Grambling State University will commemorate the 114th anniversary of its founding with a celebration of events beginning Sept. 28. The theme for the 2015 Founder’s Week celebration is “ONE GRAMBLING: Honoring History, Keeping Promises and Fulfilling Dreams.”
Alumnus Eddie Martin, senior vice president at Bank of America, will
be the keynote speaker for Grambling State University’s 2015
Founder’s Day Convocation, which will be held at 11 a.m. Monday
in T.H. Harris Auditorium.
“Please join us as we celebrate Founder’s Week at Grambling State University from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2,” President Willie Larkin said. “We have set aside this time to reflect on the humble beginnings of this great university over 114 years ago, which stands today as an internationally known HBCU. I encourage each of you – students, faculty, staff and alumni – to continue to build on the solid foundation of our past and strive to make Grambling State University the life-giving, preeminent university its founder, Charles P. Adams, envisioned.”
The official opening of Founder’s Week will begin with a short ceremony at 7:30 a.m., Monday at the bust of Grambling’s founder, Charles P. Adams, which is located on the east side of Lee Hall. The opening ceremony will be followed by the annual Founder’s Week Community Fellowship Breakfast from 8-10 a.m. in the Black & Gold Room in Favrot Student Union. The breakfast will begin with a prayer led by Campus Minister, the Rev. C. DeWayne Hollins, at 7:55 a.m. President Larkin will also give remarks during the breakfast.
Tickets for the breakfast can be purchased for $10 each at the Grambling State University Advancement Office. Contact Rose Wright at 318-274-2217 or wrightr@gram.edu to purchase tickets.
The Founder’s Day Convocation will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday in T.H. Harris Auditorium. Eddie Martin, senior vice president at Bank of America and a 1985 Honor Graduate of GSU, has been named the keynote speaker for the convocation celebration.
“The founding fathers laid a foundation for all students that lasts to this very day,” Martin said.
“Without the founding fathers having that vision in their beliefs to set up an institution, regardless of the obstacles that were in front of them, they believed that it would make a significant difference to future students.”
Martin is a 1985 honor graduate of Grambling State with a bachelor of science in accounting. He credits Grambling for laying the foundation for his successful career.
“Grambling really laid the foundation for me,” Martin said. “As a young person, Grambling provided me with a lot of tools and direction that molded me to really be prepared for what was next, my future.
“On a daily basis, I go back into my Grambling toolbox and pull out the things I learned at school, like how to deal with conflict, how to prioritize your day-to-day activities and how to dream,” Martin said.
Other Founder’s Week events will include special Founder’s Week tours of Grambling State University and departmental and organizational exhibits throughout the week.
For more information about Founder’s Week, call 318-274-6124.