Extensions of Remarks

April 8, 1987 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 8527 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS TRIBUTE TO HUGH GLOSTER For one thing, they were successful by virtu statue of Morehouse alummus Martin ally any of the yardsticks that college presi Luther King Jr. outside the administration dents are expected to stand beside. For an building, he knows just where to stand so HON. JOHN LEWIS other, they brought success to a private, his that King's out-thrust arm will show over OF GEORGIA torically black, liberal arts college-a slice of his shoulder. His smile, as the photographer IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES American culture that is small, impecunious works, is somehow both practiced and sin and not often noticed by the society at cere. Wednesday, April 8, 1987 large. King is the best, known Morehouse gradu Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would Not so at Morehouse. Its enrollment has ate, but he heads a long list of prominent like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to a more than doubled, to about 2,100 students, local and national leaders. The best known man who has spent the last 20 years improv during Gloster's years. The faculty has also to Atantans include: Former Mayor May doubled, to about 110, and its endowment nard Jackson, former State Sen. Julian ing educational opportunities for thousands of has trebled to $15.4 million. Morehouse people all over the world. Dr. Hugh Gloster, of Bond, Federal Judge Horace T. Ward, and draws students from all over the country Fulton County Commission Chairman Mi Morehouse College, is preparing to retire but and the world, and one ranking of U.S. col chael Lomax. Elsewhere the list includes not before he established himself as a giant in leges recently listed it as one of the 10 best several score federal and local judges, two American education. This distinguished man buys among small, liberal arts colleges. congressmen, business and religious leaders has stood tall through the years and More Gloster has not been wholly above criti and Olympic gold medalist Edwin Moses. house College has benefited. cism, however. Some say, privately, that he Gloster does not admit to anything phe hasn't paid enough attention to faculty Dr. Gloster has prepared Morehouse to members' opinions, or that he could have nomenal in his performance. "When I came move into the 21st century. While many raised even more endowment money. Inter here," he remarked recently, "You didn't schools were losing students, enrollment at estingly, those criticisms frequently turn on have to be a wise man to see that opportuni Morehouse has doubled in the past 20 years a comparison with Spelman College, and ties were opening up for blacks in business and the school's endowment has tripled. Re they have a grass-is-always-greener tinge to and engineering.'' That observation, however, accounts for cently, Morehouse College was listed as one them. Spelman is next door to the More house campus, and it is to black women's most of Morehouse's growth in succeeding of the Nation's 1O best buys among small, lib years. In 1967-68, his first school year as erals arts colleges. Dr. Gloster is considered colleges what Morehouse is to black men's colleges. president, Morehouse entered Georgia one of the Nation's top college presidents and One sometime critic of Gloster pondered Tech's dual degree progam, which gives stu his achievements will go down in history. recently how Gloster stacks up against nu dents a degree from each college at the end The following is an article which appeared merous other black presidents, particularly of a five-year course of study. More than in the March 8 edition of the Atlanta Constitu those in the seven-college Atlanta Universi 300 students are now enrolled. In the same tion/ Journal which details Dr. Gloster's ty Center, a consortium that includes More two decades, the school's business program achievements: house and Spelman. "There's just no com has gone from 78 students to two major parison with any of the others," the critic fields to more than 800 students in 10 THE MAN OF MOREHOUSE: HUGH GLOSTER said. "Except maybe [former President] majors. HAS PuSHED BLACK MEN'S COLLEGE TO TOP Don Stewart at Spelman." There's another thing about Gloster, said WITH 20 YEARS OF HARD WORK On the other hand, there are plenty who Robert Brisbane, a Morehouse faculty <By Hank Ezell) praise Gloster without qualification-trust member for 39 years. "Black presidents At 75, but still riding life's crest, Hugh M. ees, alumni, fellow presidents, even people have to do the same things as white presi Gloster isn't sure what he might do with his far from the campus and only passingly in dents, but they also have to do something next career. terested in it. He is a ferocious fund-raiser," else. Black schools have an additional mis He has 11 job offers, or at least nibbles, said a former consultant to a major founda sion. We're still seeking liberation-it's for his time after he retires from the presi tion. That's big-league praise from a New there, [even if] it's unspoken. Black presi dency of Morehouse College on June 30. Yorker who spent many days refereeing as dents have to deal with that along with There are three or four books he'd like to colleges pursued major bucks. their money raising and everything else. write. He might also do some globe-trotting, "I remember once, one of the few times What input are we making in the general perhaps to some of the three continents, Morehouse didn't win the grant it wanted," cause of freedom and liberation?" not counting North America, where he trav he continued. "Gloster wrote a four-page, In Brisbane's eyes, Gloster has done very eled to teaching jobs so many years ago. single spaced letter to the program officer well. The proof, he said, is in the number of And he just might teach again. In that sce on that project, explaining to them why alumni who are sending their sons to More nario, colleges in South Africa and India they'd made a mistake. It was somewhat house. "These people are coming from black come to mind. critical, a very direct, clear letter on why middle-class families," Brisbane said. "The With that pleasant fogbank of opportuni their proposal should have been funded. choices are being made by families that ties only a few months away, the courtly, That officer told me, 'He made some good have choices. They're saying, 'I want my eminently successful and by no means aged points,' and Morehouse was funded the next boy or girl to go to Morehouse or Spelman; I Gloster has made only one decision. "I'll at year." The prize: a $100,000 program. want them to get steeped in black culture.' " least take July and August off," he said. In his wood-paneled, book-stuffed office Gloster's own son, unlike the sons of two From all indications, he won't stand still on the Morehouse campus, Gloster doesn't of his predecessors, went elsewhere to col much longer than that. Gloster has made seen to be terribly impressed by that or any lege. He picked the University of North his name, in part, through seemingly bot other praise. Asked what made him one of Carolina at Chapel Hill, which offered a tomless stamina, 20 years of it given to the the nation's 100 best presidents, as a recent scholarship for all expenses and even a building of Morehouse as college president. poll of college administrators proclaimed, summer trip to Europe. "I encouraged him That longevity in itself is notable. On av Gloster said he would respond with simple to go to Morehouse,'' Gloster said. "But he erage, American college presidents with facts. The facts were the familiar litany felt he would have a more normal life away stand only seven years in their infrequently growths in faculty, faculty pay, enrollment, from the school where his father was presi noticed but immensely difficult posts. There now construction, land acquisition. dent. He was right." is, according to those in the trade, only so More recently, and following a newspaper The elder Gloster's life has been, for the long that a person can act simultaneously as editorial that condemned the survey for most part, a series of success stories. A executive, salesperson, fund-raiser, recruit leaving out other Georgia college and uni native of Brownsville, Tenn., he is a Phi er, policymaker, negotiator, cheerleader and versity presidents, Gloster has taken care to Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse, class of lightning rod. point to their achievements, rather than his 1931, and the first Morehouse man to That durability is even more remarkable own. return as its president. He holds advanced in Gloster's case, just as it was for his prede Part of it seems to be that he is accus degrees from Atlanta University and New cessor, Benjamin E. Mays. They have led tomed to a lot of favorable attention. When York University. A specialist on black Amer Morehouse for the last 47 of its 120 years. photographers want to pose him with the ican literature, he authored "Negro Voices e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor.

Load more