Contact: Kymberly Holland, Coordinator of Alumni Affairs and Reunion Programs
Alumni from around the country will return to Ƶ the weekend of Apr. 6-8 to celebrate the rich heritage and history for which the university is renowned. Events such as tours, lectures and reunion celebrations will culminate on Sunday with a Founder’s Day Convocation and the dedication of the Albert Murray Collection and permanent exhibit in the Ford Motor Company Library and Learning Resource Center.
As an alumni reunion event, Founder’s Day will celebrate milestone reunions ranging from the 80th anniversary reunion of the class of 1938 to the 40th anniversary reunion of the class of 1978. Other classes celebrating milestones include the classes of 1943, 1948, 1953, 1958, 1963, 1968 and 1973.
“Our graduates have been instrumental in shaping the progress of this country and world,” said Kym Holland, alumni affairs and reunion programs coordinator. “The torch they carry will soon be passed on to our future graduates to continue the legacy of our great institution.”
Alumni will begin arriving on campus on Friday, Apr. 6, and the day’s events will include a tour of the university’s Legacy Museum, an address by Interim President Charlotte P. Morris, and the annual Reunion Gala Black and White Affair.
Saturday’s activities will include an Alumni Memorial Luncheon, the William L. Dawson Lecture and the William L. Dawson Institute Concert. This year’s Dawson Lecturer is Dr. Dwight Andrews, a professor of music theory and African music at Emory University, as well as senior minister of the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Atlanta.
Founder’s Day will conclude on Sunday, Apr. 8 with the 101st annual Founder’s Day Convocation in the University Chapel. Immediately following, the university will inter the ashes of famed American literary and jazz critic — and 1939 Ƶ graduate — Albert Murray, who died in 2013. Murray’s wife, 1943 graduate and Tuskegee native Mozelle Menefee Murray, who died in 2015, will be interred along with him.
Following the interment ceremony in the university cemetery, Mr. Murray’s collection of books and historical mementos will be dedicated as the permanent Albert Murray Collection exhibit in the university’s Ford Motor Company Library and Learning Resource Center. More information about the dedication ceremony will be made available once the event details are finalized.
For additional information about the Founder’s Day Reunion events — including hotel availability, a schedule of events, and registration instructions — download the Founder’s Day information packet. For questions, please contact Kymberly Holland, coordinator of alumni affairs and reunion programs, at 334.727.8342 or kholland@tuskegee.edu.
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