Livingstone College National Alumni Association Blue Bear Update
Keeping Livingstone friends, family, and alumni connected
Alumni Class Notes

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President Jimmy Jenkins
Livingstone College President/CEO, Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr. discusses the Capital Campaign


 

LCNAA: Why a Capital Campaign now?  

 

President Jenkins: If Livingstone College is to compete with her sister institutions, we need to secure the funding necessary to equip our students with a quality education that will ensure they are capable of competing on the global stage. The College intends to compete by constructing a state of the art educational instructional facility while also constructing a new Gymnasium that will serve as home to the physical education department and new space for the entire athletic department to include a Fieldhouse for the football team. Our students come with a financial need as well. We intend to raise $5 million dollars to bridge the financial gap by providing much needed merit based scholarships. To attract, recruit and retain the best faculty we must begin to endow chairs and provide resources for them to receive the types of training and continuing education that benefits our students and ensures our faculty are current with best practices.

 

LCNAA: What is the scope of the campaign and how will money be used? 

 

President Jenkins: The stated goal is $25 Million. There are four areas we will address: An Endowment, Faculty and Staff Enhancements, Capital Improvements, and Scholarships. 

 

LCNAA: What phase of the campaign is the school leading now? 

 

President Jenkins: Silent Phase and we began in January 2015. 

 

LCNAA: What progress has been made to-date? 

 

President Jenkins: The College has secured approximately $3.1 in gifts and pledges.

 

LCNAA: In what ways are alumni expected to help? 

 

President Jenkins: Every member is expected to contribute. Financial support is the first expectation. We also would appreciate the recruitment of your friends and colleagues who might be enamored with what the college has set out to accomplish and have them to participate as well.   

 

LCNAA: Who should be contacted if there are questions?  

 

President Jenkins: The Excellence Campaign Director is Dr. Herman J. Felton Jr., and he can be reached at 704-216-6044 (w) or 904-703-2738 (cell).



Chapter News . . .
LCNAA W-S Chapter
19 members, family and friends of the W-S Alumni Chapter recently enjoyed a dinner cruise on Lake Norman on the Catawba Queen. View the story here.

Love Is Everything . . .

Elsie Hillman-Gordon (Class of 1979) is an African-American author. Her award-winning, debut novella, Love Is Everything, was published in May 2014. The book received the Gold/1st Place award for *Best Short Story* in the 2015 Feathered Quill Book Awards Program.

Love Is Everything is an inspirational romance story about a woman struggling to find happiness and doubting her faith in God after losing her parents in a tragic accident. But after reluctantly accepting a blind date with a handsome widower of strong faith, she reconnects with God and comes to discover first-hand, the healing power of love.

Click on this link to her book's page on Amazon. On the site, you can click on the link for my name to view my photo and get more information about the book.

You can find more information on her  personal website

Memorable Moments 
What do you remember? What incident or moment stands out for you? Tell us about one of your memories while at LC. Click here to tell us your story.

Class Reunion News 
Class of 1985 Memorial for Deceased Dean and Teachers

The Class of 1985 is raising funds for a Memorial to honor:

Dean Spaulding
Grady Nelson (Senior Class Advisor)
Dr. Brooks 
Ms. Blue 
Ms. Chapman 
Mrs. Lakin 
Mrs. Boyd 
Ms. McNeal 

Each member of the Class of 1985 is being requested to raise $100 by October 15, 2015.

Make your checks payable to: Livingstone College. Reference: Dean & Teachers Memorial for the Class of 1985.  All contributors will be listed on the memorial. 

Contact Class President, Constance Partee Johnson for additional details or questions on how to support this effort.

2015 Class Reunion Agents

Click here for class reunion contact information.

Alumni Notes
Blanche Wimberly (Class of '74) was appointed by the Governor of S.C., Nikki R. Haley, to the Board of Voter Registration and Elections of Aiken County. In order for an individual to receive this appointment, he/she must be recommended by the resident senator of his/her district to the entire legislative delegation of the county, approved and recommended to the governor who approves the appointment. Blanche welcomes the challenge and opportunity to serve the citizens of Aiken County, S.C..

Louise Rice Thornton (Class of '59.

Became a widow in 1989. 
Retired in 1991 after 30 years of teaching. I ontinue to be in the lives of young people in my church and community (teaching, encouraging, mentoring and helping financially). Proud Mother of two adult children- Tammye Yvette Thornton (Virginia Tech Grad and Mathematician for the Defense Department), Michael Dudley Thornton (VCU Grad, Mass Communications Major). I enjoy making personalized greeting cards for family and friends in my spare time


LCNAA Blue Bear Update
August 2015
The LCNAA Blue Bear update is intended to keep you informed, connected and aware of events and activities of the association, the school and local alumni chapters.  Send your news, updates and chapter events to: Livingstone College National Alumni Association.
A Life Report: Juanita McGriff Kashoki
Juanita McGriff Kashoki
Note: This is the second in a series of "Life Reports" featuring Livingstone College Alumni. We thought it would be interesting to ask some of our alumni to help us tell the school's story through their own life experiences on campus, the wisdom learned over the years, and to provide an opportunity for current students and young alumni to benefit from their advice. We caught up with Juanita McGriff on her recent visit to the States. She has lived in Zambia since 1967.

Name: Juanita McGriff Kashoki
Class Year: 1964
Major: Business Education
Occupation: Marketing and Public Relations Manager (retired)

1. What is a fondest memory of your time at Livingstone College?

 

When I think of Livingstone College I generally remember two things. First, as a child, and then a young lady, that I was always going to go to college, and that that college would "obviously" be Livingstone. I went to Monroe Street Elementary School and JC Price High School in Salisbury, and Livingstone College was in Salisbury. Also, I was a member of Moore's Chapel AME Zion Church.  Livingstone is an AME Zion school, and the church was basically on Livingstone's campus, so I grew up hearing all about Livingstone.

 

The other thing I fondly remember about Livingstone is really more like a feeling I get when I think about the school itself and my collective experiences there. I fondly remember the beautiful grounds, the diverse body of students (i.e., both local and international students), and the warm campus atmosphere. I was reminded of the nature and endurance of the warm student relationships during my visit to the States this summer. Mrs. Marjorie Williams Kinard (Class of '64) organized a luncheon for me to reunite with some members of my graduating class. Over ten (10) of us gathered in a restaurant in Silver Spring, MD, and had an absolutely wonderful time catching up and reminding ourselves of old times. I have been able to reconnect with several classmates through social media, and did so again with Phyllis Brooks while I was in the States. She and I got together shortly after and had a simply awesome time.  All of this shows just how close our class was and is.

 

2. What did you learn at LC that has made a difference in your life?


Dr. Berta Hamilton was the head of Student Special Services when I was in school. Through her guidance and encouragement, I learned how to step out from the familiar and extend myself into new and challenging experiences, in order to further my education and develop as an individual. She taught me to be adventurous in life, and to be open to new experiences, environments, and people. For example, she encouraged me to take a job in the summer of 1963 in Putney, VT, at a program called the "Experiment in International Living." You can imagine how different an experience that was compared to Salisbury, NC! But it was a fantastic one, and is also where I met my husband.

 

From Livingston College, I also learned the importance of professionalism in the workplace.  Mrs. Sawyer (then head of the Business Education department), taught me how and why I should be professional in my manner of dress, speech, and conduct. This greatly helped me in successfully navigating through my career and work life.


3. What are you most proud of in your life?


I am most proud of my diverse yet close family. My husband and I have 3 children (2 daughters and 1 son) and 4 grandchildren. We are "diverse" in the fact that we live on different continents (2 of my children are in the US), we have different citizenships (3 of us are Americans, the rest are Zambians), and we are often spread out across different countries (e.g., my husband and I spent a 3-month sabbatical period in South Africa; my grandson is in college in Namibia; and before two of our grand-daughters enrolled in Kenyon College in Ohio, they were in school in Hong Kong and Norway). We also have quite diverse personalities!

 

Nevertheless, despite being separated by distance and time zones, we remain very close. We cherish the times when we are all able to be in one place at the same time, make every effort to regularly see or talk to each other, and truly enjoy one another's company. We also make sure that we help each other achieve our goals, particularly the educational ones. My husband and I have a strong belief in the power and value of a good education, and have emphasized that to our children and grandchildren.  They have taken this lesson to heart, and I am so proud that each of our children and grandchildren is, or soon will be, a college graduate.


4. Are there any things you wish you had done differently in your life?


I wish I had focused on special education - either in college or graduate school. I would have liked to work with people with special needs. I really like to help people.

 

Now that I am retired, I am focusing my efforts on the special needs of senior citizens in Zambia. I am a founding member of the Senior Citizens' Association of Zambia, and this work keeps me quite busy.


5. What advice would you give to the students on the LC campus today?
 

Considering the more recent social events related to race in America, I would encourage the current Livingstone College students to realize what a critical role each of them is playing in shaping the country's and the world's perceptions of African Americans, including the education of African Americans.

 

I encourage LC's current students to not give up hope, to not despair. Rather, believe in yourself and be confident that you WILL achieve your goals. You will have to work hard and be disciplined in order to achieve the goals, but it all starts with having an unshakeable belief in yourself. I would also ask that the students work to maintain the reputation of Livingstone. My class of 1964 left a legacy of good repute and success; I encourage the current students to do the same!

 

6. Please share your experience, thoughts and observations on living in Africa; it's challenges, culture as compared to the U.S., etc.

 

Based on my many years of living in Zambia and in what is called "the developing world," I offer the following recommendations and observation:


 

1. Challenge your preconceptions about Africa. I've observed that many people, including African Americans, have biases and prejudices against Africa. I think that more open-mindedness and a willingness to go beyond TV stereotypes will really help Americans better understand and appreciate the beauty of Africa and its people.


 

2. When you go to another country - whatever country it may be - try not to force American ideas on the people of that country. It is important to acknowledge and respect that country's culture.  That country's beliefs, practices, and way of life are just as valid as America's. 


 

3. I have learned that certain material things really don't matter and one can easily do without them.  There was a long time in Zambia when importation of luxury goods was restricted and Zambia was struggling to produce even just the basic necessities. This period of "shortages" was very hard on everyone. Yet through it people found ways to survive and help each other out; and we managed. While we didn't have fancy chocolates or the latest video game players, and although we had to stand in long lines for things like gasoline, vegetable oil and flour, we managed. We managed because of strong bonds of family and friendship and efforts to help one another through the tough times; we managed because of an overall country mentality of "this too shall pass;" and we managed because that's just the nature of Zambian and African people - they are resilient. I am happy and proud to report that through a lot of effort, the Zambian economy has rebounded, and the country is now considered one of Africa's fastest developing countries. And almost everything that is available in the US is available in Zambia!


Dressing for Success . . .
Livingstone College "Hangers for Success" Career Closet 

 

The Office of Career Services is asking for your support to help students as they prepare to present themselves for the next step beyond graduation. The following items are needed. You can drop any donation by the school at any time you are in the area, especially during Homecoming in October. 

 

Female Items Needed 

 

Solid Color Slacks (All Sizes) 

Solid Colored Dresses (Navy, Black, Nude) 

Solid Color Small-Mid Level Heel Pumps (All Sizes) 

Belts 


 

Males Items Needed 

 

Solid Color Suites (Navy & Black) 

Hard-Bottom Dress Shoes (Brown/ Black All Sizes) 

Ties 

Belts 

 

Please be sure to list your donated items when you drop them off, along with your name, address and phone number so the college can properly thank you for your contribution. The Office of Career Services is located in the Walls Center (formerly Hood Theological Seminary). Drop-off times are Monday-Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. 

 

For additional questions, please email Ms. Sharp, Assistant Director of Career Services or call her at 704-216-6298 (w).