Message from the President Local Chapter Update

Alumni News
Publisher: Austin UAPB/AM&N Alumni Chapter
Volume No. 3
Issue No. 1st Quarter
Date: Jan. - March, 2009
Message from the President
Hello Fellow Alumni,
Happy New Year to everyone. As we
began this historical year. Let us not
forget that the whole world is watching and
evaluating us on our capabilities as a people.
:culmi
We have witness an historical moment in
history in the Inauguration of our 44th
President of the United States of America, President
Barack H. Obama, where millions attended with even
more taking in this historical moment via, television,
internet, etc. We have to give God all the glory for
what He has done.
Here are a few of the highlights of this moment in
history captured on January 20, 2009…
The Capital is made ready and the platform is set for
the Inauguration of our 44th
President of the United States of
America. Queen Aretha Franklin
Rev. J. Lowery prayed…God of our weary
years, God of our silent tears thou who hast
brought us thus far on our way. Thou, who
hast by thy might led us into the light, keep
us forever in thy path we pray. Father, we
thank you. Amen
Please come, join our efforts and help us to
fulfill our vision as a chapter. We need your
help and commitment. Thank you for your
commitment and willingness to serve. May
God bless each of you.
H. Ed Calahan, President
Local Chapter Update
bellowed, “America the Beautiful.”
President Barack H. Obama takes the Oath of
Office administered by Chief Justice John Roberts
as the First Lady Michelle hold the Lincoln Bible
and their daughters Malia and Sasha looks on.
President Obama delivers his Inauguration
Speech to the people of this blessed country…
And We the People listened and embraced the
moment that change had come to Washington.
D.C and the rite…
The Austin UAPB/AM&N Alumni Chapter
has began this year with a commitment to
hold its first fund raiser in an effort to
support the university and our annual goal.
We will raffle of a 32” Flat Screen LCD
Television on May 16, 2009 at our special
scheduled alumni meeting. The tickets are
$5.00 per ticket and each Alumnus has
agreed to be responsible for twenty or more
tickets. Our goal is to raise at least $2500.
Last quarter, we thanked a couple of alumni
for attending 2008 homecoming activities
only to learn we also had two other chapter
members present in the persons of LaToya
Finley and Tiffany Payne-Griffin. Thank
you Levi, Andy, LaToya and Tiffany for
supporting the university with your presence.
The Austin Chapter was well represented.
One team was eliminated following each
challenge and the winner was named “Rah!
Cheer Champ.”
UAPB
The Flagship of the
Delta
University Campus Updates
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is fully
accredited by the North Central Association of
Colleges and Schools. It has program accreditation by
the National League for Nursing, National Association
for Schools of Music, American Home Economics
Association, International Association of Counseling
Services, and the National Association for the
Accreditation of Teacher Education, and the National
Association of Industrial Technology. The institution
is a member of the American Council on Education,
American Association of Colleges for Teacher
Education, National Association of State Universities
and Land Grant Colleges, Association of American
Colleges, and the National Collegiate Honors Council.
“Hi-Hat,” choreographer for the movies,
“Bring It On” and “Step Up 2: The Streets,”
University of Massachusetts Head
Cheerleading Coach Scott Bouchard, and New
Jersey Nets Dancer Brenna Klinger judged
the competition.
Blunt said earlier, though she could not talk
specifically about how the squad performed,
that Arkansas was very well represented.
This quarter will highlight three other UAPB
achievements in extracurricular activities that have
brought both national and international recognition to
the university.
. The
For a University Band, a Fast-Paced
March to the Inaugural Parade
UAPB CHEERLEADERS APPEARED ON MTV
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
cheerleaders was featured on a 90-minute MTV
special.
The squad will appear on ‘RAH! Paula Abdul’s
Cheerleading Bowl’ competing against four other
collegiate squads selected by Abdul, a pop celebrity
and former Los Angeles Laker Girl.
Karen Blunt, UAPB director of spirit programs, said
the squad began a lengthy and rigorous selection
process in September and traveled to New York City
to film the show Nov. 4-7 after being chosen to
compete.
‘RAH! Paula Abdul’s Cheerleading Bowl’ was described
by MTV as “an elite cheerleading event that will take
viewers on a journey with five collegiate squads handselected by Abdul as they travel to New York City to
compete in the ultimate cheerleading competition.”
The cheerleaders faced squads from the University
of Arizona, the University of Hawaii, the University
of Montana and the University of Miami at Ohio
competing in a series of diverse cheerleadingrelated challenges such as dancing and
choreography.
The marching band backs up its nickname,
the Marching Musical Machine of the MidSouth, or M4, with its size: 225 students,
including a drum line of 43. Among the
dozen college bands in the inaugural
parade honoring President Barack Obama,
the Pine Bluff group may have been picked
last. Applications exceeded 800, and
Presidential Inaugural Committee initially
turned down the M4.
A week before the presidential election,
the band formed "V-O-T-E" on the field at
Pine Bluff's football game against Southern
University and A&M College, in Baton Rouge,
La. The weekend after the election, the M4
spelled "O-B-A-M-A" at home against
Grambling State University, to a standing
ovation.
Then, in early December, Mr. Graham heard
that the band had been rejected from the
parade. He responded by rejecting that
news. "I told the gentleman, 'Go back and
talk to your people,'" Mr. Graham said. He
urged elected officials, including Arkansas's
governor, to plead the band's case to the
inaugural committee, as he did to the news
media. He argued that students from the
Lower Mississippi Delta region, one of the
country's poorest areas, may not make it to
Washington otherwise. He emphasized the
importance of the large band at an
institution of 3,000 students. He mentioned\
the slave graveyard on Pine Bluff's campus. On New
Year's Eve, an inaugural-committee representative
called to tell him his band was in the parade. Text
messages between band members flew; many
suspected a hoax. But when they returned to the
campus and started rehearsing at 5 a.m.—and again at
5:30 p.m.—they knew the news was true. The
university began a furious fund-raising campaign,
pleading in bright-red letters on its Web site, "HELP
SEND M4 TO D.C.!"
The Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South
(M4) performs for all home football games and
travels to almost all games away from campus. The
marching band has made appearances at the Gateway
Classic, Professional football games, national
television and countless "Battle of the Bands"
competitions. Each year M4 hosts its "Band Day",
where several high school bands from throughout the
country get the opportunity to attend a "Golden Lion"
football game, play as a mass band, and perform their
half-time shows for each other.
VESPER CHOIR SPRING TOUR A SUCCESS
90% sure that the Vesper Choir was going
to be able to perform on the morning of
March 20th.
Bates received confirmation
that the performance was scheduled and
that the choir would be able to perform a
half-hour program from 9:45am to 10:15am
on Friday, March 20th. Cathedral tours were
to begin at 10:00am, so tour participants, as
well as the staff at the Cathedral, were the
audience.
The UAPB Vesper Choir, directed by Dr.
Michael J. Bates, Professor of Music at
UAPB and assisted by Dr. Heidi Gordon,
Assistant Professor of Music and Assistant
Vesper Choir director, was accorded a
distinct honor during its annual spring tour
(March 21-30).
The choir was invited to
present a short musical program at the main
.
altar in the Washington National Cathedral in
Washington, D.C. on March 20, 2009.
The
National Cathedral is the sixth largest in the
world and is the venue for many official
government
observances
and
functions.
Recently, it was the site of President
The UAPB Vesper Choir takes a tour annually to
performance venues across the country such as Italy
in 2006 for a performance in St. Peter’s Basilica in
the Vatican, as well as St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice.
The performance at the National Cathedral was made
possible through the efforts of Bishop George
McKinney, Senior Pastor of St. Stephen’s Cathedral
Church of God in Christ in San Diego, CA, and U.S.
Congressman Danny Davis of Chicago, both of whom
are alumni of UAPB/AM&N.
Dr. Bates indicated that he had been working on an
invitation to perform at the National Cathedral since
January, but received word of the real possibility of
the performance on the day before the Vesper Choir
left for the spring tour. He received a voice mail
message from Michael McCarthy, Director of Music
at the National Cathedral before the choir departed.
After playing “phone tag” for two days, the two of
them finally began the task of trying to arrange for
the performance.
By Wednesday (two days before
the choir was to arrive in Washington), Bates
received word that the Cathedral administration was
Barrack Obama’s prayer service held during
inaugural activities.
The Director of Music emphasized to the
students that the invitation to perform was
highly unusual and that the Bishop to Bishop
contact (Bishop McKinney to the Washington
Cathedral’s
Bishop
Shane)
made
things
happen. The Choir had a brief tour of the
sanctuary, including explanations of the
history and significance of artifacts, images
and religious objects. The Vesper Choir then
took its place at the main altar and sang:
“The Last Words of David” by Randall
Thompson,
“Alleluia”
by
Ralph
Manuel,
“Hallelujah” from the Mount of Olives by
Beethoven, and “Surely, He Has Borne our
Griefs” and the “Amen” Chorus from Handel’s
“Messiah”.
The performance moved some persons in the
audience and choir to tears. The Director of
Music was extremely complimentary and said
that the sound was “fantastic”. The students
were in awe of the Cathedral and its beauty
and the significance of the opportunity was not lost
upon them. They were excited about the opportunity
to perform in such a prestigious venue.
The spring 2009 tour began in Indianapolis, where
the choir was the guest of Rev. Phillip Carroll, former
Vesper Choir member and UAPB student, who
coordinated the event.
While in Indianapolis the
Vesper Choir sang at Greater Shepherd MBC, at St.
John AME Church and at Northwest High School.
The Choir then traveled to Cincinnati where they
were hosted by the Cincinnati-Dayton AM&N/UAPB
Alumni Chapter where Mr. Leroy Browning serves as
president.
The
Choir sang
at
the
Regular registration is $195.00 until June
30, 2009. Late or onsite registration is
$225.00.
DRIVE FOR 35
Recruitment
One Recruit One
UAPB Recruitment Slogan is One Recruit
One. If any of you are interested in
becoming the Recruitment Coordinator for
the chapter, let us know at our next meeting.
Membership Opportunity
Southern
Missionary Baptist Church and then traveled to
Washington, D.C. as the result of an invitation from
the Washington, D.C.-Area Alumni Chapter president,
Mr. Grover Gibson.
While in Washington the choir
sang for the Founder’s Day Breakfast sponsored by
the alumni chapter held at the Ft. Belvoir Officer’s
Club, at the First Baptist Church in Vienna, VA, at
Metropolitan Baptist in D.C. (Dr. H. Beecher Hicks,
Senior Pastor) and at Round Oak Baptist Church in
Silver Spring, MD. The spring tour was made possible
by the invaluable support given by alumni and friends.
Fellow Alumni the mighty Lions need your
support. Please join our efforts in
supporting the university as she continues to
provide an excellent education to young men
and women of this country.
Sign up today!
Austin UAPB/ AM&N Alumni Chapter:
www.austin-uapb-alumni.org/index.html
We Need Your Support
National Overview
The National Alumni Association Board consists of
the following organizational structure.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Officers
Mr. Samuel Staples, President – 2010
Hannibal Bolton, First Vice-President – 2008
Kristina Gulley, Second Vice President – 2010
Rosie Pettigrew, Recording Secretary – 2010
Matthew Henry, Treasurer – Ex-Officio
Kenya Joiner, Parliamentarian – 2008
Ceola Davis-Barnes, Immediate Past President
Board of Directors
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Napoleon Carter – 2010
Johnnie T. Flemming – 2010
Verlia Grice-Hoggard – 2010
David Jones (Member at large) – 2010
John A Kuykendall, Director of Alumni Affairs
Doris Moore (Member at large) – 2010
Gary Owens – 2010
Bobby Sweat – 2010
16. Ruby Thompson – 2008
Chaplain
H. Ed Calahan
The 2009 National Alumni Conference will be held in
Las Vegas, July 16-19, 2009. The host hotel is the
Golden Nugget downtown. Hotel rates will be $45
per night (Monday-Thursday) and $65 (weekends).
Historical Black College/University
Our Meeting Place
The Austin Chapter of the AM&N/UAPB
Alumni Association would like to invite you to
join in our efforts in supporting our Alma
Mater. We meet every second Saturday at
the Agape Baptist Church, 7801 North
Lamar Blvd. Bldg. F-15 at 1:00 P.M. in the
“Centre” Building Complex.
Church Telephone number: (512)454-1547
Church Email Address:
[email protected]
Contact Information
Austin UAPB/AM&N Alumni Chapter
Our Email Address:
[email protected]
Our Web Address:
http://www.austin-uapb-alumni.org
Our local Mailing Address:
C/o 1700 East 38th Street
Austin, Texas 78722-1202
One Recruit One
Alumni We Need Your Support