Greetings again to all past, present and future U of A Black Alumni Society members! Happy Birthday wishes go out to all Razorback alumni celebrating a birthday during the month of May! I also want to extend my CONGRATULATIONS to the 2012 Silas Hunt Legacy Awards recipients: Mrs. Marjorie Wilkins Williams, Dr. Roderick Davis, Attorney C.C. Mercer and Coach Nolan Richardson!
Now, “How ’bout them HOGS!” I know the basketball team didn’t make it to the “big dance” and the football team just recently lost its head coach. However, it is not the basketball team, the football team, any of the other sports teams or the very mascot itself that I am referring to when I say, “How ’bout them HOGS!” It is each and every fellow U of A alumni, and especially the BAS, with whom we share a common, yet special and unique bond. It is this common bond of brother/sisterhood to which I am fraternally obligated to maintain, constantly sustain and eternally foster among fellow and future fellow alumni. It is not and must not be mine and mine alone. Neither is it nor must it be the sole responsibility of a select few. If our U of A is to maintain its current place as the flagship of higher education in the former “Land of Opportunity,” it must continue and increase her efforts to become a fully inclusive university. It cannot and certainly will not without the inclusion of “u”, i.e. you! As I think back to the challenges I faced while at the U of A, they pale in comparison to those of Silas Hunt. However, he had the foresight, fortitude and selflessness to endure so that others who followed would not have to suffer the same challenges. From the grave, he continues to challenge each of us to fulfill his legacy of selfless service. We have been given the noblest obligation, the obligation to help our fellow man. I am counting on each and every one of you, my fellow alumni to fulfill your obligation by giving of yourself; your time, your support by way of encouragement, your knowledge through mentorship, and lastly your financial support. You don’t have to wait for the reunion next year to make any form of donation. Our students of color are in need of such today and every day. If you did not attend last weekend’s “Back to the Hill Classic,” the “White Party,” or the Greek Show and “After Party,” you missed some great events that supported our students! Not only will we make Silas Hunt’s legacy an enduring reality if you “Look Back, Think Back, Come Back, and Give Back,” you will create a personal legacy well worthy of your remembrance!
A Luta Continuum,
Bobby W. Jones, M.D.
President, UofA BAS
