Newspaper Page Text
■‘V-
November 6, 1981
Spelman Spotlight
Page 9
Coronation 1981-1982
What Does Homecoming Really Mean?
Photo credits: Yearbook
Whitney Young
by Kimberly Harding
On November 7th a very
special event will take place.
Morehouse College will be
holding their annual Homecom
ing game against West Georgia
College at the Lakewood
Stadium. Prior to the game, many
other activities have been plan -
ed includinganightofpageantry
in which many Spelmanites will
be participating. One of our
sisters will be officially crowned
Miss Maroon and White and
others will contribute to the
speical evening’s entertainment.
But, what is the significance of
these events? What exactly does
Homecoming mean to its par
ticipants from Morehouse and
Spelman?
We asked a few people within
the Spelman - Morehouse family
and the following are their
responses:
Florence Grier (Freshman): It
means alumni coming down for
the big game.
Gail Goodwin (Junior): A time
of celebration!
Ethan Ealy (Morehouse
Sophomore): A gathering of
both present members of the
student body and alumni getting
together and enjoying a football
game ... just an excuse to get
together.
Yoland Benton (Sophomore):
A time when there are a lot of
festive events.
Audrey Portor (Freshman): It's
a time when the school is
recognized for being started.
John Esmond (Morehouse
Sophomore): A time for parties
and to beat West Georgia.
Vincent Samson (Morehouse
Sophomore): Reuniting, seeing
your old friends and feeling the
old college spirit.
Derris Mitchell (Morehouse
Sophomore): It’s a time that the
band can show the alumni how
well they perform and hope for
their support.
Miss Sherry Jordan (Alumni):
It’s a time I’ll be able to see my
old friends and see what they’ve
done in the past year.
Quinton Tookes (Morehouse
Freshman): It’s nothing more
than a sense of unity among the
student body.
Shelia Hoffler (Sophomore):
It’s spirit, gusto; the life. It’s
everything as far as college life is
concerned because everyone is
happy for that day and it brings
the two schools closer together.
SonyaTremble(Senior): Amid
semester celebration when all
the alumni come back and the
whole weekend is basically for
celebration.
Shawn Jenkins (Junior: A
special gathering of alumni to
reminisce and it gives the un
dergraduates a chance to talk to
the illustrious alumni about their
professional careers.
Dora Perkins (Junior): I guess it
means to me what it means to
everyone else ... you come
home.
SNEAK PREVIEW
by Lisa Turner
Feature Editor
"So come, Royal Magician,
with your bag of tricks and bring
on the royal acrobats, singers,
dancers, clowns ... and let the
show begin!”
Her Highness, Lisa Yar
borough has decreed November
6, 1981 to be a day of joyous
celebration, and Lamar Alford,
the royal director, has created a
dazzling array of entertainment
for our Lady. This year’s corona
tion promises a journey from
New York to Atlanta, a reunion
and even a Bible lesson!
Now, I guess you are asking
“Well, how will Lamar manage
to carry all this off successfully?”
First, as a member of the cast, it
must be said that Lamar Alford
shouts, screams, raves, and in
general, carries on but, there is
not one person in the cast who
does not love him. He demands
excellence, and he gets it.
Interrupting a successful
career on Broadway, Lamar
recently (last year) decided to
finish his degree at Morehouse
College, so he is truly one of us
— yet an older and wiser one of
us. Every rehearsal begins with a
prayer and then everyone inter
mingles to hug, greet and tell
each other “I care about you."
The result is a rather large family.
Every family has its stars and this
show is sparked with delightful
cameo performances by
members like .Denise Tymes,
Dana Hargrove, Keith Chaplain,
Everette Darby, Yvette Brown,
Dale Williams, Reginald
Williams, and Veronique
Thompson to name a few.
Prepare to be serenaded by
the royal singers, some of which
are Ann Denard, Tony Hawkins,
Denise Tymes, Gina Billups, and
Courtney Counts.
Sounds like a great show?
Well, it is! I don’t want to give the
entire show away so I'll just say
that the theme this year revolves
around the concept of the
medieval royal court and incor
porates falderal (foolish talk or
ideas). Although the show con
tains a collage of entertainment,
it also teaches valuable lessons
about life and love. We can all
gain from participating in such
an event.
Whilst thou attend nour Lady’s
Command Performance?
Reflections Of A Past Queen
By Bridgett M. Davis
Editor-in-Chief
Two years ago today, she
would be very busy, probably at
coronation practice this very
moment, preparing for the
evening’s festivities.
Those who were here will
remember that Morehouse was
well represented by Miss
Maroon and White of 1979-80. As
a queen, she possessed a heart
warming disposition matched
only by her radiant smile, which
she offered generously to others.
Ms. Avis Bynum is still very
busy these days. No, there are no
more pageant rehearsals, but
Avis is still, unbeknown to us,
representing us. She is investing
positive energy into striving for
truth and “being the best exam
ple for others” to follow.
And she is still a queen.
“We are all royal. In being
ourselves, each of us, as Black
women, are queens,” says Avis.
“If we concentrate on being
ourselves, instead of striving to
be someone else, then we would
feel like queens."
Avis believes she has grown
since attending Spelman and
reigning as Miss Maroon and
White. Although she is the same
person, she feels her growth has
enhanced her ability to
reorganize her priorities.
“While at Spelman, I realized I
was investing a lot of time and
money into school, and my first
priority would have to be to get
out there and earn back the
money I’ve put in,” says Avis.
Such a realization frustrated her
as she began to see that, "those
of us who are going to help our
people really can’t if we must
first concern ourselves with
making money.”
Presently, Avis assists her
cousin, Adama in selling brass
and gold jewelery which Adama
makes herself. "I enjoy working
with the jewelery, and being self-
employed,” says Avis. Working
within the A.U.C. affords her the
opportunity to “interact with the
brothers and sisters," she adds.
Avis’ decision to leave school
temporarily and work within the
community surprised many peo
ple. “As I began to grow, I also
began to make comments (about
Blacks’ priorities) and some of
my friends began to say, 'Avis is
kinda wierd now. Is she alright?’
I’m very confident in my deci
sion to try to live a better life and
not strive exclusively for material
things,” she explains.
“At Spelman, there is a lot of
inward beauty, and it frustrates
and hurts me to see how well we
pick up book knowledge and yet
are unreceptive to the truth,”
says Avis, referring to many
Spelmanites’ desires to seeming
ly obtain financial security with
little understanding of the need
for spiritual, physical and
cultural growth.and understan
ding as well.
"If I don't have any understan
ding of what the Creator wants
for me, of whether he approves
what I’m about, and what I am
striving for, then I am not
fulfilled,” says Avis. And it is that
type of self-awareness, self-
analysis, and self-realization that
Avis has progressively moved
toward.
Ms. Bynum is, like so many of our
queens, an asset to our royal
race. As she grows toward a
better understanding of self, let
us support her, for Avis’ growth
is our own growth. She is one of
us, a sister, and one that has our
best interest at heart. Only a
“queen” realizes that we can
each be queens, and that we are
therefore, “responsible for each
other.”