For the fourth consecutive month, I get the privilege of extending a double greeting to all past, present and future U of A Black Alumni Society members and all Razorback alumni! First, “Happy Birthday” to all Razorback alumni celebrating a birthday during the month of March!
We are now less than three months away from the execution of what I believe will be one of, if not the grandest celebrations in the 22-year history of the University of Arkansas Black Alumni Society. The reunion committee and your board of directors have continued to work diligently to put together an unforgettable weekend celebration with you in mind. As previously mentioned, it all begins with a Professional Career Development Symposium for our students, a core tenet of our formation and continued existence. The fun then begins with a reception at the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House, followed by “partying until the break of dawn” for some. You can then make your way to your BAS business meeting on Saturday morning where your vital input is needed and welcomed. An afternoon of fun begins again watching others “shake, shout and stomp” to their own rhythm during the increasingly popular step show. Afterwards, the ladies will have a couple of hours to get their “do” just right, slip into one of their ball gowns and anxiously await their tuxedo-wearing gentleman to escort them to the ball. Oh, I meant to say banquet. Ball or banquet, it is going to be a “Black Tie” affair and one to be remembered. After the banquet, you can take off your bowtie, let your hair down and even kick off your shoes (if you must) while dancing the night away.
Amidst all the fun that you will experience is neatly embedded another of our core tenets: fundraising. The need to provide scholarships for our well deserving students is at times overwhelming but not insurmountable. With all of us “Thinking Back, Looking Back, Coming Back and Giving Back,” we shall overcome. Our ultimate success is directly dependent upon the success of those trying to follow in our footsteps. They are our progeny and therefore our legacy. Choose the legacy you will leave; just a living for yourself or a better life for another. I am eternally optimistic that you will join me in choosing the latter, visit the Black Alumni Society Reunion website to register and then invite your classmates, family and friends to attend the 2013 U of A BAS Reunion being held Friday, April 19 through Sunday, April 21, 2013.
A Luta Continuum (The Struggle Continues),
Bobby W. Jones, M.D
President, U of A Black Alumni Society
