Tuskegee University News May 23, 2017 Estate gift memorializes Blackwell's love of music A recent gift from the estate of 1956 Tuskegee University alumna Velma L. Blackwell will create a memorial endowment fund to provide charitable support for the university's Golden Voices Choir. >From 1969 until her retirement in 2008, Blackwell's numerous roles as a Tuskegee University administrator included fundraising responsibilities and serving as the university's first female associate provost. Her leadership as vice president for development led to the construction of the Kellogg Conference Center and the Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Center for Aerospace Science and Health Education. A Tuskegee graduate, she completed a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1956. Before passing away in 2016, she had been a long-time champion of choral programs, and her past philanthropic support had funded several musical lectureships. She also helped develop the concept of the William Levi Dawson Institute for Classical and Folk Music, which was established in 1992 and currently includes the Dawson Lecture and the Dawson Concert. The concert showcases invited college and university choirs from around the region, along with the university's own Golden Voices, alumni choir and concert band. The gift was presented by Blackwell's sister, 1964 graduate Gladys Blackwell Hubbard, and brother, David Blackwell. The Golden Voices Choir is under the direction of Dr. Wayne Barr, director of choral activities in the College of Arts and Sciences. For more information about the choir, visit the Golden Voices website at www.tuskegee.edu/choir<http://www.tuskegee.edu/student_life/student_organizations/choir.aspx>. SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta, GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org/ sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org%3cmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org>> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/