Giving it the ‘ole college try:

Morris Brown College salutes students, alumni, and community servants

By Tomi Morris Johnson. Photos by Kurk Johnson

Morris Brown students (Jermaine T. Ausmore - Student Body Pres., Meghan Monroe - Class 2003, Courtney Lyles - Miss Sophomore, Yaschica Barber -Class 2003, and Sharonda Hunter - Miss Junior)

Morris Brown College’s family and friends have three beliefs:

1. A school’s worth is measured by its graduate’s abilities to lift others.

2. It’s nice to be important, but it’s nicer to make someone else feel important.

3. Good colleges are havens for hungry souls.

These recommendations were given at a local event held in Atlanta. On March 2, the Women for Morris Brown College, Inc. (WFMBCI) showed their gratitude for people who have done great things for Georgia and the USA. Helen Kilpatrick Threatt, whose husband was president of Morris Brown College, founded the organization in 1981. WFMBCI is a 501-3 non-profit organization.

Robert Threatt, MBC Pres. (1972-1984) and Helen Threatt Shantell Battle sang “Hero”

Brenda Reid, Johnny L. Brown, Moira C. Montgomery, Connie O. Marshall, and Xernona C. Brady received awards.

WFMBCI’s 21^st anniversary celebration honored the following persons:

Xernona C. Brady, Corporate Vice President, Turner Broadcasting System

Johnny L. Brown, Manager, Kroger, Flakes Mill Road, Decatur

Virgil A. Carr, Owner, CPA and Assist. Prof., Clark Atlanta University

Dr. James L. Davis, Senior Pastor, Big Bethel A.M.E. Church

Rebecca J. Franklin, CEO of Women Looking Ahead News Magazine

Renee L. Glover, Esq., Exec. Dir., Atlanta Housing Authority

Ruth R. Glover, President, Morris Brown College National Alumni Association

Johnny L. Brown, Dr. James L. Davis, Ruth R. Glover, and Miranda Mack McKenzie

Gabriel Hardeman, Jr., Songwriter, singer, leader, minister, teacher and coach

Jacqueline J. Irvine, Charles Howard Candler Professor, Emory University

Shikennia Q. Jones, Miss Morris Brown College, College Woman of the Year

Amos McCrary, Retired, Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems Company

Miranda Mack McKenzie, Reg. Mgr. of Geographic Marketing, Anheuser-Bush

Connie O. Marshall, Dir. Of Community Marketing, Coca-Cola Bottling Co

Moira C. Montgomery, VP of Compliance, Citizens Trust Bank of Atlanta

Clay Pendarvis, Esq., Chief of Television, Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Brenda Reid, Community Affairs Mgr., Publix Super Markets, Inc. – ATL Div.

Susan J. Ross, Photography, City of Atlanta

Clarence Scott, former Cleveland Browns player, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame

Maggie M. Walker, Prestigious Woman of the Year – 2002

Judge Elaine L. Carlisle and Attorney Clay Pendarvis Actor Robert Banks and Michael Leary.

Featured musicians included the Women for Morris Brown College Chorale, Shantell Battle singing “Hero”, and soloist Gabriel Hardeman, Jr. who sang “Living Praise”.

Shikennia Q. Jones, Miss MBC

Morris Brown College had its humble beginning on October 15, 1885, when 107 students and 9 teachers walked into a crude wooden structure at the comer of Boulevard and Houston Streets in Atlanta. It was named to honor the memory of the second consecrated Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church.

Rev. Skip Mason, Dean of Students, said youth attending Morris Brown “are some of the most talented and gifted students in the country.”

Georgia State Senator Donzella James, who is a congressional candidate running from the 13^th district, had a lot to say about her alma mater. “I’m very proud of my roots at Morris Brown College which was a positive force in my life. I’ve moved forward and gone into many professions, from federal services, schoolteacher, and now as a state legislator in the Georgia Senate. I give honor to God first, and Morris Brown College gave me a strong foundation. There are so many wonderful, outstanding individuals in the state of Georgia who are connected to Morris Brown in some way. It has always been a beacon of hope.”

Sen. Donzella James with MPN’s Tomi Johnson New Hope AME Church members pose with Veronica Hutchins.

James added, “Morris Brown College is a success story that needs to be told and retold. It was started for Blacks by Blacks. It began in a Christian environment in the basement of Big Bethel AME Church which is where I got my start. My grandmother lived on Auburn Avenue in historic “Sweet Auburn”. She lived across the street from Big Bethel, and we went every Sunday of my life. I credit that lifestyle to the value-based and God-centered decisions that I make today and when I’m on the floor of the State Senate.”

Prestigious Woman of the Year Maggie Walker wears Morris Brown “beanie” hat while photographer Sue Ross takes a photo op.

Morris Brown College has approximately 2,400 students majoring in more than 40 areas of study including Business, Computer Science, Chemistry, Biology and Hospitality Administration. The College is currently under the leadership of President Dolores E. Cross, Ph.D. For more information about the college, go to http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Campus/6380/

Click on this link - MPN Metro Correspondent to e-mail Tomi Morris Johnson about this article, any suggestions, or other news stories of like relevance and interest to MPN viewers and subscribers.

This information is the opinion of the author and, therefore, should not be construed as libelous.