One Hundred Eighth Commencement August 9, 1973. Savannah State College

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THE CHIEF MARSHAL

THE BACCALAUREATE CLASS MARSHALS

CANDIDATES FOR THE BACCALAUREATE DEGREE

THE FACULTY MARSHALS

INSTRUCTORS OF THE COLLEGE

ASSISTANT PROFESSORS OF THE COLLEGE

ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS OF THE COLLEGE

PROFESSORS OF THE COLLEGE

PROFESSORS EMERITI

THE PRESIDENTIAL PARTY

SAVANNAH STATE COLLEGE

HONOR STUDENTS

AUGUST 9, 1973

Alpha Kappa Mu

Gwendolyn Walker Mencer

Reba DaVese Pazant

HONORS

Accounting
*Reba DaVese Pazant

General Business Administration
*Gwendolyn Walker Mencer

Elementary Education
*Julia Mary Alice Bivins
*Helen Zenobia Fletcher
*Virginia Juanita Young

**Magna Cum Laude
*Cum Laude

Mathematics

*George Lee Brown

**James Russell Butts

^Geneva Wilhemenia Stewart

Sociology

*Georgetta Romanza Dempsey

*Willie Mae Sadberry

Textiles & Clothing
*Shelia Carlette Bailey

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2012 with funding from

LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation

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Savannah State College has established The Major Richard R.
Wright Award of Excellence whereby alumni, members of the com-
munity, and corporations are chosen by a jury appointed by the President
to be honored for outstanding repute as leaders in their respective fields
of endeavor. Nominations for the honor are made by the alumni, the
student body, and the faculty. The Award commemorates Major Richard
R. Wright, the first President of Savannah State College.

To qualify to receive this Award, an alumnus, a member of the com-
munity, or a corporation must have worked constructively to change the
pulse of the community for the better. The parties cited must have used
innovative approaches in opening new avenues of awareness for the in-
dividual and society as a whole. The honorees must have utilized
scholarly means which address the needs of the public and attempt to
improve the human condition. Recipients of this Award must be eclectic
thinkers who have proven themselves able to transcend the false pride
that tempers self-aggrandizement.

The Major Richard R. Wright Award of Excellence will not be given
injudiciously. Those parties that receive the Award will be noted for their
expertise in social, educational, and civic arenas.

The College will recognize recipients of the Major Richard R. Wright
Award of Excellence at Commencement Convocations.

Since the Board of Regents does not allow any of the state colleges to
confer honorary degrees, this Award is given by Savannah State College
in lieu of them.

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Presentations by Norman Benedict Elmore, M. A.
Assistant Professor of English, Savannah State College

Citations by Prince Albert Jackson, Jr., Ph.D., President
Savannah State College

Assistant Professor Elmore

WESTLEY W. LAW, a distinguished alumnus of Savannah State College, a beloved and respected champion
of the rights of the common man, began his service to the City of Savannah and tin 1 State of Georgia im-
mediately after he received the baccalaureate degree in Natural Sciences from Savannah State College in
1948. Mr. Law is a paragon among civil rights leaders and a dynamic model of the cosmic man. One could
not adequately describe Westley W. Law without mentioning his commitment to the ideals and goals of the
NAACP, an organization that he has supported and continues to support with unwavering faith and unrelent-
ing fervor. Long before mass demonstrations and Supreme Court decisions abolished the sinister abyss of
segregation, Westley W. Law incessantly reminded both Blacks and Whites that no American would be free
until all Americans shared the fruits of truth, liberty, justice, and peace.

Mr. President, I present to you Mr. Westley W. Law, President of the Savannah Branch of the NAACP
and former President of the Georgia Conference of the NAACP to receive the Richard R. Wright Award of
Excellence. He, like Socrates, has proved that the examined life is worth living. Mr. Law.

President Jackson

WESTLEY W. LAW, scholarly citizen, brilliant leader of men, compassionate counselor and teacher of
the down-trodden, your commitment to the dignity of the common man has enhanced the Savannah com-
munity and exalted the pulse of the larger American society. By the authority vested in me as President of
Savannah State College, I am sincerely honored to award you the Major Richard R. Wright Award of Ex-
cellence.

Assistant Professor Elmore

EUGENE H. GADSDEN, alumnus of Savannah State College, Lincoln University (Pennsylvania), and the
School of Law of the North Carolina Central University, has been associated for the major portion of his adult
life with the dispatch of justice and the eloquent practice of law. His professional accomplishments are
matched only by his singular dedication to the public domain. Years before they became the hue and cry, he
was a tenacious apostle of Legal Aid, a staunch defender of the NAACP, and a bulwark of the Democratic
Party. Mr. Gadsden's devotion to social action is crystallized by his memberships in Omega Psi Phi Fraternity,
Incorporated and the Sigma Phi Phi Fraternity.

Mr. President, Sterling Brown has written:
'"One thing they cannot prohibit
The strong men . . . coming on
The strong men gittin ' stronger ..."

I present a strong man, Attorney Eugene H. Gadsden, to receive the Major Richard R. Wright Award of
Excellence. Attorney Gadsden.

President Jackson

EUGENE H. GADSDEN, you have lived your life according to the highest ideals of your profession and
you have served as a beacon of hope for those who thought that life itself was devoid of light. You have prac-
ticed and dispatched the law most judiciously. You have demonstrated in your own provocative style the
biblical axiom: "He who humbles himself shall be exalted . . ." In recognition of your service to the Savannah
community, and to mankind in general, I am singularly pleased to award you the Major Richard R Wright
Award of Excellence.

ORDER OF EXERCISES

ACADEMIC PROCESSION: "God of Our Fathers" George W. Warren

Coleridge A. Braithwaite, Ed.D., Organist

HYMN: "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" Ludwig Von Beethoven

Audience

INVOCATION The Reverend Frank C. Mattox, D.D.

Pastor, Saint Philips Monumental A.M.E. Church

Savannah, Georgia

RESPONSE: "Hear Our Prayer, Lord" George Whelpton

Audience

SELECTION: "The Impossible Dream" Mitch Leigh

Brenda Faison, '75, Soprano
Doris Isaac, '73, Accompanist

THE MAJOR RICHARD R WRIGHT AWARDS Prince A. Jackson, Jr., Ph.D.

President

INTRODUCTION OF THE SPEAKER Prince A. Jackson, Jr., Ph.D.

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS Luetta Colvin Milledge, Ph.D.

Professor and Head, Department of English, Savannah State College

SELECTION: "Nobody Knows de Trouble I've Seen" Harry T. Burleigh

Miss Faison

PRESENTATION OF CANDIDATES FOR THE BACCALAUREATE DEGREES:

Division of Business Administration Olest Carver Byrd, Ph.D.

Division of Education Thelma M. Harmond, Ph.D.

Division of Humanities Howard M. Jason, Ph.D.

Division of Natural Sciences Margaret C. Robinson, Ph.D.

Division of Social Sciences Elmer J. Dean, Ed.D.

Division of Technical Sciences Clyde W. Hall, Ed.D.

CONFERRING OF BACCALAUREATE DEGREES Prince A. Jackson, Jr., Ph.D.

ALUMNI INDUCTION James 0. Thomas, B.S.

President, Savannah State College National Alumni Association

Washington, D.C.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

SAVANNAH STATE COLLEGE HYMN J. Randolph Fisher-Hillary Hatchett

BENEDICTION The Reverend Samuel Williams, B.D.

College Minister

THREE-FOLD AMEN

*

*

RECESSIONAL: "Triumphal March" (from "Aida") Giuseppe Verdi

The audience is requested to remain seated until the procession has exited

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DIVISION OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Accounting

Ronald Broxton Savannah

Montgomery Owens Marion, S. C.

Reba DaVese Pazant Savannah

Harold J. Simmons Savannah

Herman Nathaniel West Savannah

General Business Administration

Carlton Edward Anderson Savannah

Frederick Atkins Pelham

Tony Ervin Byrd Sylvania

Priscilla Jenora DeVore Pineland, S. C.

Archie Lee Fisher Waverly

Gloria Gibson Atlanta

Mercell Helen Gordon Savannah

Herman Graham Savannah

Cardell Heath Savannah

John W. Hill Kingston

Wilhelminia Hill Savannah

Otis S. Holland Cobbtown

David Hunter Winder

Murriel Jackson Collins

Mckenzie Jenkins Desoto

Betty Christine Lawton Savannah

Sherman Martin Savannah

Gwendolyn Walker Mencer Savannah

Verdell Mincey, Jr Savannah

Carlene Mitchell Valdosta

Jesse K. Moore Savannah

Rufus F. N. Peters Savannah

Mariam Arzell Rodney Savannah

Shirley Anita Ann Ross Cordele

Eunice Wells Walker Savannah

Joyce Dianne Williams Athens

Alethia V. Worlds Savannah

Eddie Mack Wright, Jr Savannah

Economics

Bennie Reid Savannah

Management & Marketing

Carlton Edward Wyatt Thomasville

Office Administration

Olga Laura Kilpatrick Whiteplains

DIVISION OF EDUCATION
Elementary Education

Eva Mae Bennett Louisville

Julia Mary Alice Bivins Blackshear

Helen Zenobia Fletcher Savannah

Theresa Green Vidalia

Olivia Banks Grier Covington

Carolyn Elaine Pickett Patterson

Annette Louise Martin Smith Savannah

Virginia Juanita Young Gainesville

Secondary Education

Annie Lou Hunt Anderson Savannah

Trade & Industrial

Mary Elizabeth Martin Blackshear Savannah

Trade & Industrial

James Russell Butts Fitzgerald

Mathematics

Lemuel Campbell Savannah

A11

Betty Raye Downing Savannah

Business

Otis Hubbert Fletcher McRae

Industrial

Freddy J. Geiger Claxton

Mathematics

Kenneth M. Greene Savannah

Industrial Arts

Brenda Deloris Groover Savannah

Business

Brenda Joyce Howard Bainbridge

Business

Everett Maurice Huggins Louisville

Social Studies

Robert Frank Johnson Sylvania

Industrial Arts

Brenda Dale King Thomasville

English

Shirley J. Mosley Millen

Mathematics

Diane Yvonne Nelson Columbus

English

Johnny E. Polite Savannah

Industrial Arts

David Adam Sanders Savannah

Industrial Ai-ts
Isabell Denise Sanders Savannah

Mathematics

Julia Paulk Sayles Waycross

Business

Patricia Byrd Scott Savannah

An

Cheryl Lavon Smith Savannah

English

Geveva Wilhemenia Stewart Savannah

Mathematics

Deotha Williams Savannah

Business

Health, Physical Education & Recreation

Andre Runard Alston Savannah

William Harris Savannah

Michael Jordan Los Angeles, Calif.

DIVISION OF HUMANITIES

Enclish

Connie E. Bennette Waynesboro

DIVISION OF NATURAL SCIENCES

Biology

Dwight Rolland Baker Ailey

Clarel Alexis Dashiell Savannah

Francis Elaine DeVoe Savannah

Juanita Wyche Johnson Valdosta

Mac Winston Mattox Bowman

Grady Mitchell Vidalia

Veronica P. Simmons Hilton Head, S. C.

Melvin Wilkerson Madison

Edward Williams Savannah

Mathematics

William George Anderson Savannah

George Lee Brown Savannah

Irvin W. Campbell Savannah

Terrance Jaudon Dykes Savannah

Barbara Frazier Savannah

Rose Riley Gibbs Savannah

John Edward Hunter Savannah

Winderfert Irine Jenkins Savannah

Chemistry

Charles Edward Ling Savannah

DIVISION OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
Criminal Justice

Amos Jerome Baker Savannah

Donald James Campbell Denmark, S. C.

Donnell Howell Savannah

Barbara Ann Jones Savannah

Emma Jean Mosley Milledgeville

Larry P. Polite Garnett, S. C.

Alfonso Alexander Smith Savannah

Brenda Carol Thomas McRae

Vernon Paul Williams Savannah

Willie Lee Williams Savannah

History

Alluette Karen Jones Mount Pleasant, S. C.

Esau Moore Savannah

Chester Adolph Smith Sparta

Sociology

Helen R Coxon Savannah

Georgetta Romanza Dempsey Savannah

Delores H. Dumas Savannah

Vanzena Dykes Abbeville

Judy Ann Evans Savannah

Loretta Gibbs Thomasville

Belinda Goodman Griffin

Nathaniel A. Hamilton Savannah

Sandra Lee Harmon Savannah

Josephine E. Hughes Valdosta

Faye Carswell Hunter Savannah

Margaret Gene Parker Kendrick Tennille

Sherill Winifred Macon Savannah

Percil Moye Savannah

Willie Mae Robinson Savannah

Willie Mae Sadberry Cairo

Carol Elaine Singleton Savannah

Leomie Jeanette Tremble Statesboro

Alberta Jones Ward Savannah

Barbara A. Wilder Griffin

Lottie R. Williams Macon

F. LaRose Woods Vidalia

DIVISION OF TECHNICAL SCIENCES
Electronic Engineerinc Technology

William Ulysses Frazier Savannah

Daniel Webster Gleaton Stockbridge

Carlton Moffett Savannah

Mechanical Engineering Technology

Lawrence Benjamin Thomas Savannah

Dietetics & Institutional Management

Shirley A. Davis Savannah

Alteria Yvonne Maynard Savannah

Bonnie Lee Rouse Savannah

James Lawrence Walker Augusta

Textiles & Clothing

Shelia Carlette Bailey Macon

Catherine Patricia Clowers Gray

Patricia Elaine Fleming Louisville

Dorothy Lucus Cordele

Linda Oreva Perry Valdosta

Gwendolyn Marie West Jesup

USHERS

Laurentina Bryan Margaret Roberts

Yavonne Dashiell Marion Robbins

Charlene Lewis Marva Stevens

CANDIDATES FOR THE MASTER'S DEGREE

IN THE JOINT GRADUATE PROGRAM OF

ARMSTRONG STATE COLLEGE AND SAVANNAH STATE COLLEGE

Estelle G. Aiken

B.S.

Degree

Arsula Allen

B.S.

Degree

Mary Neal Allen

B.S.

Degree

Joseph Leon Bain

B.S.

Degree

Virginia F. Beverly

B.S.

Degree

Verdell L. Miller Braxton

B.S.

Degree

Ernestine S. Brown

B.S.

Degree

Odessa W. Bryant

B.S.

Degree

Ruby Linda Burke

B.S.

Degree

Walton Ewing Burns

B.S.

Degree

Leila R. H. Butler

B.S.

Degree

Albertha Williams Collier

B.S.

Degree

Marilyn H. Cook

B.S.

Degree

Barbara Sue Cox

B.S.

Degree

Ann Clements Davis

B.S.

Degree

Marion Virginia Groover DeLoach

B.S.

Degree

Judith Conoly Ford

B.S.

Degree

Virgia SuAnn Glass

B.S.

Degree

Sarah G. Gordon

B.S.

Degree

Elberta L. Grovner

A.B.

Degree

Martha T. Hayes

B.S.

Degree

Roy A. Jackson

B.S.

Degree

Willie Mae Kirkland

B.S.

Degree

Viva Lynn Kirkland

A.B.

Degree

Sheryl Kay Baxter Lagasse

B.S.

Degree

Gayle C. Lee

B.S.

Degree

Pearl Singleton LeValle

B.S.

Degree

Alexander Spensor Luten

B.S.

Degree

Naomi B. Marshall

B.S.

Degree

Gloria Thomas Mims

B.S.

Degree

Richard Russell Mole

B.S.

Degree

Berneatha H. Moseley

B.S.

Degree

Vernon Jerome Neely

A.B.

Degree

Katherine Thornton Ogletree

B.S.

Degree

Joseph R Owens

B.S.

Degree

Elliott L. Sams

B.S.

Degree

Mary Frances Brown Shank

A.B.

Degree

Sedalia Gordon Singleton

B.S.

Degree

Annie B. Grant Smalls

B.S.

Degree

Sarah Rose Stafford

B.S.

Degree

Virginia Turner Stripling

B.S.

Degree

Catherine Shavers Thomas

B.S.

Degree

Thomasina J. Thompson

B.S.

Degree

Bertha A. Tuten

B.S.

Degree

Louise S. Wilkerson

B.S.

Degree

Barbara S. Woods

B.F.A.

Degree

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JOYFUL, JOYFUL, WE ADORE THEE

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee

God of glory, Lord of love;

Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee,

Opening to the sun above.

Melt the clouds of sin and sadness,

Drive the dark of doubt away;

Giver of immortal gladness,

Fill us with the light of day.

All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
Earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars find angels sing around Thee,
Center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Flowery meadow, flashing sea,
Chanting bird and flowing fountain,
Call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blest,
Well-spring of the joy of living,
Ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother,
All who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the Joy divine.

Mortals, join the happy chorus
Which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning o'er us,
Brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward,
Victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward,
In the triumph song of life.

Amen.

SAVANNAH STATE COLLEGE HYMN

Let us give thanks and praise to Thee,
To our Alma Mater, S.S.C.
Thine honor, pride, and eminence,
We raise in prayerful reverence.

Guide us still from day to day,
Be Thou mindful lest we lose our way;
Help us know that life, short or long,
Means unceasing work for weak and strong.

REFRAIN

Where Savannah meets the sea,

Where grassy plains and palms abound,

Where the flow'rs are gems of loveliness,

There S.S.C. is found.

We adore each beauteous scene and hall,

Our all we pledge to Thee!

In our hearts we'll build a shrine for Thee.

We hail Thee, S.S.C.

J. Randolph Fisher
Hillary Hatchett

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1973 Fall Quarter Freshmen, September 17

Upperclassmen, September 20

ACADEMIC COSTUMES

Modern academic dress has evolved from a type of apparel prescribed by English Medieval
Universities to distinguish their schools from the lay person in dress at a time when everybody
wore robes or gowns. When American colleges and universities desired to adopt some suitable
system of academic apparel a half century ago it seemed best to agree on some definite system
which all might follow. Accordingly, this attire has consisted of the cap, the gown, and the hood,
the latter two now differing according to the degree the wearer has received.

The modern cap, in academic dress has the same design for all degrees; black and square-
shaped with a tassel hanging from the center. However, the color of the tassel usually differentiates
the field of study for which the degree was granted, the gold tassel being worn by doctors or by
presidents of colleges and universities; but it may be added that the black tassel is correct for
all degrees.

The gown, unlike the cap, differs appreciably in design according to the degree conferred
on the wearer. The gown for the bachelor's degree has pointed sleeves. It is designed to be worn
closed. The gown for the master's degree, worn open or closed has an oblong sleeve, open at the
wrist, like the others. The sleeve base hangs down in the traditional manner. The rear part
of its oblong shape is square cut and the front part has an arc cut away. The doctor's gown, worn
open or closed, has long sleeves faced with velvet; three bars of velvet are midway the sleeves.
The trimmings of the doctor's gown may be black or the color associated with the field of study.

The hood, while not an article of dress, is, however, the most distinctive feature of the aca-
demic attire. It is a black, crow-shaped badge or adornment with an oval opening and worn down
the back. It enables one to quickly determine not only the degree held by the wearer but also the
college or university from which he is graduated. The colors lining the hood and the size and
shape of the hood make this distinction. The bachelor's and master's hoods are three feet and
three and a half feet in length, respectively; the doctor's hood is four feet in length and is made
with a wide panel. Hoods may be worn for only those degrees actually held by the wearers.

Members of the governing body of a college or university, and they only, whatever their
degrees may be, are entitled to wear doctor's gowns (with black velvet), but their hoods may
be only those of degrees actually held by the wearers or those especially prescribed for them
by the institution.

In some colleges and universities, it is customary for the president, chancellor, or chief officer
to wear a costume similar to that worn by the head of a foreign university.

The chief marshal may wear a specially designed costume approved by the institution.

For all academic purposes, including trimmings of doctor's gowns, edging of hoods, and
tassels of caps, the color associated with different subjects as prescribed by the revised American
Intercollegiate Code is as follows:

Agriculture Maise

Arts, Letters, Humanities White

Business Drab

Economics Copper

Education Light Blue

Law Purple

Library Science Lemon

Music Pink

Oratory (Speech) Silver Gray

Philosophy Dark Blue

Physical Education Sage Green

Science Golden Yellow

Theology Scarlet

At Savannah State College, the lining of the hood has an orange chevron on a blue back-
ground to represent school colors. A faculty member wears the color of his alma mater.