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| HISTORIC TALLADEGA COLLEGE’S ALUMNI to HOLD TRIENNIAL REUNION IN BIRMINGHAM |
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| Local News Headlines |
| Written by Administrator |
| Thursday, 14 July 2011 10:14 |
 Jerome Gray  Shani Forbes Original painting by Dr. Arthur Bacon Dr. Arthur Bacon, ArtistBirmingham, Alabama, will be the host city of the Talladega College National Alumni Association’s 2011 Triennial reunion and conference, July 21 – 24. Approximately 200 alumni and friends of Alabama’s oldest historical college from across the country are expected to participate in the four-day event hosted by the Birmingham Chapter of the Talladega College Alumni Association. Held every three years in various states, the Triennial allows alumni to gather,hold meetings, reminisce, become reacquainted with old classmates, and vow to reinvest in their alma mater. Housed at the Doubletree Hotel on Birmingham’s Southside, the Triennial meeting will feature several events, including a Welcoming Reception at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute on Thursday evening. Having produced countless social, political, and business trailblazers including such distinguished local alumni as, Arthur Shores, Oscar Adams, Jr., Odessa Woolfolk, J. Mason Davis, and Orzell Billingsly, to name a few, the Welcoming Reception will feature an exhibit of Talladega Trailblazers in all walks of life. An Awards Luncheon will be held on Friday during which time regional and national awards will be presented to selected alumni. A volunteer Alumni Choir under the direction of alumnus and Broadway performer, Rickey Powell, will entertain. The featured speaker for the Awards Luncheon will be Talladega College alumnus, Jerome Gray. Gray, long-time state field director for the Alabama Democratic Conference (ADC), is a native of Evergreen, Alabama, and a 1959 graduate of Talladega College. Viewed by many to be one of the most knowledgeable and respected voices in Black politics in the state, Gray has been a public school teacher, a writer-in-residence at Voorhees College,and staff assistant and office manager to former U. S. Senator Donald Stewart of Alabama. In the 1980s, Gray played a major role in organizing and mobilizing Black citizens at the county and municipal levels to successfully challenge local discriminatory election systems. Since his retirement in 2006, Gray has served as a Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture and state political director of the Obama for President Campaign. Gray is a co-author of The History of the Alabama State Teachers Association and a co-author of the “Alabama Chapter” in the highly regarded book-length study, Quiet Revolution in the South: The Impact of the 1965 Voting Rights Act – 1990. Saturday night’s send-off celebration will be an Alumni Dinner and Dance in the hotel’s ballroom. The keynote speaker for the evening will be Shani Forbes, a native of Oxford, Ala., and a 2001 graduate of Talladega College. Forbes has a background in biomedical research, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and a Master’s Degree in Secondary Biology Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Forbes was recently named National Math and Science Initiative’s All-American 2011 Teacher of the Year. She is the only African American in the country to receive this honor. As a teacher at Huffman High School, an urban school in the Birmingham City School System,Forbes is the AP science lead teacher with A+ college ready.Forbes is known for her ability to prepare students for high scores in biology on the Advanced Placement exam. She increased qualifying AP scores by 40 percent and ranked seventh highest in the state for increasing the number of students with passing AP scores. Forbes says, “Regardless of the challenges so many urban students face, I believe every student, when given an opportunity, encouragement and quality teaching, can succeed academically.” At the end of the dinner, two original paintings by Talladega alumnus and internationally acclaimed artist, Dr. Arthur Bacon, will be auctioned. Dr. Bacon was commissioned by the Birmingham Chapter of the Talladega College Alumni Association to design the official 2011 Triennial artwork which would single-handedly announce what the host city stands for. The design was emblazoned on the save-the-date cards, registration materials, commemorative t-shirts, and mugs. The original painting captures the essence of Birmingham as the statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stares from Kelly Ingram Park where angry dogs attacked school children, towards the historic, Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, where four little girls were bombed. To the left is the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, where all of Birmingham’s rich history as well as its future possibilities are available for viewing. In the background is Sloss Furnace, symbolizing the heartbeat of Birmingham’s origin – iron ore manufacturing. It is one of the original paintings that will be auctioned at the banquet on Saturday, July 25. The weekend will be rounded out with concurrent workshop sessions Friday morning on planned giving, recruiting, and an under-35 rap session; the President’s Reception Friday night at the Doubletree Hotel followed by an under-35 mixer later that evening at Legends Nightclub, owned by Talladega College alumnus Marcus Jones; a daily showcase of Talladega artists and authors, and a nightly poolside gathering. The parting activity will be an Ecumenical Service on Sunday morning at First Congregational Church where Talladega College alumnus, The Reverend Dr. Rodney Franklin is Pastor. Birmingham Chapter Triennial Planning Committee consists of: Chairman, Adrienne Royster Bell; Co-Chairman, Kevin Owens; Financial Secretary, Lydia Lewis Alexander; Treasurer, Aaron Harris; Awards Luncheon, Otis Dismuke, Chairman, Lesa Bennett, Co-Chairman; Alumni Banquet Erline M. Patrick, Chairman, members, NaShanta Maze Hill Walvid King, Keondra Hampton, and Terri Harville; Decorations, Anthony Jones; Ecumenical Service, Rodney Franklin; Entertainment, Rickey Powell, Chairman, Faye Joyce Davis, Co-Chair; Hospitality, Alberto Reid, Chairman, Tuscaloosa Alumni Chapter; Opening Reception, Unzell Kelley, Chairman; President’s Reception, Ina Walker, Chairman; Registration, Jacqueline Stephens, Chairman, Hazel Germany, Keondra Hampton, Betty Brown, Faye Joyce Davis, and Bettie Smith, members; Souvenir Journal, Lydia Alexander, Chairman, Clintonia Patterson, Co-Chairman, Aaron Harris, Hazel Germany, and Marva Burns, members; Talladega Authors and Artists Corner, Hazel Bass Germany, Chairman; Talladega Trailblazers, June Davis, Chairman, Odessa Woolfolk, member; Transportation, Rubbie White, Chairman; Vendors, Hazel Bass Germany, Chairman. Newly elected Talladega College TCNAA national officers are President, Gregory Austin, Charlotte, N.C.; Vice President, Zenda Bowie, Atlanta, Ga.; Treasurer, Lawrence Carroll, Mobile, Ala.; Secretary, Zersha Gosha, Columbus, Ga.; and Stanley Menefield, Talladega, Ala. All events are closed to registrants except the Alumni Meeting, Regional Roundtables, Workshop Sessions, Talladega College Authors and Artists Corner, Under 35 Mixer, and the Ecumenical Service. For more information about the Talladega College National Alumni Association 2011 Triennial, contact Adrienne Royster Bell, 2011 Triennial Chairperson, at (205) 835-2074; or Jackie Stephens at (205) 919-2972 for information on registration. Full details and a downloadable registration form are available online at www.tcnaa-bhm.com. |
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