Each year, it is our great privilege to honor outstanding members of the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) community who have left an indelible mark on the HBCU family. Their incredible legacies, are a lamp unto our paths as we seek to advance the mission and curate our visions for HBCUs in the twenty-first century. In our inaugural year, we honored fourth generation Fisk University alumna and forty-year Special Collections Archivist Beth Madison Howse and Paul Quinn College President Michael J. Sorrell. At the second HBCUstory Symposium, we paid tribute to Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole, director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art (NMAfA), and Ivory A. Toldson, deputy director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges as well as posthumously paid tribute to the life and work of Fisk University Professor Emeritus Dr. L.M. Collins, West Virginia State University President Emeritus Dr. Hazo W. Carter Jr., North Carolina A&T State University Director of Band Dr. Johnny B. Hodge Jr., Tennessee State University alumna and staffer Mary Yancey Love, and Spelman alumna, archivist and college historian Taronda Spencer. The third annual HBCUstory Symposium posthumously paid tribute to the life and work of Alice Coachman, The Rev. St. Paul Epps, Matthew Kennedy, Earl Francis Lloyd, Dr. Wallace Maryland Jr., Dr. Charles U. Smith and Dr. Levi Watkins Jr.
Legacies that inspire
STORYTELLER OF THE YEAR AWARDEES, 2013
We proudly award Paul Quinn College President Michael J. Sorrell and posthumously honor Fisk University archivist and alumna the late Beth Madison Howse.
STORYTELLER OF THE YEAR AWARDEES, 2014
We proudly award Fisk alumna and Spelman College and Bennett College for Women President Emeritus Johnnetta B. Cole and Dr. Ivory B. Toldson. We posthumous honor Dr. L.M. Collins, Dr. Hazo W. Carter Jr., Johnny B. Hodge Jr., Mary Alice Yancey Love, and Taronda Spencer.
DR. L.M. COLLINS
Fisk University Professor Emeritus
Dillard University and Fisk University Alumnus
DR. HAZO W. CARTER JR.
West Virginia State University President Emeritus
Tennessee State University Alumnus
DR. JOHNNY B. HODGE JR.
North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University Director of Band
North Carolina Central University Alumnus
MARY ALICE YANCEY LOVE
Tennessee State University Staffer
Tennessee State University Alumna
TARONDA SPENCER
Spelman College Historian and Archivist
Spelman College Alumna
DR. JOHNNETTA BESTCH COLE
2014 Storyteller of the Year Emerita Awardee
Spelman College and Bennett College for Women President Emerita
Fisk University Alumna
DR. IVORY A. TOLDSON
2014 Storyteller of the Year Legend Awardee
White House Initiative on HBCUs Deputy Director and Howard University Associate Professor
STORYTELLER OF THE YEAR AWARDEES, 2015
We proudly honor Morgan State University alumnus and HBCU Digest Founding Editor Jarrett L. Carter Sr. We posthumously honor Alice Coachman, The Rev. St. Paul Epps, Matthew Kennedy, Earl Francis Lloyd, Dr. Wallace Maryland Jr., Dr. Charles U. Smith, and Dr. Levi Watkins Jr.
ALICE COACHMAN
First African American Woman Olympic Gold Medalist, USA Track + Field and the United States Olympic Hall of Famer
Tuskegee University and Albany State University Alumna
THE REV. ST. PAUL EPPS
Minister
Knoxville College Alumnus
“MAESTRO” MATTHEW KENNEDY
Fisk Jubilee Singers Retired Director
Fisk University Alumnus
EARL FRANCIS LLOYD
Professional Basketball Player + Hall of Famer
West Virginia State University Alumnus
DR. WALLACE MARYLAND JR.
Alabama State University Professor
Alabama State University Alumnus
DR. CHARLES U. SMITH
Sociologist, Civil Rights Activist + Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Professor
Tuskegee University and Fisk University Alumnus
NELSON TOWNSEND
FAMU Athletic Director, UMES Hall of Famer + Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Hall of Famer
Maryland State College Alumnus
DR. LEVI WATKINS JR.
Cardiac Surgery Pioneer + Activist
Tennessee State University Alumnus
JARRETT L. CARTER SR.
2015 Storyteller of the Year Legend Awardee
HBCU Digest Founding Editor
Morgan State University Alumnus
STORYTELLER OF THE YEAR AWARDEES, 2016
We proudly honor Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie.
VASHTI MURPHY MCKENZIE
2016 Storyteller of the Year Legend Awardee
First Female Elected Bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church
Morgan State University and Howard University’s School of Divinity Alumna
