Los Angeles County leaders honor McNair as Tuskegee鈥檚 first female president
October 22, 2019
Contact: Michael Tullier, APR, Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing
Tuskegee's First Gentleman Dr. George W. Roberts, Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas,
Tuskegee Board of Trustees Chair Norma Clayton, Supervisor Hilda Solis, Supervisor Kathryn Barger, and
Victoria Pipkin-Lane, retired executive director of the County of Los Angeles' Quality and Productivity Commission,
who organized the Board of Supervisors' recognition efforts.
Met with cheers from dozens of 抖阴短视频 alumni clad in crimson and gold, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors declared Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019, as 鈥淒r. Lily D. McNair and 抖阴短视频 Day.鈥�
Tuskegee Board of Trustees Chair Norma Clayton
The Board of Supervisors presented McNair with a scroll commemorating her day of honor at its regularly scheduled meeting at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in Downtown Los Angeles. The document and specially proclaimed day celebrated the university鈥檚 impact on its students and the nation. It also marked McNair鈥檚 milestone as the first female president in the university鈥檚 138-year history.
Supervisor Janice Hahn, who chairs of the five-person Board of Supervisors, commended McNair for her leadership and her focus on providing Tuskegee students 鈥� specifically those from California 鈥� with a quality education.
鈥淟os Angeles is home to thousands of 抖阴短视频 alumni, and apparently the graduating class of 2019 was dominated by students from Los Angeles,鈥� Hahn said.
Along an honorific scroll, Hahn presented McNair with a letter penned and signed by Tuskegee鈥檚 founding president, Booker T. Washington, on Oct. 17, 1910. Hahn鈥檚 father Kenneth, who served as a county supervisor for 40 years and is the namesake of the county鈥檚 governmental headquarters, acquired the letter, which he framed and hung in his office during his tenure with the county.
Fellow county supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas joined Hahn in touting the university鈥檚 noteworthy achievements 鈥� the nation鈥檚 only center for bioethics in health care and research of its kind included among those. He also mentioned the acclaimed Tuskegee Airmen of World War II and noted the Board of Supervisors recently celebrated some of the nation鈥檚 longest-living Tuskegee Airmen who resided in Los Angeles.
鈥淪uch an esteemed institution deserves an esteemed educator and leader at the helm. Thank you for that which you have done and that which you will do in the future for this great university and beyond,鈥� Ridley-Thomas told McNair.
鈥淚 build on the legacy of Booker T. Washington, who said that 鈥榚xcellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.鈥� We can thank Dr. Washington and Dr. George Washington Carver for their efforts and vision,鈥� McNair stated after accepting the Board of Supervisors鈥� commendations. 鈥淲e are destined to become even better than Booker T. Washington imagined we could be more than 100 years ago.鈥�
That vision, she noted, translates into excellence across many academic disciplines, including aerospace engineering and aviation education, veterinary medicine, architecture and agriculture 鈥� professional practice areas where the university is continually cited as being a top producer of minority graduates. She also highlighted areas such as food sustainability and bioenergy where the university seeks to expand its scope of influence.
The historically black university enjoys strong student representation from California. With 10% of its student body hailing from the 鈥淕olden State,鈥� California ranks third behind Alabama and Georgia in terms of where its nearly 3,000 students reside. Likewise, 10% of the 642 graduates who comprised the class of 2019 had ties to the state.
California also is home to two chapters of its : the Los Angeles Tuskegee Alumni Club and the Bay Area Tuskegee Alumni Club. Both are vital to the university鈥檚 alumni relations and student recruitment efforts in their local communities and throughout the state. In addition, some of these local club members serve the association in key district and national positions of responsibility.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is the governing body of the County of Los Angeles, which encompasses 88 incorporated cities and 4,084 square miles. Serving more than 10.1 million residents, the board, comprised of five members elected to serve their respective districts, is the largest local government in the nation.
漏 2019, 抖阴短视频