Newspaper Page Text
Monday, March 30, 1998
THE MAROON TIGER
PAGE 3
CAMPUS
Artist Rayford Donates life's Work to Morehouse
By Mikhia Hawkins
Staff Writer
Arthur Rayford, a self-
taught artist and writer whose
works have received wide
acclaim nationwide, recently
donated forty-nine of his
major works to Morehouse
College.
"Here I am with no
affiliation to Morehouse
College, and I'm giving my
life's work," said Rayford, at
a ceremony held last month
during Parents' Weekend. "My
paintings are like my children.
Now with you, these are your
children. How much should
you be giving?"
Rayford, who has been
painting seriously sincel984,
said his works reflect the
common, positive experiences
in the lives of black people in
all walks of life.
“Freshmenare
walking risks”
Continued from page 1
in such cases to travel in large
numbers. He also advises that
students not deal with
strangers.
As a result of the robbery,
one of the victims was ready
to leave Morehouse for home.
His parents met with President
Massey and Dean Darden,
both of whom suggested the
move. He says that the gravity
of the situation did not occur
to him until later.
"Then it hit me that
could've been it," he said.
"There would have been no
more. . . everything I ever
dreamed of could have
ended."
Chief Worthy is currently
lobbying for another assembly
on student safety. In the
meantime, students are
advised to be careful. During
warm weather, crimes begin to
escalate in this area. Those
who are not aware of the times
that the AUC shuttles run
should pick up a schedule in
the Morehouse Campus
security office.
His captivating style of
bold colors and broad strokes
have been showcased in many
private and public collections,
including the Museum of Arts
and Science in Daytona Beach;
Hunter Museum in
Chattanooga, Tenn.; and the
Zora Neale Hurston Museum
in Eatonville, Fla.
Carla Maxwell Ray,
Assistant Vice-President for
the Office of Institutional
Advancement, who was
instrumental in collaborating
with Rayford to orchestrate
the donation, said his full-
color oil paintings will adorn
selected halls on campus.
Three of these paintings —
"The Crucifixion," "Judas - A
Friend Betrayed," and "Peter -
A Friend Denied" — are already
on display in Kilgore Center.
Rayford described the
insirational theme behind
these paintings as
"constructive addiction,"
which entails listening to jazz,
classical, and other forms of
music while painting.
"What inspiration I don't
get from God, I get from
Mozart and other great minds
of the past," said the artist.
Although Rayford's art is
lively with invigorating
themes, his past is marked
with unfortunate experiences.
After leaving the military,
Rayford became enmeshed in
a life of crime that led to a ten-
year jail term in a Florida
prison. He was released in
1956.
"I took that situation and
learned a lot from it. Now I
don't let my storms of
yesterday stop my sunshine
today," Rayford said.
Rayford has since become
a widely revered artist.
Through his art, he aims to
inspire and enlighten his
audience so that they may
appreciate life.
His generous donation
will be cherished by members
of the school community for
years to come.
Edward Davis/STAFF
Two Morehouse freshmen were robbed at gunpoint behind
the Park St. Complex. Campus security claims the area does
not fall under its jurisdiction.
CHECK THIS OUT!
FREEZE FRAME IS CURRENTLY FILLING
LEAD AND SUPERVISOR POSITIONS AT
A LOCAL THEME PARK. HAVE FUN
WHILE EARNING HIGHLY COMPETITIVE
WAGES, QUALIFYING FOR BONUSES &
GAIN ADMISSION TO THE PARK FOR YOU
& YOUR FRIENDS. FLEXIBLE HOURS. NO
EXPERIENCE REQUIRED. FOR MORE
INFO, CALL 1-800-695-5303 EXT. 319.
I ' took that situation and learned a lot from it.
Now I don’t let my storms of yesterday stop my
.sunshine today.”
Arthur Rayford
Artist
if financial resources. Your
his tenure. As president, what
and how do you plan to reach
that goal?
My vision for Morehouse is that it will be among the
finest liberal arts colleges in the world. To achieve that, we
qualified students and faculty, fund current and new
living-learning environment. So, increasing the College's
endowment is a major concern for me as president.
Our endowment is comprised of corporate, foundation
and private donations -- gifts to the College that we invest
to make money. We spend the money (interest) we make on
-
and capital improvements - literally everything we need
to operate the College. The larger the endowment, the more
we are able to offer our students.
At Morehouse, we are fortunate in that our endowment, j
which currently stands at $94.6 million, is one of the largest
for historically black colleges. But, let me put that in
perspective for you: Harvard's endowment is $11 billion;
Yale’s is almost $6 billion! So, when it comes to endowments,
Fund raising is the key to increasing the size of the
College's endowment, and our fund raising efforts take place
on many different levels. For example, there is the Annual
Fund, which is targeted to alumni. This year, alumni giving
is up 25 percent over last year.
such as the Leadership Center. Over the past year, we have
raised $5 million —$1 million from Bank of America and $4
million from the Woodruff Foundation - to help fund
construction of that facility, which will house our leadership
programs.
And then there is fund raising for scholarships -
currently our highest priority at the College. Oprah
Winfrey's recent $1 million gift to Morehouse for our
Diamonds in the Rough Scholarship fund is an example of
this kind of giving.
Beyond these ongoing initiatives, the College also
periodically conducts capital campaigns, which, because of
their large fund raising goals, usually have the biggest
impact on increasing the endowment. We are currently in
the planning phase for a major capital campaign, which we
hope to launch in the next few years.
Once we have raised money for our endowment, we
are responsible for ensuring that it grows by making wise
investments. The Investment Committee of the Board of
Trustees oversees this function. Over the past several years,
the College's endowment has grown significantly because
of growth in the economy, particularly the stock market.
As we continue to implement our vision for Morehouse,
we will also continue to raise money to support that vision.
One thing is for sure: We will need more, not less, support
from all our constituents if Morehouse is to remain the strong
and viable institution it has been for more than 131 years.
Walter Massey
