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Mays, Thurman legacies to be memorialized
By Van Turner
“What manner of man" was this,
as Andrew Young recently stated
one Sunday morning at Chapel
service, who could just stand up
and say absolutely nothing and
people would stand, cheer and em
phatically clap nonetheless?
“What manner of man” was this
who fathered a whole generation
of dynamic African-American
male leadership and uplifted the
morale and dignity of anyone he
came in contact with? Dr.
Thurman ’23, the “Twentieth cen
tury Holy man,” and Dr. Mays ’67
(honorary), the “Christian minis
terial and educational giant,” both
epitomized and demonstrated the
moral vigor and educational thirst
that should be characteristic of
every true Morehouse Man. They,
along with Mordecai Johnson ’ 11
and Samuel Woodrow Williams
’37, gave the nation an alternative
to violence as the solution, with
the introduction of a nonviolence
civil and human rights movement
to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ’46.
The Morehouse College Board
of Trustees and the Morehouse
family have now decided to honor
Howard Thurman and Benjamin
Mays in a way similar to Dr. King,
whose statue adorns the front of
King Chapel. A Carillon Tower
with bells at the Northwest corner
of King Chapel will honor Dr.
Thurman. The bell tower will be a
replica of an ancient African sym
bol and will house the ashes of Dr.
Thurman.
The front of Graves Hall will
become the new memorial site for
Dr. Mays, with his crypt and statue
placed there for his final, and most
appropriate, resting site. Mrs.
Sadie May’s crypt will also join
her much celebrated husband’s
tomb. Other features of the me
morial will include a circular plaza
highlighted with the Morehouse
seal, and a wall of remembrance
under the shadow of a statue of
Dr. Mays in full academic attire.
The total cost for the erection of
both memorials will be approxi
mately $600,000. The donor
levels of contribution are: 1)
Candle $l,000-$4,999 2) Mys
tique $5,000-59,999 3) Crown
$10,000 and above. In addition,
each contributor who donates
$1,000 or more will have his/her
name inscribed on the memorial
of his choice, and any donor who
gives $2,000 will receive recogni
tion on both memorials.
These memorials will serve as
living testimonies to what we as
African-American men can be
come. With each chime of the
bell, the thoughtful and medita
tive words of Dr. Thurman will
engender in us the moral fortitude
and fervor to press on.
With each glimpse of Dr. May’s
shrine, we will, in some way, catch
a glimmer of his radiant light to
lead us down a sometimes dark
and chaotic matriculation in school
and throughout life. Although they
have long since passed away, these
two leaders, with their words and
their spirit, still instill in us cour
age and determination as we strive
to be successful in all aspects of
our lives.
Each One, Teach One
By Myron Burney
Less than 20% of African Ameri
can men go on to attend colleges
and universities. One in every
four Black male is behind bars, on
parole, or on probation. These are
just a few of the startling statistics
that over three hundred Morehouse
Men are trying to change through
the Morehouse Mentoring Pro
gram.
The program is currently the larg
est community service program at
the college. Students attend vari
ous highschools, middle and pri
mary schools throughout the sur
rounding community, to offer their
leadership and abilities to a young
brother or sister. Morehouse vol
unteers serve in many different
capacities, ranging from tutors to
coaches in the local schools. In
many cases, the students find
themselves becoming someone’s
role model and ‘big brother.’
The program was founded in
1986, in the hope of improving
and encouraging the lives of in
ner-city youth, through regular
interaction with Morehouse Col
lege men. Academics,. Self-Es
teem, and Cultural Awareness are
the main areas the program fo
cuses on.
Kwame Manley, a junior English
major at Morehouse College, is
the student director of the pro
gram as well as a mentor himself.
When asked about his role as di
rector of the Mentoring Program,
Kwame said, "the greatest feeling
an individual can get is when he is
able to help make a difference in a
younger brother or sister’s life."
Manley further said that he appre
ciates the participation and dedi
cation of the brothers here at More
house, and he hopes to see the
program elevate to new heights in
the future.
The Morehouse Mentoring Pro
gram is a vital part of this commu
nity because it enables us to set
the path for our future generation.
If our youth cannot look to us for
positive influence, who will they
choose to model themselves af
ter? It is strongly encouraged that
we continue to be involved, for we
all have something positive to of
fer our community! Take advan
tage of the Morehouse Mentoring
Program, have some say about our
collective future, and be your
brother's keeper.
King Chapel Choir Sings for
M.L. King Celebration in Ohio
By Myron G. Burney
Recently, the Martin Luther King
Jr. Chapel Choir traveled to Co
lumbus, Ohio to participate in one
of the largest celebrations com
memorating Dr. King's birthday.
The choir was ninety voices
strong, with the added voices of
about twenty Emory students.
Nearly 6,000 guests assembled at
the Greater Columbus Convention
Center for the 10th Annual Martin
Luther King Jr. Birthday Break
fast. The breakfast is the nation’s
largest sit-down event in honor of
Dr. King. The King Chapel Choir
was one of the event’s main at
tractions. The choir also per
formed in concert at the Shiloh
Baptist Church on Sunday
evening, and at the church’s Sun
day morning worship service.
Keisha George, president of the
King Chapel Choir (KCC), felt that
it was a magnificent event for the
choir to be a part of. She stated
that, "God truly answers prayers
and when you believe, you will
receive a blessing!" David Clay, a
sophomore Psychology major
from Philadelphia and vice-presi
dent of KCC, said, "The trip el
evated us as a church family and
brought us closer together as a
choir, as well as helping us to
establish a strong relationship with
the Emory Christian family."
Walter Thornton, a sophomore
Biology/ Pre-Med major from
OxonHill, Maryland, discussed
how God has really moved the
whole choir. He went on to say
that, "the trip was one of the
choir’s best, and it was truly a
blessing." Walter is one of the
choir’s many talented student di
rectors and leaders of the group.
Under the new direction of Rev.
Royal Colbert and Dr. Daniel
Black, KCC is off and running the
race for Christ. Their future is
certainly looking bright. They re
ceive numerous invitations to sing
all over the United States. The
King Chapel Choir certainly adds
an uplifting, motivating, fast-
paced spirit to any service of which
they are a part. The choir can
usually be heard on Sunday morn
ings at Chapel service at eleven
o’clock. If you are interested in
joining the choir as a member,
weekly rehearsals are on Thurs
day evenings at seven o'clock.
Although the choir’s central loca
tion is here at Morehouse College,
they invite and appreciate the con
tributions of students from Clark
Atlanta, Morris Brown, Spelman,
or any other college in the sur
rounding area who are willing,
ready, and are able to uplift the
words of Christ through song!