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THE VOICE
OF BLACK WOMANHOOD
SPO TLIGHT
Yol. 31 No. 3
Atlanta, Georgia
November 1977
He Is Inaugurated
Stewart Is Spelman’s Sixth President
President Donald M. Stewart (Center) was Inaugurated October 23,1977 in Sisters
Chapel.
by Dorothy Williams
Roxie F. Hughes
On Sunday, October 25,
1977, at 2 p.m., Donald Mit
chell Stewart was inaugurated
as the sixth president of
Spelman College in Sister’s
Chapel. Many honored guests,
trustees, and students were
present at this affair.
The inaugural proceedings
began with an organ prelude
“Benedictus” under the
dexterous hands of Dr. Joyce
Johnson followed by an im
pressive processional march,
from “Die Meistersinger,” of
the trustees, faculty, and
students of Spelman, alumnae
representatives, delegates
from colleges and universities,
learned societies, the platform
party, professional and other
organizations, in all of their
academic regalia.
The Reverend William V.
Guy, pastor of the Friendship
Baptist Church, delivered the
invocation. The Spelman Glee
Club filled the air with
harmony singing Beethoven’s
“Joyful, Joyful, We Adore
Thee,” followed by a scripture
reading by the Reverend
William Holmes Borders, pas
tor of the Wheat Street Baptist
Church, of “Praise Ye The
Lord” and a prayer by Dr.
Mary Brookins Ross of the
class of '28. Dr. Ross is the
President of the Women’s
Convention Auxiliary to the
National Baptist Convention,
Inc.
Mrs. Laura English—Robin
son, assistant professor of
music, pleased the ears with
her operatic rendition of “Hear
Ye, Israel” by Felix
Mendelssohn. Then came the
greetings to the President.
Ms, Paula Spence, president
of the Spelman Student
Government Association
(SGA), represented the student
body in extending greetings to
the president. She said, “It is
somewhat ironic to stand
before you and Dr. Stewart in
the inauguration of a male
president of our college. But,
through a re-evaluation of our
feelings and priorities and
through the personal effort of
Dr. Stewart, we applaud the
inauguration.”
Dr. Edward Riley, Jr.,
academic dean, represented
the faculty and staff. Dr. Riley
stated that Dr. Stewart has dis
tinguished himself. He
contends that our institution
will be sustained in its
achievement of excellence, and
that Spelman will even
achieve greater heights. He
said that Spelman demands
academic sophistication and
by Pamela Denise Moore
Until her recent ap
pointment by President Carter
as chairperson of the Equal
Employment Opportunity
Commission, Ms. Eleanor
Holmes Norton was virtually
unknown as a national figure.
Now she stands as one of the
top ranking black officials in
the country.
But who is Ms. Eleanor
Norton? Why was she chosen
above all others to head
EEOC? What is the force that
makes her push so diligently
for excellence.
Spelman students were able
to answer these questions and
others for themselves when
that Dr. Stewart has the
ability to bring that sophis
tication to Spelman. “In
Donald Stewart,” Dr. Riley
said, “lies Spelman’s
tomorrow.”
Mrs. Helen Barnett Hum
phrey, president of the
National Alumnae As
sociation, said that to know
Dr. Stewart is to accept him.
She said, “To know Donald
Ms. Norton visited campus on
October 20, 1977. Ms. Norton
spoke during the morning con
vocation as a participant in
the preinaugural activities.
On the basis of her delivery,
she appeared to be a woman of
courage, integrity and sincere
dedication to the progress of
black women. She referred to
the younger generation of
women as “couriers of change”
in the struggle to stop sexist
and racial discrimination.
“You are so well suited for the
task,” she said.
This is Eleanor Holmes
Norton before an audience.
Surprisingly, she is not very
different off stage. In an
exclusive interview at
Stewart is to renew pride in
Spelman as an alumna.” She
told Dr. Stewart that the alum
nae are glad he’s here at
Spelman and that working
with him has been an
inspiration. She also told him
that he has the alumnae’s sup
port both financially and in
recruitment, and wished him
much success and happiness.
Representing the trustees in
Reynold’s Cottage, Ms. Norton
articulated her opinions in the
same quiet but confident
manner as witnessed by her
audience. Reporters present
were from the Spelman
Spotlight and the Atlanta
Constitution.
Q. Ms. Norton, do you have
any comments in regards to
the Bakke case?
A. I think that there has
been too little leadership in the
country on what the full
meaning, the real meaning of
what affirmative action is. Af
firmative action is a concept
that, with some irony, grew up
during the Nixon years. While
President Nixon did not
welcoming Dr. Stewart was
Ms. Laura Rockefeller Chasin,
great granddaughter of Mrs.
Laura Spelman Rockefeller.
She said one of her great
grandmother’s favorite anec
dotes was “I can paddle my
own canoe.” Ms. Chasin took
those present on a trip through
time drawing a verbal picture
of Sophia B. Packard and
Harriet E. Giles, the founders
of Spelman College, and Mrs.
Rockefeller, paddling a canoe
through the history of
Spelman. She then analogized
Dr. Stewart the president as
Dr. Stewart the captain of a
ship—Spelman, guiding a fine
boat that was going places.
Ms. Chasin concluded by
saying, “Donald Stewart has
arrived.”
Dr. Hugh Gloster, president
of Morehouse College,
represented the Atlanta
University Center. He said
that he was pleased and proud
to honor Dr. Stewart’s
inauguration as sixth
president of Spelman College.
Dr. Gloster praised Dr.
Stewart’s credentials and
assets in representing a college
such as Spelman. He said that
Dr. Stewart not only had a
brilliant mind and education,
but he was also rich in profes-
Continued on page 8
interfere, for the most part,
with the development of the
technique, he did not himself
give much leadership on that
question, and so the American
public has a quite distorted
view of what affirmative.ac
tion is.
. . . The American public
has a quite distorted view
of what affirmative aciton
is.
They do not understand the
essence of the concept, the core
techniques which are pretty
fundamentally
American—core techniques
such as expanding the pool
Continued on page 8
Close-up on Eleanor Holmes Norton