Alumni Homecoming by the Numbers...
by Emile D. Parker, MBA - Director of Alumni Relations
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To all our Oakwood alumni and friends, especially our amazing Reunion Honor classes of 1941, 1951, 1961, Golden 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, Silver 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, and 2016 -- you made this year's Recommitted Oakwood Forever Virtual Alumni Homecoming historic in GIVING and AMAZING in ENGAGEMENT ON ALL LEVELS!!
Since the big Reunion Honor Classes GIVING REVEAL just before the Offering during the Virtual Divine Worship Service on Sabbath, our Honor Class GIVING and PARTICIPATION has been updated. All our reunion honor class giving numbers are based on giving since the Monday following Homecoming 2020, and to promote the Ignite 10 initiative we grant an annualized credit to their class giving total for any new Ignite 10 donors.
The GIVING results for the Honor Classes shown during the Sabbath program were the results as of their giving deadline of midnight, March 24, 2021. As of Tuesday night, March 30: the combined total of ALL our reunion honor classes was over $140,000, with a total of 216 donors. My Oakwood alumni and friends -- this amount is historic on many levels. GOD BE PRAISED!!
Here are the UPDATED results of the top three Reunion Honor Classes that gave and raised the highest amounts:
- The GOLDEN CLASS OF 1971 = Over $61,000
- The CLASS OF 2001 = Over $23,000
- The CLASS OF 1976 = Over $19,000
The UPDATED top 3 Reunion Honor Classes in Number of Participants in Giving 2021
- The SILVER CLASS OF 1996 = 43 gave
- The GOLDEN CLASS OF 1971 = 40 gave
- The CLASS OF 2001 = 37 gave
We celebrate and acknowledge the giving by ALL of our Honor Classes, who helped raise over $90,000 -- in six weeks!!
More incredible news: as of today, April 7, we want to thank the 54,200 viewers who watched our virtual presentation of Alumni Homecoming 2021 this this past week. Starting from the Honors Convocation on Thursday, April 1, to Sunday afternoon’s Alumni 360 events on Zoom, you engaged with your Oakwood by watching all our programming.
One of our biggest hits this Alumni Homecoming 2021 was the Alumni Homecoming in the BOX. We want to send out a BIG thank you to the 151 households who gave over $19,000 to student scholarships by getting their Homecoming in a BOX during the month of March through Homecoming.
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Several of the Honor Classes held reunion events by Zoom, like the Silver Class of 1996 (pictured above).
We are also happy to report there were 13 Alumni 360 events on both Friday and Sunday afternoons with an estimated 350 participants. Alumni 360 is where Oakwood alumni circle back to their alma mater to network for their profession and provide career-readiness mentoring, coaching, internships for our students
Because our Alumni Homecoming was virtual for a second consecutive year, the Office of Alumni Relations presented WALKABOUTS UNCUT Tours. We intended to provide you with some of the sights, sounds, places, and people you would have experienced if you were here. Judging by the response on social media, alumni loved these tours! Click here to see this Walkabout Uncut Tour of the newly-renovated Peterson Hall.
The excitement, school pride, class pride, and enthusiasm has been contagious on social media. Many people have posted, texted, or emailed us, sharing words like "amazing,” “awesome,” “beautiful,” “wonderful,” and “loved it." We give all praise and honor to our God, Who guided us every step of the way.
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Oakwood Congratulates New President of
University of the Southern Caribbean
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CONGRATULATIONS to Dr. Colwick Wilson, who has been elected the 29th President of the University of the Southern Caribbean.
Dr. Wilson has been serving as Provost of Oakwood University since 2017. President Leslie Pollard says, “Dr. Wilson is profoundly appreciated and he will be deeply missed by our Oakwood University community. He has been a tremendous colleague and a remarkable teammate. The gain of our sister institution is our loss. However, we are grateful that Oakwood University will have a strong ally at USC in the work of SDA higher education.”
Dr. Wilson will continue in the Provost position at Oakwood University until June 30, 2021, providing continuity in the transitions needed to support accreditation, the delivery of graduate education, and preparation for the full-on ground Fall semester of 2021-2022. He will assume his duties at USC on July 1.
A farewell event will be conducted during the Think Tank planning sessions in May.
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The Eva B. Dykes Library -- Refreshed Edition
by Heather Rodriguez-James, Director, Eva B. Dyles Library
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On April 6, 2021, during National Library Week, the Eva B. Dykes Library celebrated its “refresh” with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. In attendance were members of the Oakwood University Administration, led by the President, Dr. Leslie N. Pollard, and its vice presidents: Dr. Colwick Wilson, Ms. Sabrina Cotton, Dr. Prudence Pollard, Dr. Karen Benn Marshall, and Dean David Knight; USM President Jordain Thompson, and the library staff. Dr. Carlton P. Byrd, Senior Pastor of the Oakwood University Church, offered the prayer of dedication.
Built in 1973, under the directorship of Dr. Jannith Lewis, whose time at Oakwood spanned 50 years, the Eva B. Dykes Library quickly became the center of study and research, and a place where many a student-worker learned to shelve books, file catalog cards, and acquired great customer service skills. Before the turn of the century, there were some changes made to the lower level, which now houses the Archives, Computer Center, Ellen G. White Research Center, and the Anna Knight Center for Women’s Leadership Center and Museum.
When Paulette Johnson assumed the role of Director of Library Services in 2003, she realized that in this technological, collaboration and innovation-centered time, some changes would have to be made to bring the library to the 21st century. She had a vision of what the library could be and started making plans and applying for grants. Although Mrs. Johnson was not here when her vision was realized, God brought Dr. Ruth Swan back to Oakwood as the library’s Interim Director, from 2019 to 2020, to direct a great work.
With plan in hand, ideas of her own -- some fueled by previous library surveys, the approval and allocation of Title III funds from Dr. Colwick Wilson and OU administration; Dr. Handel Fraser, Project Manager, and Ade Adewoye of Brooks Architecture, the library has been “refreshed.” Dr. Fraser reports that the following areas were included in the refresh:
- Remediation or removal of mold in the lower level
- Shaft replacement in the elevator
- Replaced fluorescent lights with LED lighting on the main and mezzanine floors
- Replaced ceiling tiles with special acoustics and design
- Repainted the entire main and mezzanine levels with a color that enhanced the brightness of the library
- Replaced carpet with herringbone pattern on the main floor, and another pattern on the mezzanine level
- Added electrical outlets for users to plug in their devices
- Designed new furniture to create a learning and collaboration space for students
- New pavers at the front of the library with special plumbing below the pavers
To create the large open spaces, the stacks and shelves were relocated from the main floor to the mezzanine, and the reference and children's collections were relocated to the northeast side of the main floor. This, with a little help from Two Men and a Truck and Applewhite Movers, was done by the following members of the library staff: Odalys Miranda, Stella Mbyirukira, Evaline Otieno, Elaine Parker and Dr. Barbara Stovall. Our Spring 2021 student workers were assigned the task of shelf reading.
President Leslie Pollard commented, "The $5,000,000 renovation of the library is a timely investment in creating an up-to-date space for student research and study. The Eva B. Dykes Library renovation joins the lineup of historic buildings on our campus that have been modernized -- Carter Hall, Cunningham Hall, Ford Hall, Cooper Science Complex (Dept. of Biological Sciences), Peterson Hall, Moran Hall, Blake Center, the Dining Hall, the 4920 University Square building -- with more to come." He concluded "We are getting there -- step by step. Our commitment is to make sure that our students experience Oakwood's best!"
As you enter the refreshed library, you are drawn to the open space, the brightness and ambience of the center that draws you to study, research, or collaborate. You can choose between the individual cubby section on the mezzanine level, or you may want to go to the collaboration/ innovation section where there are movable tables and chairs; or perhaps, you prefer standing (or sitting in the bar chairs) at one of the high semicircular tables. It’s your choice. There are also “group” study rooms that are available for groups to work on projects once the pandemic is manageable.
In addition, we now have new signage, created by graphic designer Ron Pride, that is popping up in various places of the library. No need to worry about overcrowding, because, once proper arrangements have been made with library administration, there is still plenty of space to house rotating departmental displays of student research or artwork.
All in all, the Eva B. Dykes Library refresh is outstanding! We are praising God for all who worked to make this refresh possible. Rather than the nickname “Club Eva,” we can now be known as “Hub Eva” -- the educational and research hub of our beloved Oakwood University.
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Women in Oakwood's History
by Miriam W. Battles, BA, CFRM - Development Officer
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Mrs. Ethel McKenzie Bradford arrived as a student at Oakwood in 1944, and is a graduate of the class of 1946. This 75-year milestone is to be celebrated. |
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Ethel McKenzie was born on October 26, 1926, in Jacksonville, Florida. While her mother was searching for “the truth,” she discovered an evangelistic meeting conducted by Elder J.G. Thomas. Convinced by the sermons she heard, she joined the church and began taking Bible studies from Bro. Clipper. In 1936 her mother was baptized. Although Ethel did not attend the Jacksonville Adventist grade school, she became close friends with many of its students, including the Palmer family, and students who came from other areas to attend the school. During her high school years, she worked in the library and office of the vice principal. Additionally, after school she worked in the print shop.
When she graduated from Stanton High School in 1944, Bro. Clipper insisted that Ethel attend Oakwood. Her father, who was not an Adventist, initially told Bro Clipper, “No.” As Bro. Clipper turned to leave the home, he decided to turn around and ask a second time. This time, Ethel’s father, responded “Yes,” to their surprise. On the following day he proceeded to purchase a truck for her to pack her belongings. When Ethel boarded the train in Jacksonville, she was dressed in a navy blue suit with a white blouse and her first pair of high heel shoes. She was ready for the professional world! When she arrived in Huntsville on the Joe Wheeler train that had connected in Chattanooga, a bus from Oakwood, driven by Mr. Charles Galley, was at the station to transport all the students who arrived on the train. She remembers her suit being covered with red dirt by the time they arrived on campus, as the bus back door was not secure. Her first residence at Oakwood was in the Oaklawn home, located next to East Hall (currently the oldest building on campus) where she had several roommates.
Ethel’s musical career began early in life. When she was 13 her piano teacher recommended her to play for a soiree tea. This was the first event she received remuneration for services. Since the young age of 15, she has played the piano for various choirs, and social marches. While at Oakwood, Mrs. Inez Lang Booth was one of her piano teachers. Ethel played for many school activities, including Sabbath School accompanist, one of the accompanists for social marches, and student accompanist for voice majors, etc. She loved to improvise hymns and was well known for her rhythmic social marches. She was and still is an excellent pianist; even at the “young age” of 94, she still plays the piano for hours on most days. I have personally heard her play Richard Smallwood selections with precision as well as classical music and hymns.
Ethel worked for President Moran, who was also the business manager, for one year. Her second year was spent as reader and print shop assistant for Mr. Galley, as her skill for typesetting was discovered. Her salary was $.15/hr.
She became friends with Charles E. Bradford of Henderson City (dorm) in 1945. Table assignments (that is, thinly-disguised match making attempts) were given for cafeteria seats and she noticed Charles had been newly assigned to her table. She would often be late coming to lunch as she was absorbed in her piano rehearsal, but he would wait for her. Their friendship bloomed and they were married in 1948.
She received the Professional Senior Diploma in 1946 from Oakwood Junior College. Upon graduation she was offered a job at South Atlantic Conference as secretary for Elder Harold B. Singleton, President; Elder Norman Simons, Sabbath School and Home Missionary leader; and Elder Fitzgerald H. Jenkins, Youth & Education Director. She served as their secretary for two years until her marriage. Mrs. Bradford is the only surviving member of the original staff that opened the South Atlantic Conference in 1946.
After graduating, Mrs. Bradford went on to be a very accomplished musician, playing both piano and organ for all of her husband's churches, choirs and evangelistic services, as well as performances of numerous cantatas including the Messiah and the Seven Last Words of Christ. During their 20 years at the General Conference, she was a regular accompanist for morning worships. She has recordings of her accompanying the Hyde Park Church youth choir.
Mrs. Bradford was an ardent supporter of her husband’s ministry in every possible way. She remembers the crusade in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as was one of the most memorable meetings (Covington and Hammond area). At the conclusion of a successful tent effort, the first church in Baton Rouge was built by Elder Bradford. Her professional career continued as secretary at Southern College of Baton Rouge to Dr. Harrison Lawless, Dean and Coordinator of Freshman Studies, for about a year. As a team, Elder and Mrs. Bradford worked unentered territory in northern Louisiana, with Elder James Melancon. Many friendships were cultivated, including one with Gardner Taylor, renown Baptist preacher, with whom the Bradfords would be friends for many years.
Mrs. Bradford enjoyed serving the Central States Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, where she was secretary to President F.L. Bland; Federal Housing Administration in St Louis; Lake Region Conference, Chicago, Illinois; North American Division and General Conference departmental and Secretariat secretary for 20 years (1970-1990). She retired in 1990 from a very full and meaningful career. The Bradfords have retired in the Huntsville, Alabama, area, and are members at the Oakwood University Church.
She is currently writing her autobiography sharing God’s miraculous providences in her life. You will not want to miss this publication coming soon, entitled “So Blessed!”
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Oakwood Faculty Member Remembers
Re-discovery of Ivory-billed Woodpecker
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Professor Bobby Harrison of the Communication Department, and his colleague Tim Gallagher, were featured during a segment of CBS Sunday Morning on March 21, 2021. Just over a year ago, Harrison and Gallagher were in the swamps of Arkansas being filmed for the segment entitled, “The Return of Extinct Species.” They relived their re-discovery of an Ivory-billed Woodpecker, which was once thought to be extinct.
Over the last 17 years, Harrison has seen the Ivory-billed Woodpecker nine times and has obtained two videos. He has even seen as many as three birds at one time. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service personnel agree that the bird in Harrison’s video is an Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Click here to see the CBS Sunday Morning segment.
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Contributionss of Jessie Dorsey Green
by DeWitt S. Williams, Ed.D.
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The Adventist Review is featuring various pioneers who are listed in the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. Dr. DeWitt Williams recently shared the profile of educator Jessie Dorsey Green.
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Jessie Dorsey Green
Photo courtesy of DeWitt Williams
Jessie Dorsey Green was an Adventist educator who, with Elizabeth Evelyn Wright, cofounded the Voorhees Industrial Training School, today Voorhees College, an historically Black liberal arts college in Denmark, South Carolina. The two women faced a great deal of prejudice, and many obstacles and difficulties confronted them.
The women traveled throughout South Carolina seeking the right place for the school. The town of Denmark was chosen as the school’s locale. On April 14, 1897, the Denmark Industrial School for Colored Youth opened in a three-room house on 20 acres of land.
In the crowded months of January and February over 300 children attended daily. The benches were full and the overflow of little ones sat on the floor while the larger students stood in the aisles. Old window shades were tacked sidewise along the walls, blackened with lamp-black and used for blackboards, while rags answered admirably for erasers. Miss Wright made several trips to New England in the middle states in behalf of the school and many benevolent persons became interested in what she was doing and gave of their means to carry on the work.
Voorhees College became “a living monument to the love and self-sacrifice of these two women.” Elizabeth Wright died in 1906 at Battle Creek Sanitarium. Her body was shipped back to her beloved Voorhees to be buried there. Dorsey remained at Voorhees as principal until a newly appointed principal, Gabriel B. Miller, arrived in the summer of 1907. Subsequently, after devoting almost 11 years to the school, Dorsey left South Carolina to engage in missionary work in Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1949 a small infirmary at Voorhees was built in her honor and named and dedicated as the Jessie C. Dorsey Green Infirmary.
In 1909, Jessie Dorsey married William Hawkins Green, a lawyer and ordained Adventist minister. After ministerial labor in Washington, D.C., for about three years, the Greens moved to Detroit in 1912, building up what became known as the Hartford Avenue Church. Jessie Green continued to do missionary work while caring for her daughters, Mildred and Inez.
After William Green died suddenly in October 1928, Jessie took her family to Huntsville, Alabama, where she became a member of the teaching staff of Oakwood Junior College, now Oakwood University. She passed away at age 97 on October 13, 1971.
This article is from the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, which is available online. Click here to read the rest of the article.
DeWitt S. Williams, Ed.D., lives in Maryland after 46 years of denominational service. He pastored in Oklahoma, served as a missionary in the Congo (departmental and field president) and Burundi/Rwanda (president of Central African Union). He served 12 years in the General Conference as associate director in both the Communications and Health departments. His last service was director of North American Division Health Ministries (1990-2010).
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Donatella Jamieson is currently 18 years old and a Freshman here at Oakwood University, who enjoys spending time with her friends and has a passion for singing. |
When asked why she wanted to attend this institution, she replied that “It wasn’t until I was in high school at Forest Lake Academy where I first heard about Oakwood University. Even before that, I have always wanted to attend a college where I would receive the whole HBCU experience. I was allowed to attend Oakwood Live! during my senior year of high school, and from there my mind was made up.
Not only did I love the worship services, but I also enjoyed the lively atmosphere around campus. It also helped that Oakwood has a highly accredited biology program.”
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After she graduates, Donatella plans to attend medical school. Having majored in biology, she intends to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN). “I feel that women in the black community are not taken care of as much as their white counterparts. It’s even proven that black women are more likely to die in labor due to health and racial issues. Along with my love for babies, I would like to be one of the black OBGYN doctors who has the best interest at heart for all of my patients, no matter who they may be.”
Being at Oakwood has brought about some changes in Donatella. Typically, she would keep to herself and be surrounded by those she was already acquainted with. However, throughout her Freshman year, Donatella broke out of her shell and has met countless new people. She originally planned to connect with peers who would be of help in her future endeavors and that is just what she did. Not only that, but these individuals have also been very supportive in her spiritual growth and her walk with God.
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Oakwood alumna Sarah Lee Merideth Lester celebrated her 100th birthday on March 24, 2021. The Huntsville resident was born to James and Annie Merideth in 1921 in LaGrange, Georgia, as the third of six children. In 1940, Lester graduated from Oakwood Junior College (now Oakwood University) with an Associate Degree in Education. She later went on to earn a bachelor's degree in 1969 from Columbia Union College in Maryland. She was married in 1943 to Pastor Jethro Lester. A little more than a year later, they welcomed a daughter, Lillian. Lester retired from the public school system in Columbus, Ohio, as the Director of Adult Education. After the death of her husband of 49 years, she moved back to Huntsville, where she currently lives. Watch video of her birthday celebration here.
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As workers applied the finishing touches to the University of Virginia’s Memorial to Enslaved Laborers early last year, the coronavirus pandemic cancelled the plans for a spring dedication event that would bring people together.
A year later, a virtual ceremony, free and open to the public, will be held Saturday to honor the legacy of the estimated 4,000 enslaved people who built and maintained UVA between 1817 and 1865.
The official dedication ceremony will be broadcast at 11:00 a.m., featuring a range of speakers, including alumni who first proposed the idea for the memorial, descendants of the enslaved, students giving a spoken word performance and UVA leaders and others who’ve worked on and supported this project.
Later that evening, the a capella group Take 6 will perform a concert online at 7:00 p.m. Originally from Huntsville, Alabama’s Oakwood College, where the group formed in 1980, Take 6 – with the six original singers – has won 10 Grammy Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, 10 Dove Awards and more.
The performance is presented by the UVA IDEA Fund, a group of alumni and friends formed in 2010 to advise and support the University’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. (IDEA stands for “inclusion, diversity, equity and access.”) There will be a Q&A session with Take 6 after the concert. MORE
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Mondays and Thursdays @ 8:30 a.m. CST
Join us at 8:30 a.m. CST(Central time) on Mondays and Thursdays on Morning Joy with Dawna Baker, for a special edition of "Inside Oakwood with Dr. Leslie Pollard." Programs are broadcast on Facebook Live, and you can also listen via our live stream at http://wjou.org. Catch up on the most recent episodes of Inside Oakwood with Dr. Leslie Pollard:
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Give back year-round to Oakwood University
while shopping online with AmazonSmile.
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The AmazonSmile Foundation will send OU .5% of eligible purchases when you choose Oakwood University.
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It's simple:
- You can use your current Amazon account.
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Just click https://smile.amazon.com.
- When prompted, select Oakwood University as your charitable organization, and then
- Shop as you normally do.
Donations are made by the AmazonSmile Foundation and are not tax deductible by you.
Your Oakwood University family thanks you for all you continue to do for our dear Oakwood.
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The Legacy Walkway, that leads from Ford Hall and Peters Media Center to the rest of the campus, is paved with bricks that can be personalized. Pave the way into the next 125 years of success by purchasing a brick on the Legacy Walkway.
The Legacy Walkway Brick Campaign provides an opportunity to leave a legacy and support campus improvement at the same time. Our Legacy Walkway features names of donors, loved ones, special remembrances, and favorite sayings. Bricks are a great opportunity to congratulate a recent graduate, celebrated degree or accomplishment, or honor your loved ones.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to leave more than a memory at Oakwood University. You can leave your own legacy as we continue our mission – to transform the lives of our students.
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Show OU Pride in Alabama! |
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When an Oakwood license plate is purchased from the Alabama Department of Motor Vehicles, in addition to the regular annual registration fee on a vehicle, the additional annual fee is donated to student scholarships at OU. This can be claimed as a charitable contribution to scholarships for students from Alabama (Section 32-6-156, Code of Alabama 1975).
There is the option of keeping the same expiration date as the plate being replaced, or beginning the Oakwood plate with a full year’s registration. Currently, this initiative is available only in Alabama.
Contact your local Alabama Department of Motor Vehicles office for more information.
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The mission of Oakwood University, a historically black, Seventh-day Adventist institution, is to transform students through biblically-based education for service to God and humanity.
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InsideOakwood is published by the Office of Integrated Marketing & Public Relations.
Editor: Debbe Millet | Photographer: Teymi Townsend
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