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Winston-Salem State University National Alumni AssociationIssue 64SUMMER 2019The Battering Ram“Linked together in unity. Serving together with purpose.”This newsletter is an official publication of WSSU National Alumni AssociationS. G. Atkins House Winston-Salem, NC 27110TheBatteringRam@wssunaa.orgIn This Issue1—Membership Renewal Time2 -- President’s Message,Chapter News3 -- Chapter News4 -- Chapter News,In Memoriam, Miss andMr. Alumni Contest5 -- 2019 Homecoming RaffleMembership6 -- Highlights of TwoAlumnae7 -- Homecoming Schedule ofRenewal TimeEvents and Host Hotels8 -- Quote, Mailing LabelOur new fiscal year starts July 1UPCOMING EVENTSSeptember 149 am - Fall Board Meeting6 pm - WSSU vs CatawbaOctober 31 - November 2Homecoming Activities(See p. 7)WSSU National Alumni AssociationSee the president’s letter on thenext page for detailed informationabout the different formsof membership forjoining and supporting theWSSU National Alumni AssociationIssue 64SUMMER 20191

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGECHAPTER NEWSDear RAMily,The Association’s fiscal year spansJuly 1 to June 30. It is within the startof each fiscal year that we “ramp up”our financial commitment to alumnimembership, in service and supportof WSSU. Your WSSUNAA continuesto work, effectively, to ensure that wealign our efforts with the strategicplan of the university, while alsoadhering to the goals and mission of theorganization.In doing so, we solicit your continued patronageor new membership, as follows:EXISTING MEMBERS (REGULAR ORASSOCIATE)It’s time to renew or become a life member!Your regular or associate membership isscheduled for renewal each fiscalyear. Renew or apply today!LIFE MEMBERSIf you are participating in the life memberpayment option, please remember to makeyour scheduled installment before the fiscalyear ends. Typically, four payments are thestandard to meet the required official lifemember status, if dues aren’t paid in fullupon application.Don’t forget to contribute to the NationalAlumni Scholarship Endowment Fund.Make your contribution today!NEW MEMBERSHIPNow is a great time to become a member ofWSSUNAA. Make the decision to serve, viayour financial support. Submit yourapplication today!Please access the Membership link on theWSSUNAA website at: http://www.wssunaa.orgfor specific information, i.e. membershipapplication and online payment options, etc.As always, it is important to take part in the richheritage and foundational legacy of WSSU, bydeparting to serve. Service through financialsupport is an excellent way to solidify thiscommitment, as an alumnus of Winston-SalemState University. Get plugged in and don’t forgetto use the hashtag,#servingbysupportingwssunaa, on your socialmedia platforms.Respectfully,Victor BruintonATLANTAThe chapter will host its 7th Annual AllWhite Boat Party at Lake Lanier Georgiaon Saturday, July 13, at 7 pm. Proceedsof the event will support localscholarships. This year is very specialas the event will reveal its renaming inhonor of RAMily member WillieYellock,’77, who passed awayDecember 10, 2018 after a long battle with a respiratorydisease. Willie was the visionary for this annual soldout event. For more information, go to the AtlantaChapter website at www.wssuatlalumni.weebly.comCongratulations to our Atlanta alumnusJamerian Myles,’10, who was honored atthe WSSU 40 Under 40 Awards Gala at theBenton Convention Center in WinstonSalem, NC April 13. Jamerian is one of theyoungest African-American men to be anowner/operator of a Chick-fil-A franchise.The Chick-fil-A Corporation chose him toserve in their National Fellows Program where hementors high school students from around the nation,leads workshops and provides students with on-the-jobexperiences. Jamerian’s restaurant is located inGlenwood Park in east Atlanta.Congratulations to our AtlantaChapter president, Veronica Jackson,RN, BSN, MBA’90. Veronica wasrecently appointed as the ExecutiveDirector for Sunrise Senior Living(Lilburn, GA). Sunrise Senior Livingprovides assisted living and memory care communitiesfor seniors. They are located throughout the U.S. andEurope. Veronica joined the company in October 2017as a Resident Care Director with oversight of theWellness Department. In April of 2019, she wasawarded the Southeast Region Service Award during aLeadership Conference in Orlando, Florida. Veronicabegan her new position as Executive Director onJune 1.Congratulations to our Atlanta Chaptermember, Octavius Robinson, ’92.Octavius was recently promoted toOperations Manager for MAXIMUSHealth Services East Division in theAtlanta, GA office. MAXIMUS is anoutsourcing company that providesbusiness process services togovernment health and human services agenciesthroughout the U.S. and abroad.Victor “Vic” BruintonWSSUNAA PresidentWSSU National Alumni AssociationIssue 64SUMMER 20192

CHAPTER NEWSDC METRORICHMOND METROThe chapter has supported DMV based studentsthrough providing six 1,000 scholarships. Thechapter hosted a social on the night before theBowie State football to welcome RAMS to the areaand fellowship with local RAMS. During the eventthe chapter collected donations to create travelsnack bags for the Red Sea of Sound and thecheerleaders.The chapter is pleased to announce that they have twolocal students, Ja’Nya Badgett and ChristopherJosephs, who will be attending in the fall. Ja’Nya andChristopher are the recipients of the Robert “Trent”Curry Book Scholarship.Senior members of the chapter were celebratedduring the chapter's Senior Prom. During thisevent, chapter leadership honored the seniormembers of the chapter for their work and sacrifice.In March the Rainbow Tea raised funds forscholarships. To follow the DC Metro Rams visitwww.dcmetrorams.com.The Richmond Metro Chapter created this scholarshipto honor a former member and president. Thescholarship is to assist students attending WSSU in hishonor. ‘Trent,’ as he was known, received his Bachelorof Arts degree in1979 from WSSU. He pledged and wasa loyal member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. From1992-1996 Trent served as the president of the MetroRichmond Alumni Chapter. He loved WSSU andbecame a “Lifetime” member of the National AlumniAssociation. He was very passionate aboutencouraging and supporting area students attendingWinston-Salem State University. Scholarship recipientswill be honored at a luncheon in August before theybegin their journey as Rams.Four of the scholarship studentssupported by the DC Metro ChapterDC Metro seniors: Milliceson Hayes, AliceMcNeil, Herman McNeil and Bettie KornegayWSSU National Alumni AssociationIssue 64SUMMER 20193

CHAPTER NEWSSALISBURY-ROWANJay Perrie BaileyClass of 1990On April 27, 2019, we had a great time at theSalisbury VA Medical Hospital where we hostedtheir BINGO games and we blessed the veteranswith gifts and snack bags.(Twin brother Jan died inDecember 2018)Son of former alumniassociation presidentBeaufort O. BaileyCongratulations to chapter member Larry KeatonEl, who was named as Hanford Dole ElementarySchool’s Teacher Assistant of the Year for 20182019.In May, we celebrated our second anniversary asa chapter!!!We proudly presented our first scholarship toZakiyaa Rankin, a senior at North Rowan HighSchool.SUPPORT THE MISS ANDMR. ALUMNI CONTESTANTSCa’Vette-Latice J. BufordCongratulations to chapter member SamoneHouston-Graham on being recognized at WinstonSalem State University’s 40 Under 40 AlumniAwards. Samone is an Assistant Principal atMooresville High School, where she is the 2019Southwest Education Alliance award recipientfrom Mooresville Graded Schools. The award isdedicated to support Graham’s participation in GoGlobal NC’s Global Teachers - Mexico 2019program.Class of 2007Kenyetta AminaRichmondClass of 2007Dr. Daniel McSpaddenClass of 1990We are planning eventsfor the summer to attractnew members to ourchapter.This contest is the major fundraiser forthe association. See the Spring 2019Battering Ram online for detailedinformation about each contestant andhow to support them.Deadline for contributions is August 31.WSSU National Alumni AssociationIssue 64SUMMER 20194

WSSU National Alumni AssociationIssue 64SUMMER 20195

BLONNIE THOMPSON ‘75 REFLECTS ON VARIED CAREER PATHFor someone that could be considered a trail blazer, Blonnie Thompson ‘75, has blazed anumber of career paths.Thompson graduated from Winston-Salem State University in 1975 with a bachelor’s degreein biology earned a master’s degree in biology from Clark Atlanta University. She was thefirst African-American woman to graduate from Wake Forest School of Medicine with adoctorate, having completed an PhD in microbiology and immunology. After earning herPhD, she completed postdoctoral research in biochemistry at Duke University. She alsoserved as a research associate studying the differentiation of myeloid leukemia cells at theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Yale School of Medicine.Dr. Thompson branched out into academic leadership and management as director of the Human NutritionInstitute at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. She also taught in part-time faculty roles at SacredHeart University, Lincoln University, the Community College of Philadelphia and Holy Family University.Thompson survived breast cancer in the late 1980s. As a result of this life-changing experience, shedeveloped a passion for health promotion and added a certification as a nutrition specialist to her credentials.In May 2016, she earned a Master of Theological Studies degree from Palmer Theological Seminary, and she isnow an ordained Baptist minister.Earlier this year, Dr. Thompson moved back to North Carolina from Pennsylvania. She and her husband, Rev.Vernon Thompson, have three sons and two grandsons. She is the daughter of alumnus Kirby Thompson ‘63.99-YEAR-OLD WWII VETERAN WALKS AT WSSU 2019 GRADUATION70 YEARS AFTER EARNING HER DEGREEFrom bold new caps and gowns to a degree 70 years in the making, WSSU’s 2019 CommencementCeremony on May 10 was one for the record books.Once you’re a Ram, you’re a Ram for life. Elizabeth Barker Johnson, a 99-year-old World War II veteran andretired school teacher, embodied this spirit on Friday as she finally got her chance to walk on stage toreceive her degree from WSSU. Johnson had enrolled at what was then called Winston-Salem TeachersCollege 70 years earlier.Johnson served in the US Army during World War II, then enrolled under the GI Bill at what is now WinstonSalem State University. She missed her commencement because she was working as a teacher, but 70years later she was finally able to walk across the stage. She is the embodiment of WSSU’s motto, “Enterto learn; depart to serve.”Johnson, a member of the famed 6888th, the only all-female, all-African-American Army Corp battalionstationed overseas during the war and a member of the class of 1949, received a standing ovation from theaudience of 12,000 at the coliseum as she walked to the podium to accept a Bachelor of Science in SpecialEducation from Chancellor Elwood L. Robinson.WSSU National Alumni AssociationIssue 64SUMMER 20196