancewith completion of her juris doctoratedegree from Loyola University, Chicago.Brandi WilliamsEducation: Earned master of science ininformation technology from Capella Universityin June 2008.2001Brandi BrandonProfessional: Participated in the OpenForum, Straight Talk About Life as a Scientistin Research and Academic Careers, on October31, 2007, on Spelman’s campus. The event waspresented by the Minority Biomedical ResearchSupport-Research Initiative for ScientificEnhancement program at Spelman College.Education: Received doctorate in biomedicalsciences, Saturday, May 17, 2008.Jonelle LoftonEducation: Admitted to the Kelley Schoolof Business for fall 2008. She is also a ConsortiumFellowship recipient and will be movingto Indiana to pursue a master’s degree inbusiness administration with a concentrationin marketing and emphasis in the televisionand media entertainment industry.Malaika Jones KebedeBirth: Daughter, Milana Cella Kebede, bornon November 11, 2007.Reagan TaylorProfessional: Appointed as an assistantUnited States attorney for the District ofColumbia on February 4, 2008.Mia ThompsonEducation: Received a doctorate inanatomy from Howard University in December2007.2002Cyreena BostonProfessional: Candidate for the OregonHouse of Representatives, HD 45, in northeastPortland.Malu FairleyProfessional: Participated in the panel“The State of Young Black America: PresentHope for Future Times” on February 15,2008, in the June Gary Hopps Manley CenterAtrium on the Spelman campus. CynthiaNeal Spence, C’78, also participated inthe event.Deedra HardrickBirth: Daughter, Madison Elizabeth Hardrick,born March 1, 2007 in Columbus, Ga.22S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

Take Note!The March 9, 2008 weddingof Brandi Brandon,C’2001, to RossOscar Knight, (MorehouseCollege, class of 2001) atthe Piedmont Room atPiedmont Park in Atlantawas featured in TheAtlantan Brides magazine,the fall/winter 2008 issue.Contributing writer for Essence, theMay 2008 issue, Penny Wrenn,C’99, was highlighted in accordancewith her article “A Mother’sLove.” Wrenn explored motherhoodwith Tichina Arnold, LynnWhitfield, Robin Roberts, Laila Ali,and her mother Veronica Porche.Ms. Wrenn has also written for Redbookand Glamour magazines.Heather Joy Thompson,C’99, was selectedto be entertainmentmogul Sean “Diddy”Combs’ personal assistant,announced on TheOprah Winfrey Show onNovember 6, 2007. Theannouncement was featuredin the December10, 2007, issue of Jetmagazine. The article,“Lawyer’s ProfessionalLeap Earns New Gig With Diddy,” highlighted Ms.Thompson’s career and her decision to submit a videotape tobecome Diddy’s assistant. More recently, she has become a ForeignService Officer for the U.S. Department of State.Rita Robinzine, C’89, candidate for the Georgia State HouseDistrict 91, appeared in the March issue of Redbook magazineto discuss her candidacy and the importance of women in politics.The article, “Yes, You Could Be Mayor,” highlights five ordinarywomen doing extraordinary things through politics.Peek-A-Boo Strapz, the company co-founded by Piper Miller,C’97, has been garnering a lot of media attention, including arecent appearance on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch onCNBC. Ms. Miller and co-founder Fantasy Buckman appeared onthe show in November 2007, promoting their line of decorativeinterchangeable bra straps. “Ingenious” was the wordused by Donny Deutsch to describe their product.Access Hollywood weekendco-anchor ShaunRobinson, C’84, wasfeatured in the March 2008issue of Essence magazine.The article highlighted herblog on Essence.com. Ms.Robinson was picturedagain in the March 10, 2008,issue of Jet magazine.Rolonda Watts, C’80,and Ms. Robinson were picturedin the May 2008 issue ofEbony at the Ebony Pre-Oscar Celebration. Ms. Robinson, co-host of theevent, was pictured with actress Ruby Dee. She was also featured in the newestissue of the Christian women’s lifestyle magazine, Precious Times.“Made With Hands and Hearts: Quilts and Dolls Fromthe Collection of Beverly Guy-Sheftall,” was displayedat the Hammonds House Museum and Resource Centerof African American Art in December 2007 andJanuary 2008. The exhibit featureda sampling from the collectionof Dr. Guy-Sheftall,C’68, which includes morethan 400 dolls and nearly100 quilts. The exhibit wascurated by Dr. AkuaMcDaniel, C’69. Dr. Guy-Sheftallalso recently received an honorarydegree from Medgar Evers College.F A L L 2 0 0 823

Gabrielle HargrovePersonal: Awarded the 2007 OutstandingService to Chapter Award by the Iota DeltaSigma chapter of Chi Sigma Iota. Gabriellealso participated with a research team atEmory University that published a manuscriptabout coping methods for African Americanwomen who have been abused, “PerceivedSocial Support as a Mediator of the LinkBetween Intimate Partner Conflict and ChildAdjustment,” in the Journal of Family Violence.Gabrielle has been accepted for doctoralstudy in counseling psychology at theUniversity of Kentucky for fall 2007. She hasalready earned a master’s degree from theAuburn University College of Education.Nineshia HighsawMarried: Gabriel Ishmael Mont-Reynaudon September 8, 2007, at Wesley MonumentalMethodist Church in Savannah, Ga. The weddingwas announced in the Palo Alto Weekly.Brandi KnoxProfessional: First runner-up in the AshleyStewart National Model Search, whichlaunched in October 2007.2003Lindsay M. HopkinsProfessional: Joined the intellectualproperty law firm of Hamilton Brook SmithReynolds as an associate. Her practice isfocused on patent law, licensing and trademarks.She has particular experience withworking with clients in the electronics andclean energy industries.Nicole DennisEducation: Received a juris doctoratedegree and a master of arts in global finance,trade and economics from the University ofDenver College of Law and Graduate Schoolof International Affairs on May 19, 2007.Kristen HerringPersonal: Represented Tennessee in theMiss Black USA Scholarship pageant held atthe Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas,Nevada. She was crowned Miss Black Tennesseeon August 18, 2007 and was namedthe official spokesperson and mentor for GovernorPhil Bredesen’s L.I.F.T. Mentorship Initiative,which strives to provide mentors forthe 1,500 teens in state foster care.Education: Ms. Herring is a doctoral candidatein the department of biochemistry atVanderbilt University.Talitha MaloneEducation: Received master of science ineducation from the University of Dayton inDecember 2007. She was also offered aninternship position with the HillsboroughCounty School District in Tampa, Fl. that shewill complete during the 2008–2009 schoolyear to fulfill the requirements for the educationspecialist degree in school psychology.Kendall Wilson-FlippinMarried: The Rev. Joseph C. T. Flippin(Morehouse, Class of 2003) on December 16,2006.Personal: First Lady of Macedonia BaptistChurch in Bryans Road, Md.2004Ekua AssabillProfessional: Became a licensed attorneyin the state of Texas on November 2, 2007.Alicia BannermanEducation: Received master of arts inteaching from Mercer University’s Atlantacampus on December 15, 2007, and graduatedwith a 4.0 GPA. Her first teaching positionis as a biology teacher with PebblebrookHigh School in Mableton, Ga.Kirstyn BrownProfessional: Participated in the sixthannual “Seven Women at the Cross” Lentenservice on March 19, 2008, at Spelman College.Jocelyn CuttinoEducation: Earned the degrees of jurisdoctor and master of communication managementin May 2007 from the University ofSouthern California Law School and the USCAnnenberg School for Communication. Shealso passed the California State Bar in 2007.Rev. Jessica B. DavenportProfessional: Spoke at Spelman’s FoundersDay Worship Service on April 6, 2008, in SistersChapel. Co-wrote the commentary“Psst…Did You Notice Hillary Is a Woman?”with Fallon Wilson, C’2005.Genae Marie FranklinProfessional: Headlined as conductor in“Portraits of Black Opera: A Celebration forthe World” on February 9, 2008, at FifteenthAvenue Baptist Church in Nashville. ShaniFoster, C’2005, was also featured as amezzo-soprano and Kiera Johnson,C’2005, served as musical director.Johnecia L. HardawayProfessional: Hosted a trunk show showcasingher jewelry and accessories from hercompany, Creations by Johnecia LLC, on February13, 2008, at the Verve Lounge in Atlanta.Jillian Horsey TillmanEducation: Graduated from KennesawState University with a master’s degree inearly childhood education in July 2007.Christian McKenzieProfessional: Featured fashion personalityin the book Creative Careers in Fashionby Debbi Hartsog.Kia SmithProfessional: Started a talk radio broadcast,www.blogtalkradio.com/perspectivetalk.The show is designed to offer an enlightenedperspective on all of life’s pressing issuesincluding culture, society, politics, music andreligion.Ntianu YoungPersonal: Participated in the College’sdrama and dance department’s “Soles forShoes” project in conjunction with ChelseaParks Boutique.Education: Accepted to Valdosta State Universityfor master of science in library sciences.2005Moya BaileyProfessional: Mentioned in several articlesincluding “Civil Rights Activists Offer NewVoice” in The Atlanta Journal-Constitutionon October 30, 2007, and featured in the Viewpointsection of the Atlanta Daily World,October 11–17, 2007, for her guest commentarywith Leana Cabral, C’2006, “An OpenLetter Response to ‘Hip Hop vs. America.’”Shani FosterProfessional: Headlined as a mezzosopranoin “Portraits of Black Opera: A Celebrationfor the World” on February 9, 2008, atFifteenth Avenue Baptist Church in Nashville.Genae Marie Franklin, C’2004, was alsofeatured as a conductor and Kiera Johnson,C’2005, served as musical director.Kiera JohnsonProfessional: Served as musical directorof “Portraits of Black Opera: A Celebration forthe World” on February 9, 2008, at FifteenthAvenue Baptist Church in Nashville. GenaeMarie Franklin, C’2004, was also featuredas a conductor and Shani Foster,C’2005, as a mezzo-soprano.Alexis MorrisProfessional: Participated in the sixthannual “Seven Women at the Cross” Lentenservice on March 19, 2008, at Spelman College.Chelsey RodgersPersonal: Crowned Miss District of Columbia,USA 2008, earning her a chance to competein the 2008 Miss USA pageant.Eductaion: Received her juris doctor inMay 2008 from Howard University School ofLaw where she served as a student attorneyfor the Criminal Justice Clinic, editor-inchiefof the law school newspaper and memberof the Huver I. Brown Trial AdvocacyMoot Court Team.Allyson F. SmithProfessional: Participated in the sixthannual “Seven Women at the Cross” Lentenservice on March 19, 2008, at Spelman College.Fallon WilsonProfessional: Mentioned in several articlesincluding “Civil Rights Activists OfferNew Voice” in The Atlanta Journal-Constitutionon October 30, 2007; “Event to RaiseAwareness of Violence Against Women” in theAtlanta Daily World, October 25–31, 2007;and “Whaddya Mean, ‘We’? or Why I’ll WearRed on Halloween” by Debra Dickerson onwww.motherjones.com. She also co-wrote thecommentary “Psst … Did You Notice HillaryIs a Woman?” with Jessica Davenport, C’2005.2006Leana CabralProfessional: Featured in the Viewpointsection of the Atlanta Daily World, October11–17, 2007, for her guest commentary withMoya Bailey, C’2005, “An Open LetterResponse to ‘Hip Hop vs. America.’”Nancy Goler FreemanProfessional: Selected to participate withthe Juvenile Court of Dekalb County, YouthDiversion Program as a panel volunteer for the2008–2009 year. She also performed in astaged reading for Theatre du Reve in collaborationwith the Spelman College department ofdrama and dance that presented the play“Fire’s Daughter.” The performance took placeon March 21, 2008, on Spelman’s campus.2007Ericka J. KingCorrection to Spelman Messenger,Volume 119, Number 1, Fall 2007/Winter 2008, “Alumnae Notes,” pg 42:Ericka D. King was listed in the class of 2006.She should have been listed in the class of2007. Ericka also along with ReginaBranch, C’2007, and Jill Paschal,C’2008, participated in an internship at theWinterthur Museum and Country Estate.24S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

Take Note!Christine King Farris,C’48, Bernice King, C’85,Kathleen Bertrand, C’73,Sheila Bronner, C’86,Helen Smith Price, C’79,and Spelman Board MemberVicki Palmer were all picturedin the winter issue ofWomen Looking AheadNews Magazine as 2008Award Honorees for theTrumpet Awards’ 2ndAnnual High Heels in HighPlaces, High Tea with HighHeels at the Hyatt on January12, 2008.Former student and literary great AliceWalker was featured in the cover story“Alice Walker’s Papers: Brush with Brilliance,” in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution,on Sunday, March 23, 2008, highlighting her decisionto entrust Emory University with her extensive archive of personalpapers. Ms. Walker was featured in the January 14, 2008, issue of Jet inthe education section for the placement of her archives. The EmoryReport also ran a cover story titled “Author’s Archives Come Home.”Ms. Walker gave a reading at Emory on March 25, 2008. She was honoredat Mother’s Day for Peace, Honoring Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author, Mother and Advocate for Women’s Rights, presentedby Atlanta WAND/Women’s Action for New Directions, on May 6, 2008,at Spelman College.In addition to an article featuringChristine King Farris,C’48, in Cultured LivingAtlanta magazine, the winter2007 issue featured State Rep.Alisha Thomas-Morgan,C’2000, on the cover. The article“Alisha Thomas-Morgan,Born With Passion to Serve” isone-third of the cover story, “The Maturing ofGeneration X.” Mrs. Thomas-Morgan also participatedin “Women of Purpose: Living, Learningand the Law” on February 12, 2008, onSpelman’s campus. The event was sponsored by the Political ScienceSociety of Spelman, in collaboration with the political science departmentand K.G. Hughes & Associates. Anissa D. Floyd, C’2001, alsoparticipated in the event.On December 3, 2007, Dr. Beth Carter, C’86, received theCenter Medical Director of the Year Award for 2007. Dr. Carterhas been the Medical Director of the Southfield Michigan Centerfor the past four years. She was also recently featured in theDetroit Free Press and the Black Pages.Skirt! magazine featured DeidreTurner, C’2001, in the Women of theWorld section of their May 2008, Atlantaissue. The article highlighted her jetsettingcareer as host of the Comcastshow, “The Romance Travel Guide.”Ms. Turner discusses the fit betweenher passion for travel and the opportunityto find the “most romanticdestinations in the world.”F A L L 2 0 0 825

Take Note!Keshia KnightPulliam, C’2001,was featured as thecover girl for the September22, 2008 issueof Jet and in People’ssummer 2008 specialedition on Child StarsThen & Now, notingher early role asRudy Huxtableand, more recently,her recurring roleon Tyler Perry’sHouse of Payne.In February 2008,she appeared onThe Oprah WinfreyShow with the castof The Cosby Showfor the reunionshow and in “Keshia Knight Pulliam, BrianMcKnight Talk HBCUs” as part of VIBE’s SchoolDaze retrospective.Denise White, C’97, wasprofiled in the Fabulous FoxTheatre’s Encore Atlantamagazine in July 2007 asthe choral director forDreamgirls, produced inAtlanta by ChristopherManos in associationwith the National BlackArts Festival.Stephanie Scott, C’98, director of public relations at3Lab Inc., a luxury cosmeceutical brand, was featured inThe Blay Report by Zandile Blay, “Spring 2008 Smarts,Style and a Sizzling Haute Job: Stephanie Scott Has It all.”Actress Karan Kendrick, C’98, recently performed inthe Tyler Perry productions of House of Payne and theupcoming release of Madea Goes to Jail. Her two-weekshoot for the Lifetime premiere of Fab Five: The TexasCheerleader Scandal, was filmed just days before she anddancers from her Fort Valley-based Bliss and Feet Centerfor the Arts participated in an international culturalexchange in Beijing and Chengdu, China.While attending the Evidence Dance Company’s Grace inthe Winter: The Red Ball in New York, Jerri DeVard,C’79, and Spelman College trustee, was pictured inAround Town Community Magazine at the Hudson Theaterat the Millennium Broadway HotelWhere in the World Is Ivy Williams?Ivy Williams, C’2004, hasshown up in some very interesting places.Whether by land, sea or air, Ms. Williams istraveling the world, making changes everywhere!For starters, she began a stint in June2007, performing on the MS Westerdam of theHolland America Cruise Line. She found timeto jump off a cliff while the cruise ship dockedin Dubrovnic, Croatia and experienced sky divingback in her home state of Georgia whenshe returned in December. Most recently, she resumed her dance career,teaming up with the Osmonds at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas withthe “Donny and Marie Show.”26S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

Take Note!Pictured in Jet’s May 26, 2008 issue, McGhee WilliamsOsse, C’74, co-CEO of Burrell Communications, washonored at the Ebony luncheon recognizing outstandingwomen in marketing and communications. ShaunRobinson, C’84, co-anchor and correspondent forAccess Hollywood and TaiBeauchamp, C’2000, writer,were featuring the luncheon.PHOTO: FURERY REIDIt was a big year for Dr. EvelynChisolm, C’49, associate professorof psychology, as she celebratedher 80th birthday in February2008 with a grand affair at theRitz Carlton Hotel in Atlanta. Picturedhere during the September 2008 openingconvocation, Dr. Chisolm received a 2008 PresidentialAward for Distinguished Service fromPresident Beverly Daniel Tatum.An article featuring McGhee Williams Osse, C’74, Co-CEO of BurrellCommunications Group, ran in the November 2007 issue of theAtlanta Voice. Ms. Osse and Dawn Williams-Thompson, C’86,director, advertising development, beauty and health, Procter & Gamble(P&G) were honored by The ADCOLOR Industry Coalition aspart of the 2007 ADCOLOR Awards.A groundbreaking documentary featuring the original SpelBots robotsoccer team aired Dec. 2, 2007, on PBA 30. The half-hour documentaryhighlighted team members Aryen Moore-Alston, Brandy Kinlawand Shinese Noble, all C’2005; Ebony Smith, C’2006;Karina Liles, C’2007; and Ebony O’Neal, C’2008, who participatedin the 2005 International RoboCup four-legged robot soccercompetition held in Osaka, Japan. That year, Spelman became the firsthistorically Black college or university, the only all-women’s institution,and the only U.S. undergraduate institution to compete in Japan.Dr. Andrew Williams, associate professor of computer science, isfounder, director and adviser to the SpelBots team.Evelynn Hammonds, C’76,a professor of African Americanstudies and historian of science,has been selected as the dean ofHarvard College, effective June 1,2008. Dr. Hammonds received herPh.D. from Harvard and joined theinstitution as a professor in 2002.Her appointment was featured in theApril 21, 2008, issue of Jet magazine.Featured in the spring/summer2008 premiere issue of TheAtlantan Brides magazine, theHitched in Atlanta section, andin the Love and Happinesssection of Jet magazine in theAugust, 18, 2007 issue is AshleyBrookins, C’2003,who married Derek Layne Jr.on August 18, 2007, at theHilton Atlanta.F A L L 2 0 0 827

Reunion 2008PHOTOS: JULIE YARBROUGH, C’9128 S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

Rachael Jackson Sales, C’98, attended the 2008 Reunion convocation with her five daughtersranging in age from five to five months – Mocha, 5, Miracle, 4, Miyani, 3, Maasiai, 2 and Makai,five months. The children remained quiet throughout the hour-long service in Sisters Chapel. .Golden Girl Class of 1958Row A: (left to right) Betty Walton Hood, Helen Sawyer Plump, Carolyn Tucker Sims, Gloria Dooley Ricks, Peggy Jones Martin, Virginia Harris-Johnson, Rosa E.Jones, Shirlee Bartlett Chatman, Pauline Drake, Pearline Adamson Davis, Betty Jo White, Leticia Bottoms Alfred, Darah H. Grizzle, Gwendolyn Dunnaville Page,Claire Greene Crooks-Harrison, Yvonne Brown Fortson, Coralyce Williams CartenRow B: (left to right) Phyllis McKinney Bynum, Eurtistine M. Holt, Sylvia Fields Cook, Alvernia M. Lewis-Hawkins, Juliet D. Blackburn-Beamon, Kathryn JohnsonBroughton, Miriam Richardson Norwood, Louise Hornsby, Barbara Fisher Troup, Evelyn Lyons Jackson, Janet Webster Jones, Yvonne Harris Meadows, BettyThomas Peters, Mazie Strickland McCain, Carol Stewart Surrency, Shirley McGee Fannings, Jean A. McRae, Shirley Larkins Green, Helen Davis LittleF A L L 2 0 0 829

Dear SpelmanPHOTOS: JULIE YARBROUGH, C’9130 S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

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A Choice to Change the WorldClass of 1938Class of 1943Class of 1948CLASS PHOTOS: CURTIS MCDOWELL PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY Class of 1953GOLDEN GIRL PHOTOS: JULIE YARBROUGH, C’9132S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

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A Choice to Change the WorldClass of 1968Class of 197334S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

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A Choice to Change the WorldClass of 1988Class of 199336S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

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Stephanie Georgelyn Bush, C’68November 8, 1946 – October 4, 2007A. Toy Caldwell-Colbert, C’73September 21, 1951 – March 12, 2008In MemoriamStephanie Georgelyn Bush, the firstchild of the late George and SarahBush, was born on November 8,1946 in Atlanta, Georgia. Sheattended Herndon ElementarySchool and graduated from C.L.Harper High School. She received abachelor of arts degree in political science from SpelmanCollege and a master’s degree in public administrationfrom New York University.She was a member of Radcliffe Presbyterian Churchuntil she moved to New York, at which time she joined theUnity Church. Shortly after returning to Atlanta in 1994,she joined the Atlanta Unity Church where she remaineda faithful and active member until her death.Ms. Bush worked in housing development and marketingin the Open Housing Center, the NYC Departmentof Housing Preservation and Development, Advisory Servicesfor Better Housing and the Madyus Corporation duringthe 25 years she lived in New York. Upon her return toAtlanta, she worked with MHR International/AtlantaCommittee for the Olympic Games and the Fulton CountyBusiness Incubator.She received her teacher certification from ClarkAtlanta University and taught in the Atlanta Public andFulton County School Systems until she resigned due toillness.As a faithful and devoted Spelman alumna, Ms. Bushserved as president of the Atlanta Chapter of the AlumnaeAssociation of Spelman College and continued her workas an active and committed alumna when her termended, until her death. She was also an active member ofBosom Buddies Breast Cancer Support Group. Stephaniewaged a long and relentless battle against breast cancerand maintained a positive and forward attitude throughoutthe many treatments and procedures she endured.Ms. Bush is survived by her sister, Sarah Bush Harper.C’70; her brother and sister-in-law, George “Tommie”and Patricia Bush; her aunts, Julia Minifield (Julius) andDorothy Lloyd; her nieces, Moiya Harper and Staci Bush;cousins Ondrea F. Hightower, C’68, Marsha HightowerDickerson, C’70, and Mrs. Karen Lloyd Conley, C’73among other family members and many special friends.Dr. A. Toy Caldwell-Colbert was born in Salina, Kansas onSeptember 21, 1951. The second of three children born toRobert C. and Bessie Ellis Caldwell, she was educated inthe Salina Public Schools. A board-certified clinical psychologist,Dr. Caldwell-Colbert earned her bachelor’sdegree, magna cum laude, in psychology from SpelmanCollege and her master’s and doctorate degrees in psychologyand clinical psychology, respectively, from the Universityof Georgia. She served as a trustee and vice chair of theSpelman Board of Trustees from 2003 until her death. Shemarried Charles Colbert, had three children, Joffre-Charles, Jordan Ashley and LaTatia, and two grandchildren,Bajia and Zoie. In addition, she is survived by hersister Teree Caldwell-Johnson, C’78.An incredibly committed professional and highlyregarded clinical psychologist and academic administrator,Dr. Caldwell-Colbert began her professional career in1977 as assistant professor of psychology at the Universityof Manitoba. Her career path spanned 31 years in higher38S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

education and includes administrative, research, facultyand clinical appointments. She held major administrativeand faculty positions at the University of Illinois, the Universityof Kansas, Indiana State University, Howard Universityand Central State University. In 2007, she wasappointed provost and vice president for academic affairsat Central State University, located in Wilberforce, Ohio, aposition she held until her death.Dr. Caldwell-Colbert wrote on her Spelman applicationthat she enjoyed using her mind and that she wanted to“use my ideas and abilities to help someone else in hopesit will really benefit them.” Throughout her life and careershe successfully met that goal. A loyal Spelman alumna,she consistently gave her time, talent and treasure toensure that her beloved alma mater would continue tothrive for future generations. Dr. Caldwell-Colbert alsoserved on other boards including the University of GeorgiaFranklin College Advisory Board, the American PsychologicalAssociation’s Board of Educational Affairs, Board ofProfessional Affairs and many others. She was a faithfulmember of the First Presbyterian Church in Champaign,Illinois and was active in her community and committedto impacting the lives of others through service. Her organizationalaffiliations include The Links, Inc. and AlphaKappa Alpha Sorority, where she also held positions ofleadership at the local and regional/area levels.Her funeral services were held on March 19, 2008 at theFirst Presbyterian Church in Champaign, Illinois.Rubye Davenport Neal, C’46 and C’92March 6, 1924 – February 9, 2008PHOTO: BUD SMITHRubye Davenport Neal, the third of four children, was bornMarch 6, 1924, to Walter and Adele Davenport in Atlanta.She was educated in the Atlanta public schools and beganher college training at Spelman College with the class of1946. After marrying and raising her family, she returnedto Spelman and received a B.A. degree in English in 1992.On her application for re-admittance she wrote, “It hasalways been my greatest ambition to earn my collegedegree. My association with the Atlanta University Centerhas made me more determined as well as motivated me tothe point of pursing this goal.” Her show of commitmentand demonstration of ageless determination continues toserve as a source of inspiration for others.Mrs. Neal married Obbie Neal, Sr., of Vidalia, Georgiaon March 24, 1947. He preceded her in death on March 19,1987. Five children were born to this union, and she wasthe proud grandmother of eight grandchildren and twogreat-granddaughters including her daughter Dr. CynthiaNeal Spence, C’78 and granddaughter Courtnee Spence,C’2008.Rubye worked as a secretary and administrative assistantuntil her retirement, first serving as a secretary in theAtlanta Public School System. Her true passion for herlife’s work was realized when she became a member of theMorehouse College family. For 27 years, she enjoyed herlabor of love as an administrative assistant for the college’sHealth and Physical Education Department. She was amember of the Morehouse College Women’s Auxiliary andworked each year to assist with various fundraising activities.She truly loved Morehouse and the countless studentswho always knew they could come see “Mrs. Neal” in heroffice and receive the mothering they were missing beingaway from home.F A L L 2 0 0 839

She also dearly loved her alma mater, Spelman College.As an active member of the National Alumnae Associationof Spelman College, Atlanta Chapter, she attended monthlymeetings and once again was committed to helping to raisefunds for the annual Atlanta Spelman Scholarship Luncheon.Consistent with her fundraising activities, shesolicited ticket sales with a charming persistence. She servedas a regular volunteer in the Spelman College Museum andparticipated in new student orientation alumnae events andother activities in support of the College.She was an active member of St. Paul of the CrossCatholic Church since 1957; and volunteered with severalprojects and organizations including the Jimmy CarterPresidential Library, the former Southwest CommunityHospital and the Emma Darnell Center. One very specialretirement project included sharing reflections from herlife in Their Memories, Our Treasure: Conversations withAfrican American Women of Wisdom.Mrs. Neal’s funeral was held on February 14, 2008 atSt. Paul of the Cross Catholic Church in Atlanta.Grace Lee Hewell, C’40December 18, 1918 – March 7, 2008Grace Lee Hewell, C’40, was born on December 18, 1918, inAtlanta, Georgia to John Lee Hewell and Josie Franklin. Sheattended high school in Chattanooga, Tennessee andreturned to Atlanta to attend Spelman College in 1936. Aftergraduating from Spelman in 1940 she received a master’sdegree in social work from Atlanta University in 1943. Dr.Hewell then enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps andbecame a second lieutenant while serving in Germany.From 1945 to 1950, she was a service club director with theU.S. armed forces in Europe.Passionate about furthering her education, Dr. Hewellreceived a master’s degree in 1952, a master’s degree in publichealth in 1954 and a doctorate in education in 1958, allfrom Columbia University. She worked as a social workerwith the St. Louis Housing Authority in the early 1950s andthen became a public health educator with the New YorkCity Department of Health.In 1960, Dr. Hewell moved to Washington, D.C. towork as a program coordination officer at the Departmentof Health, Education and Welfare (now Health andHuman Services), beginning her influential and impressivecareer. She was assigned to the office of the assistantsecretary for legislation.During the first session of the 89th Congress in 1965, shewas appointed education chief for the House Committee onEducation and Labor, chaired by Rep. Adam Clayton PowellJr. (D-N.Y.), who had been her pastor at Abyssinian BaptistChurch in New York City.The 89th Congress was labeled “the education Congress”because of the passage of 15 education bills. However,a conference committee reached an impasse on provisionsof the Higher Education Act of 1965 that would expand continuingeducation programs and would provide greateropportunities for historically Black colleges to compete forfederal funds. Dr. Hewell helped Powell break the impasseand in the process forced the federal government to beginclosing the gap between white and Black education in theUnited States.Dr. Hewell continued her influential career as an adulteducation program officer in the Office of Education for theNew York region from 1967 to 1978 and later a consultanton educational telecommunications for the Department ofEducation. She was a commission member for UNESCO’sFourth International Conference on Adult Education from1975 to 1980.Throughout the years, Dr. Hewell always stayed true toher beloved alma mater, Spelman College. A loyal supporter,she consistently gave her time, talent and treasure to helpensure that future generations of young women would benefit,as she did, from a Spelman education. Her love for theCollege began early as she wrote a paragraph about the Collegeon her application for admission that she said fullyestablished the reason she wished to attend Spelman, “Themost important works that the college can do is in thedevelopment of women of character and good will withtheir mental capacities trained to the highest point of usefulness.Spelman is emphatically Christian. The attitudetoward life and teachings of Jesus is the ideal which governsthe institution. The College strives to emphasize anddevelop the Christian virtues of truth, courage, kindness,tolerance and justice in the relations among men andamong nations. If Spelman can help develop these thingsin me I know I will have received the fundamentals, aimand ambition of a lifetime in a brief space of four years.”Dr. Hewell served on the executive board of Delta SigmaTheta sorority and was a life member of the NationalCouncil of Negro Women. When she retired from governmentservice, she established a second residence in Chattanoogaand helped then-Senator Al Gore clean up a creekthat had been described as “the most polluted and contaminated”in the South.Services: Omega Omega Service by Delta Sigma ThetaSorority Inc. on March 17, 2008, in Brentwood, Maryland,and a graveside service on March 28, 2008, in Chattanooga,Tennessee.40S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

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Mignon Lackey Lewis, C’51October 20, 1928 – June 19, 2008Born in Ardmore, Oklahoma on October 20,1928, Mignon Lackey Lewis was the fourthdaughter and the fifth child born to Doll Beatyand Sevallia Lackey. Mrs. Lewis’ parents valuededucation, and they instilled in each oftheir children a love for learning, academicachievement and cultural enlightenment.They also instilled a deep, abiding love foreach other and faith in God.Mrs. Lewis graduated from Douglas HighSchool in Ardmore and entered Spelman Collegein the fall of 1946. It became apparentthat this vivacious and energetic youngwoman, who played several musical instruments(violin, flute, piano and later organ),would declare music as her major. She wasalso active in the AU-Spelman-MorehouseOrchestra, the Spelman Quartet, the Glee Cluband the Spelman-Morehouse Choir. Mrs.Lewis’ time at Spelman was marked by academicsuccess, student leadership and socialpopularity at both Spelman and Morehouse. Agregarious and outgoing young woman, Mrs.Lewis made friends effortlessly. She also establishedspecial relationships with her professorsand President Florence Read. It was her relationshipwith President Read that set in motion hertradition of establishing a close, personal relationshipwith subsequent Spelman College presidentsincluding Dr. Albert E. Manley, Dr. DonaldM. Stewart, Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole, Dr. AudreyForbes Manley, and Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum.This tradition was later passed along to each ofher daughters. She advised them “… always startat the top and work your way down if you want toaccomplish anything of importance.”Mrs. Lewis graduated from Spelman Collegein May 1951 with a bachelor of arts degree inmusic and later continued her studies in education,counseling and music at the University ofSouthern California, and the Roosevelt School ofMusic in Chicago. After receiving her degree fromSpelman, she taught music at Atlanta’s TurnerHigh School for four years before moving to LosAngeles. It was there that she met Frederick GastonLewis, an Ohio State and USC-trained aeronauticalengineer from Ohio. Their courtship ledto marriage on March 25, 1956. From this union,four daughters were born: Camille, Diana, Adrienneand Angela – each of whom would latergraduate from their mother’s alma mater, SpelmanCollege.Teaching children was always Mrs. Lewis’ passion,and her career in education spanned morethan four decades, encompassing both teachingand counseling positions in Los Angeles, ComptonUnified School District in California andPalatine, Illinois – a suburb of Chicago to whichthe couple relocated when Frederick accepted aposition with United Airlines. Over the course ofher career, she received numerous awards andhonors for excellence in teaching and for serviceto children that extended outside the confines ofthe classroom and into their homes and theircommunities.There was only one other passion that rivaledMrs. Lewis’ affection for her family and educatingchildren. That was her unyielding love and supportfor Spelman College. No matter which cityshe resided in, she would always become active inthe local chapter of the National Alumnae Associationof Spelman College (NAASC). In Los Angelesand Chicago, she assumed the role of presidentand for a time she also served as membershipchair of the NAASC. Mrs. Lewis was a life memberof the NAASC and a consummate cheerleader forSpelman College and for the College’s alumnae.She routinely encouraged young women toattend Spelman.When Mrs. Lewis retired from the IllinoisSchool System, she and her husband decided toretire to Atlanta in June 1989. In Atlanta, Mrs.Lewis immediately resumed many of her communityservice activities. She became a faithfulmember of First Congregational Church, UCC,where she served as a trustee, president of theServettes Club, member of the Diaconate and the55 Plus Club. Mrs. Lewis’ volunteer activities alsoincluded membership in Bridges Across Atlanta –an organization of multi-racial Atlanta womendedicated to bridging the educational and economicdivides within the city. She also participatedin numerous organizations at SpelmanCollege, including the Spelman Museum of FineArts and the Corps of Alumnae Volunteers. Shewas co-chair of the Class of 1951, and a memberof the Decatur Chapter of the NAASC.Mrs. Lewis was a Golden Girl and DiamondDaughter and she was determined to make aSpelman education affordable to any youngwoman who had the aptitude and the determinationto attend college. Hence, in 2002, she establishedthe Frederick G. Lewis Scholarship Fund, amemorial to her husband that would providescholarship assistance for young women in need.On April 11, 2002, Mrs. Lewis was presented withthe “Founders Spirit Award” because she exemplifiedthe true spirit of the founders through herleadership and community service. Also, shebecame the matriarch of a Spelman family legacysince her four daughters, Camille Christine Lewis,C’78, Diana Elaine Lewis-Crosby, C’80, AdrienneYvonne Lewis, C’84 and Angela Yvette Lewis, C’88,three nieces, and several cousins are all graduatesof Spelman College.A service for Mignon Lackey Lewis was held inSisters Chapel on June 27, 2008, officiated by ReverendDr. Norman Rates.42S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R

Dear Aunt Mignon,We are here today in your favorite place, Sisters Chapel. I’ve had several days to compose this letter and I know you would notwant this occasion to be sad.It is hard to write and tell you all that I want to say.Let me start with the beginning. I remember the first time we met. You were arriving by train from Atlanta to begin a new lifein Los Angeles. Both of your sisters, Wynola and Gwendolyn, were there with their families to meet you. I was four years old.I remembered your joyfulness, your vitality, your laughter, your quickness and your beauty. I thought I wanted to be just like you.Over the years, I came to know you much better and have come to know your character, your love for others and your enduringgifts to so many. While I know we had a unique relationship, which was quite special, I know that as I write this letter all 16of your nieces and nephews, family members and friends would say the same thing. You were not only an aunt but a confidante,a mediator, a listener, a friend, an educator, a role model and sometimes a dictator.I have wondered over the last few days about how you had so much energy to give to so many and how you moved effortlesslythrough the many roles.You have taught us so much.You have taught us to laugh..the almost daily emails with the jokes. I remember when I would call you sometimes, you wouldsay, “I’m looking at my favorite television show, The Steve Harvey Show, so that I can get my laugh for the day.”You have taught us to give and love beyond ourselves and to be focused. Your love for Spelman and your constant example ofvolunteerism at Spelman are just some of the ways you gave.You taught that part of that giving was also pushing others to be the give the best that they could give. You never held back ongiving your opinion about what was going on. I have heard the stories of Ms. Mignon around Spelman’s campus as you havewalked into Eloise’s office or Anna or Heather’s office and said, “We need to get some quality control issues solved.” I wonder whatSpelman will do without you at New Student Orientation. I heard you often took charge.You have taught us about your love for God and about serving as a church member as you gave generously of your time, talentand opinions to your church and church members.You have taught us to speak up. You have taught us that we all have a point of view and that sharing it is essential. Sometimesyou would say, “This may not be my business but ... ,” meaning, “I am stepping into your business.”And, you have taught us what it is to be a mother ... to love your children unconditionally and still give them constant advice.Camille, Diana, Adrienne and Angela are all your children ... all with strong personalities and all possessing characteristics ofyours. And while I know this is a difficult time for them, they are grown and ready to be who they are!One last thing….I will try to remember not to cross my legs while I’m on stage and not to chew gum in public.You left us all with great memories and established a ubiquitous legacy.We have known you to be direct, and to the point.I know your death is sudden and we will greatly miss you ... you left us the same way you lived – without ambivalence – as itwas time to move on.I must tell you, our hearts are burdened today because we selfishly wanted to experience your laughter a bit longer. Webelieved your “force of life” was meant to last a lot longer, and it will in our hearts.We all love you!Presented by nieceYvonne R. Jackson, C’70Chair of Spelman College Board of TrusteesCelebration of Life and Love for Mignon Lackey LewisFriday, June 27, 2008, Sisters Chapel, Spelman CollegeSF UA LM L M E2 R 0 0/ 8 F A L L 2 0 0 8 43

In Memoriam1936Cornelia EasleyDied: October 23, 2007Services: October 27, 2007 at MountainRidge Baptist Church in Dalton, Ga.Jamie Reddick GrahamLibrarianDied: December 26, 20071943Antoinette Mainor OliveSchool TeacherDied: September 7, 20071944Harriet Nash ChisholmRetired Atlanta Schools ReadingSupervisorDied: February 2, 2008Services: February 9, 2008 at SistersChapel on the campus of SpelmanCollege in Atlanta.1947Charlie EllingtonRetired Educator, Coordinator ofSpecial EducationDied: April 14, 2008Services: A Mass of the Resurrectionwas celebrated April 19, 2008 at St.Ann Catholic Church in West PalmBeach, Fl.1950Dorothy Zellner BrownTeacher and Reading SpecialistDied: October 13, 2007Services: October 20, 2007 at UnionBaptist Church followed by burial inMiddle Georgia Memorial Gardens.1951Gwendolyn Horton HicksEducatorDied: September 26, 2006Services: December 30, 20061956Ethel Lorraine ColemanDavenportRetired Social Worker & AdministratorDied: April 29, 2008Services: May, 3, 2008 at New MacedoniaBaptist Church, Riverdale, Ga.1960Lucille Brown McIverAdministrative Assistant for AtlantaPublic SchoolsDied: January 8, 2008Services: Mass for Christian Burialwas held on Tuesday, January 15,2008 at St. Paul of the Cross CatholicChurch in Atlanta.1962Frances Morrow CarterFranchise OwnerDied: November 11, 2007Services: November 28, 2007 at FirstCorinth Missionary Baptist Church inAtlanta.1972Alycia Long AllenEducator and AdministratorDied: December 18, 2007Services: January 19, 2008 at St.Therese Catholic Church in Seattle.1973Janice Cross JonesEducator, Curriculum SpecialistDied: January 23, 2006Services: January 28, 2006 at the IndianaAvenue Missionary BaptistChurch in Toledo, Ohio.1976Cassandra MartinComputer Analyst,Georgia StateDepartment of LaborDied: March 17, 2008 in Buford, Ga.1981Cathy Connally WatsonOffice Manager, Hammonds HouseDied: February 2, 2008Services: Graveside service Wednesday,February 6, 2008 at LincolnCemetery in Atlanta.1984Gabriel Blue PeltierEducation Specialist and Part-TimeProfessorDied: December 14, 2007Services: December 27, 2007 at GroveBaptist Church in Portsmouth, Vaand January 7, 2008 at Norfolk StateUniversity.1996Kira Michelle Alston GrimaldiTeacherDied: May 23, 2008Services: May, 29, 2008 at JudkinsColonial Home, Plainfield, N. J.44S P E L M A N M E S S E N G E R