The Lincoln Lion Winter 1989 Edition Lincoln Inducts 22 Into Alumni Hall of Fame Call to Rededication at Homecoming '88 by Dr. James A. "Moose" Parker, '42 Twenty-two distinguished alumni of (whose citation was accepted by his son ("Moose" Parker, Chairman of the Re- As the crowd grew larger, anticipating Lincoln University, including a Supreme Julian Bond, former Georgia state sena- dedication Day Committee, made these great action upon Geechee's long await- Court Justice, a world-renown scientist tor) and Professor Martin L. Kilson Jr., remarks at the Alumni Luncheon on Oc- ed return, "Rocky" Bisbane stopped by and two former African heads of state, as '53, Frank Graham Tomson Professor of tober 22, 1988.) and asked in his deep voice, "What's go- well as prominent government officials, Government at Harvard University. ing on here?" When he was told that educators and judges, were inducted as Inductee Edward Wilmot Blyden III, Members of the Lincoln Family and Geechee had gone to get his weapons to inaugural members of the Lincoln Uni- '48, internationally known educator and Friends: teach the freshman some manners, versity Alumni Hall of Fame during a diplomat from Sierra Leone, was repre- During my years here at Lincoln "Rocky" replied in a very convincing ceremony at Homecoming '88 on Oc- sented on the platform by his daughter (1938-42) there were certain rules set by voice, "Geechee ain't gona do nothing! I tober 22. Nematu Blyden, a graduate student at the rabble that freshmen had to observe— just left Geechee; he's been over at the library for the last half hour, trying to find Over 1000 alumni, family and friends Yale University. at least for the first semester—that is, if the word 'retaliation' in the dictionary!" of Lincoln were on hand to enjoy the Other diplomats in Lincoln's Hall of they wanted to remain in a healthy state. weekend celebration which also featured Fame are Horace G. Dawson, '49, direc- The rules were these: Because of some rather rough treat- a parade, dance, fashion show, concerts, tor of the Office of Employment Oppor- 1. No freshman was to walk under the ment and threats from "Rocky" and other and a special program by the Pritchard tunity and Civil Rights and former am- sacred arch; members of the rabble, Idiong learned Concert Ensemble of New York. bassador to Botswana; Charles J. Nelson, 2. They had to wear their green fresh- the words to the Alma Mater in short "Historically, Lincoln has earned a '42, former ambassador to Botswana, man caps with the orange colored but- order, and with the urging of other more tons; flexible and understanding Africans like 3. They had to wear garters to be Nkrumah, Jones-Quartey, and Disu, he, shown upon request; in time, became a model freshman. Both 4. Freshmen were not to sit on the he and Geechee have since gone on to stones in front of Cresson Hall; and the Great Beyond, but "Rocky" is still 5. Each freshman had to learn, and fighting for Lincoln, and singing the recite or sing, the words to the Alma Ma- Alma Mater with meaning. ter upon the request of any sophomore or To some, the Alma Mater is serious upperclassman. business. To me, it's more than just nos- Most of the freshmen complied, but talgia. It's a strong pledge in poetic form the few who rebelled were severely dealt which each of us took when we first sang with by the rabble. There was a stocky, as freshmen, "Dear Lincoln, Dear Lin- lantern-jawed, serious-minded freshman coln to thee we'll e'er be true"; and "For from the west coast of Africa by the name thee our Alma Mater dear, we'll rise in of Idiong, who refused to learn the Alma our might." Now that's very strong. Mater by anyone's timetable except his About six or seven years back, while own. Then one beautiful fall day on serving on the Board of Trustees, I be- campus, he suddenly found himself came highly indignant and upset when I caught in the middle of a big "rabble found out that a contractor, who was session." searching for what he called "perfect One of the most dedicated rabblers, trees" to be exported to Europe for some whom we called Geechee, took the lead special project, was invited here on cam- and confronted the defiant freshman, pus and, for an undisclosed sum of mo- saying, "you will learn the Alma Mater in ney, was given the right in a certain area, The LU cheerleaders brought Lincoln spirit to alumni, students, and friends in the twenty-four hours, or I will personally to cut down the trees of his choice. In his Homecoming Parade on Saturday, October 22. take you to the woods!" To this Idiong anxiety he also cut down trees from an replied, "and if you try, you shall get a adjoining property, for which act Lincoln retaliation from me!" Geechee then left was sued. This claim was quietly settled the scene in a huff, admonishing the surly worldwide reputation for training many Lesotho and Swaziland; the late W. Bev- freshman to stay put until he returned. (Continued on Page 10) more than its share of national and inter- erly Carter, '43, ambassador to Liberia national leaders by providing diverse and and Tanzania (whose citation was ac- distinctive intellectual and cultural op- cepted by his son, William Carter); and portunities," said University president Dr. Franklin H. Williams, '41, former U.S. Niara Sudarkasa, who awarded the Hall ambassador to Ghana, and now president of Fame citations. "The roll call of Lin- of the Phelps Stokes Fund and chairman coln alumni reads like a 'Who's Who of of Lincoln's board of trustees. the 20th Century.' We are inducting only Two former African heads of state who a few of those who should be recog- were inducted into the Hall of Fame are nized." the late Kwame Nkrumah, '39, the first Special guest speaker at the Hall of president of Ghana (whose citation was Fame ceremony was inductee Roscoe accepted by Dr. Osei Tutu Poku, Head Lee Browne, '46, the critically acclaimed of Chancery, Embassy of Ghana, ac- stage/screen actor and Emmy Award- companied by his wife Tina) and Ben- winning television star. jamin Nnamdi Azikiwe, '30, the first Browne also accepted a citation for president of Nigeria (whose citation was Professor J. Newton Hill, '20, Lincoln's accepted by Ambassador Hamzat Ah- first Black faculty member. Other educa- madu, ambassador from Nigeria to the tors among the inaugural members of United States. The Ambassador was ac- Lincoln's Alumni Hall of Fame include companied by Abrahm Tukuru, Consul- the late Dr. Horace Mann Bond, '23, General of Nigeria to New York; Cyril Lincoln's first Black president and author Lincoln's oldest living'alumnus, William M. Ashby, 11, spoke at Rededication Day of its history, Education for Freedom, (Continued on Page 10) ceremonies with the Honorable Horace G. Dawson, Jr., '46, a Hall of Fame inductee. The Lincoln Lion 2 Winter 1989 Edition Table of Contents 1 Lincoln Inducts 22 Into Alumni Hall of Fame at Homecoming '88 Call to Rededication by Dr. James A. "Moose" Parker, '42 2 Message From the President of the General Alumni Association by Donald L. Pierce, '53 3 Perspective on the Alumni Affairs Office by Nathan E. South, '78, Director of Alumni Affairs Message from the President of the General Alumni Association Homecoming: A Student Perspective by Nadine Council, '89, and Donna Abrams, '89 by Donald L. Pierce, '53 Since this is probably the last oppor- the dedication and energy to handle their 4 Class Notes tunity I will have to communicate with duties and to assure a smooth transition. you through this media, I will review our At Council's October meeting, the Fi- status as an association. nance Committee reported on a proposal 9 The Lincoln University Class Secretaries Directory In my report to the Council on October to define a relationship with the Univer- 22, I identified seven areas of concern: sity that would result in the elimination the relationship between the University of dues collection and an Association 10 Students Elect Miss Lincoln University 1988-89 and the Association; the confusion con- budget generated by annual alumni giv- Homecoming Contest Winners cerning contributions to the University ing. The Council turned down this pro- and contributions to the Association; posal. As a result, I appointed a commit- chapter organization; the Association's tee to study the possibility of the Associa- 11 Snap Shots committee structure; alumni support for tion's becoming totally independent of the University; alumni annual giving; and the University—a situation I do not deem the procedures used by the Association to be practical, feasible or affordable, in choosing its officers. I will comment mainly due to the many joint operations. on only a few of these concerns. For instance, the Association could not The current procedure for choosing afford the expense of maintaining its own officers is as follows: 1. The Association data base and the electronic record keep- President appoints a nominating com- ing necessary for an efficiently run oper- mittee which draws up a slate. 2. The ation; and the mailing alone would be slate is presented to the Council for prohibitive. adoption at its February meeting. 3. After The Development Committee of the adoption, a ballot is sent to the alumni to Board of Trustees is also studying this be returned with a dues check by the first issue and plans to make a proposal at the Saturday in May.