Livingstone College News Service September 18, 2010 Livingstone celebrates Jenkins' 25 years By Laurie D. Willis He was given a key to a city, told he was responsible for a family of siblings attending college, praised for being a great husband and father and thanked for all he has done in the 25 years he has served as the CEO of three historically black colleges and universities. In a three-hour ceremony in Varick Auditorium on Friday night, one thing was abundantly clear: Livingstone College President Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins Sr. is appreciated and loved - especially here in Salisbury. "As I stand here and look at you ... I can appreciate even more the success this college enjoys today for many of us know from whence we came," said Bishop George W.C. Walker Sr., chairman of the Livingstone College Board of Trustees and the Senior Bishop in the AME Zion Church. "Mr. President, it feels good. It feels real good to see Livingstone making the strides it is now making." James Stephens III, an actor, comedian and impressionist, served as master of ceremonies. After taking the stage, he started singing "Unforgettable," impersonating legendary crooner Nat King Cole. He sang a song for the bishops before doing a Bill Cosby impression. Then he poked fun at Livingstone College's Concert Choir, telling the students the music they listen to is silly and divulges too much information. Stephens talked about rappers 'Lil Wayne and others before breaking into a Chris Rock impersonation: "Man, can a brother get a cab in North Carolina?" Stephens asked. Stephens was a crowd pleaser, but the evening wasn't all fun and games. Indeed, Jenkins was showered with praise for his exemplary career. Dr. Herman J. Felton, Jr., vice president of institutional advancement at Livingstone College, thanked Jenkins for helping him realize he could be anything he wanted to be. Felton said after he enrolled in college many of his siblings followed. Elizabeth City Mayor Roger McLean, who is an internal auditor for Livingstone College and a long-time friend of Jenkins, gave the president a key to the city. Earlier in the day, Sept. 17 was declared "Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins Day" by Salisbury Mayor Elizabeth Kluttz. McLean told the nearly 350 people assembled in Varick that everything that had been said about Jenkins was true. "He's highly favored," McLean said. "He said he wanted to build a planetarium and I said how, and the planetarium got built. He said he wanted to buy some land and I said how and the land got purchased. He said he wanted to move the bear and I said how and the bear got moved." Augustus L. Jones Sr., president of the Livingstone College National Alumni Association, said he knew some people advised Jenkins not to accept the top academic post at Livingstone in 2006, "but thank God your heart told you to give it a try." Bishop George E. Battle Jr., vice chairman of the Livingstone College Board of Trustees, joked with McLean that he could keep the key to Elizabeth City, as no one at Livingstone College wants to see Jenkins leave. "A president normally stays at a college for four years, but that is not true about Dr. Jenkins because he's been a president for 25 years and he's been at only three institutions," Battle said. "Dr. Jenkins is a giant of a visionary, a person that sees things that only he and Bishop Walker see. But how happy we are to have you at our school, the greatest school that God has created." Livingstone's concert choir, which gave its debut performance at Carnegie Hall in April, entertained the audience with several selections. Jenkins' wife told a beautiful tale about how they met while participating in Arthur Miller's play, "The Crucible," during their days at Elizabeth City State University. Jenkins, who earned the lead role in the play, took up for himself and other drama students once during rehearsal when their director spoke rudely to them, his wife said. "Well, at that point I became weak in the knees," Dr. Faleese Moore Jenkins said. "I really believe that at that moment, my life changed forever." They have been married for 45 years. They have three adult children, Dr. Lisa Lopez, attorney Ginger Cartwright and Jimmy Jenkins Jr., a graphic artist and college lecturer, and four grandchildren. "First of all, my husband is all that and a bag of chips" Mrs. Jenkins said. "I love him very, very, very much." Board of Trustees member Dorothy Colson was the chairwoman of the committee that organized Jenkins' 25th Anniversary Celebration. She joined State W. Alexander, executive assistant to the president/director of public relations, other committee members and members of Jenkins' senior staff on stage to present him with two gifts: A collage depicting pictures from his time at ECSU, Edward Waters and Livingstone College and a special, framed replica of the North Carolina seal. The anniversary celebration also featured a video tribute created by junior Justin Carter that showed Jenkins with Oprah Winfrey, former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, and others. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/meeting-form.html for the October 24-26, 2010 HBCU Library Alliance 4th Membership Meeting and the "Conference on Advocacy" pre-conference in Montgomery, AL. The Pre-Conference and Membership meeting are open to directors and other librarians.